International Disruptors: Neom’s Wayne Borg Talks Building A Sustainable Global Media Hub, Importance Of Catering To The Arab-Speaking World & Why “This Isn’t Just A One-Off Initiative”

The King Cup returns after a three-month hiatus this week to offer Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr a chance to refocus on other competitions after losing their position atop the Saudi Pro League to Al-Ittihad.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Dubai-based CEO Sam Barnett leads the Middle East’s largest broadcaster MBC as it turbocharges its Shahid streaming service through a scripted content drive, and gives Netflix a run for its money. Shortly before the holy month of Ramadan, which is marathon TV time in the Arab world, Barnett spoke to Variety about the still crucial relevance of Ramadan season in luring eyeballs, MBC’s need to offer “interesting new types of content” outside of the holy period, and why the company remains resolutely pan-Arab while riding the wave of Saudi’s production boom. There is a perception that MBC is becoming more “Saudi-centric” since it now plays an important role in Saudi’s drive to become a major content producer. Can you talk to me about how this shift is playing out in your overall production strategy?

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival has announced a dozen projects from young filmmakers from Saudi, and the wider Arab and African region, selected for its development program, the Red Sea Lodge, in collaboration with TorinoFilmLab and sponsored by the Film AlUla film commission. The Lodge is a 10-month mentorship program that has now opened up to African works along with Saudi and Arab projects. Winners will take home a portion of the total $200,000 pot in prizes that will be awarded during the fest’s 2023 edition in December.  The selected projects from Saudi Arabia are:

Cristiano Ronaldo has taken to social media in the aftermath of Al-Nassr losing to Saudi Pro League title rivals Al-Ittihad to post a series of workout photos captioned with a cryptic message.

Cristiano Ronaldo tasted defeat for the first time in his Al-Nassr career on Thursday night as Al-Ittihad dealt the former Manchester United man a title blow.

Tommy Fury appeared on Loose Women on Thursday afternoon to talk more about his boxing win against Jake Paul and his new baby daughter, Bambi. Just a few weeks after his daughter was born, Tommy, 23, had to travel to Saudi Arabia for the highly-anticipated boxing match against YouTuber Jake Paul that had been 2.5 years in the making.Talking about his win, as well as his new role as a first-time father after he and his and Love Island sweetheart Molly-Mae Hague's daughter was born last month, Tommy was asked about choosing Bambi as her name.

Cristiano Ronaldo may not be featuring in the Champions League these days but his impact in the competition has not been forgotten at the highest level.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Kuwaiti-born writer-director Zeyad (also known as “Z”) Alhusaini, whose action movie with comedic undertones “How I Got There” recently won the audience award at Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Film Festival, has joined United Talent Agency for representation in all areas. The groundbreaking film about two best buddies from childhood, named Salem and Asad, who stumble upon a gun shipment and try to seize this opportunity to get rich quick is set entirely in the Persian Gulf. “How I Got There” provides a relatively realistic glimpse of Kuwait’s present-day melting-pot of cultures, and its underworld of gun-running mercenaries, gangs, and terrorists, plus the local rap scene.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla, the entity looking to attract international productions to a sprawling area of desert and giant boulders that boasts an ancient city, is forging fashion world ties. The film commission for the swathe of northwest Saudi Arabia roughly the size of Belgium that also comprises a lush oasis and vast sandstone canyons, is launching an initiative called AlUla Creates involving use of an eco-friendly studio and the possibility of tapping into development funds for projects by female directors at the intersection of film and fashion. AlUla Creates has partnered with the British Fashion Council and with Saudi actress Mia Al Zahrani (“The Perfect Candidate”); British filmmaker and creative director Alec Maxwell – founder of digital platform Kloss Films whose clients include Bulgari, Stella McCartney, and Carolina Herrera –; and fashion models Helena Christensen and Eva Herzigova as “ambassadors” to promote the platform, according to a statement.

Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr will be out to extract revenge this week when being reacquainted with fellow Saudi Pro League title contenders Al-Ittihad.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Public Investment Fund (PIF) has increased its stake in Japanese film and TV studio Toei Company, from 5% to 6.03%, according to a report by the Reuters financial news agency. The move comes shortly after Toei published a ten-year plan for international expansion. Toei includes film and TV production operations, the T-Joy cinema chain and Toei Animation. Last month, it said that it had beaten its film revenue record, thanks to the success of titles including “The First Slam Dunk,” “The Legend of Butterfly” and “One Piece Film Red.” The stake increase also follows PIF’s February announcement that it had increased its stake in Japanese games and console maker Nintendo to 8.26% and that (along with the Singapore state fund GIC) was a buyer of a $966 million bond issue from Korean entertainment-tech firm Kakao Corp.

First-time mum Molly-Mae Hague has shared an honest account of parenting a newborn. The former Love Island star admitted to only just feeling like she's getting her life 'back in order' after welcoming baby daughter Bambi almost six weeks ago.

Piers Morgan is planning to drive to Old Trafford and celebrate in Cristiano Ronaldo's signature style if Arsenal win the Premier League this season.

Saudi Arabian family comedy Sattar, set against the world of freestyle wrestling, has continued its record-breaking run at home to become one of the country’s top five highest-grossing local movies ever.

Molly-Mae Hague has been sharing an insight into home life after having her man Tommy Fury home from his victory in Saudi Arabia. The former Love Island star greeted her partner through the door of their plush home with open arms and a 'Welcome Home Champ' display after the Manchester boxer was victorious in his fight against Jake Paul on Sunday night three weeks after welcoming newborn daughter Bambi into the world.

Tommy Fury has taken to Instagram to say that he is "on cloud nine" as he rides the high of his victory against arch-rival Jake Paul in a highly-publicised boxing match that took place on Sunday night. Former Love Island star Tommy's fight with Jake had been coming for two and a half years, with Tommy, 23, forced to pull out of two scheduled matches before he finally beat Jake in the ring in Saudi Arabia. His win came at a cost, however, as he had to leave his girlfriend Molly-Mae Hague and newborn baby daughter, Bambi, at home three weeks ago to undergo an intense training camp before flying out to Saudi Arabia on 17 February.

Molly-Mae Hague has given her man Tommy Fury a hero's welcome after his victory in the ring against Jake Paul. The Manchester boxer defeated American YouTuber turned fighter Jake by a split decision following their much-anticipated grudge match after more than two years of trash talking on Sunday night.

Film at Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art have set Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama and Vuk Lungulov-Klotz’s Sundance Special Jury Award winner Mutt, both debut features, as opening and closing film at the 52st edition of their collaboration, New Directors/New Films, running March 29–April 9 in NYC.

Refresh for latest…: Coming out of its second weekend, Disney/Marvel’s Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania has grossed $363.6M globally. Of that, $167.3M is from domestic and $196.3M from the international box office.

Jake Paul has surprisingly been made odds-on favourite to beat Tommy Fury tonight, with the American YouTube star facing a full-time professional boxer for the first time.