ADMC/IMG
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has inked a deal with IMG Sports Media for the production of the English Premier League (EPL) sports programming on its AD Sports (Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya) subscription channels, which will be the new official television home of the Premier League in the MENA region when the new season kicks off in mid-August 2010. The agreement with IMG includes not only live coverage of major games from the Premier League's UK-based studio, but also dedicated programming guaranteed to give viewers the sense of being present at the game, with pitch side reporters, providing pre- and post-game interviews and reports, interaction with fans at the stadium, as well as pre- and post-game analysis from the on-site studio. The coverage will also be supported by daily sports news bulletins. EPL programming on AD Sports (Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya) subscription channels will feature live HD coverage of all 380 games, and for the first time in the region will bring the official Premier League 24-7 channel, Premier League TV - the recently announced English HD channel broadcast from London, to fans in the region, as well as a line-up of local, Abu Dhabi-based sports news and sports talk shows, all designed to further enhance the quality, range and depth of EPL coverage for the region's viewers. "Middle East football fans will be thrilled about the programming surrounding the live broadcasts, which will provide in-depth analysis of the EPL football scene," said Karim Sarkis, executive director of broadcast at ADMC.
APSCO
A national campaign for traffic safety was launched Kingdomwide recently, which also marked the launch of "Salik," a traffic safety program, creating an awareness of reckless driving, which continues to claim more lives and damage to property.
Several national companies, including the Saudi Arabian Petroleum Supply Company (APSCO), offered support to the campaign. For more than 15 years, APSCO has been supporting all programs associated with traffic campaigns including Safety Friend Program, National Campaign for Traffic Safety, and Traffic Week. This sponsorship has played an important role in raising awareness of the importance of traffic and road safety. Col. Mezyad Al-Hashim, director of PR at Traffic Directorate in Jeddah, presented an honorary shield to APSCO, which was received by Khaled Al-Tayeb, GM of lubricants, in recognition of its support to traffic awareness campaigns. "We are not the only company that provides support to the traffic awareness campaigns, but for us in APSCO, our corporate social responsibility is part of our general marketing strategy. For more than 15 years, we have run many awareness programs in collaboration with the Traffic Department, and APSCO has played an important role in these programs, which aim to raise awareness of traffic and road safety. We do hope that such campaigns will continue, and on our part we will continue to provide support for the safety and welfare of our society," said Al-Tayeb.
SEHAI
Yoshinobu Achiha, a Japanese Democratic Party MP, visited Saudi Electronics & Home Appliances Institute (SEHAI) in Riyadh last week. He was a member of the delegation visiting the Kingdom and is also one of the prestigious members of Saudi-Japan Parliamentary Friendship League. The delegation met with Riyadh Gov. Prince Salman, Minister of Planning and Economy Khaled Al-Gosaibi and a host of other dignitaries during their stay in Riyadh and presented a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah. The purpose of their visit was to expand favorable relationship and friendship between Saudi Arabia and Japan. In SEHAI, Muhammad Al-Sheikh, GM of General Contracting Co. (Olayan Group), a Toshiba PC dealer, welcomed Achiha on behalf of SEHAI Saudi Working Group and thanked Japanese government's support. Achiha emphasized that, through the meetings with Saudi VIPs, he recognized the need for vocational training for Saudi youths as an inevitable issue to support and hoped it would continue to increase. He interacted with Saudi students who were attending the classes of electronics experiments, electric circuits and English. Achiha was impressed to see the students' eagerness and seriousness to study electronics and found that qualified instructors, utilizing an electrical board in the class, trained them. His visit was an encouragement for Saudi students to pursue studies in electronics and home appliances.
MYCONTENT
First edition of "MYCONTENT 2010" will be held in Dubai in November, according to its organizer, INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Org. Est. - member of Index Holding. It was launched last year, in conjunction with Character Dubai and Dubai World Game Expo. The MYCONTENT coincides with the rapid growth in entertainment market, which according to a recent PricewaterhouseCooper study will be worth $2 trillion by 2011. It will for the first time attract global content producers across all platforms and provide an opportunity to the Middle East broadcasters, producers and distributors to evaluate, buy, sell, co-produce and finance in their own backyard. In addition, the event will also provide professionals involved in the TV, film, animation, comics, music, digital content and media content industry with the "perfect platform" to do business. With more than 250 million viewers served by 400 TV channels generating a $4 billion market, these staggering numbers point to the immense potential and demand in the region, clearly placing the Middle East content industry among the fastest growing markets in the world. "The event will also be an opportunity for leading Arab Content Producers," said Abdul Salam Al-Madani, president, INDEX Holding and chairman of the Arab Asian entertainment content and licensing alliance. Laila Suhail, CEO, Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, said: "As managers of 'Modhesh' Character we understand the need for these exhibitions."
