The Rise of Halal TV

This article is from

The Rise of Halal TV.

Farrukh Naeem

http://www.kippreport.com/2010/03/the-rise-of-%E2%80%98halal%E2%80%99-tv/?bnr=4
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More and more ‘Islamic’ television stations are being launched. And despite strict rules on content, they are proving increasingly popular with advertisers.

Up until the 1990s, most TV channels in Muslim-majority countries were broadcast by state-owned monopolies with limited reach outside their native country. Since then the liberalization of broadcasting rules and the proliferation of media zones has led to the explosive growth of free-to-air (FTA) and subscription-based TV channels.

In the GCC, where the nationals are Muslim but most residents are religiously diverse expatriates, terrestrial channels operated by the government were the norm. The local English channels showed Western shows, and Arabic channels served up imported Arabic fare and locally produced content. Religious channels covering Islam and Muslim living – beamed out by broadcasters such as Saudi TV and Sharjah TV – have retained their importance.

The number of privately owned satellite channels in the Middle East started growing in 1991 with the launch of MBC, the first pan-Arab FTA satellite broadcasting company to reach millions of viewers. This was followed by Future TV in 1995, Al Jazeera in 1996, Al Manar in 2000, Zayn TV and Dream TV in 2001, and Al Arabiya in 2003.

According to researchers Arab Advisors Group, there are more than 470 FTA channels in the Arab world alone. TV is almost a national sport in the region, with a daily average consumption of four hours a day and a satellite penetration exceeding 95 per cent, according to Mazen Hayek, MBC’s group director of marketing.

For marketers interested in the halal consumer, mainstream channels like MBC offer a large audience, although not an exclusively Muslim one.

“Clearly, we are living in the heart of the marketing segmentation and customization era, but when we talk about Muslims in the Arab world, the mainstream approach [is] the norm, with few exceptions when it comes to non-Muslim Arabs or expats,” says Hayek. “The halal lifestyle is a given in the Arab world… being culturally relevant and sensitive to tradition is key – at all times.”

Ramadan

Thus it’s no surprise that secular terrestrial and satellite channels in the region, from Dream TV to Future TV, are producing and airing ever more Islamic programs, with viewership figures and subsequent advertiser interest peaking during Ramadan.

“Ramadan becomes an opportunity for massive reach and higher levels of bonding with TV content, for longer hours per day – hence enabling greater brand-to-consumer connections in specific product categories that are meant for the mood and lifestyle of the Holy Month,” says Hayek.

The inspiration for religious programming on mainstream channels can be traced back to the popularity of Islamic channels in the region. The region’s first Islamic satellite channel, Iqra, was launched in 1998 by Jeddah-based Arabic Television and Radio (ART). Although its programs are in Arabic, English subtitles on a show like that of the immensely popular preacher Amr Khaled expanded its reach to non-Arab viewers.

The evolution of regional TV programming has created a colorful spectrum of choices for marketers. The halal lifestyle is treated differently by various channels – from a liberal interpretation as seen on the celebrity-filled and sleek Al Resala channel and the recently launched 4Shabab “Islamic” music channel, to austere Quranic channels that do not accept any advertising and the conservative Al Majd bouquet of channels, which do not air programs or accept ads that contain music.

The Muslim way of life differs from country to country and from one culture to another, and their interpretation of the halal lifestyle differs, too. While many would see this as a challenge, savvy broadcasters have been quick to understand the needs of their target markets and meet them appropriately, with Al Majd winning viewership in one of the most conservative yet lucrative Muslim markets – Saudi Arabia.

“There is a segment [in Saudi Arabia] that avoids watching satellite channels,” says Antonio Boulos, CEO Aegis Media Middle East. The key to engaging this conservative segment, which shuns music and Western programming, is not necessarily through Islamic shows alone but by adhering strictly to Islamic values. It’s this rare insight that has led to Al Majd having more than 315,000 subscribers in Saudi Arabia, more than the subscriber base of the Orbit Showtime Network.

Although all the channels under the Al Majd brand follow Islamic values, not all the programs are about Islam.

“We give these people the lifestyle they want to live, the things they want to learn,” says Ahmad Al Saadeh, VP Qotoof Al Eilamiah, the sole representatives of the Al Majd bouquet of channels worldwide. “We have programs about medical issues, psychological issues, cooking, social issues – a variety within the halal spectrum.”

The company produces 100 per cent of its content, from educational programs and documentaries to cooking shows and children’s cartoons.

Al Majd’s conservative format and thoughtfully produced content have helped it become the only TV channel available on board Saudi Arabian Airlines. It is also the only broadcaster allowed to deliver a live feed of its televised broadcast to mobile devices via Saudi Telecom’s Al Jawal 3G network.

Advertisers wishing to reach the audience served by Al Majd need to adhere to the channel’s Islamic guidelines, which prohibit music and female models but allow natural sounds and female voice¬overs. Advertisers whose music-free “halal” ads can be seen on Al Majd channels include General Motors, Kraft, P&G, Reckitt Benckiser and Unilever.

