'Stars of Science' reality TV show spans the region

Qatar Foundation, in collaboration with Qatar Television and the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), has brought together an unprecedented partnership of 18 public and private channels.

In addition to Jordan TV, the 'edutainment' reality show will be broadcast by: Qatar Television, ENTV (Algeria); Bahrain TV; Dubai TV; Nile Cultural Channel (Egypt); Saudi 1 (KSA); Kuwait TV; Future TV (Lebanon), Tele Liban (Lebanon); Mauritania TV; Al Aoula (Morocco); Oman TV; Sudan TV; Syria 1, Hannibal TV (Tunisia), Yemen TV and ANA.

Viewers will witness 16 students from 11 Arab countries facing the various stages of the innovation process and encountering numerous challenges.

'Stars of Science' will be broadcast over five weeks from May 29 to June 26. It will consist of 5 prime-time episodes on Fridays, each lasting 90 minutes, and 20 daily shows from Sunday to Thursday, each lasting 45 minutes.

The first episode will cover the final selection of candidates in Doha, Tunis, Cairo and Beirut, and each of the subsequent weekly episodes will revolve around a specific challenge:
• Episode 2: Engineering (June 5)
• Episode 3: Design (June 12)
• Episode 4: Business (June 19).

During the final episode, to be broadcast live from Aspire Sports Academy in Doha on June 26, viewers will vote by SMS to decide the winner.

The daily shows will follow the candidates' activities in a specially-built workshop at Qatar Science & Technology Park, part of Qatar Foundation's Education City on the edge of Doha.

"The series will allow audiences to learn about science in an entertaining way," said Dr Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani, Vice-President, Education, of Qatar Foundation. "We are dedicated to reviving our region's reputation for learning and discovery, and a reality TV show is a wonderful way to reach the young people who are the future of the Arab world. This really matters because, in the end, our ability to innovate is the only sustainable resource we have."