Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Media & Advertising

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

An actor in the process of creating a synthetic facial reanimation video, or deepfake

Reality still beats deepfake technology … for now

Technology experts are confident that artificial intelligence-generated deepfakes will not dominate or replace human talent. “It sounds tremendously fake, even when it sounds ‘real’,” Ahmad Haffar, the voice behind Dubai Metro and managing partner at Mindloop Studios, told AGBI. Deepfakes are manipulated videos, images or audio recordings created using AI. They are increasingly commonplace in […]

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA - DECEMBER 02: Greg Silverman, Charlene Deleon-Jones and Jessika Borsiczky pose in the portrait studio during the Red Sea International Film Festival 2023 on December 02, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for The Red Sea International Film Festival)

Coming to a movie theatre near you … AlUla

It would make the perfect setting for Star Wars or Indiana Jones, but AlUla is developing production facilities that will expand its reach beyond sci-fi and desert adventure movies, making it one of the region’s prime locations for international shoots.  The tourist location in northwest Saudi Arabia is fast developing into a mini-city with an […]

Man watching tv and eating popcorn at home on a couch, back view

In the streaming age, the TV stays on after Ramadan

YouTube creators and streaming services are changing the face of television all over the world – but particularly in Arab countries, according to executives who attended the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah this month. The entertainment industry in the Middle East traditionally focused on the fasting month, when TV shows could find a captive […]

International Holding Company said in a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange that scammers are using the company's name for fraudulent investment opportunities

Middle East hit by wave of brand impersonation scams

Cybersecurity experts in the Middle East are warning of a rise in brand impersonation attacks which persuade unsuspecting consumers to part with sensitive information.  International Holding Company, a global investor based in Abu Dhabi, said in a disclosure to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange last week that scammers are using the company’s name and logo […]

Faris Godus (right) with brother Sohayb and actress Najm, the stars of his film Fever Dream

Modern Saudi gets its close-up at Jeddah film festival

The new Saudi Arabia seen on screen at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah is barely recognisable from the country where religious mores prevented the mingling of unrelated men and women, and suspicions of foreigners cast a long shadow.  Among the stories being told at this month’s festival are those of a young […]

MBC Group chairman Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim (right) at the signing of an MoU with the Saudi Film Commission. MBC's share price suggests a market capitalisation of $2.2bn

Saudi’s MBC Group prices IPO at top of the range

Strong investor demand has led Saudi media company MBC Group to price its initial public offering (IPO) at SAR25 per share, the top of a range published earlier this month.  The price implies a market capitalisation of SAR8.3 billion ($2.2 billion) at listing, said IPO manager HSBC in a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange […]

Fashion, People, Person

Saudi film festival showcases growing movie industry

The third Red Sea Film Festival kicked off in Jeddah last week, highlighting the city’s rejuvenation as part of Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plans and rapid growth of its movie industry.  Stars including Johnny Depp, Will Smith, Sharon Stone, Catherine Deneuve and a coterie of Saudi directors and actors graced the red carpet for gala […]

The final price for MBC Group shares will be disclosed at the end of the book-building period on December 6

MBC Group sets price range for IPO on Tadawul

Saudi Arabian media giant MBC Group is planning to raise as much as SAR831 million ($222 million) from the sale of a 10 percent stake on the Saudi stock exchange (Tadawul) after disclosing an indicative price range. The price range was set between SAR23 ($6.13) and SAR25 per share, the company said in a statement, […]

A WH Smith shop. Tihama operates its units at Riyadh and Jeddah airports

Tihama shareholders to vote on rescue for Saudi media group

Shareholders in the loss-making media group that operates WH Smith shops in Saudi Arabia are to vote on a rescue plan next month. Tihama Advertising and Public Relations Company said its “financial reorganisation proposal under the Saudi bankruptcy rules” would be put to shareholders on December 18. The meeting will be overseen by Osama Al […]

Sarah Jessica Parker in And Just Like That.

More deals likely to follow OSN+ and Anghami merger

The merger last week between OSN+ and Anghami will lead to more consolidation in the region’s streaming sector, industry experts have said. Kuwait’s Kipco-Panther Media Group, which operates as OSN, will combine its streaming service OSN+ with Anghami’s music and entertainment business to create one of the Middle East’s largest streaming platforms. The Europe, Middle […]

AI journalists Video length: 0:57

AI ‘not just a problem-solving tool’ for journalists

Journalists must embrace artificial intelligence technologies in their day-to-day work, according to a panel of leading experts during a session hosted by AGBI at the Global Media Congress. “AI is not just a tool for problem-solving or generating the next stories but it also allows the development of new creative skill sets,” said Professor Neil […]

Lucy Frazer is likely to conduct a public interest test on the Telegraph bid

UK regulator likely to review Telegraph bid

Lucy Frazer, UK secretary of state for culture media and sport, has written to an Abu Dhabi-backed consortium warning that that she is likely to subject its bid for a leading British newspaper group to a public interest test.  RedBird IMI, led by Jeff Zucker, a former president of CNN, has submitted a bid for […]

MBC is one the largest media and entertainment companies in the Mena region, with its content reaching over 150 million people every week

Saudi media company MBC Group to float 10% in IPO 

Saudi media major MBC Group plans to launch an initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul). The announcement comes after the Capital Market Authority (CMA) approved the company’s plan to offer 33.25 million ordinary shares, representing 10 percent of its share capital. The offering price will be determined at the end of the […]

Egyptian singer Amr Diab has exlusive content on the Anghami streaming platform

OSN+ and Anghami merge in $50m streaming service deal

Middle East streaming service OSN is set to invest $50 million in music streamer Anghami as part of a deal to merge the two companies. Kuwait’s Kipco-Panther Media Group, which operates as OSN, will combine its streaming service OSN+ with Anghami’s music and entertainment business to create one of the Middle East’s largest streaming platforms. […]

Al Arabia says the takeover of Faden Media will allow it to acquire a larger share of the outdoor advertising market

Saudi advertising major in $270m pursuit of rival

The Saudi advertising giant Arabian Contracting Services is pursuing the acquisition of its Riyadh-based rival Faden Media, in a deal worth more than SAR1 billion ($270 million).  The company, also known as Al Arabia, said in a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange that it is now working to complete the takeover within six months, […]

Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan collects $16m at UAE box office

Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan’s latest action-packed movie “Jawan” has become the first Indian film to cross the $16 million collection in the Middle East, the movie makers said in a post on social media. The film was produced by Yash Raj Films, a film production and distribution company in India,  The movie, released worldwide on September […]

RAK film tourism

Lights, camera, action: RAK seeks leading role in film tourism

The UAE is no stranger to the silver screen, whether it be Tom Cruise dangling perilously from Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in Mission Impossible blockbuster Ghost Protocol, or Vin Diesel powering his $3 million supercar from one Etihad Tower in Abu Dhabi to the next in the seventh iteration of the Fast and Furious franchise. Ras […]