....from twofour54 Abu Dhabi. The channel, whose name is yet to be made public, will be distributed via satellite free-to-air with a dedicated online channel and is slated to go live by the end of 2012. With an expected output of 650 hours of original multi-genre programming every year, the channel will contribute to the TV production value chain in Abu Dhabi, with production companies, content providers, freelancers and service providers expected to benefit. The channel will also provide career and talent development opportunities for young Arabs looking to enter the media industry. The new channel will be produced and broadcast from the twofour54 facilities in Abu Dhabi and will create a number of new jobs for the industry, initially with 20 technical and operational staff and as many as 30 creative production personnel. These numbers are expected to grow as output increases over the first five years. The production facilities will also contribute to the training services provided by twofour54 by offering internships for young graduates and seminars and master-classes for thegrowing number of UAE National media studies students at colleges and universities throughout the UAE.
EMM’s new TV satellite channel will be led by EMM’s CEO, Nicholas Claxton, who will spearhead the business as a whole, its strategy and its expansion plans. He has a wealth of broadcasting and digital experience and is the former Managing Director of several U.K. based independent production companies and has worked with many of the world’s leading broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Discovery, National Geographic , A&E Network, among several others. He is also an Emmy award-winning Producer/Director and holds several other international awards for a large variety of programming.