In its 20-year history, the Saudi-owned MBC Group has become the biggest free-to-air broadcaster in the Arab world.
Sam Barnett, the chief operating officer and general manager of MBC, has been with the company since it relocated to Dubai in 2002. He tells The National how MBC has grown from one TV station into a 10-channel network, and the company's plans to maintain its position in the market.
You have been involved with MBC since 2002. How has the company changed over that time?
When I joined the network it was reasonably new to Dubai, and we were one TV station and one radio station. And so the key change has been in the shape of the portfolio; we have continued to launch channels through that time. While we were, back then, generating about 20 to 22 per cent share of the market, we're now 45 per cent share of the market in Saudi Arabia. If you look at other countries … the direction is the same.
Free-to-air television is still dominant in the Arab world. Do you think that will stay the same, or will pay-television grow its share of the market?
If pay-TV operators are successful in their current attempts to reduce piracy, then that will be a good foundation for them to grow … if that's successful, then one would anticipate that pay-TV penetration will increase.
Will pay-television threaten MBC?
In most markets, free-to-air and pay-TV co-habit. In the Middle East it has been an overwhelmingly free-to-air market. People are used to consuming free TV, and they get very good quality. So we're confident [enough] about our position to be supportive of pay-TV growing. But there's still a long way for them to grow, and I think that with the changes they're making on piracy there is potential for them.
Does MBC Group receive subsidies from the Saudi government?
Not as far as I know … I've managed this group since 2002, and we're cash-flow positive. We are run on a commercial basis and fund our business from our own operations. I also don't see any [government] involvement whatsoever. I think people like to believe that MBC's success is because it gets favours or money. It's not … we're actually a successful commercial organisation.
Last year you launched MBC Drama. Are you going to add any other channels this year?
We never say never. Because our strategy has been that, if we see a niche which is evolving, and we think that we can serve that in a profitable way, then we will go for it. But we have no immediate plans for new channels.
Does MBC have any plans to launch any paid premium channels or any paid on-demand services?
We've got MBC+ Drama [a joint venture with the pay-TV network OSN]. There may be others like that in the future, depending on the amount of content we've got. But there are no plans as of yet. Our core strategy remains the free-to-air business.
How many people are watching MBC channels every day?
106 million people will watch one of our channels each day in north Africa and the Middle East.
The Arab TV market is unique in that the same satellite broadcasts are beamed from Morocco to Oman, rather than to specific countries. Do you see that staying the same?
We've looked at spot beams [which allow for localised satellite feeds]. It will depend upon whether the satellite companies are able to launch them at an attractive price, and whether a sufficient mass of stations will adopt their signals. What we have seen is the evolution of more local programming. And we will anticipate that in each market you'd have strong local channels coming up.
What do you see as the broad trends in MBC's business model during the next five years?
I'd be surprised if we fragmented again as much as we have in the past. I'm not sure that we will double the channel number again. What we're doing now is really fine-tuning the position of each channel, and making sure that the content is addressed to the local market. On some channels, such as MBC Action, that means we're introducing local shows. Rather than purely relying on acquisition content, we will put on more Arabic programmes, so you'll see each channel becoming a brand. You'll see more online initiatives and more social media initiatives.
bflanagan@thenational.ae
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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