TwoFour54 (Abu Dhabi Media Zone)
On April 19th 2007, HH Sheikh Khalifa issued a decree establishing a committee for the Abu Dhabi media free zone. Today, that freezone was announced and given a name "TwoFour54" (2454, twofour 54, two four 54) which is the GPS location of Abu Dhabi. Over the last year and a half, there has been some a lot of pre work to get the right partners involved to differentiate this proposition from the equivalent in Dubai, and with partners like AOL Time Warner (CNN), the BBC, Pearson (FT), Bertelsmann (Random House) and NewsCorp (HarperCollins), the best media companies in the world have descended on Abu Dhabi, knowing it is the real deal for the future. And not only have the Western Media companies joined up, Rotana is part of the founding few - and no doubt there will be many more that sign up - or are invited to sign up. There will be companies that are developed out of Abu Dhabi to become the future big players in Media tomorrow.
Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, have had significant creativity, but have really been real estate plays. If you wanted to set up in the UAE, you go to the freezone, you go into DMC or DIC. Abu Dhabi are playing it differently because their media city is a different strategy. The strategy for media is for media to underpin culture. You can not create culture from scratch - you need some substance behind it - and this is the marriage that has been developed.
Mubadala is backing this new media zone and is chaired by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. His backing is crucial, as he is the architect for all the changes that are happening in Abu Dhabi. Mubadala invests in a wide portfolio, notably including 5% of Ferrari, but also has backed some of the University establishments in the Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi, has been playing second fiddle to all the world attention that has been focussed on Dubai thusfar, but with roughly 9% of the world's oil reserves and significantly more land mass than Dubai, Abu Dhabi has time and money on its hands, and its strategy is watch and learn while progressing at a slower pace. This pace is starting to pick up. Going forward, Abu Dhabi's position as a cultural hub for the Middle East is a smart one.
From Wikipedia: Abu Dhabi is trying to position itself as the "Cultural hub" of the Middle East, taking this mantle from such neighboring cities as Beirut and Cairo. It is home to a number of cultural institutions including the Cultural Foundation and the National Theater. The Cultural Foundation is home to the UAE Public Library and Cultural Center. Various cultural societies such as the Abu Dhabi Classical Music Society have a strong and visible following in the city. The recently launched Emirates Foundation makes grants in support of the arts, as well as to advance science and technology, education, environmental protection and social development. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) will be based in Abu Dhabi.
The creation of a major "up-scale cultural district" on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island has begun with the groundwork for a US$200 million Guggenheim Museum. The Frank Gehry-designed museum will display a "prestige collection" of modernist and contemporary art and is scheduled for completion in 2011. Upon completion, it is expected to be the largest exponent of the prestigious Guggenheim Museums.[11] In addition, there will be three further cultural focal points [12]: The Performing Arts Centre, The Sheikh Zayed National Museum and The Maritime Museum.
The Media City that Abu Dhabi is creating will be significantly different to Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City which up to now have been freezones for anything that vaguely fit the category. However, most of the "media" comes out of Dubai apart from Abu Dhabi Media which, in addition to Arabic TV Channels, Arabic Magazines, Radio Stations (English and Arabic) runs Al Ittihad news and The National, the new English Language newspaper. ADMC will be moving into the media zone as well. These all compete with propositions in Dubai, Lebanon, Egypt and the rest of the Arabic World.
Abu Dhabi Media City will be focussed around TV Production, Online, and Distribution (as this is where the the gaps are in the Gulf), but there may be more coverage.
From the press release:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - 12 Oct 2008
'twofour54' unveiled as abu dhabi launches media content creation zone. Media and content industry spotlight shines on the Middle East for new market opportunity.
Abu Dhabi today unveiled a new media content creation zone called 'twofour54'. Representing the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54 will establish the city as a centre of excellence for Arabic content creation that is internationally renowned.
The launch of the initiative, which was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, creates a new industry opportunity for the region by providing a collaborative and fully-equipped centre that brings together local, regional and international companies from across the breadth of the film, broadcast, digital, publishing and music industries.
With some of the world's leading content companies already onboard and announcing major plans, twofour54's advanced ecosystem offers production facilities, infrastructure, training and a new business incubator - all on one site - for the development of world class Arabic content by people from the Middle East region for its 300 million Arab audience.
Speaking at the launch, Tony Orsten, Chief Executive Officer of twofour54, said, "The Abu Dhabi 2030 vision seeks to establish the Emirate as a regional centre for culture with a 'global capital city' as its hub.
