RIYADH, 25 January 2008 — James Murdoch, chairman and CEO, Europe and Asia, News Corporation (News Corp.) and son of Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, was on a 4 -day visit to Riyadh with an accompanying delegation this month on the invitation of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC).
In the meeting at KHC headquarters here, economic and investment issues — especially in the media sector — were discussed, KHS said in a satement on Wednesday.
In another meeting at Rotana offices here, issues on Rotana and LBC, in which Alwaleed holds a stake, were raised. future Potential collaboration with News Corp, in which Alwaleed has a 5.7 percent voting shares, was also explored.
Alwaleed owns 100 percent of Rotana Audiovisual that has a portfolio of more than 100 stars from the entire MENA region.
A TV network launched in 2003 has greatly expanded to include today a bouquet of 6 free-to-air TV channels: Rotana Mousica, Rotana Clip, Rotana Tarab, Rotana Khalijiyya, Rotana Cinema and Rotana Zaman. Rotana also owns a library comprising more than 2000 Arabic movies, Rotana magazine and Rotana Café in Beirut, Damascus and Cairo.
Murdoch and his delegation were also given a tour of Rotana offices, KHC’s projects and associates headquarters in Riyadh that included Hyper Panda Mall, Kingdom Schools, Kingdom City, Kingdom Hospital, Kingdom Foundation and National Industrialization (Tasnee).
Murdoch also visited the Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), in which KHC holds 29.9 percent share.
