STAR today announced the appointment of Sumantra Dutta (more popularly known as Sumo) as Country Head, Middle East, Africa and Pakistan.  In this newly created position, Sumo will be responsible for spearheading STAR’s business in these three markets.  Based in Dubai, Sumo will report to Laureen Ong, Chief Operating Officer of STAR and will officially take up his new post on July 1.

Commenting on the appointment, Ong said, “Sumo has been in the News Corporation family for nearly 14 years, and at every level of his career, has proven himself a top performer.  His track record of formulating corporate strategy and developing new revenue streams is unmatched, and we are thrilled to have him lead our operations in these three key markets.”

“I am excited to rejoin STAR and lead the company’s operations in the Middle East, Pakistan and Africa,” said Sumo Dutta. “We have a tremendous opportunity to grow our business and extend the STAR brand across these three markets, and I look forward to working with the team to ensure we reach our full potential.”

Sumo has extensive media, entertainment and advertising sales experience.  He rejoins STAR from News Outdoor India, where he served as the company’s Managing Director.  Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of STAR India’s Radio Joint Venture, Radio City.  Before he joined Radio City, Sumo led STAR India’s Advertising Sales & Marketing teams as Executive Vice President, Ad Sales and Marketing and played an instrumental role in the successful launch of the all new Hindi STAR PLUS in 2000 and its flagship program, Kaun Banega Crorepati (the Indian version of the hit show Who Wants To Be a Millionaire).

STAR is a leading media and entertainment company in Asia. STAR broadcasts over 60 television services in ten languages to more than 300 million viewers across 53 Asian countries. STAR channels cover all genres including general entertainment (Star Plus, Xing Kong, Star Chinese Channel, Star One, Star Utsav, Star World, Vijay, antv, Phoenix Chinese), sports (ESPN, Star Sports), movies (Star Chinese Movies, Star Gold, Star Movies), music (Channel [V]), and news and current affairs (Star News, Star Ananda, Star Majha, Phoenix InfoNews Channel). STAR controls over 20,000 hours of Indian and Chinese programming and also owns the world's largest contemporary Chinese film library, with more than 600 titles, featuring superstars including Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Bruce Lee. In partnership with leading companies in Asia, STAR businesses extend to filmed entertainment, television production, cable systems, direct-to-home services, terrestrial TV broadcasting, wireless and digital services. STAR is a wholly owned subsidiary of News Corporation. www.startv.com.

Two new TV channels are to start broadcasting within the next four months, the Arab Radio Network (ARN) division of Arab Media Group has announced.

The programming will be modelled on ARN's most popular radio channels.

"Two of our most popular radio channels English-language Dubai Eye and Arabic-language Noor Dubai - will broadcast as television stations in addition to their radio broadcasts," said ARN Deputy General Manager Mahmoud Al Rasheed.

"This will be a unique concept for the region programming beamed out on TV as well as on radio. However, it won't just involve a camera broadcasting from a radio studio. We are only waiting for the technical aspects to be completed, otherwise we are all set to launch the channels."

The TV channels are expected to start broadcasting at the end of Ramadan.

"Dubai Eye and Noor Dubai are the most sought-after stations and are very strong on information rather than entertainment."

The channels will be free to air initially. Parent company Arab Media Group is the publisher of Emirates Business.

Day one at the Arab Media Forum 2008 raised questions on modern technology and its impact on media across the Arab world.
It also explored the role of technology and its applications as the main driving elements of the industry.

The observations came during the two-day Arab Media Forum that opened today at the Monarch Hotel in Dubai. The session titled 'Are Transformations Breaking the Traditional Mould of Arab Media' saw eminent speakers highlighting how technological advances have re-defined the media within the region.

Moderated by Mohammad Farhat Al Harthi, Editor-in-Chief, Sayidaty and Al Jamila Magazines, the session included talks by Danny Bottoms, Executive Vice President and CEO, Showtime; Dr. Hessa Lootah, College of Media Sciences, UAE University, and Jihad Al Khazen, Writer at Al Hayat Newspaper.

