DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS PARTNERS WITH IMAGE NATION TO LAUNCH ARABIC FREE-TO-AIR CHANNEL ACROSS MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA
-- ‘Quest Arabiya’ to Broadcast Factual Programming Aimed at Arab Male Audience --
June 4, 2015
London, June 2, 2015: Discovery Communications, the world's number one pay TV programmer, today announced it has partnered with Image Nation, one of the leading content creators in the Middle East, to increase its presence in the growing MENA TV market by creating and launching a new Arabic language, free-to-air TV channel for the region. Quest Arabiya will launch in the final quarter of 2015.
"Quest Arabiya will be a leading destination for men's lifestyle entertainment in the Middle East and North Africa", said James Gibbons, EVP for Discovery's Emerging Business. "Discovery's global success is based on building strong local teams and looking for new opportunities in key markets. We have a dedicated team based in the UAE and a track record of providing high quality brands and programs that nourish viewers in the region for more than 16 years. Our partnership with Image Nation will help take our business to the next level, broaden the popularity of factual entertainment and raise awareness of our seven channel brands in the region."
"In partnering with Discovery to launch a new TV channel in the Middle East, we are doing what Abu Dhabi does best - marrying world-class expertise with regional knowledge," said Mohammed Al Mubarak, Chairman of Image Nation Abu Dhabi. "Quest Arabiya will provide a needed boost to the private media sector in the UAE as we will be commissioning more content than ever before and producing at the highest international standards."
Quest Arabiya will be free-to-air and feature male-oriented factual and reality programmes with a combination of locally-produced original material and localised content from Discovery's vast pipeline of non-fiction shows. Aimed primarily at Arab men aged 16-44, but with material that will appeal to the entire family, key programming genres will include adventure and survival, motoring, engineering, wildlife, history and people and places. Carl von Doussa, General Manager of Channels at Image Nation Abu Dhabi, will lead the new channel, bringing over 19 years of experience in television and digital markets in Europe and the Middle East to the new role.
The launch of Quest Arabiya will see Discovery grow and further localise its presence in the MENA TV market through its partnership with Image Nation, headquartered in Abu Dhabi. Operating from a dedicated office the UAE, Discovery currently offers an unrivalled portfolio of TV channels, which includes free-to-air network Fatafeat, as well as pay TV networks Discovery Channel HD, TLC HD, Animal Planet HD, Discovery Science HD, ID: Investigation Discovery and Discovery World, distributed on OSN.
Fatafeat, the #1 food network in the Middle East, is present in 55 million TV households in the region and in Saudi Arabia it is the 4th most watched channel among women 20-44 and 3rd among all women between 12:00-18:00. Discovery Channel is one of the most successful international TV channels in Middle East amongst affluent adults and ranks as the #1 factual channel based on weekly reach, outperforming key competitors[1].
The partnership between Discovery and Image Nation highlights the growing importance of TV and digital media as platforms for original content and commissions in the Middle East, providing new opportunities for local talent and production companies to increase their output, while providing a host of new training and development opportunities in the media industry in the region.
The move means more stories from across the region will be brought to life through specially commissioned Quest Arabiya shows. Under the terms of the cooperation, Discovery Communications has the option to acquire Image Nation's content for broadcast on its international channels around the world.
ENDS
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (NASDAQ: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 pay-tv programmer reaching nearly 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. For 30 years Discovery has been dedicated to satisfying curiosity and entertaining viewers with high-quality content through its global television brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network. Discovery controls Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education, and a digital leader with a diversified online portfolio, including Discovery Digital Networks. In Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, 16 Discovery brands reach 503 million cumulative subscribers in 108 countries and territories with programming customized in 21 languages. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.
About Image Nation
Founded in 2008, Image Nation has become one of the leading content creators in the Middle East with the aim of building a sustainable film and television industry in Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
Image Nation fulfils four key commitments: Developing Emirati filmed entertainment; growing the local film and television industry through training and internship programs; supporting Abu Dhabi entities in creating content to meet strategic and marketing objectives; and co-producing an aggressive slate of international films through several strategic partnerships that help subsidize the cost of its local operations.
Image Nation's slate includes Emirati produced feature films (From A to B, Sea Shadow), cause-driven documentaries (He Named Me Malala, Every Last Child), insightful television shows (Beyond Borders, Hayati Walaskariya) and award-winning international co-productions (The Help, Flight, 99 Homes). Through its content, Image Nation is creating opportunities for local talent to tell their stories and work on projects that provide them the tools to establish and sustain a local industry.
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[1] EMS 2014, Middle East