JEDDAH, 26 November 2002 — English TV viewers in the Gulf will soon have the option of a privately run English channel for news and entertainment.
This follows an announcement made at a function attended by representatives from all sectors of the TV industry at the Equestrian Club here on Sunday night. An audiovisual presentation showcased the menu that will be offered to viewers of Middle East Broadcasting Center’s (MBC) second channel.
“The new free-to-air channel will be formally launched in early 2003, possibly toward the end of January, with a rich fare of news, analysis on current affairs and latest Western movies,” Mamdouh Abougabal, marketing and PR director of the London-based MBC Ltd., said in an interview with Arab News.
The new channel will broadcast round-the-clock from Bahrain. “We’re targeting 80 percent-plus young Arabs who want to see English programs on a private free-to-air channel. The English channels available in the Gulf are all government owned,” Abougabal said. “The new channel will be launched on Arabsat C band. Which means viewers in the Arab world are guaranteed a good viewing of the channel,” he added.
The channel will daily air a half-hour program of news and an hour-long current affairs program. “These will be like those aired by leading world channels including BBC,” Abougabal said. “MBC will continue with its first channel that was launched for Arabic viewers 11 years ago. This still remains No. 1 preferred channel for the Arabs.