"An extremely important part of achieving this vision lies in creating a thriving international media industry which, to be successful, needs to be local at the same time," he continued. "With twofour54 we are launching a major initiative that will encourage, stimulate and support Arabic content creation by Arabs in the Arab world, embracing films, television and music through to animation, digital media and art. Providing a collaborative campus where all types of media company can work together will see Abu Dhabi become a centre and catalyst for content creation and culture throughout Middle East region and beyond."
twofour54 has already attracted several of the largest and most influential content creation companies worldwide, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Random House, Harper Collins, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, C Sky Pictures and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
According to a global study by PWC (Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report, 2008-2012), the Middle East Media market is forecast to expand at double-digit annual rates over the next five years, by far outstripping the average of 6.6 percent growth across the rest of the world.
These partners have recognised the vast opportunity that this represents for growth in the Arab world and have committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that will be led out of twofour54's preliminary campus in Khalifa Park, due to open in 2009.
"Today we are not just launching a business, we are creating an industry and an ecosystem for true Arabic content creation by the people and for the people in the Arab region," said Wayne Borg, Chief Operating Officer, twofour54. "The market opportunity is substantial by any measure, but the industry needs more than just a location - it needs a cohesive environment that supports education, investment, collaboration and creative partnerships. twofour54 places media right at the heart of the Arab world and offers the tools and infrastructure for driving international-standard quality and success."
twofour54 is built around four pillars - twofour54 tadreeb, twofour54 ibtikar, twofour54 intaj and twofour54 tawasol - located within a campus style environment that promotes cooperation and creative partnerships amongst the companies involved.
twofour54 tadreeb will be the region's premier vocational training academy, targeting young Arabs and graduates considering a career in the media industry as well as providing existing media and entertainment professionals with opportunities to develop skills, up-skill and re-skill across a comprehensive range of media and content industry disciplines.
twofour54 ibtikar will provide innovation support and funding for new, local businesses and promising creative ideas across print, online, mobile and television platforms in the Middle East and North Africa. This fund will not only provide financial support but also practical advice and input from industry experts and specialists to guide initiatives to successful fruition.
twofour54 intaj is focused on supplying state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities, media asset management, broadcast and technical support services for use within twofour54. It equips companies with all of the latest communications technology required, including playout, uplink and downlink services.
Finally, twofour54 tawasol provides a one-stop-shop facility to support the relocation and establishment of content organisations, making it simple for local, regional and international companies to move into twofour54.
The partners that have already committed to twofour54 include:
CNN will be broadcasting a live daily prime time news cast out of a new broadcast and production facility at twofour54, set to open in early 2009 as its fourth global hub
BBC will be providing international standard situational training programmes in Arabic exclusively at twofour54. This is the first time the BBC has entered into this type of partnership.
Thomson Reuters Foundation will be hosting vocational training workshops in subjects such as writing international news, sports or photo journalism, television news coverage and writing business news
Thomson Foundation will provide exclusive, tailor-made training courses and study visits covering every aspect of radio, television and online journalism, from reporting and production to media regulation
Abu Dhabi Media Company, formerly Emirates Media Inc (EMI), will relocate to twofour54 in phase two to capitalise on the proximity to global media companies, the international standards of training and access to a large pool of skilled media professionals
imagenation which was established by ADMC in Abu Dhabi to create full length feature films and digital content for the Arab world, will be a founding partner of twofour54. One imagenation initiative will be the establishment of National Geographic films producing Arabic programming about the region
Random House, who announced their presence in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, will be creating an Arabic publishing house, creating fresh material and adapting some of its existing content for the region while investing in developing a stable of successful Arab authors
Rotana Studios plans to develop, produce and co-produce with Abu Dhabi Media Zone, projects initiated out of the Gulf area
Financial Times launched a Middle East regional edition based in the United Arab Emirates in April this year. The operation of this regional edition will be located in twofour54
Thomson Reuters are setting up a photo agency and establishing a Sharia compliant financial information portal which will provide financial information that is in accordance with the principals of Islamic law
HarperCollins Publishers (part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp) will be introducing their bestselling Reading Scheme, Big Cat: a guided reading scheme for children, localised for the Arab market and creating a totally new range of Arabic dictionaries into English, French and Hindi - effectively Arabic for the 21st Century
C Sky Pictures a leading film production company from Kuwait, best known for the award-winning documentaries around the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and September 11th, will be establishing its new operations in twofour54
Comedy Arabia will set up in twofour54, led by Ahmed Ahmed of comedy group Axis of Evil. This new initiative aims to encourage budding Arabic comedians and discover the hidden talents of the Arab world through an interactive portal, www.comedyarabia.com
Flash is the music promoter and event production agency behind the raft of global acts that have headlined in Abu Dhabi, including Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi and Elton John. Flash will be establishing its head office in twofour54.
