One of the successful highlights of the recently-held ‘Qatar Economic Forum, Powered by Bloomberg’ was the forging of a strategic long-term partnership between Media City Qatar and Group ONE Holdings (ONE).
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Media City Qatar and ONE will open avenues of collaboration in the production and development of a wide range of global content in Qatar across multiple media sectors, including original programming, studio shows, and esports, which will strengthen Qatar’s growing media ecosystem.
The partnership will commence by showcasing Qatar in the filming of Season 2 of the popular Netflix series and highly-acclaimed business reality show The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently sat down with Gulf Times to provide more details on this and about ONE’s plans for Qatar going forward.
Gulf Times: Provide our readers with a brief background on ONE’s MoU with Media City Qatar and the factors leading to this agreement.
Sityodtong: ONE, which is ranked by Nielsen as amongst the world’s top 10 biggest sports media properties for viewership and engagement, has signed a partnership with Media City Qatar, whose main objective is to build a world-class media industry in the country.
ONE has been in Singapore for a little over 10 years and we helped build a world-class sports media industry there. We now have a very strong ecosystem of talent, executive producers, producers, video editors, cameramen, and storytellers, and we want to bring this IP to Qatar and Media City Qatar.
We are working very closely with Media City Qatar as partners in bringing our brand and IP, as well as our three contents: martial arts, esports, and general entertainment, so this is a very profound, deep, and long-term partnership.
I’m grateful for Media City Qatar’s belief in trusting ONE and I will do everything within my power to see this partnership succeed and see the company fulfil its vision of creating a world-class media industry.
Kindly provide a few specifics as to why you have chosen Qatar to mark ONE’s foray into the Middle East market. What is it about Qatar that had attracted you to this part of the world?
I’m full of gratitude and appreciation to Qatar for its belief and investment into ONE. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) invested in ONE back in December of last year and this is just the beginning.
What makes the Qatari government different from other investors is that they have a real partnership mindset and philosophy, which I've seen first-hand. The various leaders at QIA have extended help, made phone calls on our behalf, and introduced us to different parts of the Qatari government ecosystem and business leadership. And they’ve really done that for the benefit of ONE.
At ONE, we also have a very strong partnership mindset: We want to make sure that everything we do is ‘win-win’. We want to provide a very strong financial return for QIA. We also want to fulfil various objectives, whether it’s the Qatar Tourism Board, Media City Qatar, Qatar Airways, or any of our partners in this country. We want to see them successful and we want to make sure that we do our part to achieve this.
This marks our full launch into the Middle East region and we believe that we have the right recipes of heroes, stories, and values that every family can celebrate with their kids and grand kids.
Not only do we want to bring values of integrity, humility, honour, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion, but also heroes who will genuinely inspire the world, as well as stories of overcoming tragedy, adversity, or poverty, to unleash their potential. We want to inspire the world with these stories, so we believe our formula of values, heroes, and stories is perfect for the Middle East.
On a personal level, I have found Qataris to be such kind, humble, and really genuine people. I love the Qatari culture. I believe in the visionary leadership under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani of creating the future of Qatar beyond the hydrocarbon industry.
I think His Highness the Amir has a remarkable plan of scaling and investing in businesses and in industries that scale globally without the need for huge labour or huge lands or huge capital, so if you look at finance, media, sports, or tech, these are all industries that His Highness the Amir sees as huge potentials for the future of Qatar in terms of its push towards economic diversification.
But of course, these industries take time to build, so I have no doubt that Qatar will be one of the global business epicentres for these different industries that I’ve mentioned. His Highness the Amir has an incredible vision, as well as an incredible team around him. I've met many business and government leaders in Qatar and I was so impressed, which is why I feel it is right that ONE and Qatar had partnered together much in the same way the Singapore government has partnered with ONE for mutual success.
We are also in discussions with other Middle Eastern countries, who have expressed a lot of strong interest to work with ONE and so I think the Middle East is perfect for our values, heroes, and stories formula.
As you know, Qatar is also trying to position itself as a sports hub in the region, so do you also see yourself contributing to this objective?
Yes, most definitely. We want to help Qatar fulfil its vision in the sports and media industry. I truly believe that Qatar has all the right ingredients – from leadership and culture to people – to create a world-class global business hub along with these different industries of sports, media, and finance, among others. As one of the world’s largest media properties, I believe that ONE will hopefully play a significant part in Qatar’s economy in the future.
Qatar has invested heavily in its ICT infrastructure.
Could you comment on how you would fuse your expertise with Qatar’s infrastructure and how you see this going forward?
We have gaming and sports property. I think there’s a strong interest in demand from the government of Qatar but also the next generation in terms of gaming and we bring this, as well, and that will have to rely on the infrastructure and technology that Qatar has built.
