MTV Arabia to Launch in November

LONDON/DUBAI, October 29: MTV
Arabia, the Middle East’s first Arabic free-to-air youth entertainment and
lifestyle channel, will roll out on November 17, reaching a potential audience
of 190 million people across the region.

MTV Arabia will reach the
biggest potential audience at launch of any other MTV channel globally in the
brand’s 25-year history. The channel will be available via satellite on Arabsat
and Nilesat across the Middle East, reaching 36 million TV households in its
primary markets: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Bahrain,
Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Yemen, Palestine and Syria. The channel will be
complemented by an Arabic- and English-language
website—www.MTVa.com—which will provide users with a comprehensive
online community and a wide range of interactive elements.

MTV Arabia will showcase
the region’s latest trends in youth entertainment, with a mix of music and
lifestyle shows that include original Arabic productions. MTV Arabia will also
be the region’s first media platform to embrace the world of hip hop,
highlighting emerging Arabic hip-hop talent for the first time and tapping into
the popularity of international hip hop culture across the Middle East. The
flagship local show is Hip Hop Na,
a 12-episode series that follows auditions to uncover the best local hip-hop
acts in seven different Middle Eastern cities.

Other music-based Arabic
shows on the channel’s lineup are Waslati, where viewers with webcams become VJs and introduce three of their
favorite videos; Baqbeeq, a
music trivia show; and Introducing Block, which goes behind-the-scenes in the music industry with exclusive
interviews and performances by the biggest international and Arab stars. MTV
Arabia will feature a 60 percent/40 percent mix of international and Arabic
music videos—representing more international music videos than ever
previously screened in the Middle East. A number of MTV’s globally popular
series will also air on MTV Arabia, including Cribs, Pimp My Ride and Total Request Live.

The channel will also
feature Arabic versions of MTV programs that are popular internationally, such as Al Helm, based on the Made format, which follows
the journey of aspiring teenagers looking to fulfill their dreams with the help
of an MTV Arabia-supplied ‘coach’; Al Hara 7, based on MTV’s
international format Barrio 19,
which tours the Middle East’s street scene, and features previously unknown
artists displaying innovative skills like beat-boxing, break-dancing or magic
acts; and Akher Takka, based on
Boiling Point, in which actors
antagonize stressed-out ‘victims’ who can win a cash prize if they manage to
keep their cool in extremely annoying situations.

MTV Arabia is operated
through a long-term licensing partnership between MTV Networks International
(MTVNI) and TECOM Investments and its media unit, Arab Media Group (AMG). The
channel will fall under the umbrella of Arabian Television Network (ATN), AMG’s
TV broadcasting arm that also will incorporate three other stations to launch
before the end of 2007, as well as Nickelodeon Arabia, which was recently
announced to launch in 2008 as part of the MTVNI agreement.

Bhavneet Singh, the managing
director and senior VP of emerging markets at MTV Networks International,
commented: “MTV is the first global brand to launch a fully localized,
Arabic-language entertainment service in the Middle East that truly represents
Arab youth while being respectful of their rich and diverse culture. The Middle
East is a really dynamic market that offers considerable long-term growth
opportunities and we’re proud to be working with AMG and TECOM Investments to
give the Middle East its very own MTV.”

Bill Roedy, the vice
chairman of MTV Networks, said: “Through MTV’s global platform that reaches
nearly two billion people, Arabic music and culture can be exported to new
audiences—giving Arabs a bigger voice and greatly enriching the diversity
of our MTV creative culture. MTV Arabia is only the beginning of our ambitious
plans for growth in the Middle East, and we’re excited to launch further Arabic
services, including Nickelodeon next year.”

—By Irene Lew