Dubai: Dubai Media City has celebrated its 20th anniversary as the region's largest business community dedicated to media and content creation. Home to 122 television and radio channels, news and entertainment is broadcasted 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 a variety of languages enjoyed by readers around the world.
On his official account, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai tweeted: "Today, Dubai Media City completes 20 years since we established it in 2000. Today the city is home to 3,000 media outlets, 34,000 journalists. It hosts122 TV and radio channels, and 163 publications and platforms. Nothing is impossible in the UAE.''
Announced in 2000 under the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 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. Dubai Media City has attracted some world's largest companies to the UAE, including CNN, BBC, MBC and CNBC Arabia.
Commenting on the historic milestone, Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City, said, "Established as the cornerstone of Dubai's ambitious strategy to become a global media hub, our community turned the UAE's vision for a knowledge and innovation-based economy into a reality."
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 includes a range of unique dining destinations including a variety of hotels, retail, restaurants and recreational spaces, as well as training institutions and academics focused on preparing a new generation of media talent in the region.