On the filming of Season 2 of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, have you already set a timeframe for this? Will the latest season be filmed entirely in Qatar? Kindly provide more details.
Half of the episodes will be filmed in Singapore and the rest will be filmed in Qatar. The production schedule technically looks like it's going to be from around September to October of this year, so we'll be living in Qatar while we shoot. The plan is to release it on Netflix globally in December of this year. These are all tentative plans right now and they could move one or two months here and there but that’s the current plan.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will no doubt attract millions of fans to Qatar in the latter part of the year. Many of our readers have been asking what would be of Qatar, across different sectors, post-FIFA.
Do you see your partnership with Media City Qatar helping the government sustain and maintain the influx of tourists and other visitors to the country?
This is exactly the plan. Again, Qatar's main objective is to build a world-class media industry and we are going to be one of the ‘magnet tenants’ or ‘anchor tenants’ by throwing studio shows on a regular basis, throwing stadium events, by coming with other new content stacks, and also by bringing esports. This is a multi-year, multi-pronged partnership that will see Qatar and ONE succeed together mutually. That's the plan.
Do you see ONE’s presence in Qatar as a significant factor in attracting FDI inflow?
Yes, definitely. I mean that’s the power of sports. And what we’re bringing to the table is that we can encourage tourism from around the world to Qatar. We are also bringing business leaders and foreign direct investments through our events and by showcasing Qatar on the global stage on a regular basis.
ONE’s partnership with Media City Qatar would be a significant contributor to Qatar’s efforts to position itself not only as a tourist hub in the region but also as a prime business and investment destination.
The World Cup, which happens once every four years, is going to showcase Qatar on a global scale for the months of November and December, but ONE can also showcase Qatar on a regular basis for many years, so I think this is a big difference. Of course, the World Cup is an incredible event and it's considered by many as the ‘greatest show on earth’, so to speak, but I think ONE will also be very helpful in His Highness the Amir’s vision for Qatar’s future in terms of sports.
ONE’s collaboration with Media City Qatar aims to produce and develop a wide range of global content in Qatar across multiple media sectors, including original programming, studio shows, and esports. Do you also see the company partnering with other organisations in Qatar?
ONE is in partnership discussions with many organisations both in the government and the private sector in Qatar and I look forward to more conversations in the future, but yes, we are talking to all the major players in Qatar and, again, the idea is to bring a long-term, win-win partnership that helps Qatar as a country meet its objectives. We want to play a part in His Highness the Amir’s vision.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by Media City Qatar and ONE will open avenues of collaboration in the production and development of a wide range of global content in Qatar across multiple media sectors, including original programming, studio shows, and esports, which will strengthen Qatar’s growing media ecosystem.
The partnership will commence by showcasing Qatar in the filming of Season 2 of the popular Netflix series and highly-acclaimed business reality show The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition. ONE chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently sat down with Gulf Times to provide more details on this and about ONE’s plans for Qatar going forward.
Gulf Times: Provide our readers with a brief background on ONE’s MoU with Media City Qatar and the factors leading to this agreement.
Sityodtong: ONE, which is ranked by Nielsen as amongst the world’s top 10 biggest sports media properties for viewership and engagement, has signed a partnership with Media City Qatar, whose main objective is to build a world-class media industry in the country.
ONE has been in Singapore for a little over 10 years and we helped build a world-class sports media industry there. We now have a very strong ecosystem of talent, executive producers, producers, video editors, cameramen, and storytellers, and we want to bring this IP to Qatar and Media City Qatar.
We are working very closely with Media City Qatar as partners in bringing our brand and IP, as well as our three contents: martial arts, esports, and general entertainment, so this is a very profound, deep, and long-term partnership.
I’m grateful for Media City Qatar’s belief in trusting ONE and I will do everything within my power to see this partnership succeed and see the company fulfil its vision of creating a world-class media industry.
Kindly provide a few specifics as to why you have chosen Qatar to mark ONE’s foray into the Middle East market. What is it about Qatar that had attracted you to this part of the world?
I’m full of gratitude and appreciation to Qatar for its belief and investment into ONE. Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) invested in ONE back in December of last year and this is just the beginning.
What makes the Qatari government different from other investors is that they have a real partnership mindset and philosophy, which I've seen first-hand. The various leaders at QIA have extended help, made phone calls on our behalf, and introduced us to different parts of the Qatari government ecosystem and business leadership. And they’ve really done that for the benefit of ONE.
At ONE, we also have a very strong partnership mindset: We want to make sure that everything we do is ‘win-win’. We want to provide a very strong financial return for QIA. We also want to fulfil various objectives, whether it’s the Qatar Tourism Board, Media City Qatar, Qatar Airways, or any of our partners in this country. We want to see them successful and we want to make sure that we do our part to achieve this.