The power of the new media, particularly the Internet, was also deliberated upon. Journalistic freedom through avenues such as blogs, as well as continuous accessibility were cited as some of the reasons for the instant growth and acceptance of the web as an enabling mechanism for the media.
Commenting on the emergence of the new media, Al Khazen from Al Hayat said: 'A new chapter is being written in the Arab world thanks to the internet and blog sites. The Arab media is undergoing rapid changes with the advent of technology but is still restricted and suffers from lack of resources. Nearly 61 per cent of media in the region is restricted, barring certain satellite stations that have managed to raise the bar and present a realistic picture to international audiences.'
Participants agreed that the media industry has changed from an industry hinging on talent and tradition to an industry where technology and technological developments constitute the main driving components. The Arab world, with over a 1,000 media outlets including print, broadcast and new media, is undergoing a transformation that has become integral to its development.

Speakers recommended the integration of new and old media to provide user generated content to help sustain traditional forms of media, especially when print is slowly and steadily fading in the developed countries, creating increased opportunities for the electronic press. The United Kingdom alone witnessed a drop of nearly four per cent annually in print subscriptions, whereas nearly 120,000 people get addicted to the web everyday.
The training of journalists, importance of consumer generated news, impact of the visual media, media's role in tackling everyday issues and the misuse of media as a recreational tool as opposed to being factual and informative were some of the other concerns that drew the attention of the panelists at the forum.
Dr. Hessa Lootah spoke on the significance of training in the industry and the need for raising awareness of the media as a key information tool amongst the local population.
She said: 'A majority of the population in the UAE is poorly educated and relies heavily on TV as a medium of information. It's our job to produce content and expose them to information that benefits their development, encouraging more integration between the various communities living in the region.'
She stressed upon the urgent need to introduce modern media studies in universities across the Arab world to draw students away from old western theories that deprive them of hands-on experience.

'Bridging Arab Media Through Technology', the theme for the seventh edition of the forum, has drawn the participation of over 500 local, regional and international media professionals. Over 50 intellectuals and industry experts have convened in Dubai for the annual forum to hold in-depth discussions on the impact of technology within the regional media industry.

Hydra Properties, one of the leading real estate developers in the UAE, has announced that auditions for season two ‘Hydra Executives’, the new English reality-based TV program featuring 16 individuals and their quest for a USD 1 million business grant, has begun in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The breakthrough reality TV show takes a killer twist as Season 1 contenders takes on the task of picking out the next batch of executives for Season 2, which will comprise promising entrepreneurs from India and Pakistan, as part of their own pursuit to win the top prize. Twenty-five Indian contenders will be handpicked by the US team and another 25 Pakistani challengers will be chosen by the UK team in separate auditions scheduled in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

The objective of the task for the current contestants is to draw the most number of people to the auditions by developing an effective marketing plan with the least budget, which will be reflective of their strategies and organisational skills, and test their ability to spot talent and potential. Out of the fifty candidates, the show’s judges will then select eight final contestants each for Indian and Pakistani teams based on their impressive business plans, backgrounds and winning qualities. The second season of the English series will start filming on June 21, 2008 and will be aired by local and international broadcasters.

“We have come up with this unique and challenging idea to involve the two largest expat groups in the UAE - Indians and Pakistanis, which also represent the two strongest business communities in the country. Combining the elements of a large crowd with a demanding logistics challenge, this task can be a powerful opportunity for the current contenders to prove their skill sets in innovation, leadership, creativity, marketing and project management. We are sure that this episode will feature just one of the many exciting twists and highlights that audiences can expect from the show,” said Ziad Battal, Executive Producer and Creator, ‘Hydra Executives’.

Hydra Properties is the only real estate developer in the UAE to have ventured into TV entertainment business through the launch of the English reality-based TV program, ‘Hydra Executives’. This breakthrough initiative is being supported by several global brands, including Range Rover, General Motors, Blackberry, Etisalat, ASUS, Panasonic and Debenhams, as the key sponsors of the first season of the show.

Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe Limited today formally announces the launch of Boomerang in Arabic and Arabic subtitled movies on TCM.
 
Predominantly aimed at 4 – 9 year olds, Boomerang is dedicated to some of the greatest classic animations ever made, including Scooby Doo, Tom & Jerry, Popeye, The Flintstones and Sylvester & Tweety amongst many others.

