productions to shoot in the area.”“ Beyond NEOM and AlUla, Riyadh is emerging as a content creation destination, with major investments in new soundstages and studios,” says Hasan.“ The launch of two sound stages at AlHisn Big Time Studios in November 2024 at the outskirts of Riyadh has added further film production facilities to the market, including a large Virtual Production Studio. MBC, the region’ s biggest commercial media group, is also shifting operations from the UAE and Lebanon to Saudi Arabia. MBC have also opened the first phase of their production facilities in Al Narjis neighbourhood in Riyadh, where they are already producing their large entertainment formats such as Arab Got Talent in the first Sound Stage, with more Film and TV studios coming online soon.” DUBAI. It isn’ t that long ago that Dubai held the position as the‘ new kid’, with broadcasting and media in general playing an big part of the Emirate’ s growth ambitions. Hasan brings us up to date:“ The UAE, especially Abu Dhabi and Dubai, has been at the forefront of media production and broadcasting in the region for the last 20 years. Abu Dhabi’ s twofour54 has established itself as a leading production hub, attracting international projects from the East and the West. The expansion of Yas Creative Hub further solidifies the UAE’ s position as a key player in the industry. However, the plans to expand Film production facilities and build a Studio City in the KEZAD area of Abu Dhabi seem to be on hold if not cancelled.”
“ What sets the UAE apart is its mature media infrastructure and business-friendly environment. While Saudi Arabia is aggressively expanding its media sector, the UAE remains a well-established hub with proven capabilities, making it a preferred destination for high-profile productions. Indirectly acknowledging the competition with Saudi Arabia, the Abu Dhabi Film and TV
International experts and industry leaders attended the Saudi Media Forum
Commission has announced in October 2024 a new more generous cashback rebate scheme of 35 per cent plus- that can go up to 50 per cent- on qualifying productions including feature films, television programmes and series, short form content, and entertainment shows.” QATAR. Qatar, famous for its Al Jazeera news-to-entertainment output, has been steadily building its media industry, especially in the broadcasting domain, and the recent partnership between Media City Qatar and CNN is a strong indicator of its ambitions.“ The country is positioning itself as a global media hub, focusing on digital content and international collaborations. With Al Jazeera still being one of the most influential news networks in the region, if not globally, Qatar is leveraging its existing media strength, including beIN Media Network and Fadaat Media, to attract new players and establish a diverse production environment,” adds Hasan.
“ The Film Industry is another area of growth in Qatar, with recent news of investment in Hollywood productions such as Daniel Craig’ s adaptation of Shakespeare’ s Othello, and the $ 150 million stake in North Road production company by Qatar Investment Authority in 2023. Qatar’ s film investments have been through outwards investments, with recent initiatives to attract
“ TV advertising budgets are shifting away from satellite towards social media, which poses an existential threat to satellite channels.”- Robert Lakos, Consultant international productions to Qatar and develop a local production ecosystem. This is a space worth watching.”
Streaming, like everywhere on the planet, is increasingly making its presence felt in the Arab world.“ OTT platforms like Shahid, StarzPlay, beIN’ s TOD, OSN +, Netflix, and others are becoming not just aggregators and distributors of content, but also content producers, commissioning original Arabiclanguage productions. This has led to a growth in high-quality scripted series and films, with an ambition to export that content internationally,” says Hasan. BOUNDARIES.“ OTT has also democratised content creation. Streaming platforms are showing stories that wouldn’ t have made it to traditional TV. Independent Arab filmmakers and content creators now have the opportunity to push creative and cultural boundaries as these platforms are generally more risk-taking than traditional broadcasters and regional movie theatre chains. To attract subscribers, streaming services are increasingly competing, hopefully leading to increased investment in local productions. The question remains how to ensure that this momentum translates into sustainable commercial viability and growth for the region’ s media industry,” he states.
The old maxim for the sector internationally, is‘ Eat, or be eaten’, and expansion ambitions are commonplace. Hasan says the biggest opportunities are in the region’ s growing investment in media production infrastructure, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the UAE which are competing to become global production hubs, and in the growing demand for original Arabic content by the streaming platforms.
14 EUROMEDIA