DUBAI, 8 September 2004 — The Saudi Research & Marketing Group (SRMG) and Emirates Media (EM) have decided to merge their distribution activities in the UAE effective from Sept. 15, an SRMG statement said yesterday.
As SRMG and Emirates Media are the largest media organizations in the Arab world, the merger will lead to the creation of the largest publications distribution network in the Arab world, the statement said.
The move is in line with a coalition agreement signed by Sheikh Abdullah ibn Zayed Al-Nahyan, UAE minister of information and EM board chairman, and Prince Faisal ibn Salman, chairman of SRMG, in London on Aug. 27.
The decision to merge the distribution activities was taken at the first meeting of the joint board of directors in Dubai attended by Dr. Azzam Al-Dakhil, managing director of the Saudi Research and Publishing Company and Ahmed Ali Baloushi, director general of Emirates Media.
The meeting also authorized the directors of advertising firms under the two companies to study prospects of coordinating their efforts in the UAE, the statement said, adding that a decision on the matter would be taken in the joint board’s next meeting in Riyadh scheduled for the first week of October.
The two sides have decided to meet every month in the UAE and Saudi Arabia alternately to follow up on their joint efforts in the UAE, the statement said, and indicated the coalition’s plan to develop its cooperation at regional and international levels.
EM’s Baloushi described the agreement as an important step toward strengthening relations between the two media giants. “We are studying the prospects of buying a building for the coalition in the UAE,” he added.
