Page 8 - Gulf Marketing Review

M E D I A

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“There is a need for the getting not only the facts but the interpretation What specific marketing strategies do you
UK audiences to be better of these facts right as well. have in line with your expansion plans?
informed about the region and One of the priority areas we’re working on
that’s one of the reasons why The BBC is investing heavily in the Middle is to target young audiences. Keeping this in
we’re very proud to have a East as part of its 2020 expansion, perhaps mind, we’ve launched a programme called
regional language service” the biggest for the organisation since the "BBC Trending" for BBC Arabic, which looks at
1940s. Can you share more details about this? the trending social media stories around the
As part of our state support, we’ve got a world. We are also trying to align the BBC Arabic
one of the reasons why we’re very proud to funding boost from the government to expand TV be more in line with the online content.
have a regional language service in the form of our existing range of language services from Having said that, our attention to the
Arabic TV and a Persian station in Iran, which the existing 30 to approximately 41 languages, younger demographic doesn’t mean we’re
we manage through our Middle East hub at in a bid to connect with more of our viewers. ignoring the older and more traditional au-
Jerusalem. This puts us at the forefront in terms As regards the Arabic services, most of our diences for Arabic content. They will remain
of a deeper understanding of the Arabic world, Arabic content is currently produced in the UK. important to us. However, any broadcaster
which informs the coverage for the people in the However, we’re expanding our Arabic radio has to continue to build new audiences and
UK. The instability and geopolitical tensions in services too in response to the long-standing that’s what we’re doing.
the region as well as globally bring to the fore demand of our audience.
the critically important question of how we, as We have already launched regional Arabic If your audiences were to choose between
a broadcaster, interpret the developments of radio services focusing on the Maghreb and TV and online, which one do you think they
this culturally sensitive region to our UK and Gulf operations, enabling our subscribers to would go for?
global audiences. have access to more Gulf-specific news. In early Despite the growing digital and online content,
The realisation of this big responsibility 2018, we’re planning to expand our Arabic TV the largest chunk of our audience still comes
bestows upon the BBC a significant role in offering as well. from our TV services.

8 I GULF MARKETING REVIEW I DECEMBER 2017/FEBRUARY 2018