Dubai: Dubai Media City intends to get right in the middle of connecting the media enterprises within the free zone to start talking to each other.
“They are so good at communicating on behalf of their clients... but there’s not much of that happening between themselves,” said Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO. “That’s where I see the biggest challenge for these businesses. In Arabic, there’s a saying that the carpenter’s door is always broken.
“We don’t want that situation to continue in our free zone — they just need to start getting better at communicating among themselves.
“Dubai Media City is ideally prepared to take on the role of helping them do that — I am not an ad agency nor am I a media publisher. We are totally unbiased.
“This is how we can try spark new ideas, and which could benefit a freelancer, a small media company and even the bigger ones. This is what we are hoping to amplify.”
The free zone is working to upgrade its web platform that will — potentially — help with the smooth flow of information across the length and breadth of its enterprise. (That includes the Dubai Production City (formerly IMPZ) and Dubai Studio City.) Plans are to have this seamless interface running before the year end.
“We are very keen in helping develop more content creation in the region,” said Al Suwaidi. “The shifts are happening and it tells people that as an ad agency they need to upgrade the skill sets of their teams.
“The lines between media and education, technology and health are merging. This requires an updating on the part of a lot of allied industries. Dubai Media City will help with that and get more traction going for the industry. It means we could bring in specialist content provider and match them with the digital experts. All of this could be monetised... in the future.”
The local media industry is passing through its toughest phase since 2009-10. Any impression they had of this year bringing forth some improvement has not materialised to date. Ad agencies and media houses are confronting a stark situation of slashed spending budgets on the part of their clients. There are, clearly no silver linings to be seen. Across the industry, jobs are getting cut as businesses scramble to work out cost savings from somewhere.
Al Suwaidi, however, suggests there is a need to guard against the feeling of being stuck in a crisis mode.
“Tenant companies might be feeling the pinch — but there is the huge learning that happened since the last slow period [in 2009-10],” the CEO said. “People now are not being too radical in their approach in facing a tough scenario.
“Last time, they started jumping ship the moment crisis hit. And when things started improving, they started again a year down the line. But it must have cost them double the amount to do so.
“I think this year they have learnt from that. The strains are there, but they are holding on. They are not divesting — everyone is excited about possibilities in the last half of 2017 and 2018-19. Putting all these positive signs with a bit of the negative, we feel the ups are coming pretty soon.”
On the physical side, the free zone cluster of which DMC is a part — the others being Internet City and Knowledge Village — is adding a further one million square feet plus of space. And there are the Studio and Production cities, each with quite substantial land within their boundaries.
“Dubai has nine different zones, of which three are specifically media-related,” Al Suwaidi said. “Whether it’s a limited space for an individual to 100,000 square feet for a multinational, I am ready to provide all of that.”
The CEO was dismissive of suggestions that the flagship Dubai Media City cluster might be becoming too expensive for some businesses to be in.
“DMC was set up for ad agencies and the like... the office formats are done keeping their needs in mind,” he said. “This is our prime site... we have other locations that are cost-effective and where we can provide lower prices. As long as you are a media entity.
“There is no need for anyone to be adamant about a particular location. To be in the right environment, there’s always a cost. For me to meet your minimum requirements, there’s a cost.
“The space we have at Media City is like quicksand. If a big tenant moves to a new location within the free zone, they old space is able to accommodate four or six companies. My job is to find that space for new tenants. They only need to ask.
“The take-up rates for Production City and Studio City are healthy... we over 50 per cent on both. If you don’t want Media City prices, there are options.”
