MBC group chairman recalls long road

Dubai: In an exclusive session at the Arabic Media Forum, Shaikh Waleed Al Ebrahim, Chairman of the MBC group, discussed the highs and lows of his media empire, noting it’s been a long road to establishing his regional channels in the region.

Referred to by some as the Father of Arab Media, Shaikh Waleed recalled the establishment of the MBC channel in 1991, which became the first Arab broadcasting channel in the region.

More than a decade later, the channel consists of 14 TV channels, two radio stations, and has more than 100 million viewers in the Arab world.

“We chose to establish the channel in London because back then, Arab countries were relying on government media and the idea of commercial TV was ruled out except in Lebanon,” he said.

London served as a refuge and was the only place outside the region to practise freedom of expression, he explained.

The second phase of the channel’s development was its move from London to Dubai in 2002.

“The decision was fateful,” said Shaikh Waleed who referred to the cooperation and agreement with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice- President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, as the main reason for the relocation and continuous success of the channel.

Surprised at the channel’s development and growing success, Shaikh Waleed noted the change in the media landscape after the Arab Spring due to the influence of the political scene.

“Some Arab countries and certain groups are trying to exert pressure to distort the image of the media — the pressures are eternal and external from inside and outside the Arab world.”

The tension is targeting freedom of expression and the media directly, he said as he referred to the number of journalists both Al Arabiya and the MBC channels have lost, as an example.

While Al Arabiya stands as the leading Arabic news channel with 27 million viewers, Shaikh Waleed talked about a new project in the making.

A new historical show will be aired in Ramadan, he said. “It’s the first product of the MoU signed with Studio City located in Dubai.”

MBC Egypt

Going head-to-head with local channels, MBC Egypt stands as the newest channel in the group. The idea was instantly rejected by the Egyptian government when MBC first approached Egypt in 1991 with the aim of working together. Around a decade later, the Arab Spring led to a series of setbacks for the Egyptian media and TV shows, creating a gap in the market. “Before, competing with Egyptian channels was impossible, but after the Arab Spring, unfortunately, the Egyptian media became weak,” said Shaikh Waleed.

He also touched on the agreement behind the controversial satire news show El Bernameq, which is aired on the MBC channel and hosted by Egyptian columnist Bassam Yousuf.

“Our relationship with Bassam Yousuf is limited to airing his programme without interference in the details.” He added that El Barnameq has temporarily stopped airing due to the current Egyptian elections.

When asked about his view on the elections, Shaikh Waleed called both presidential candidates Hamdeen Sabah and Abdul Fattah Al Sissi capable. However, he added: “What Al Sissi did was courageous and brave, and if he does get elected as president Egypt will have a better chance of stability.”