The Changing World of Arab Television

On this week's episode of Babel, Fadi Ismail joins Jon to discuss Arab television and how it's changing. Fadi Ismail is the founder and general manager of DKL studios in Dubai and has over 30 years of experience with Arab media. During their discussion, Fadi breaks down how and why he brought Turkish programming to the Arab world, what Arab audiences want, and what Arab youth are watching. Then, Jon, Will, and McKinley discuss how audiences are changing in the Arab world. 

• Jon Alterman, New Media, New Politics? From Satellite Television to the Internet in the Arab World, The Washington Institute, 1998
• Ravale Mohydin, “Soap operas, fatwas and censorship: the Turkey-UAE battle for hearts and minds,” Middle East Monitor, June 1, 2020.
• Nabih Bulos, “Game of Shows: In the Middle East, TV programs launched as weapons of war,” LA Times, December 9, 2019.
• Episode Transcript, “Changing World of Arab Television,” July 14, 2020.