What's working and what isn't in the world of Collaborations in Entertainment content in the Middle East?

Three of the top industry leaders in discussion. The overarching theme emphasized the pivotal role of funding as the driving force behind all collaborative ventures in this part of the world.

Here's a summary:

Participating in this conversation were three of the region's most notable producers, providing perspectives from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Egypt.  Moderation provided by Content Market and Distribution Consultant Heba Korayem. She set the tone and expectations for the discussion by presenting a study on the Arabic Content Market. It was highlighted that collaboration and co-production rates in Arabic Drama were only at 12% the previous year. Additionally, the investment rate in Arabic originals by OTT platforms peaked in 2022 but has subsequently declined by 30%. This raised the initial question: How do producers plan to respond to the reduction in funding from what was once considered one of the crucial sources for Arabic scripted content?

Mohamed Al Anzi, CEO of Al Maha Art Productions, headquartered in Kuwait, is one of the Arab world’s most prominent producers when it comes to premium, multi-million-dollar productions of historical series that serve a purpose. Some of his work include recognizable titles such as “Fateh Al Andalus”, which was distributed many times on world-wide platforms and TV Networks. 

Al Anzi highlighted that with platforms reducing investments in Arabic content, there's a growing need for industry-wide cooperation to export Arabic culture globally, particularly through historical stories. Cooperative distribution, and fair rights sharing strategies were underscored as essential for success, both within the Arab world and beyond.  

Hassan Assiri, CEO of Sadaf Media Production, is a distinguished figure in Saudi Arabia's media landscape, having navigated its transformation from a place where media production was once heavily restricted to a thriving and booming industry. With almost 350 premium projects and 30 years of experience in Saudi productions, he stands as a true industry expert, and added a very positive tone to the discussion, highlighting, that while funding challenges persist, positive strides are being made. One of the points he mentioned was the Saudi government's collaboration with banks to facilitate and fund Film and TV productions, a practice that may be standard in other countries, but remain very foreign to Saudi Arabia . The discussion highlighted the importance of empowering creatives in co-productions, allowing them autonomy in the creative process while providing financial support with no strings attached.   

Hesham Soliman, the CEO of HAMA Media Production, is recognized as one of Egypt's iconic producers, credited with contributing to over 300 film and TV projects in the country's well-established century-old TV and film production industry. 

He acknowledges the existing legal and regulatory challenges in producing in Egypt, such as visa restrictions, permits, and more pressingly, issues related to fund movement (out of Egypt), which impact Egypt's current production landscape.  Despite these challenges, the industry, pioneered by Egypt within the entire region, has a history of overcoming similar hurdles in the past. 

He added  that with Egypt still holding the distinction of being the largest exporter of talent and expertise to neighboring countries, the industry is already addressing current challenges, with a focus on localized approaches to co-production, reflecting the region's media entities' preferences.  

He notes that the ongoing initiatives by the Egyptian government, including Egypt’s Film Commission, aim to streamline the production process, adopting new technologies to foster smoother collaborations. Similar to Saudi Arabia, Egypt is actively working to create an environment conducive to the growth of the film and TV production sector. 

Looking ahead, an exciting announcement marked this discussion’s conclusion: Al Maha Productions and HAMA are set to co-produce a historical series by 2025, further emphasizing the potential for successful collaborations in the MENA media landscape. In summary, the region presents both challenges and opportunities, necessitating collaborative efforts, innovative solutions, and supportive regulations for successful co-productions, co-funding, and content rights sharing in the Arab world.