Sky News Arabia today said that it is on track for launch in Spring next year, having recruited 70 of the 370 staff it requires to run the 24-hour station.
The Abu Dhabi-based news operation, a joint-venture between BSkyB and the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (Admic), says an additional 100 staff are ready to join, with the remaining 200 to be recruited by the end of 2011.
The National asked Nart Bouran, the station's director of news, about the launch.
Q. What is the progress on establishing Sky News Arabia, and do you have an exact launch date yet?
Technical, IT and broadcast infrastructure is now being deployed at the Sky News Arabia's main studio, which was handed over in June 2011. The channel's network of international bureaus will come on-stream by the end of the year, in readiness for the channel's launch.
Q. How many staff have been recruited and what is the total number of people that Sky News Arabia will employ?
Seventy full time staff have been recruited in the in the past six months alone. A further 100 are under mobilization joining shortly. We are planning for another 200 people to be recruited by the end of 2011. As of today Sky News Arabia has received over 12,000 applications for 370 advertised vacancies.
Q. How does Sky News Arabia plan to compete with Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, as well as Alarab, another news station set for launch next year?
We believe that consumer media consumption is becoming more sophisticated in the Mena region, and consequently there is an increased requirement for truly independent, multi-platform news brands to deliver accurate, unbiased and fast coverage of regional and international news events.
Q. Has the confirmation that Alarab is definitely launching next year changed any of Sky News Arabia's plans?
Sky News Arabia and its parent companies, BSkyB and Admic, remain committed to the channel's launch in 2012.
Q. Do you see the launch of two pan-Arab TV-news stations prompting an increase in total advertising spending on Arab news stations? Or will it be a case of 'survival of the fittest'?
A more important question in our view relates to the commercial size of the advertising industry in the region rather than the number of media outlets. If the Arab news industry is worried about the further reduction of the commercial pie by further slicing, then our challenge will be how to expand the size of the pie instead of thinking of the size of each slice.
The TV advertising market in the whole Arab region is on par with a single country like Turkey with a population of 70 million. The Arab world has a population of 350 million from Mauritania to Bahrain, we should not feel we have to work according to an allowed quota of news channels
We believe competition is good and healthy. It ensures the best will survive. It also ensures that the winner ultimately is the audience.
Q. Alarab's Jamal Khashoggi tweeted that Alarab is going to be "to the left of Al-Arabiya and to the right of Al-Jazeera." Where will Sky News Arabia figure on this political spectrum?
Sky News Arabia aims to bring a truly independent approach to broadcasting the news which will culminate in an Arabic news channel that stands apart from its peers or political affiliations.
Kill
Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat
Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 190hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.9L/100km
Price: From Dh119,900
On sale: Now
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Company Profile
Name: Raha
Started: 2022
Based: Kuwait/Saudi
Industry: Tech Logistics
Funding: $14 million
Investors: Soor Capital, eWTP Arabia Capital, Aujan Enterprises, Nox Management, Cedar Mundi Ventures
Number of employees: 166
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME
Saudi Arabia
Joy: Delivers car services with affordable prices
Karaz: Helps diabetics with gamification, IoT and real-time data
Medicarri: Medical marketplace that connects clinics with suppliers
Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth
Stuck: Live, on-demand language support to boost writing
Walzay: Helps in recruitment while reducing hiring time
UAE
Eighty6: Marketplace for restaurant and supplier procurements
FarmUnboxed: Helps digitise international food supply chain
NutriCal: Helps F&B businesses and governments with nutritional analysis
Wellxai: Provides insurance that enables and rewards user habits
Egypt
Amwal: A Shariah-compliant crowd-lending platform
Deben: Helps CFOs manage cash efficiently
Egab: Connects media outlets to journalists in hard-to-reach areas for exclusives
Neqabty: Digitises financial and medical services of labour unions
Oman
Monak: Provides financial inclusion and life services to migrants
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5