Fox International Channels, a division of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp empire, has signed a deal with its sister company, Twentieth Century Fox, for exclusive rights to air top-quality, first-run films on the region's six-month-old Fox Movies station.
These rights are currently held by MBC, the Saudi-based satellite broadcaster that dominates the Middle East's free-to-air film channel market, but they would switch over to Fox in the early part of next year.
"Twentieth Century Fox, prior to our arrival, had a deal with MBC, and now we have a deal with Twentieth Century Fox," said Rohit D'Silva, the general manager of Fox International Channel Middle East.
"This is something that takes away from the overall content which MBC had earlier." Mazen Hayek, the group director of marketing at MBC, declined to comment on how the deal would affect the station, but said the real judges were the advertisers. "They are the ones who have the final say at the end of the day."
The deal represents another chapter in the long-running rivalry between the two titans of Saudi media: Sheikh Waleed Al Ibrahim, who owns MBC, and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who owns Rotana. Fox Movies was brought to the region through a partnership between Rotana Media Services and Fox International Channels.
The channel launched in the Middle East in May with the airing of Blade Runner - The Final Cut, starring Harrison Ford, the first time the film was aired in the region.
It was designed to be the first of two English-language, free-to-air satellite channels to be introduced this year. The other station, which will feature American television programmes, is scheduled to launch before the end of the year, Mr D'Silva said.
The channels have offices in Dubai Media City. Fox provides the majority of the content while Rotana is responsible for regional sales. The companies share advertising revenue. The programmes are broadcast from an uplink in Cairo.
"To date, as a result of our partnership with Fox International Channels in launching Fox Movies, we have been instrumental in delivering viewers in the region and an inimitable movie watching experience," said Nezar Nagro, the president of Rotana Media Services. "At RMS we have always remained committed to bringing a greater breadth and depth of diversity and innovation to the Middle East in terms of media content, and so we welcome this deal as yet another measure that demonstrates this commitment to our viewers."
Fox Movies airs feature films from every major Hollywood studio, but Mr D'Silva said the rights to first-run film content from Twentieth Century Fox were not a given, just because the company is owned by Mr Murdoch.
"It's a competitive environment internally," he said. "Our deals are based on the specifics of the individual marketplace."
khagey@thenational.ae
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
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Saturday
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Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,00
On sale: Available for preorder now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa, Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Adel Al Hosani, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Mohammad Barghash, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Hassan Al Mahrami, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Yousef Jaber, Majed Sorour, Majed Hassan, Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Khalil Al Hammadi, Fabio De Lima, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoon Al Zaabi, Ali Saleh, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
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Company%20Profile
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The%20specs
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5