This marks our full launch into the Middle East region and we believe that we have the right recipes of heroes, stories, and values that every family can celebrate with their kids and grand kids.
Not only do we want to bring values of integrity, humility, honour, respect, courage, discipline, and compassion, but also heroes who will genuinely inspire the world, as well as stories of overcoming tragedy, adversity, or poverty, to unleash their potential. We want to inspire the world with these stories, so we believe our formula of values, heroes, and stories is perfect for the Middle East.
On a personal level, I have found Qataris to be such kind, humble, and really genuine people. I love the Qatari culture. I believe in the visionary leadership under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani of creating the future of Qatar beyond the hydrocarbon industry.
I think His Highness the Amir has a remarkable plan of scaling and investing in businesses and in industries that scale globally without the need for huge labour or huge lands or huge capital, so if you look at finance, media, sports, or tech, these are all industries that His Highness the Amir sees as huge potentials for the future of Qatar in terms of its push towards economic diversification.
But of course, these industries take time to build, so I have no doubt that Qatar will be one of the global business epicentres for these different industries that I’ve mentioned. His Highness the Amir has an incredible vision, as well as an incredible team around him. I've met many business and government leaders in Qatar and I was so impressed, which is why I feel it is right that ONE and Qatar had partnered together much in the same way the Singapore government has partnered with ONE for mutual success.
We are also in discussions with other Middle Eastern countries, who have expressed a lot of strong interest to work with ONE and so I think the Middle East is perfect for our values, heroes, and stories formula.
As you know, Qatar is also trying to position itself as a sports hub in the region, so do you also see yourself contributing to this objective?
Yes, most definitely. We want to help Qatar fulfil its vision in the sports and media industry. I truly believe that Qatar has all the right ingredients – from leadership and culture to people – to create a world-class global business hub along with these different industries of sports, media, and finance, among others. As one of the world’s largest media properties, I believe that ONE will hopefully play a significant part in Qatar’s economy in the future.
Qatar has invested heavily in its ICT infrastructure.
Could you comment on how you would fuse your expertise with Qatar’s infrastructure and how you see this going forward?
We have gaming and sports property. I think there’s a strong interest in demand from the government of Qatar but also the next generation in terms of gaming and we bring this, as well, and that will have to rely on the infrastructure and technology that Qatar has built.
On the filming of Season 2 of The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition, have you already set a timeframe for this? Will the latest season be filmed entirely in Qatar? Kindly provide more details.
Half of the episodes will be filmed in Singapore and the rest will be filmed in Qatar. The production schedule technically looks like it's going to be from around September to October of this year, so we'll be living in Qatar while we shoot. The plan is to release it on Netflix globally in December of this year. These are all tentative plans right now and they could move one or two months here and there but that’s the current plan.
The 2022 FIFA World Cup will no doubt attract millions of fans to Qatar in the latter part of the year. Many of our readers have been asking what would be of Qatar, across different sectors, post-FIFA.
Do you see your partnership with Media City Qatar helping the government sustain and maintain the influx of tourists and other visitors to the country?
This is exactly the plan. Again, Qatar's main objective is to build a world-class media industry and we are going to be one of the ‘magnet tenants’ or ‘anchor tenants’ by throwing studio shows on a regular basis, throwing stadium events, by coming with other new content stacks, and also by bringing esports. This is a multi-year, multi-pronged partnership that will see Qatar and ONE succeed together mutually. That's the plan.
Do you see ONE’s presence in Qatar as a significant factor in attracting FDI inflow?
Yes, definitely. I mean that’s the power of sports. And what we’re bringing to the table is that we can encourage tourism from around the world to Qatar. We are also bringing business leaders and foreign direct investments through our events and by showcasing Qatar on the global stage on a regular basis.
ONE’s partnership with Media City Qatar would be a significant contributor to Qatar’s efforts to position itself not only as a tourist hub in the region but also as a prime business and investment destination.
The World Cup, which happens once every four years, is going to showcase Qatar on a global scale for the months of November and December, but ONE can also showcase Qatar on a regular basis for many years, so I think this is a big difference. Of course, the World Cup is an incredible event and it's considered by many as the ‘greatest show on earth’, so to speak, but I think ONE will also be very helpful in His Highness the Amir’s vision for Qatar’s future in terms of sports.
ONE’s collaboration with Media City Qatar aims to produce and develop a wide range of global content in Qatar across multiple media sectors, including original programming, studio shows, and esports. Do you also see the company partnering with other organisations in Qatar?
ONE is in partnership discussions with many organisations both in the government and the private sector in Qatar and I look forward to more conversations in the future, but yes, we are talking to all the major players in Qatar and, again, the idea is to bring a long-term, win-win partnership that helps Qatar as a country meet its objectives. We want to play a part in His Highness the Amir’s vision.
