DUBAI, 12th December, 2021 (WAM) — H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, today met with Jeff Zucker, Chairman, WarnerMedia News and Sports, and President of CNN Worldwide.
The meeting was held at the Dubai International Financial Centre in the presence of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Media Council.
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs; Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism; Mona Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and Director-General of the Government of Dubai Media Office; Malek Al Malek, Group CEO of TECOM Group; Allison Gollust, Executive Vice President of WarnerMedia News and Sport; and other senior officials of CNN Worldwide also attended the meeting.
Sheikh Maktoum and Zucker discussed a range of issues related to worldwide developments in the media industry, with a particular focus on how Dubai can support the growth of global media companies like CNN at a time when they are navigating massive economic and market transformations.
They also discussed how Dubai offers global media players a supportive platform to tap new markets, leverage new opportunities and position themselves for long-term success amidst the changes taking place worldwide.
Sheikh Maktoum said, "The ambitious vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, launched two decades ago to develop the media industry, has led to Dubai becoming a prominent centre for international media. Amidst today’s rapidly evolving global environment, Dubai has gained the worldwide community’s trust as one of the globe’s safest and most productive hubs for business, investment and talent, and is ideally positioned to support media companies in riding the next wave of the industry’s transformation.
"At a time when media companies need to respond in an agile and dynamic way to a constantly evolving landscape, Dubai offers the infrastructure, regulatory framework and support services necessary for media companies to free themselves from operational hassles to focus on driving innovation to take them to the next level."
Sheikh Maktoum also said that CNN’s growth story based out of Dubai is an example of the strong private sector partnerships that are driving the development of various sectors in the emirate. "The private sector continues to be a key partner in Dubai’s efforts to shape a new phase of growth driven by innovation and new technology over the next 50 years," he added.
Zucker, who oversees all of WarnerMedia’s live programming, including all divisions of CNN Worldwide and Turner Sports, expressed his appreciation to Sheikh Maktoum for the extensive support Dubai has provided for the media conglomerate’s growth in the Middle East region.
He said CNN continues to take advantage of its base in Dubai to explore new horizons for growing its coverage and business operations in the region.