Dubai Media City celebrates 20-year milestone

Dubai Media City has marked its 20th anniversary as the region’s largest business community dedicated to media and content creation.

Announced in 2000 under the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the community has played a major role in transforming the emirate into a global media capital and an international destination for talent, investment and innovation.

Providing state-of-the-art infrastructure, a supportive environment and services to improve the ease of doing business, Dubai Media City has attracted some of the world’s largest companies to the UAE, including CNN, BBC, MBC and CNBC Arabia.

It was the first of a three, media-focused communities alongside Dubai Production City and Dubai Studio City and forms a complete ecosystem that is home to 3,000 companies and 30,000 professionals.

Home to 122 television and radio channels, news and entertainment is broadcast from the media hub to millions of people in dozens of languages, including Arabic, English, Chinese, German, Tagalog, Hindi and Urdu.

There are also hundreds of print publications produced in several languages enjoyed by readers around the world.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City, shared his thoughts with ARN News on the historic milestone.

"Talent is at the heart of this and we regularly launch initiatives and events to emphasise Dubai’s strategic role in elevating the industry. We have also continued to set new benchmarks in ease of doing business and believe there are tremendous opportunities in the ever-changing media and creative industries as we move forward following this great milestone," Al Suwaidi added.

Having established the UAE’s reputation as an attractive destination for local and international media, Dubai Media City was instrumental in the decision by the Arabic Information Ministers Council last year to name Dubai as the Capital of Arab Media for 2020.

The community features a vibrant environment that also includes a range of unique dining destinations including a variety of hotels, retail, restaurants and recreational spaces, as well as training institutions and academies focused on preparing a new generation of media talent in the region.