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What’s your issue with Prince Al Waleed?
He was the wrong partner. He doesn’t understand television. We had our differences
from the beginning. I made the wrong decision and our venture went nowhere. Things
started to go downhill when I was outvoted on the decision to fire LBC SAT’s media
rep, Choueiri Group, and instead hire Rotana Media Services (RMS). RMS couldn’t
generate half of the profits that Choueiri Group did; that’s when our disagreements
escalated.
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How do you see the right partner?
The market is at a turning point; the old models do not exist anymore. What the
internet did is game changing. Therefore, you need to have a partner with a vision,
someone who can understand where media is going. You need to think in the long term
because benefits will not come immediately, you need to be patient. I wanted to
adapt to the trends of the market; my partner had different views. I saw the general
entertainment genre, even though it generates money, enjoyed a lot of decent competition
and wasn’t what we should venture into.
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If you had a do-over in terms of this partnership, what would you have done differently?
I would not have chosen the same partner.
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What is the current situation for LBC SAT?
We do not have ownership of the brand anymore. The agreement between Lebanese Media
Holding (LMH) El Daher’s company, that still owns local Lebanese station, LBC International)
and Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, stipulated that in the case of the termination of
our contract, he will own LBC SAT, while other franchises of LBC (LBC America, LBC
Europe, and LBC Australia) will remain with LMH. This part of the legal fight lingered
due to wording and terminology of the contract. Nevertheless, we decided to launch
our
new satellite brand, LDC (Lebanese Diaspora Channel) to strengthen our presence
in the market. The Lebanese law states that any channel licensed in Lebanon has
an obligation to reach the Lebanese diaspora worldwide; therefore, our channel is
for our global audience and not for a specific region.
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How do you feel about losing LBC SAT?
I don’t feel anything. I am a businessman.
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What about LBCI’s former production arm, PAC?
PAC (Production and Acquisition Company) shut down operations and declared bankruptcy. We do not own it, even though we could pay a reimbursement fee to retain it.
However, in terms of LBCI’s outstanding payments for services rendered by PAC, the litigation process is still ongoing. The third party involved in the case, Rotana, decided to drop the lawsuit, and right now we are trying to settle it amicably.
LBCI was free to rehire old employees of PAC, and it did so according to its production needs. We still own the equipment used by the production company.
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What Type of Programs will LDC broadcast?
LDC, which doesn’t belong to LBCI but to different entities, will mostly broadcast the content of LBCI, in addition to its own content from various producers. So in a way, it is the closest you can have to LBCI. What governed the relationship between LBCI and LBC SAT, was that all shows produced by LBCI were sold to LBC SAT; the same scenario will apply to LDC and LBCI.
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Are you looking at digital content for LDC?
We are streaming all of our content online so we can reach everyone, anytime. There’s a project in the pipeline, but I will reveal it in due time.
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Who will sell LDC?
Choueiri Group is our agency regionally and globally.
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Will you be competing with LBC SAT?
I don’t think anyone is competing with LBC SAT these days. If the channel isn’t dying, then it is already dead. The content is very poor and it’s not doing well at all.
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With traditional TV slowly fading away, do you think there’s room for LDC?
TV is not gone, but it’s not growing anymore, it reached its peak. The future is all about content regardless of platforms. The biggest thing that remains unknown is how to monetize your content on various platforms. We invested very little in LDC, almost as much as the cost of a transponder. The content for the channel is already available from LBCI. Also we are not aiming for high profits.
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What kind of content is the Arab audience expecting?
Live interactive entertainment is what will take over the region.
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Who is doing it right in the region today?
MBC is very well established and they have a good team. They are not succeeding in everything but they are trying nonetheless. Most Arab channels in the Middle East either belong to governments or individuals with deep pockets. But, if you’re looking for ROI, then you need to go into niche content and stay clear from general entertainment.
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How do you see TV in five years?
I still see it as number one, but I don’t know how it will fare in ten years. Content will become more niche. I also think it will be harder to find individuals to invest in TV.
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