Broadcast Middle East, the News Corp-backed broadcaster, said
plans to launch a second Persian satellite channel would be unaffected by the
widening scandal surrounding its parent firm.
“I can’t see how will affect us in any way. We’ve had
nothing but support from News Corp and I don’t expect that to change in the
future,” said Zaid Mohseni, CEO of the Dubai-based company.
“We don’t do news or current affairs; we are just a general
entertainment channel.”
News Corp, which this month dropped a $12bn takeover bid for
British Sky Broadcasting (BSkyB, has struggled to weather controversy around
investigations into phone-hacking and alleged police bribery at its UK unit.
The company earlier this month announced it plans to buy
back $5bn in stock over the next 12 months after its share price fell more than
14 percent on the allegations.
Broadcast Middle East, which is 50 percent owned by Rupert
Murdoch, said the channel would tap into rising demand for Farsi-language television
shows and would specifically target female viewers.
Existing channel Farsi 1 draws in between 20 and 30 million
viewers a day, Mohseni said, airing shows such as ‘24’, ‘Prison Break’ and
‘How I Met Your Mother’.
“We had a pretty great response for Farsi 1. We got a huge
viewership,” he said. “Based on this and surveys we did, we found there was
demand for a second channel.”
The company plans to hire 35 employees to staff the launch,
bringing its total staff count to 85, and is eyeing a third channel by the
year-end.
“We do have plans to expand the business further in the
future, but a lot will depend on how we go this year and how the market
receives our new channels,” Mohseni said.
Government data shows there are about half a million Farsi
speakers resident in the UAE, with a further 500,000 visiting the region as
tourists each year.
Sky News Arabia, a joint venture between with BSkyB and the
Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, said last week it was on track to
launch in early 2012, despite the collapse of News Corp takeover bid.
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