24 new TV channels from Fujairah Creative City

This was announced by Habib Hamoud, CEO of Fujairah Media Inc. (FMI), at a Press conference held yesterday to announce participation of the FMI in the Media and Marketing Show 2007.

Agreements for licensing more than 100 TV networks were also inked.

The FMI is also planning to organise a festival of heritage, environmental and natural documentaries, Hamoud said.

He announced a number of projects including establishment of a Gulf production studio, which is expected to capture 30 to 40 per cent of TV and film production business in the Gulf region.

“A media training academy will be set up in coordination with France and a number of international companies,” he said.

The 4,000-square-metre Creative City will have seven zones for radio, TV, Press, technology, media training academy, theatre and cinema.

The Creative City was established in February this year under the National Media Council. Dunya Fujairah TV channel was the first channel to start operations from the city. It has a network of FM radio stations targeting foreign communities in the UAE.

“We have received many applications from the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, France and Lebanon for launching TV channels from the FMI,” Hamoud said.

The Creative City would be completed in two years with the cost of the first phase itself running into $55 million. “The city will recruit 4,000 to 6,000 professionals,” he said.