News Corp’s Fox to partner with Abu Dhabi

News Corp’s Fox to partner with Abu Dhabi

Fox International Channels plans offices in UAE capital’s media zone; Rupert Murdoch to address Abu Dhabi Media Summit on Tuesday.

March 8, 2010 8:00 by kippreport

Rupert Murdoch, chairman and CEO of News Corporation, will give the keynote address at the opening of the Abu Dhabi Media Summit on Tuesday, as it emerged that subsidiary Fox International Channels is to open an office of its documentary production arm in the UAE capital.

Fox will also move the Middle East operations of its global online ad network to Abu Dhabi, as part of a partnership with the UAE capital’s government-led media zone, twofour54.

“The deal for us is a further step in a two-year old program of building up our business in the Middle East,” said David Haslingden, Fox International chief executive.

The partnership comes after News Corp. bought a 9.1% stake in Arabic media giant Rotana Group, with an option to double that stake.
The Abu Dhabi Media Summit, which runs from 9-11 March, will feature addresses by Edward Borgerding, CEO of the Abu Dhabi Media Company, Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s media zone twofour54, and Maurice Lévy, chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe.