Media and Arts

Abu Dhabi media park master plan revealed

The master plan for Abu Dhabi's new media precinct, which aims to host more than 12,000 media specialists, has been unveiled. Twofour54, the company driving Abu Dhabi's development as a centre of excellence for world-class Arabic media and entertainment content, has revealed its plans for its new campus in Mena Zayed. The company's website said the project would be built in two phases - the first including Abu Dhabi Media Company's new HQ, a 340-room hotel, a training academy and 200 residential units by 2014. The second phase which includes studios, office space and a further 150 residential units is earmarked for completion by 2018. Launched in October 2008, Twofour54 aims to create a media park where businesses including broadcast, digital media, gaming, publishing, music and film can create world-class Arabic content, the company said in a statement.

Bahrain: Ad value

Having ridden out the worst of the global financial crisis, Bahrain's advertisers are looking to bounce back with solid growth this year, and early results suggest their optimism is well placed. Last year saw around US$103 million spent on advertising in the Kingdom, down from the US$109 million of 2008, according to data from the local chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA). This is just over a 5 per cent fall off in expenditure that came against the backdrop of a global economic slowdown. However, while GDP may have remained almost flat in 2008, advertising is one of the first expenses many firms look to reduce when seeking to cut costs. In Bahrain, it was industries most affected by the economic crisis that went furthest in lowering their expenditure on promotional activities in 2009, with spending by the real estate sector down 44 per cent, compared to its outlays in the preceding year. Spend levels by the financial sector, one of the largest contributors to the Bahraini economy, were down about 18 per cent, while hotel-and-tourism and vehicle advertising were each down 13 per cent, according to IAA Bahrain Chapter figures released in late January. While the year-end figure was down, there were strong indicators in the last quarter of 2009 that Bahrain's advertising sector was on the way back, with client spending starting to creep up back towards pre-crisis levels. This trend has accelerated into the new year. In mid-April, the Pan Arab Research Centre (PARC) released its latest study into the region's advertising industry, with the results showing a sharp turnaround for the industry locally and throughout the Middle East and North African. With the exception of the UAE, all of the markets covered in the report recorded positive growth, placing Bahrain as one of the best performers. According to PARC, having contracted by 9 per cent in the opening three months of 2009, the Kingdom's advertising spending shot up by 43 per cent in first quarter of this year, second only to Egypt in terms of expansion. With spending on the rise, confidence is also growing, with industry leaders positive for the future after having shrugged off the worst of the immediate past. Announcing a new tie up with regional advertising giant BPG in late February, Metaphor Communications chairman Premal Patel said that while the local sector had been impacted by the recession, the effects had not been as drastic as for some. (Source: OBG)

Sotheby’s April Arts of the Islamic World sale sets new record for any sale of Islamic art

Sothebys bi-annual Arts of the Islamic World Sale, which presented for sale works of art that span from the rise of Islam in the 7th century through to the 19th century, achieved the record total of £15,447,450 (US$23,772,081), well in excess of pre-sale expectations (est. £6.3-9.1 m). The well-attended auction, which achieved sell-through rates of 93.1 per cent by value and 72.8 per cent by lot, was headlined by the sale of a newly discovered early 16th century Ottoman Ivory and Turquoise-Inlaid Box set with rubies, which commanded the outstanding sum of £2.39 million, more than four-times its pre-sale low estimate of £500,000. Commenting on the exceptional results achieved, Edward Gibbs, Senior Director and Head of Sotheby's Middle East and India department, said: "The sale presented collectors and connoisseurs in the field of Islamic Art with the opportunity to acquire some truly remarkable objects of quality and rarity, many of which were museum quality pieces. The record-breaking results achieved are testament to the desirability of these works of art sold... We are delighted with the prices achieved for the newly discovered Ottoman box and Safavid Velvet, both of which achieved sums - far in excess of their pre-sale estimates that reflect their standing as works of the highest aesthetic and historical value.”

Abu Dhabi Media Company partners with IMG to produce English Premier League programming for MENA region

Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has inked a deal with IMG Sports Media for the production of the English Premier League (EPL) sports programming on its AD Sports (Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya) subscription channels, which will be the new official television home of the Premier League in the Mena region when the new season kicks off in mid-August 2010. The agreement with IMG includes not only live coverage of major games from the Premier League's UK-based studio, but also dedicated programming guaranteed to give viewers the sense of being present at the game, with pitch side reporters, providing pre and post-game interviews and reports, interaction with fans at the stadium, as well as pre and post-game analysis from the on-site studio. The coverage will also be supported by daily sports news bulletins. EPL programming on AD Sports (Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya) subscription channels will feature live HD coverage of all 380 games, and for the first time in the region will bring the official Premier League 24-7 channel, Premier League TV - the recently announced English HD channel broadcast from London, to fans in the region, as well as a line-up of local, Abu Dhabi-based sports news and sports talk shows, all designed to further enhance the quality, range and depth of EPL coverage for the region's viewers.