"twofour54 is not an office development or a themed industrial park," concluded Orsten. "It is both a habitat and a centre of excellence where content creation for the media and entertainment industries can grow and flourish.
"twofour54 even provides a team of experts that understand the region and the metrics that drive success here, as well as global standards in regulation and licensing. Our aim, in time, is to have a truly Arab creative economy in the Middle East that has grown out of Abu Dhabi."
This is huge news for Abu Dhabi. You hear of of projects around construction, that are essentially about gloss, sheen and ego. The news of twofour54 is all about giving Abu Dhabi a heart that will transcend generations. The news today of this new media zone defines the future of Abu Dhabi and is another piece in the puzzle of what Abu Dhabi will be in the years to come.
According to the Gulf News, Tony Orsten, the new CEO of twofour54 said: "Abu Dhabi has the opportunity of becoming a creative hub for the media as well as arts and culture," He said in five to 10 years, there will be a broad media industry in the UAE capital. "Production companies, editing and content will be made here not because it is cheaper than Cairo or Beirut, but because the quality of the content and the talent is here." - That's not a local play, that's a regional statement that veers on being global. Now THAT is what Abu Dhabi is all about. Exciting times for Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
TwoFour54 website
Reaching for a Higher Profile, Abu Dhabi Opens a Hub for Western Media
Meeting the challenge of setting up a media park
Abu Dhabi's media free zone opens on Sunday
Abu Dhabi launches media hub
Abu Dhabi launches regional multi-media centre
'twofour54' unveiled as Abu Dhabi launches media content creation zone
Abu Dhabi plans to be region's media hub; twofour54 part of ambition to join league of global cities
Media wars?
Media Parks of the Future - Twofour54 Abu Dhabi
The new media zone: an opportunity, and a challenge
Liz Murdoch's Shine eyes Abu Dhabi for push into Middle East
Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City, have had significant creativity, but have really been real estate plays. If you wanted to set up in the UAE, you go to the freezone, you go into DMC or DIC. Abu Dhabi are playing it differently because their media city is a different strategy. The strategy for media is for media to underpin culture. You can not create culture from scratch - you need some substance behind it - and this is the marriage that has been developed.
Mubadala is backing this new media zone and is chaired by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. His backing is crucial, as he is the architect for all the changes that are happening in Abu Dhabi. Mubadala invests in a wide portfolio, notably including 5% of Ferrari, but also has backed some of the University establishments in the Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi, has been playing second fiddle to all the world attention that has been focussed on Dubai thusfar, but with roughly 9% of the world's oil reserves and significantly more land mass than Dubai, Abu Dhabi has time and money on its hands, and its strategy is watch and learn while progressing at a slower pace. This pace is starting to pick up. Going forward, Abu Dhabi's position as a cultural hub for the Middle East is a smart one.
From Wikipedia: Abu Dhabi is trying to position itself as the "Cultural hub" of the Middle East, taking this mantle from such neighboring cities as Beirut and Cairo. It is home to a number of cultural institutions including the Cultural Foundation and the National Theater. The Cultural Foundation is home to the UAE Public Library and Cultural Center. Various cultural societies such as the Abu Dhabi Classical Music Society have a strong and visible following in the city. The recently launched Emirates Foundation makes grants in support of the arts, as well as to advance science and technology, education, environmental protection and social development. The International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF) will be based in Abu Dhabi.
The creation of a major "up-scale cultural district" on Abu Dhabi's Saadiyat Island has begun with the groundwork for a US$200 million Guggenheim Museum. The Frank Gehry-designed museum will display a "prestige collection" of modernist and contemporary art and is scheduled for completion in 2011. Upon completion, it is expected to be the largest exponent of the prestigious Guggenheim Museums.[11] In addition, there will be three further cultural focal points [12]: The Performing Arts Centre, The Sheikh Zayed National Museum and The Maritime Museum.
The Media City that Abu Dhabi is creating will be significantly different to Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City which up to now have been freezones for anything that vaguely fit the category. However, most of the "media" comes out of Dubai apart from Abu Dhabi Media which, in addition to Arabic TV Channels, Arabic Magazines, Radio Stations (English and Arabic) runs Al Ittihad news and The National, the new English Language newspaper. ADMC will be moving into the media zone as well. These all compete with propositions in Dubai, Lebanon, Egypt and the rest of the Arabic World.
