Sea View

The TV boom in the Middle East is not over despite skeptics predicting a dip for the last six months. In fact, twenty-seven new channels have been issued licenses to go on air from Fujairah this year and of these, seven are scheduled to begin broadcasting as early as this month. And if the new trend in launching thematic channels is any indication, the Middle East can hope to see an even bigger boom in free-to-air TV. Already last month, we have seen the launch of two new channels dedicated to marine life and maritime affairs.

Bahry TV, a Kuwait-based channel went on air last month as did Marine Biz TV, a channel funded by Aries Marine, a UAE-based ship design and consultancy firm. Both channels plan to cover everything from marine life and the shipping industry to coastal living, spear fishing, water sports, sea resorts and related cuisine and entertainment. However, their core topics might be slightly different with Bahry TV being more of a lifestyle channel and Marine Biz TV, which has been put together by a group of naval engineers, focusing more on the shipping industry, training programmes and related exhibitions.

Bahry TV, which is owned by two Kuwaiti brothers and Kuwait's Bayan Investment Company, is part of the Bahry Media Network, which includes a newspaper and a web site that is also dedicated to the same theme. Nafisi Al Nafisi, chairman and managing director of Bahry Media Network, sums up all that the TV channel is likely to cover in terms of content: "Bahry TV will cover all sea activities such as boat and yacht manufacturing companies, boat shows, competitions and champions. It will also offer programmes about sea, fishing, diving and marine tourism, in addition to other documentary programmes."

Heading the channel is Mubarek Jasim Bouresli, general manager of Bahry TV. "This channel is designed for those who belong to the sea," says Bouresli.

According to Bouresli, Bahry TV will do very well in the Gulf, particularly Kuwait. "The Kuwaitis are well known for their love of the sea. This is the biggest market for boats. Kuwaitis own 70% of the boats in the Gulf region. It's a huge passion and fishing is a favourite pastime. There are more than 30,000 boats in Kuwait. While in most places, you will see a car parked outside a home, here, you are likely to see two cars and a boat outside homes. We believe this channel will be as successful as our magazine. We have seen the business in this field and there is a lot of scope for this channel," claims Bouresli.

The TV channel, which broadcasts out of Kuwait, currently operates a six-hour grid and then repeats the content. It broadcasts primarily in English but also has the odd Arabic content.

Bahry TV has already invested more than US $50,000 in putting together a small facility in Kuwait to run the channel. More capital will be invested in acquiring and producing original content. "We have signed a deal with Ocean World Productions, a Dubai-based production house, to produce 120 hours of documentaries, underwater series and fillers," says Bouresli. "It is very important for everyone living here to know that the sea is precious and must be treated well. Especially, after the Iraqi invasion in 91, a lot of oil was spilt into the sea and destroyed marine life. We hope our channel will create greater awareness about the sea and what is required to protect it," he adds.

Bouresli, however, is quick to add that the channel will not just cover underwater life. "It is meant to show the fun side of it also. We are in contact with production and distribution companies from several countries including the UK, Australia, Canada, Spain, the US, Singapore and even French Polynesia to ensure that we have exciting content related to water sports, real estate and so on. We haven't just relied on local content," explains Bouresli.

The company initially planned to have an in-house studio as well but later decided against it as all of its production takes place outdoors. "It didn't make sense to have a studio at this stage as we shoot all of the action outside," he says.

Bahry TV has invested in Sony HDV camcorders, an Edius NLE station, as well as Macs and PCs. "We have ensured that we have a PC and Mac-based environment so that technology does not become a hindrance to us producing good work," explains Bouresli.

Presently, Bahry has been cautious with its investments. The channel is currently manned by seven people and as the channel grows, Bouresli hopes the network will also grow and expand. "This is a free-to-air channel. Our footprint on Nilesat and Arabsat reaches from Algeria and Iran to the South Mediterranean. But we eventually hope to cover the rest of the world," he adds.

Marine Biz TV, by comparison, has invested in more people but kept its costs down by operating out of India. Although owned by a Sharjah-based firm, the channel's main production and editing facility is based in Cochin, a major sea port located in the South of India.

Unlike Bahry and Nautica, Marine Biz has been launched by a team of engineers, who claim that their prime objective is to share advances in shipping technology as well as conduct training courses, share shipping safety measures and cover shipping conferences worldwide.

"We are not an entertainment channel; we are an information channel," says Sohan Roy, a naval architect and certified film director. Roy is also the managing director of Marine Biz TV and CEO of Aries Marine. "About 90% of the global trade moves by sea and there have been phenomenal development in the methods employed and technologies used in various maritime activities from offshore drilling to super tanker construction. However, the best ideas, activities and developments taking place in the maritime world have never been instantly accessible to the people in the industry. This is the prime reason for the creation of Marine Biz TV. We hope this channel will provide viewers with a unique insight into this world," he adds.

The company hopes to target one million decision makers within a year. Roy claims he has all the statistics on paper. "There are 50,000 ships across the world and each ship has a captain and a chief engineer and an additional engineer. These are the most influential decision makers on the ship and it is these people we are targeting. Plus there are 100,000 decision makers in the naval defence; 100,000 in oil and gas, 50,000 in the fishing industry, plus another 50,000 in academic institutions, and so on," he says.

Whether all of these statistics will help the channel plan a successful survival strategy is not certain. However, what is interesting is the way the company utilises the internet and TV in a complementary fashion to reach out to its target audiences.

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