Event Preview: MyContent 2010

Taking place for this first time this year, MyContent, set for November 29 to December 1 in Dubai, aims to tap into the tremendous interest in the rapidly growing media market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The event will enable distributors to showcase their latest offerings to buyers from the region, and will offer up information on the latest developments in the MENA market through a series of panel discussions and keynote addresses.

Organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions, the event originated out of a desire to improve and globalize the content market in the Middle East. “With a large population sharing the same language, similar culture and historically producing very little content,” there is a strong need for programming in the region, says Koichi Yokoyama, project manager for MyContent. That need, he says, led to the creation of MyContent “as a platform for providing access to the international entertainment content community in their own backyard. Our mission is to connect and build businesses in TV, film, broadcasting, digital content, mobile content, media, interactive entertainment and publishing by connecting the professionals from the Middle East and the rest of the world through exposure, face-to-face meetings and education.”

Yokoyama points to the strong demand from MENA broadcasters for programming from the global market. “The population of the Arab world exceeds 250 million, with very little content produced locally, justifying the demand for high-quality content suitable for the region, particularly in TV, film, animation, kids’ programs [and] interactive entertainment. The large presence of Middle Eastern contingents at international markets looking to buy content is a good indication of the demand.”

The main goal of MyContent, Yokoyama says, is to connect buyers and sellers. About 800 buyers are slated to attend and some 200 exhibitors from around the world. “Our B2B matching system will arrange productive meetings based on content owners or distributors’ requirements,” he says. “In my opinion there is no better way than MyContent to meet numerous potential clients within three days in the Middle East.”

MyContent is being co-located with another INDEX-organized event, the Dubai International Character & Licensing Fair (Character Dubai), focused primarily on the animation and L&M segments. “Character Dubai is the Middle East’s only brand, property and licensing marketplace featuring the largest, most diverse collection of properties available for licensing,” Yokoyama says. “It is the ultimate meeting place to build partnerships, preview what’s coming and create the deals that move products off the retail shelves.”