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Qatar Villaggio to open 13 cinemas
Qatar's Villaggio Mall is opening 13 cinemas, including an IMAX 3D theatre, later this month, The Peninsula has reported. According to Qatar Bahrain Cinema, the company that will manage the cinemas, most of the cinemas will have between 125 and150 seats, while the IMAX 3D theatre will have around 380.
Word of mouth is most trusted in UAE-Nielsen survey
According to the recently conducted Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey, in the UAE, 95% of Internet consumers trust recommendations from people they know, making word of mouth the most trusted medium. From over 25,000 Internet consumers surveyed from 50 countries, results showed that recommendations by personal acquaintances and opinions posted by consumers online have been voted as the most trusted forms of advertising globally. Nine in every 10 Internet consumers worldwide (90%) trust recommendations from people they know, whilst seven in every 10 (70%) trust consumer opinions posted online, the survey revealed.
Jordanian Internet firm launches TV station
ShooFeeTV, a Jordanian Internet start-up, has launched its own television channel, months after receiving backing from Intel Capital, the venture fund owned by Intel, The National has reported. 'What we want the TV channel to do is drive interest in the service and increase visits to our website,' Amjad Tadros, founder of ShooFeeTV has said. The new ShooFeeTV channel is being broadcast via the Arabsat Badr-4 satellite and will show a rolling ticker of television times, as well as clips and trailers for upcoming shows and movies, as well as original entertainment news related content developed by ShooFeeTV.
ADMC to lauch HDTV channel
Abu Dhabi Media Company announced today that it will launch its high-definition cable television channel in October. The channel, called Abu Dhabi HD, will feature English Premier League football matches, documentaries from National Geographic Abu Dhabi, and movies. It will be available to viewers in the UAE through E-Vision, Etisalat's cable television provider, which launched the Middle East's first commercial high-definition cable service earlier this month.
Dragon Hotel partners with O2 Marketing Communications
Bahrain-based Dragon Hotel and Resort has announced the appointment of O2 Marketing Communications as their exclusive advertising and public relations consultant. Under the agreement, O2 will provide the Dragon Hotel with creative advertising services and public relations strategies in order to launch the brand in Bahrain and the region.
Dubai newspaper refuses to pay UK libel fine
Dubai-based daily Gulf News has refused to comply with a UK High Court's ruling to pay GBP1 million ($1.64m) in damages to British property developer Mark Emlick in a libel suit. Emlick brought a suit accusing the paper of claiming that he absconded with buyers' money after a property deal in the UAE fell through. The paper also stated that UAE and UK investors were looking for Emlick and his business partner. However, Emlick had repaid investors their money plus 5% interest. The newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Abdul Hamid Ahmad, said the UK court had no jurisdiction in the UAE. 'We are not obliged pay any fine issued by the UK courts,' he said.
Abu Dhabi's outdoor ad prices higher than Dubai's
Outdoor advertising prices in Abu Dhabi are now higher than those in Dubai, industry leaders told The National. Although the capital's market has been impacted by the financial crisis, it was spared much of the property market-led advertising slump that took place in Dubai, said Ammar Sharaf, the chief executive of the Abu Dhabi-based Viola Communications, which runs V Outdoor. Dubai is still suffering because supply is extremely high for the need of the market, whereas in Abu Dhabi the supply is a lot less than the demand. As a result, Dubai's once astronomical prices are now below those in the traditionally more affordable capital, Mr Sharaf said.
ART readies new set-top box
Arab Radio & Television (ART) is readying its plans to consolidate and grow its pay-TV business, including the MPEG-4 based HDTV and an IPTV-enabled set-top box. The broadcaster is now in the process of abandoning its previous dependence on non-proprietary in favour of a purpose-designed set-top boxes which contain ART-owned software and IP. It is also switching from Irdeto conditional access and has selected Viacess encryption from France Telecom. The planned feature upgrades include an EPG, Personal Video Recorder, Video on Demand (VoD), as well as incorporating pushed advertising for the first time.
Emarat Al Youm to resume publication
After a 20-day suspension, Arabic daily newspaper Emarat Al Youm will be able to operate and resume its publication on Sunday, Gulf News has reported. The report further mentioned Abu Dhabi-based Supreme Federal Court of Appeal ha upheld a lower court's previous ruling on the case brought against the newspaper by the owners of Warsan Stables in 2006.
Ten Sports expands in Asia-Pacific
Dubai-based Taj Television has announced its TV channel Ten Sports has announced its expansions in the Asia and the Pacific, launching recently in in Papua New Guinea and Tonga. Ten Sports is now available via Digicel's Cable Pacific Limited, for TV channels in Tonga and on Hitron, in Papua New Guinea. The sports channel has also renewed its license agreement with Telkomvision in Indonesia.
4Spots win First Bahrain deal
First Bahrain Real Estate Development Co. has announced the appointment of 4Spots, a web design and development company, to build the website for its warehousing project at the Bahrain Investment Wharf. Upon completion, First Bahrain's warehousing project will be the first of its kind in Bahrain to offer an interactive and user-friendly website with integrated online procurement and billing systems, enabling tenants to manage their warehouse space and arrange for maintenance or shipping service in a timely manner.
New TV channel licensed in Jordan
Jordan's Audiovisual Commission has signed an agreement with the Emaa Media Co to license the broadcasting of Sehha TV satellite channel from Jordan Media City, the Jordan Times has reported. The new channel will feature a variety of health programmes and documentaries.
Oman Air appoints Black Sheep PR
Oman Air has said it has appointed the UK-based Black Sheep Public Relations to provide UK public relations support. The appointment is in line with the flag carrier of the Sultanate's expansion of its international network and preparation to introduce new aircraft and new onboard products to a number of routes, including London to Muscat.
PHD wins NatGeo Abu Dhabi account
The National Geographic Channel Abu Dhabi (NGCAD) has announced the appointment of PHD as its communications planning agency. The Arabic-dubbed free-to-air channel was launched earlier this month through a partnership between National Geographic Channels International and the Abu Dhabi Media Company. The new account adds to seven new accounts won by PHD in 2009.
PA withdraws ban on Al Jazeera
The Palestinian Authority has announced it will allow Al Jazeera television to resume operations in its territory after banning the news channel from broadcasting last week, Reuters has reported. The Palestinian Authority had on last Wednesday banned the Qatar-based Arabic news channel and threatened legal action over allegations it broadcast against President Mahmoud Abbas.
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