Islamists Build Global Propaganda Facility on Jewish Ruins

While Palestinian civil-servants work unsalaried, Palestinians construct a $50-million Media City upon the ruins of Jewish Gaza to maximize international press demonization of Israel and Jewish people.

Variety.com reports that Middle-East Broadcasting Center (MBC) Group's founder and chairman Saudi Sheik Waleed al Ibrahim (publisher of al-Arabiya news channel) announced he is expanding his media empire to develop films and new channels.

The prospect of Saudi Arabia opening up itself from an entertainment industry standpoint may also have a huge bearing on the ultimate success of MBC's film venture. Officials in the conservative Kingdom are prepping new media laws set to liberalize the biz there and work is also well under way on the King Abdullah Economic City, which may well include a media zone that could challenge the supremacy of Dubai's media city. Talk has also been rife for months that the Saudi royal family is finally planning to lift the three-decade-long ban on cinemas.

"It's a matter of laws and regulations," says bin Ibrahim. "It's being talked about openly in the papers. It is just a matter of time. It will be a very big market and will change the piracy here."

Next year should also bring the launching of more MBC channels.

With the Arab TV market nearing saturation point -- with more than 250 free-to-air satcasters, in addition to payboxes Showtime Arabia, Orbit and ART -- MBC execs are going local, with a number of terrestrial offerings under evaluation. "We're looking at launching specific channels in specific regions, whether that be in North Africa, the Palestinian territories or Kuwait," says bin Ibrahim. "They would have a lot of MBC content but really be geared terrestrially and focus on a local market where you can then utilize our content but get local advertising and local ratings."