Middle East Broadcasting Center

MBC Group is the first private free-to-air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. Over the past 23 years, MBC Group grew to become a well-established media group that enriches people’s lives through information, interaction and entertainment, and includes 18 television channels: MBC1 (general family entertainment); MBC2 and MBC MAX (24-hour western movies); MBC3 (children’s edutainment with a mix of local productions and western acquisitions); MBC4 (entertainment for young families with women at its core); MBC Action (an indigenous adrenaline-packed channel targeting young males with local homegrown productions); MBC Variety (Western general entertainment and movie channel); Al Arabiya (the 24-hour Arabic language news channel); Al Hadath (an extension of Al Arabiya News Channel); Wanasah (24-hour Arabic music channel); MBC DRAMA (24/7 Arabic Drama); MBC MASR (general family entrainment channel geared towards the Egyptian family); MBC + Drama (paid channel on OSN); MBC Bollywood (delivering the freshest in Bollywood content); and most recently 4 sports channels- MBC PRO SPORTS (geared towards Saudi Football League fans). The Group also includes two radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music), and Panorama FM (contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 productions, a specialized production unit. The Group includes online platforms: www.mbc.net, www.alarabiya.net, www.shahid.net (the first free VOD and catch up portal in the Arab world) and www.actionha.net, and www.mbcprosports.net among others. As of July 2011, seven of MBC Group’s channels began to air in HD across the MENA Region: MBC 1 HD, MBC 2 HD, MBC 4 HD, MBC Action HD, MBC Drama HD, MBC Max HD and Al Arabiya HD News Channel. In 2013, MBC 3 HD was added to this bouquet, and in 2014 MBC Variety was also added.