Free-to-air ‘Quest Arabiya’ to broadcast factual shows aimed at Arab male audience
Commitment to air locally-produced content means boost to regional TV production industry
Abu Dhabi, June 2, 2015:
Image Nation has partnered with Discovery Communications, the world’s
number one pay TV programmer, to create and launch a new Arabic language
TV channel for the Middle East and North Africa. ‘Quest Arabiya’ will
be free-to-air and will go live in the final quarter of 2015.
The channel, whose
focus is male-oriented factual and reality programmes, will be a
combination of locally-produced original material and Arabized content
from Discovery’s vast library 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.
Quest Arabiya, which
will be broadcasting 24 hours a day, will be headed up by Carl von
Doussa, General Manager of Channels at Image Nation, who brings over 19
years of experience in television and digital markets in Europe and the
Middle East. He is joined by a growing team, including Eeman Al Ansari,
Programming Executive, and Khalid Khouri, Project Manager.
The venture 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. And under the terms of the deal,
Discovery Communications has the option to acquire Image Nation’s
content for broadcast on its international channels, meaning the
region’s stories have the potential to be told around the world.
A search has already
begun for on-screen talent and production companies to pitch and produce
shows centring on culture and lifestyle that reflect GCC and MENA
customs and traditions.
“In partnering with
Discovery to launch a new TV channel in the Middle East and North
Africa, 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
a leading destination for men’s lifestyle entertainment in the Middle
East”, 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
content and brands that meet viewer demands 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 content and raise
awareness of our seven channel brands in the region.”
The launch of Quest
Arabiya will see Discovery grow and further localise its presence in the
MENA TV market. Operating from a dedicated office in the UAE, the
company currently offers an unrivalled portfolio of TV channels, which
includes free-to-air Fatafeat, the #1 food network in the Middle East,
as well as pay TV channels Discovery Channel HD, TLC HD, Animal Planet
HD, Discovery Science HD, ID: Investigation Discovery and Discovery
World, distributed on OSN.
Michael Garin, CEO of
Image Nation said: “Image Nation now has a proven track record of
creating quality reality and factual programming, with an ever-growing
slate of documentary feature films including He Named Me Malala directed by Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim and Polio documentary Every Last Child.
“For us, Quest Arabiya
is a significant step into the area of TV, which provides more
opportunity for regional industry professionals to make their mark.
Quite simply, the platform means more opportunity for local content to
air, more production and more jobs.
“Through Discovery’s
international networks we also look forward to some great untold Middle
Eastern stories reaching a huge audience across the world.”
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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.
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.
