Media firm to enter high-definition market

Tom Gara

• Last Updated: August 13. 2008 1:07AM UAE / August 12. 2008 9:07PM GMT

The Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) hopes to launch the first high-definition television (HDTV) channel in the UAE, and will begin shooting local football matches in the new format next month.

HDTV broadcasts at a quality comparable to the latest generation of Blu-ray optical disks and is best viewed on the widescreen, flat-panel televisions that are proving a hit with local consumers.

Commercial television networks in the region, such as MBC and Showtime Arabia, have said HDTV broadcasting would not commence until a profitable business model for the service was found. But ADMC executives also say that transitioning to the new standard is as much about market leadership as commercial return.

“We want to be pioneers,” said Abdul Hadi al Sheikh, the chief technology officer at ADMC, which is the parent company of The National. “We want to initiate something that sets us apart.”

ADMC was formed as part of a reorganisation of Abu Dhabi’s government-owned media businesses and has invested in mobile broadcasting trucks that can film and transmit high-definition content.

It is also upgrading its production and transmission infrastructure to support HD broadcasts.

The first major event to be shot in the format will be the Pro League football tournament beginning in mid-September. Although the company does not yet broadcast an HDTV signal, the footage will form the foundations of an archive of HDTV content to be used in the future.

Edward Borgerding, the former Disney executive who was named the chief executive of ADMC in March, said HDTV investments were part of the company’s international ambitions. “With high-definition television rapidly becoming a global standard, this investment allows the company to aggressively pursue content production and delivery strategies that can equal those available anywhere in the world.”

The adoption of HDTV in the Middle East has been slow, although Al Jazeera English, which is based in Qatar, became the first news network in the world to broadcast in HD when it launched in 2006.

Industry insiders agree that transition to the standard is inevitable in the long term, but question whether the cost of the switch will be covered by increased advertising and subscriber revenues.

A switch would benefit the manufacturers of HD-compatible televisions and set-top boxes, as well as satellite operators such as the pan-regional Arabsat. Companies in both industries are likely to participate in the promotion and development of the HDTV market.

tgara@thenational.ae