Majed Al Suwaidi on Dubai’s rise as a global hub: Opportunities for Indian companies

Dubai has rapidly established itself as a global media and entertainment powerhouse, and at the heart of this transformation are key hubs such as Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City. Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President of these influential districts at TECOM Group PJSC, plays a pivotal role in fostering the growth of Dubai’s media ecosystem and strengthening its ties with international markets, particularly India.

In this interview, Majed Al Suwaidi shares his insights on how Dubai is facilitating the global expansion of Indian media and entertainment companies. He will delve into the strategic role that Dubai Studio City plays as a gateway for Indian creatives to access global markets, highlighting its state-of-the-art infrastructure and collaborative environment. Majed will also discuss how initiatives like Dubai’s Golden Visa program are attracting top Indian talent and reinforcing the city's position as a leading creative economy.

Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City have established Dubai as a prominent media hub. Can you share your vision for how these hubs will support the international expansion of Indian media companies?

Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City are the foundational pillars that have transformed Dubai into the global gateway for media businesses and professionals. Alongside Dubai Production City, these districts form the Media Cluster of TECOM Group PJSC, the developer behind ten of Dubai’s most vibrant business districts. Building on Dubai’s long-standing ties with India, these districts are specially curated hubs that facilitate cross-border collaboration and provide Indian media companies a strategic platform to expand their reach globally. Indian companies are tapping into this potential, and our customer base includes leaders such as Zee Entertainment, among the largest networks of South Asian channels, which operates its Middle East and North Africa headquarters from our Media Cluster.

How does TECOM Group’s focus on creating strategic business clusters contribute to Dubai’s vision of being a global creative economy leader, particularly in media and entertainment?

TECOM Group has helped to actualise Dubai’s vision of nurturing a world-leading creative economy for 25 years. Through Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, and Dubai Production City, we support the total media and entertainment industry value chain, fostering a collaborative ecosystem that is conducive to creativity, innovation, and economic diversification. By uniting more than 3,500 customers and over 38,000 multicultural professionals, we catalyse content creation that speaks to audiences regionally and globally. This approach cements Dubai’s position among the world’s leading creative economies and helps to strengthen its knowledge-based economy for global impact.

How is Dubai Studio City positioning itself as the preferred marketing and distribution hub for Indian media companies looking to amplify their reach in the Middle East and beyond?

As the region’s largest media, entertainment and broadcasting hub, Dubai Studio City provides unmatched infrastructure designed for companies seeking to produce, market, and distribute content on a global scale. With world-class sector-specific facilities, ranging from the region’s largest sound stages to recording studios and post-production suites, we offer Indian media companies the resources to create impactful content for global audiences. Our ecosystem nurtures pathways for creative talent to unlock global growth, and its appeal is reflected in the expansion of our talent community by more than 11.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2024.

Dubai’s Golden Visa programme has attracted top global talent. What unique advantages does this initiative offer to Indian media professionals and creatives?

The Golden Visa programme reflects Dubai’s commitment to nurturing talent by providing long-term residency to skilled professionals, including Indian media creatives, providing opportunities to fully immerse themselves in Dubai’s ecosystem. This opens new avenues for cross-cultural projects and collaborations that can resonate deeply with audiences across the UAE and India, which is particularly advantageous given the success of Indian content from Bollywood to OTT shows not just regionally, but across global markets. More than 3.5 million Indians live in the UAE, and the Golden Visa programme is paving the way for more Indian talent to establish a base in the city.

How does Dubai’s investment in state-of-the-art facilities and incentives create a competitive edge that appeals to Indian media entrepreneurs and production houses?

Dubai’s world-class infrastructure ensures a high quality of life for talented professionals from all walks of life. At Dubai Studio City, facilities like our sound stages, backlots, and water tanks cater to a diverse range of production needs. Moreover, our strategic alignment with Dubai Film and TV Commission – which from its base at the district supports an array of content production activities for producers, film crews, and filmmakers – strengthens Dubai’s position as the preferred location for Indian media enterprises looking to tap into global markets. More than 358,000 minutes of original content was recorded across Sound Stages and the in5 Media start-up and entrepreneurship incubator in 2023 during 198 calendar days’ worth of shoots and recording sessions.

With India being a global leader in OTT content, what opportunities does Dubai Studio City offer to support OTT and digital content producers from India?

From studios to post-production spaces and access to cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual production, Dubai Studio City’s facilities are designed to support content creators at every stage. Combined with Dubai’s and India’s shared cultural synergies, the world-class infrastructure and production expertise offered within our Media Cluster positions us a natural partner for the global ambitions of not just Hindi, but regional-language content creators, including Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil, across traditional and OTT media.

in5 Media plays a significant role in nurturing media start-ups. How is In5 Media designed to support Indian entrepreneurs who want to establish or expand their creative businesses in Dubai?

in5 Media embodies our dedication to fostering the next generation of media innovators by offering entrepreneurs a dynamic launchpad to start and scale up from. With a dedicated Innovation Centre at Dubai Production City, in5 Media provides access to co-working spaces, production equipment, and mentorship, creating a nurturing environment for enterprises, start-ups, and freelancers. The industry-dedicated vertical of TECOM Group’s in5 incubator, in5 Media strengthens connections between the next generation of storytellers through community and networking events linking established industry leaders and future storytellers within our Media Cluster.

How does Dubai facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange between Indian companies and other international media giants based in Dubai Media City?

Dubai Media City has nurtured the global media sector by facilitating knowledge-exchange and creativity since its establishment in 2000 and is home to global industry giants including CNN and Reuters. Its community enriches TECOM Group’s Media Cluster, which is home to more than 120 television and radio channels broadcasting in Arabic, English, Chinese, German, Tagalog, Hindi, and Urdu, among other languages. This interconnected ecosystem nurtures connections and encourages the exchange of ideas, resources, and expertise to foster globally impactful co-creation.

With the growing esports and digital content consumption markets in India, how is Dubai positioning itself to attract and support companies in these rapidly expanding areas?

India’s digital media market is expected to be the world’s fastest growing in the future, and we recognise the transformative potential of e-sports and digital content as more such centres of new media emerge globally. The Media Cluster’s facilities and partnerships are geared to support this high-energy, tech-driven industry by integrating virtual production spaces and advanced broadcasting set-ups. The Digital Creative Economy 2024 white paper, developed by Dubai Media City and our sister district, Dubai Design District (d3) in partnership with global digital consultancy Monstarlab, has found the global digital creative economy represents an AED 27 trillion opportunity to achieve diversified growth amid the rise of technologies like AI and augmented reality (AR). Our districts encourage the adoption of such cutting-edge tech to push the boundaries of storytelling in all facets of the media industry, including film, broadcasting, gaming, and digital content.

Finally, for Indian media companies contemplating expansion to Dubai, what key advice or insights would you offer to help them leverage Dubai’s media ecosystem most effectively?

Dubai offers unparalleled facilities and access to a multicultural talent pool, and professionals must leverage this diversity of ideas and insights by tapping into the support systems TECOM Group provides. By co-locating with industry leaders within our ecosystem, Indian companies can accelerate their growth and produce content that appeals to diverse audiences.