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Media & Advertising

Media and advertising news from the Middle East. All the important stories, exclusive interviews, plus authoritative opinion and analysis

Tom Cruise filming a scene in Abu Dhabi's Liwa desert for Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, released in 2023

Abu Dhabi increases rebate to attract more TV and film

Abu Dhabi has increased the rebate available to TV and film production companies as regional competition hots up.  In a bid to entice further production from Hollywood, Bollywood and the Arab world to shoot in the emirate, Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) announced that from 2025 productions can apply for a 35 percent rebate, up […]

Lionel Messi poses for a photo at Dubai Expo 2020. He and his Argentina teammates will soon be appearing on 'giant billboard on Sheikh Zayed Road' to advertise property

Project stardust: why Dubai developers still want celeb tie-ins

Lionel Messi, Rohit Sharma and Chris Hemsworth are just some of the famous faces who have promoted UAE real estate in recent years. Superstar sportsmen and Hollywood heroes do not come cheap, but are they really a good investment for developers or just an excuse for the CEO to get a selfie?  Many industry observers […]

Redbird Spectator

Abu Dhabi-backed RedBird IMI sells The Spectator for $131m

RedBird IMI, a US investment group backed by Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, has sold the British magazine The Spectator to hedge fund boss Paul Marshall. The deal with Marshall, through his Old Queen Street Ventures fund, was worth £100 million ($131 million). Marshall is co-founder and chief investment officer of the global hedge fund […]

Paramount The Godfather An offer they can't refuse? Among the best-known films from Paramount Pictures, currently the subject of two takeover bids, is The Godfather, from 1972

Abu Dhabi-backed financier among bidders for Hollywood giant

A New York investment company backed by Abu Dhabi is part of a group that has launched a bid to take over Paramount Global, one of Hollywood’s biggest entertainment companies. The conglomerate, led by the industry veteran Edgar Bronfman Jr, a former CEO of Warner Music Group, submitted a $4.3 billion bid on Monday to […]

Turkish transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said that the user rights of social media accounts belonging to Turkish citizens will be protected

Turkey lifts ban after Instagram agrees to demands

Turkey has lifted its more than week-long ban on Instagram after the social media company agreed to collaborate with the government to address its concerns. The ban was removed on Saturday night after Instagram promised to work on demands regarding “catalogue crimes” and censorship on users, transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu said in a […]

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit out at social media platforms on Monday after his government blocked Instagram

Turkey’s Instagram ban hits $57m-a-day ecommerce trade

For four days and counting, Instagram has been blocked in Turkey – not only putting a dent in the social lives of millions of users but also placing additional pressure on an economy under strain.  Turkish regulators gave no reason when they imposed a ban on the Meta-owned platform on August 2.  However, the shutdown […]

Redbird IMI The Spectator Paul Marshall

Abu Dhabi-backed Redbird IMI set to sell The Spectator

Redbird IMI, a US investment group backed by Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, is understood to be selling The Spectator magazine to hedge fund boss Paul Marshall. It is understood a deal with Marshall, through his Queen Street Ventures fund, would value the magazine in the region of £90 million ($114 million) to £120 million […]

Nadhim Zahawi, formerly chancellor of the UK, is thought to be leading a consortium of investors for a £600m bid

UAE’s RedBird IMI hopes for speedy sale of The Telegraph

Nadhim Zahawi, the former chancellor of the UK, is fronting one of seven bids to buy the Daily Telegraph newspaper and The Spectator magazine, which is owned by RedBird IMI, a US investment group backed by Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments. The deadline for the first round of bidding was completed on Friday, although more offers […]

Du's revenue grew 7 percent to AED3.6 billion in the April to June period, compared to AED3.3 billion a year earlier

Du quarterly profit jumps 46% as subscribers rise

Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), which operates the Du and Virgin mobile brands in the UAE, reported a 46 percent jump year on year in net profit to AED581 million ($158 million) as subscriber numbers increased. Revenue grew 7 percent to AED3.6 billion in the April to June period, compared to AED3.3 billion a year […]

A cinema in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Demand for non-English and Arabic content is growing rapidly in the Middle East

Arabic films gain star status in Middle East cinema

An Emirati family’s life spirals out of control when the behaviour of their son Ahmed, a once softly spoken, confident young boy changes – with terrifying consequences. As his actions become increasingly unpredictable, the lives of those around him are placed in serious danger. Some counsel medical intervention, but the boy’s mother Maryam is convinced […]

Oman's Film City iwill provide more than 100 job opportunities for Omanis and aims to produce and export films

Oman to build $31m Film City

Oman is to build an OR12 million ($31.2 million) ‘Film City’ to boost its entertainment sector, a news report said. The project follows the outcomes of workshops held in March by the ministry of sports, culture and youth, Oman Daily Observer reported, citing a government official. The city is expected to provide more than 100 […]

Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor, chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, said that the “lack of necessary security stability … has left us no choice but to abandon the launch of our television station from Lebanon"

Al Habtoor scraps Lebanon TV channel after physical threats

Dubai’s Al Habtoor Group has cancelled plans to launch a TV channel from Lebanon after physical threats were made to the founder and staff. Chairman and founder Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor said that the “lack of necessary security stability for investment … has left us no choice but to step back from this initiative and […]

The UAE is determined to cut the number of nuisance telephone calls by bringing in strict rules for telemarketing companies

Social media warning after UAE telemarketing crackdown

The days of persistent cold calls in the UAE may be numbered, thanks to a government crackdown. However, industry experts told AGBI that the telemarketers may migrate to alternative channels such as social media platforms and WhatsApp. The Ministry of Economy and the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority have announced new regulations to curb […]

UAE’s RedBird IMI acquires UK TV producer for $1.5bn

RedBird IMI, a US investment management company partly owned by Abu Dhabi’s International Media Investments, has acquired All3Media, the UK’s largest independent TV production company behind hits such as Fleabag, The Traitors and Gogglebox. The for £1.15 billion ($1.5 billion) deal is the largest for RedBird IMI to date, the company said in a statement. […]