TCM brings the silver screen to life by broadcasting world class movies, exclusive OFF SET celebrity interviews, monthly star tributes, special events and original screen tests. Along with special seasons hosted by contemporary directors and experts, TCM gives this definitive classic movie channel a style of its own. 

Dima Boulos, Regional Director for Middle East said, “Boomerang is a wonderful channel offering an enormous range of classic, fun cartoons for the young and the young at heart! We have customized the channel to suit fun-loving Middle Eastern audiences that have a strong appetite for timeless favourites and to give them a great place to go when they want to relax and laugh.”

‘TCM has also given Arabian viewers ageless classics including Casablanca and Gone with the Wind and the opportunity to see iconic stars such as Marlon Brando and Al Pacino in action. The glamour of old Hollywood will now be available with Arabic subtitles, increasing the affinity of TCM to its Arab viewership.’

‘These exciting advancements are vital steps in further establishing and growing our already popular entertainment brands in an extremely important business territory.”

Market demand for media owners in the United Arab Emirates to have their titles independently audited has "passed the point of no return" according to a case study of the CASTOR initiative, the region's Circulation Audit Steering Organisation, published this week.

The document, entitled "GOOD FIGURES DON'T NEED PADDING, How The UAE Successfully Tackled Resistance To Circulation Auditing" reports that "it is now only a matter of time before it [circulation auditing] achieves critical mass and the last bastions of resistance will have little option but to accede to market forces." The document is being presented at the International Advertising Association at this week's IAA World Congress in Washington DC.

The Study aims to assist other IAA chapters seeking to introduce independent media measurement in their own markets with a blueprint that they can follow. This has involved a range of initiatives from CASTOR threatening to cut back advertising spend in unaudited titles to it communicating the benefits of independent auditing through a series of meetings in the main Middle East publishing centres to reach out to affected parties and enlist their support. CASTOR has found, though, that a desire to be seen as subscribing to internationally-recognised standards in equally prevalent. In addition, BPA Worldwide is supporting the process with an ongoing outreach programme involving training and education for publishers, advertisers, media buyers and planners on the value of audited data as a business tool and as effective information in the planning of marketing and advertising strategies.

CASTOR represents 30 of the Gulf region's biggest advertising spenders and was assigned to promote the widespread adoption of circulation auditing as part of a drive by the International Advertising Association's Dubai Chapter and the Advertisers' Business Group for the GCC to raise standards and professional ethics in the industry. BPA Worldwide, the global auditor of media, is the only specialist organisation to obtain approval from CASTOR to conduct audits in the region. It currently has more than 80 Middle East titles in membership, including newspapers, business and consumer magazines and an internet portal, compared with just 20 in April 2006, and an increasing number of Arabic titles.

In the document, CASTOR stresses that "the more titles are audited, the more advertisers would be confident of investing in print media, giving a clearer picture if the overall health of the sector."

"Our experience in the UAE confirms what we have seen elsewhere. Market forces eventually hold sway and demand for audits overcomes vested interests, special arrangements and anything which gets in the way of the most informed and effective way of deploying an advertising budget," explains Glenn Hansen, President and CEO, BPA Worldwide.

"BPA has embraced the importance of adapting to the particular social and cultural needs of the region but, crucially, has also remained firm in its insistence that international standards are adhered to in order to give the region credibility in the eyes of international and global advertisers."

BPA Worldwide established an office in Dubai in June 2006 and its Middle East Advisory Board provides input to BPA from local buyers and sellers. The current membership of 15 people comprises eight representing advertisers and agencies and seven media owners. BPA is currently investing $1.5 million in new online software that will assist in BPA audits worldwide while offering live assistance to circulation managers.

The study concludes that many publishers have shown "enthusiastic willingness to support independent auditing". It says that as competition for advertising budgets intensifies, publishers have recognised that they can gain a marketing edge by providing verified figures, even if those numbers are not as impressive as they would like.

 "Needless to say, BPA Worldwide is ready to work with any IAA chapter keen to utitlise the GCC experience to deliver independent media measurement in their home market," adds Hansen.