Al Eqtisadia gets down to business
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 A new financial free-air-channel, Al Eqtisadia TV, is slated to begin broadcasting within the first two weeks of April. After an initially short testing and debugging period, Al Eqtisadia, which is carried by both Arabsat and Nilesat, will cover the entire Arab World and parts of Europe.
Preliminary reports said that nearly $20-25 million had been poured into the station by a group of Saudi and UAE investors. Tarek Ahmad Riri, MBC’s first and former general manager, now at the helm of Al Eqtisadia, said that the channel will be launched to answer a need in the region for specialized channels. “Many channels carry financial programs as part of their grids. Catering for niche markets, however, has become a must in the Middle East,” he said, adding that the channel’s concept was partially triggered by the booming stock markets in the Gulf.
The regional market already has a specialized financial channel, CNBC Arabia. Riri maintained that Al Eqtisadia TV will have a completely different feel. “Our channel will have a modern Khaliji aspect, most hosts and presenters will have a Khaliji look,” he said. The station currently employs close to 150 staff members from KSA, UAE, Lebanon and Jordan.
The channel is also adamant about acquiring the latest in visual graphics. To this end, it has signed a $500,000 contract with real time 3-D graphics software company Vizrt to provide the channel with complete up-to-date graphic solutions.
Al Eqtisadia TV will have a broad range of financial programming covering the Gulf stock markets, investments, and oil markets, among others. According to Riri, the channel will use simplified economic and financial terms to make it easy for the average Arab to tune into its programs. “We are targeting the professional as well as the average non-specialized person who is interested in the financial markets,” he said.
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