Dubai One, the English-language television station run by Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), is preparing to shut down production and lay off 80 percent of its staff, three sources have told Arabian Business.
The sources said that the remaining staff at the station would be transferred onto Arabic-language channels, and while Dubai One would remain on air, all content will be syndicated from elsewhere.
The sources also said that staff at the channel had been told of the news on Tuesday, and that an official announcement was not expected until after Eid.
The channel is designed to cater to an English-speaking audience in the UAE and the Arab world, with a mixture of locally produced and syndicated content.
Among the shows that are likely to be axed are business news show Emirates 24/7, daytime chat show Studio One and entertainment programme Out and About.
Founded in 2003, DMI is owned by the Dubai government. Aside from Dubai One, it runs seven Arabic-language television channels, covering news, sport and lifestyle. It also manages a series of newspapers, including Al Bayan, Emarat Al Youm and the English-language Emirates 24/7 news website.
Sarah Ahmed Al Jarman, the general manager for Dubai One, told Arabian Business via email that “we have stopped our 4 locally produced shows”, without elaborating. Al Jarwan also referred any further questions to the DMI inhouse public relations team.
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