Abu Dhabi Media City will be focussed around TV Production, Online, and Distribution (as this is where the the gaps are in the Gulf), but there may be more coverage.
From the press release:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - 12 Oct 2008
'twofour54' unveiled as abu dhabi launches media content creation zone. Media and content industry spotlight shines on the Middle East for new market opportunity.
Abu Dhabi today unveiled a new media content creation zone called 'twofour54'. Representing the geographical co-ordinates of Abu Dhabi, twofour54 will establish the city as a centre of excellence for Arabic content creation that is internationally renowned.
The launch of the initiative, which was attended by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, creates a new industry opportunity for the region by providing a collaborative and fully-equipped centre that brings together local, regional and international companies from across the breadth of the film, broadcast, digital, publishing and music industries.
With some of the world's leading content companies already onboard and announcing major plans, twofour54's advanced ecosystem offers production facilities, infrastructure, training and a new business incubator - all on one site - for the development of world class Arabic content by people from the Middle East region for its 300 million Arab audience.
Speaking at the launch, Tony Orsten, Chief Executive Officer of twofour54, said, "The Abu Dhabi 2030 vision seeks to establish the Emirate as a regional centre for culture with a 'global capital city' as its hub.
"An extremely important part of achieving this vision lies in creating a thriving international media industry which, to be successful, needs to be local at the same time," he continued. "With twofour54 we are launching a major initiative that will encourage, stimulate and support Arabic content creation by Arabs in the Arab world, embracing films, television and music through to animation, digital media and art. Providing a collaborative campus where all types of media company can work together will see Abu Dhabi become a centre and catalyst for content creation and culture throughout Middle East region and beyond."
twofour54 has already attracted several of the largest and most influential content creation companies worldwide, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Random House, Harper Collins, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, C Sky Pictures and the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
According to a global study by PWC (Global Entertainment and Media Outlook report, 2008-2012), the Middle East Media market is forecast to expand at double-digit annual rates over the next five years, by far outstripping the average of 6.6 percent growth across the rest of the world.
These partners have recognised the vast opportunity that this represents for growth in the Arab world and have committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that will be led out of twofour54's preliminary campus in Khalifa Park, due to open in 2009.
"Today we are not just launching a business, we are creating an industry and an ecosystem for true Arabic content creation by the people and for the people in the Arab region," said Wayne Borg, Chief Operating Officer, twofour54. "The market opportunity is substantial by any measure, but the industry needs more than just a location - it needs a cohesive environment that supports education, investment, collaboration and creative partnerships. twofour54 places media right at the heart of the Arab world and offers the tools and infrastructure for driving international-standard quality and success."
twofour54 is built around four pillars - twofour54 tadreeb, twofour54 ibtikar, twofour54 intaj and twofour54 tawasol - located within a campus style environment that promotes cooperation and creative partnerships amongst the companies involved.
twofour54 tadreeb will be the region's premier vocational training academy, targeting young Arabs and graduates considering a career in the media industry as well as providing existing media and entertainment professionals with opportunities to develop skills, up-skill and re-skill across a comprehensive range of media and content industry disciplines.
twofour54 ibtikar will provide innovation support and funding for new, local businesses and promising creative ideas across print, online, mobile and television platforms in the Middle East and North Africa. This fund will not only provide financial support but also practical advice and input from industry experts and specialists to guide initiatives to successful fruition.
twofour54 intaj is focused on supplying state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities, media asset management, broadcast and technical support services for use within twofour54. It equips companies with all of the latest communications technology required, including playout, uplink and downlink services.
Finally, twofour54 tawasol provides a one-stop-shop facility to support the relocation and establishment of content organisations, making it simple for local, regional and international companies to move into twofour54.
The partners that have already committed to twofour54 include:
CNN will be broadcasting a live daily prime time news cast out of a new broadcast and production facility at twofour54, set to open in early 2009 as its fourth global hub
BBC will be providing international standard situational training programmes in Arabic exclusively at twofour54. This is the first time the BBC has entered into this type of partnership.