FORD
Ford Motor Company has become the "most successful manufacturer in the history of the FIA World Rally Championship" after Jari-Matti Latvala and Miikka Anttila secured the company's 75th WRC victory. The duo won Rally New Zealand in their Ford Focus RS World Rally Car and moved the company to the top of the all-time win list, smashing a record that has stood since 1992. The Finns won the demanding three-day mixed surface event by just 2.4sec, also extending Ford's record-breaking run of consecutive points finishes to 124. Ford lies just five points from the lead of the manufacturers' championship, while Latvala lies second in the drivers' standings after five rounds of the 13-rally series. Ford's tally of 75 victories since the championship was founded in 1973 has helped the company take the manufacturers' world title in 1979, 2006 and 2007 and the drivers' world crown in 1979 and 1981.
JOTUN
Jotun Powder Coatings, a producer and supplier of powder coatings, has launched the "Cool Shades Collection", a new collection of energy-saving and environmentally friendly powder coatings formulated to reduce the temperature of aluminum building components that are exposed to the sun, thereby effectively contributing to lowering buildings' energy consumption and cooling costs. The unique range is based on heat management pigment technology that reflect the infrared energy from sunlight and keeps coated surfaces much cooler, while still absorbing visible light energy to allow colors to maintain their vibrancy. The "Cool Shades Collection" offers a wide range of colors to match both modern and traditional architecture, and is an ideal application for window frames, curtain walls, shutters, louvers, and wall panels. Furthermore, the new collection is available in industry-leading high performance polyester powder coatings Corro-Coat PE-SDF Super Durable, as well as the standard architectural grade Corro-Coat PE-F Façade. "Sustainable architecture ensures that what we do today will not limit opportunities for future generations, and we have created the 'Cool Shades Collection' based on this belief," said Claudio Iurilli, divisional marketing director, Jotun Powder Coatings.
PANASONIC
Panasonic's new range of air conditioners for the Middle East market comes with inbuilt air purifying system and eco patrol sensors, which utilizes e-ions to effectively cool and clean the air, reducing viruses by 99.5 percent and allergens by 99 percent, while saving 20 percent on energy consumption. The new product lineup includes a range of standard and deluxe models, as well as large room air conditioners, with dust and eco patrol sensors. As soon as the sensors detect unhealthy levels of dust in the air, e-ions are released trapping dust, bacteria, and viruses and effectively cleaning the air. Positively charged e-ions also help reduce common household odors, such as cigarettes smoke and cooking. The new range of air conditioners provides excellent cooling, even when outside temperatures are above 55 degrees Celsius, courtesy of new super tropical compressors. Panasonic air conditioner's cooling capacity is enhanced by Blue Fin Condensers, which last three times longer.
ZAHID TRACTOR
Zahid Tractor has invested SR2.5 million in an SOS laboratory in Dammam for testing all types of fluids used in construction machinery and vehicles. This is part of a strategic move to better support its customers in the Eastern Province and Riyadh and also help the environment by increasing the life cycle of machine oils. "Regular oil sampling identifies abnormal wear in specific compartments by determining the amount of abrasive particles in the oil from that compartment," explained Amr Khashoggi, VP, corporate affairs, Zahid Group. "There are several economic benefits of regular testing including a longer life cycle for machine oils and significantly less downtime for machinery out of use for servicing or costly repairs, in addition to a considerable reduction of environmental pollution." Khashoggi added: "Since 1997, Zahid Tractor has been providing this service through its SOS Lab in Jeddah and the opening of our new lab in Dammam will enable us to offer enhanced local support for our customers in the Eastern Province and Riyadh in order to keep their equipment operating as efficiently and productively as possible."
