Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) has signed an agreement with an international distributor specialising in distributing television channels through global hotel networks. This agreement will grant DMI access to approximately 450,000 hotel rooms within a network of 12,000 hotels worldwide.
The signing took place during DMI's participation in MIPCOM 2026, held in Cannes, France, a leading international platform for the media and entertainment content industry.
The agreement represents a strategic step towards enhancing the presence of the organisation’s channels in international markets, and reaching diverse segments of visitors and travellers around the world, which contributes to the spread of Emirati media content and highlights Dubai’s media and cultural identity, in addition to supporting its economic, tourism and cultural standing.
The agreement also provides new opportunities to develop the organisation’s international distribution system, diversify content delivery platforms to the public, and take advantage of innovative access channels that support its presence in global markets.
In parallel with this expansion, the organisation dedicated a portion of its participation in the exhibition to exploring the latest artificial intelligence technologies and their applications in media content production, as part of its approach to keeping pace with the rapid technological transformations in the sector and developing the media work system, thereby enhancing its competitiveness and supporting Dubai’s position as a global centre for media and creative industries.
Expansion and innovation
Mohamed Al Mulla, CEO of Dubai Media Incorporated, confirmed that participation in MIPCOM comes within the framework of the corporation’s strategic vision to enhance Dubai’s media presence globally and keep pace with the rapid transformations taking place in the media industry, particularly in the areas of digital distribution and artificial intelligence.
He said: “At Dubai Media Incorporated, we continue to work on developing a media model that is more capable of reaching audiences around the world, and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by modern technologies to enhance the efficiency of our operations and improve the quality of our content. International distribution partnerships represent an important step in expanding the presence of our channels and conveying Dubai’s message and its media and cultural identity to new segments of the global audience.”
He added: “Artificial intelligence has become one of the main drivers of transformation in the media industry, and we look forward to leveraging its potential in developing production processes, enhancing innovation, and raising operational efficiency, in line with Dubai’s drive to lead in adopting future technologies. We believe that combining global reach with technological development is an important foundation for building a more competitive and sustainable media organisation.”
Artificial intelligence
As part of its drive to accelerate technological transformation and explore future tools, the Dubai Media delegation held meetings with global technology companies and reviewed a range of the latest artificial intelligence tools and solutions specialising in the media content industry, through technical presentations that addressed the practical applications of these solutions in various stages of production.
Areas of interest included tools for developing ideas and content, visual production techniques, editing and post-production, machine translation and dubbing, media asset management, and repurposing and adapting content for various television and digital platforms.
The meetings focused on exploring the potential of these technologies to save time and effort, increase the efficiency of production processes, and enhance the capabilities of creative teams, while maintaining the quality, authenticity, and media identity of the content.
The organisation seeks to study applicable technical solutions within its work system, in order to support the development of a more flexible and efficient media production environment, and to keep pace with the rapid developments in audience behaviour and means of consuming content.
Results of the process
For his part, Salem Baluyouha, Executive Director of the Media Content Sector at Dubai Media Incorporated, confirmed that participation in the MIPCOM exhibition focused on achieving practical results in the field of international distribution, in addition to learning about the latest technical solutions that can contribute to the development of the media content industry system.
He said: “During our participation, we were keen to explore new opportunities that enhance the global reach of Dubai Media’s channels and enable access to the public through diverse distribution channels. The agreement, which allows our channels to reach approximately 450,000 hotel rooms within 12,000 hotels worldwide, is an important step in expanding our international presence and enhancing the access of Emirati content to a new audience outside our traditional markets.”
He added: “During the exhibition, we witnessed a remarkable development in artificial intelligence tools specialized in the media content industry, especially in the areas of production, editing, translation, and content management. Employing these technologies is no longer just an option to develop work tools, but has become a fundamental factor in enhancing production efficiency, accelerating its processes, and providing wider spaces for creativity.”
He pointed out that the next phase will focus on studying solutions that can add value to the production processes in the institution and contribute to enabling work teams to benefit from the latest technologies, while maintaining the essential role of the human element in creativity and editorial decision-making, adding: “Our goal is to build a more advanced and flexible media production system, capable of keeping pace with the future of the industry and meeting the aspirations of the public.”
Dubai Media Incorporated’s participation in MIPCOM reflects its orientation towards expanding the presence of its channels in international markets, and exploring opportunities to benefit from technological developments in the content industry, in order to support the development of production and distribution processes across various platforms.
The organisation continues its efforts to develop a media model that combines global reach and technological innovation, enhancing its ability to keep pace with industry transformations and meet public expectations, thereby supporting its competitiveness and consolidating Dubai’s position as a leading center in the media and content industry.