Thomson Reuters Foundation will be hosting vocational training workshops in subjects such as writing international news, sports or photo journalism, television news coverage and writing business news
Thomson Foundation will provide exclusive, tailor-made training courses and study visits covering every aspect of radio, television and online journalism, from reporting and production to media regulation
Abu Dhabi Media Company, formerly Emirates Media Inc (EMI), will relocate to twofour54 in phase two to capitalise on the proximity to global media companies, the international standards of training and access to a large pool of skilled media professionals
imagenation which was established by ADMC in Abu Dhabi to create full length feature films and digital content for the Arab world, will be a founding partner of twofour54. One imagenation initiative will be the establishment of National Geographic films producing Arabic programming about the region
Random House, who announced their presence in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, will be creating an Arabic publishing house, creating fresh material and adapting some of its existing content for the region while investing in developing a stable of successful Arab authors
Rotana Studios plans to develop, produce and co-produce with Abu Dhabi Media Zone, projects initiated out of the Gulf area
Financial Times launched a Middle East regional edition based in the United Arab Emirates in April this year. The operation of this regional edition will be located in twofour54
Thomson Reuters are setting up a photo agency and establishing a Sharia compliant financial information portal which will provide financial information that is in accordance with the principals of Islamic law
HarperCollins Publishers (part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp) will be introducing their bestselling Reading Scheme, Big Cat: a guided reading scheme for children, localised for the Arab market and creating a totally new range of Arabic dictionaries into English, French and Hindi - effectively Arabic for the 21st Century
C Sky Pictures a leading film production company from Kuwait, best known for the award-winning documentaries around the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and September 11th, will be establishing its new operations in twofour54
Comedy Arabia will set up in twofour54, led by Ahmed Ahmed of comedy group Axis of Evil. This new initiative aims to encourage budding Arabic comedians and discover the hidden talents of the Arab world through an interactive portal, www.comedyarabia.com
Flash is the music promoter and event production agency behind the raft of global acts that have headlined in Abu Dhabi, including Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi and Elton John. Flash will be establishing its head office in twofour54.
"twofour54 is not an office development or a themed industrial park," concluded Orsten. "It is both a habitat and a centre of excellence where content creation for the media and entertainment industries can grow and flourish.
"twofour54 even provides a team of experts that understand the region and the metrics that drive success here, as well as global standards in regulation and licensing. Our aim, in time, is to have a truly Arab creative economy in the Middle East that has grown out of Abu Dhabi."
This is huge news for Abu Dhabi. You hear of of projects around construction, that are essentially about gloss, sheen and ego. The news of twofour54 is all about giving Abu Dhabi a heart that will transcend generations. The news today of this new media zone defines the future of Abu Dhabi and is another piece in the puzzle of what Abu Dhabi will be in the years to come.
According to the Gulf News, Tony Orsten, the new CEO of twofour54 said: "Abu Dhabi has the opportunity of becoming a creative hub for the media as well as arts and culture," He said in five to 10 years, there will be a broad media industry in the UAE capital. "Production companies, editing and content will be made here not because it is cheaper than Cairo or Beirut, but because the quality of the content and the talent is here." - That's not a local play, that's a regional statement that veers on being global. Now THAT is what Abu Dhabi is all about. Exciting times for Abu Dhabi and the UAE.
TwoFour54 website
Reaching for a Higher Profile, Abu Dhabi Opens a Hub for Western Media
Meeting the challenge of setting up a media park
Abu Dhabi's media free zone opens on Sunday
Abu Dhabi launches media hub
Abu Dhabi launches regional multi-media centre
'twofour54' unveiled as Abu Dhabi launches media content creation zone
Abu Dhabi plans to be region's media hub; twofour54 part of ambition to join league of global cities
Media wars?
Media Parks of the Future - Twofour54 Abu Dhabi
The new media zone: an opportunity, and a challenge
Liz Murdoch's Shine eyes Abu Dhabi for push into Middle East
Labels: abu dhabi media city, abu dhabi media company, abu dhabi media park, abu dhabi media zone, twofour 54, twofour54
posted by grapeshisha at
7:47 PM
1 Comments:
عنب
"The strategy for media is for media to underpin culture. You can not create culture from scratch - you need some substance behind it - and this is the marriage that has been developed."
Interesting post. AD has got both the endless cash supply and the right kind of thinking to make this venture possible. Such initiatives are needed to keep up with its hyper-achieving neighbour emirate.
However, I'm a bit on the fence about whether culture can't be created from scratch. I believe one can introduce aspects of culture not found in a particular region, and with the right tactics can tailor it to the region. For example, the UAE does not have a strong online support system for buyers and sellers. In N.America for example, Craigslist makes lives easier for millions. However, companies like Riazu are trying to boost online communities right here in the UAE; the site (www.riazu.com) has a free classifieds, an online Souq, as well as info. about deals&discounts. It is the largest network of its kind in the Middle East, and its design is tailored towards the needs of the region.
The belief is Inshallah once a value-adding service is provided, it will catch on and over time become indispensable.
Kudos on this site btw, a diamond-mine of info.
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