MBC TO LAUNCH FILM CHANNEL AIMED AT PERSIAN SPEAKERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 RPO DUBAI 000040 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/9/2018 TAGS: OIIP PGOV PREL SCUL IR SUBJECT: MBC TO LAUNCH FILM CHANNEL AIMED AT PERSIAN SPEAKERS DUBAI 00000040 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Ramin Asgard, Director, Iran Regional Presence Office, Department of State. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: The Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC) plans to launch an entertainment satellite TV channel on July 9 aimed at Iranian audiences that will show movies with Persian subtitles. The broadcast by the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based MBC will join a small number of satellite channels, largely based in the US, directed specifically at Persian-speaking audiences. IRPOff was told July 6 by the Group Director of Marketing for MBC that it was not promoting MBC Persia on its Arabic channels in order to avoid controversy about the channel's agenda, such as the suggestion in a Syrian newspaper that the channel represents Saudi efforts to counter Iran. The Director also said he expects advertising on the channel within Iranian domestic and expatriate markets to provide high revenue returns. An Iranian cultural figure in Dubai told IRPOff on July 7 he believes broadcasting American films is a good way to reach mass Iranian audiences and that the value of this kind of engagement has remained largely untapped. Given the dominance of state-run TV in Iran, the channel probably will appeal to satellite TV viewers seeking additional entertainment options and programs in their native language. End summary. MBC Persia Launch Quiet But Important -------------- ¶2. (C) IRPOff met Group Director of Marketing for the Saudi-owned, Dubai-based MBC, Mazen Hayek (please protect) at MBC headquarters in Dubai Media City July 6. According to press reports MBC Group's new free-to-air channel, known as MBC Persia, will begin broadcasting international movies and Hollywood blockbusters around the clock in multiple genres, as well as Farsi advertisements July 9. Hayek noted that MBC was promoting the new channel on its two English-language channels, but not on its Arabic channels, describing this as necessary to avoid controversy about the channel's agenda. Providing additional detail, Hayek said that there had been one negative reference to MBC Persia in a Syrian paper suggesting the channel represented a Saudi move to counter Iran. ¶3. (C) Hayek showed IRPOff the MBC Persia programming grid for its first week. The channel will air movies serially from four to ten in the evening, with reruns during the remainder of the day. The films were well-known American titles, mostly recent and in multiple genres. Hayek said that the primary target for the channel was Iran, and that MBC expected very strong revenue returns from advertising in this large market, as well as among the Persian Gulf Iranian expatriate population, which Hayek said his marketing research put at 700,000. In addition, Hayek pointed out that MBC Persia can reach Farsi-speaking audiences in Afghanistan and Central Asia, although its primary target market will be Iran. ¶4. (C) In a separate meeting with Dubai-based Iranian cultural figure active in education and the arts, Dr. Seyed Firouzabadi July 7, IRPOff asked about the project from the Iranian perspective. Firouzabadi surprisingly claimed that he presented this idea to MBC several months back after his own efforts to create a similar satellite channel floundered. In Firouzabadi's estimation, American movies are a potent means of reaching mass audiences in Iran. While IRIB (Iranian government TV) does show American movies regularly, including some quite recent movies, the entertainment and cultural engagement value of Hollywood is still largely untapped in his view. (Comment: Firouzabadi, an Iraqi-born nephew to the traditional conservative Minister of Justice, welcomed the project - a strong departure from some representatives of Iran's inner circle obsessed with countering corrupting foreign influences. IRPO is exploring means to engage with the well-connected Firouzabadi on an American film exchange to Iran. End comment) ¶5. (U) MBC Persia will be widely available to regional viewers via the Nilesat and Arabsat satellites. The channel will be modeled after MBC 2, which broadcasts films in English, and will provide Persian subtitles in place of Arabic subtitles. MBC Group's TV Director said the channel will be the first of its kind to provide this type of subtitled, premium content specifically aimed at Persian-speaking family audiences. The group's marketing director said it is the company's strategic policy to launch customized channels catering to certain audience demographics, preferences, and needs, and that MBC aims DUBAI 00000040 002.2 OF 002 to provide improved entertainment options for regional viewers. An Iranian satellite news Web site suggested MBC's motivation in launching the channel is to take advantage of the "hot" advertising market on entertainment TV channels. No Official Iranian Government Reaction -------------- ¶6. (U) There has been no reaction from Iranian officials regarding the channel, according to a BBC Monitoring report. An Iranian news outlet that is close to the regime posted a report about the launch, but did not provide any comments. Press reports suggest that the UAE in early 2006 agreed to an Iranian request to prohibit live transmissions broadcasting in Persian from Dubai, partly to derail plans for a European-based TV channel aimed at Iranian audiences. The Iranian government sometimes jams certain foreign satellite channels and viewing satellite TV remains illegal in Iran. Foreign Broadcasts To Iran -------------- ¶7. (U) There are approximately 30 to 40 foreign satellite TV channels broadcasting in Persian, most based out of Los Angeles and Europe, according to BBC Monitoring. In addition to MBC Persia, BBC intends to launch a Persian-language channel in August or September, according to press and an Iranian journalist based in Tehran. Background of MBC Group -------------- ¶8. (U) MBC, founded by a Saudi businessman and based in Dubai, has broadcasted a mix of news and entertainment via satellite since 1991. MBC Group operates six TV channels, including the 24-hour Arabic language news channel Al Arabiya. ¶9. (C) Comment: MBC Persia probably will be of interest to audiences in Iran with access to satellite TV, as well as to Iranians outside the country, given the limited number of satellite TV programs broadcasting in Persian. The channel's focus on film, which suggests it will avoid political topics and the impression of having a political agenda, probably will appeal given Iranians' interest in entertainment programming and alternatives to state-run TV, which is the most dominant and easily accessible media inside Iran. Soon, MBC Persia may be joined with a venture by StarTV (NewsCorp) for additional Persian-language entertainment broadcasting into Iran. IRPO will report on the StarTV project septel. ASGARD