Qatar-owned sports TV channel, BeIN Sports has resumed its regular showings after being inaccessible for over a month. The sports channel will now be made available across the UAE for Etisalat and du subscribers. The channel’s digital platform, beinsports.com has also been unblocked and will now be accessible to sports lovers across the country.
Francis Matthew, Editor at Large of Gulf News has been charged with the murder of his wife, Jane Matthew. Francis, a respected journalist who worked for The Economist prior to his move to Dubai in 1990, held the role of Gulf News Editor from 1995 – 2005. The 60-year-old British national played a considerable role in the development of UAE publishing since moving to the UAE, but will now be sentenced after admitting to an assault on his wife last Tuesday, which led to her death.
“We are shocked and saddened at this tragedy,” says Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief and Executive Director Publications, Gulf News. “We pray to the Almighty that her soul rests in peace and that the family is given the strength and patience to overcome this very difficult situation. Gulf News’s thoughts and prayers are with the family. We request that the family be given the privacy they need to cope with their grief.”
Global media agency, Mediavest | Spark, part of Publicis Media has rebranded as Spark Foundry. The rebrand aims to develop talent and focus on the growth of the agency’s client list as well as reflect its continuous growth beyond the parameters of media to include analytics, technology, innovations, insight, content and commerce.
“The talent we have assembled are passionate about our startup spirit and with this rebrand and the strengthening of the Spark Foundry global network each market across the MENA region will further be empowered to bring to life our unique proposition,” says Alain Brahamcha, CEO, Spark Foundry Middle East.
LinkedIn has launched LinkedIn Marketing Awards across the Middle East and Europe. The new marketing awards aims to celebrate the best B2B campaigns and content across the region and is now open for entires to businesses of all sizes. The deadline for submissions will be on September 7, 2017 with the finalist to be shortlisted on September 18, 2017. Winners of the awards will be announced on October 5, 2017 and will be selected by a panel 20 of experts from various fields including creative, strategists, media planners and top B2B marketers from across region. The People’s Choice award will be the only award to be decided by the public vote.
The full category list and entries can be can be found on the awards website.
“Our platform is home to some of most innovative and creative B2B marketing on the planet and it’s time we gave these brands the recognition they deserve,” says Ziad Rahhal, Head of LinkedIn Marketing Solutions, MENA, LinkedIn. “We are asking brands in the Middle East of all shapes and sizes, across any sector, for any budget, to submit their campaigns and help us show their brilliance to the world.”
Stylist Arabia and OK! Middle East are set to close down. Falling under the umbrella of ITP Media Group, women’s lifestyle magazine Stylist Arabia will discontinue production with its July/August 2017 edition being its final issue. In addition, celebrity lifestyle magazine, OK! Middle East will also follow suit with its last volume to be published at the end of this month. The two lifestyle magazines will also discontinue all digital operations on their mobile applications following the closures.
Marketing technology company, MENA Commerce has undergone a full rebrand, inclusive of a name change to Cognitev. The company’s new structure will focus on marketing from a semantic point of view and will include advanced technology utilising artificial intelligence as well as a new website.
“When established in 2015, Cognitev formerly known as MENA Commerce, focused on e-commerce rather than marketing, but we quickly realised that our technology is better equipped to provide unique value to advertisers and marketers across the world,” says Moustafa Mahmoud, Founder and CEO, Cognitev.
Publicis Communications Middle East and Africa, part of Publicis Group has signed a strategic partnership with Google across the region. The agreement will focus on a joint business plan to help Publicis Communications’ creative agencies including Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi and Arc develop as well as apply a digital-first approach and integrated thinking for effective and engaging campaigns. The collaboration also follows the launch of Google All-Stars Academy 2.0, to act as a capability-building program for agencies and their teams across Google platforms.
“Joining forces with Google enables us to further bolster our user-first approach through superior access to data and technology,” says Raja Trad, Chief Executive Officer, Publicis Communications MEA. “This will empower our clients to win in the digital space through cutting edge, award-winning campaigns that deliver engaging and effective business results.”
Publicis Media has introduced next generation boards across international and regional markets. The new boards, consisting of leaders from the media and digital industry, aim to foster collaborations and influence the direction of all brands within Publicis Media. The board for the MENA region includes:
“The launch of the next generation boards is about challenging and disrupting how we currently do things, to the benefit of all stakeholders,” says Steve King, CEO, Publicis Media. “We had our first global board meeting earlier this month, which ran in parallel with the global Publicis Media board and we were incredibly impressed with the proposals that were presented, some of which we have already started to adopt.”
Falling under the umbrella of GN Media, women’s monthly, Aquarius has ceased operations. A long-term staple in the lifestyle sector, the magazine featured content on topics ranging from relationships, health, parenting and careers to fashion, beauty and travel. With June 2017 being its last print issue, the UAE-based title’s digital edition, aquarius.ae, will also be discontinued.
PRCA MENA has revealed the results of its first Digital PR and Communications Report, produced in partnership with YouGov. Aiming to provide a benchmark of how the PR industry is performing with digital communications, the online survey was conducted in April 2017 with a sample size of 2,027 adults.
“The revolution of the digital world has influenced PR and Communications beyond doubt,” says Leanne Foy, General Manager, PRCA MENA. “Now is the right time to start benchmarking just how the industry is perfoming with digital communications, whether in-house or agency side.”
To receive a copy of the report, contact enquiries@prca.mena.global