MIPCOM looks to the Middle East

There will be a particular focus on the Middle East and Turkey at MIPCOM next month. Organisers have arranged several conference events looking at the media industry in the region in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Laurine Garaude, director of the Television Division at MIPCOM organiser Reed MIDEM said: “The Arab market is diverse, but there are strong pan-Arab consumer trends which the international community need to understand. That is why it is so important to have Arab television companies coming to discuss and develop their business in Cannes next month.”

Reed added that representatives from Al Jazeera’s English and Arabic TV channels, twofour54, Abu Dhabi TV, Dubai TV, MBC Group, Al Dafra TV, Al Jadeed TV, MTV and Roya’TV will all be attending the market.

“In the past 18 months we have seen the launch of some 150 new Arabic satellite television channels across Egypt, Libya, Iraq, GCC, Yemen, Sudan, Jordan and Lebanon,” says Nabil Kazan, president and chief executive of K & Partners TV Services, who will be leading the Arab-focused conference sessions. “80 million Arab households are now accessing terrestrial and satellite broadcasting and we now have over 650 Arab TV channels available,” he added.