OK! Magazine launches in Middle East

The magazine will be printed and published in Dubai and sold throughout the Middle East.

OK! Magazine, owned by the independent publishers, Northern & Shell, will be published under licence by Dubai-based CPI, a leading international business-to-business publisher that recently expanded into the consumer market. From launch the magazine will be a weekly English-language publication. Content will reflect the national and international celebrity market across the Middle East, with about 30% being sourced from sister OK! publications.

Christian Toksvig, Northern and Shell's International Operations Director, said: 'Dubai is becoming an exciting destination for business, tourism and the media. We are confident that the Magazine will enjoy great success in the Middle East market.'

Dominic De Sousa, Founder and Publisher of CPI, added: 'We are extremely excited to partner with such a leading global brand. This is a reflection of the maturity of the regional market and the opportunities that are being created for the local publishing sector. The audience here is ready for a celebrity magazine that is inclusive of local social activity and sees that as part of a global continuum of interests, styles and fashions.'

The new Magazine, under launch editor Graham Stacey, is the latest addition to the growing stable of international OK! editions. OK! China launched in June of this year. The first issue of OK! Australia goes on sale at the end of September. And Toksvig confirms that talks to launch OK! in the United States, as well as Thailand, Russia, India, the Philippines and Spain are advancing well, with further news likely later this year.