VIDEO: 'Pay-for-TV is unsustainable' - MBC boss

by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Wednesday, 18 August 2010

‘Pay-for-television’ in the Middle East is unsustainable, according to one of the region's most powerful expatriates in the media industry.

"The culture in this part of the world is very much television is for free," Tim Riordan, Group TV Director at MBC Group said in an interview with Arabian Business TV.

Riordan who has been nominated once again as one of the most influential expats in the GCC according to the latest Expat Power 50 list [click to see] said, "pay-for-television is unsustainable, especially in a world where sports rights are too expensive to support free-to-air with advertising".

Related: Expat Powerlist 2010

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For someone who sits behind the scenes and manages to maintain a low profile, Riordan has become a pioneer in delivering family entertainment to more than 150 million Arabic speakers around the world.

Riordan, ranked 27 on Arabian Business’ definitive list of the region’s top expats, believes "he has contributed to the economies of MBC Group" by bringing in western programming through the launch of MBC2 for example.

The UK national also acknowledged the contribution of one of the world’s richest Arab businessmen, Sheikh Waleed Bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim in shaping the future of MBC Group as a whole, in an exclusive interview with Arabian Business TV.

READERS' COMMENTS

Disclaimer: The views expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by ArabianBusiness.com or its employees.

Dull & Monotonous
Posted by Bernard, Dubai, UAE on Friday 20 August 2010 at 13:52 UAE time

MBC lacks originality, their programs and movies are too old, repetitive and boring.

tv
Posted by not so strange !, Shj, UAE on Thursday 19 August 2010 at 23:24 UAE time
Edited by ArabianBusiness.com

love the MBC channels. although, i feel, that MBC 2 tends to repeat its movies too often without a time gap, and not many interesting movies are being shown these days. But MBC 4 is good. As also other MBC channels which are free to air. i watch most of the programs. love the oprah and the doctors show. only wish they would show the ARabic serials with subtitles. so that, non-arabic speaking ppl could also view them.

these MBC channels are a boon to those who cannot afford the expensive Showtime-Orbit channels. thank u MBC.

TV here.......
Posted by sonnydubai on Thursday 19 August 2010 at 16:10 UAE time
Edited by ArabianBusiness.com

TV in this part of the world I think suffers from an identity crisis. You have MB4 and MB2, both English language channels carrying Arabic language ads and even their own in house ads in Arabic so an English speaking viewer has no idea what is being advertised. It is painfully amateur viewing. In addition none of the shows on these channels start at the time stated so you either tune in too early or too late to watch your show. I hate paying for OSN as their progamming is basically all repeats but at least you know what is coming on.

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