Bigger footprint

Although there are now hundreds of Arabic channels, the Arab world represents only 20 per cent of the world’s total Muslim population. More TV channels targeting specific Muslim ethnic groups are coming up, opening new avenues for marketers to consider in their media mix.

QTV, a part of ARY Television Network that reaches some 130 countries, beams religious programs to Urdu speakers around the world. Peace TV, an FTA religious channel founded by Zakir Naik, of India, broadcasts Islamic programs in English and Urdu to Muslims in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Australia and North America. Due to its strict code of ethics, and despite being open to advertiser inquiries, the spots seen on Peace TV are for its own programs.

One Islamic channel that produces its own content and enjoys a strong viewership and good advertiser support is London-based Islam Channel.

“In the UK, government statistics show that, among the community channels, we have more viewers than [all] 30 put together,” says the channel’s CEO, Mohamed Ali. “We reach half of those reached by the BBC.”

In addition to its primary UK viewership, the channel’s reach spans across more than 130 countries. It is not government owned and is a member of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association.

Just like its Middle Eastern counterparts, Islam Channel’s advertising peaks during Ramadan. It is estimated that UK Muslims give the equivalent of $160 million to social causes during this month.

“We have seven major charities in the UK; they have had annual contracts with us for the last four years,” says Ali. The charities advertise on Islam Channel throughout the year, not just during Ramadan.

Like most channels positioning themselves as Islamic, Islam Channel has its halal code: “We will never advertise something haram.” Interest-based banking, for example, is against the halal lifestyle, and therefore haram. That’s why we don’t advertise for major banks. Even if it is not an Islamic bank, the product should be Islamic,” adds Ali, citing the case of HSBC, which advertises its Islamic product, Amanah, on the channel. “Usually when big companies advertise with us, they make separate adverts or they give us permission and we’ll change it ourselves,” he says.

Despite its religious-sounding name, Islam Channel represents a growing trend among broadcasters that target Muslims – moving beyond conventional theological and religious content.

“The programming of Islam Channel reflects many aspects of the halal lifestyle, mostly in the Western context,” explains Ali. The content ranges from economic reviews and children’s shows, to programs discussing women’s issues and “Week in Parliament” debates filmed inside the British Parliament. The most coveted spots for sponsorship, however, remain the five daily calls to prayer.

To supplement its advertising revenue, the FTA channel introduced voluntary subscriptions that loyal viewers take out to support the channel. They are given a Dawah card, which entitles them to discounts and special offers at about 1,000 participating business outlets.

But running an Islamic channel is not without its challenges.

“Commercial channels are focused on the business aspect, and public-funded channels like the BBC are community focused,” says Ali. “Islamic channels have to also look at being politically balanced, adhere to Islamic values and ethics, and be self-sustainable if they are not funded by a government or by private finance.”

The Muslim market, bound together by common values and the halal lifestyle, has the attention of some of the world’s leading brands, from financial services for HNWIs to mass market FMCGs. The opportunity to reach Muslim homes globally through TV is bringing in more players from private entrepreneurs to holding companies, governments and even educational institutions. At the time of writing, plans were under way in Malaysia to launch an Islamic channel operated by the government, and Al Azhar, one of the most reputed institutions of Islamic learning, will be on the airwaves with its channel, too.

How many channels targeting Muslims will succeed in building a loyal audience? How conservative can they remain and how valuable will they be to marketers? What is certain is that TV will reflect and influence the halal lifestyle in more ways than one.

- Gulf Marketing Review

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The 99 Unbound is not just for kids

The 99 Unbound is not just for kids

Alex Ritman

Dec 12, 2011 

The 99 Unbound features a group of superheroes who draw their powers from Islamic values. The characters are based on the 99 ‘most beautiful’ names of Allah as described in the Holy Quran. Courtesy DIFF

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Children's cinema might not be the first arena in which you'd expect to see cultural bridge-building. But when everybody's favourite fuzzy frog, Kermit, introduced the new Muppets Movie with a croaky, but impressively pronounced "Shukran, Dubai!" it seemed that the Dubai International Film Festival might be slightly different. And today the theme expands, with the international premiere of The 99 Unbound, the first animated feature film involving the comic book characters of the Kuwaiti Dr Naif Mutawa.

The 99, a group of superheroes that draws its power from Islamic values, began life just five years ago. The characters, based on the 99 "most beautiful" names of Allah as described in the Holy Quran, are scattered across the world, but come together thanks to the magical "Noor Stones", whose story originates from Baghdad's famed House of Wisdom library and from which each gains their special power.

It first began life as a comic book in Arabic, but by 2007 an English edition was being published monthly in the US. Among the first members of the group introduced were Jabbar, a Saudi man-mountain with superhuman strength, and Noora, an Emirati with the ability to see the truth in others. But other early entrants weren't limited to the region, with characters from North America, Europe and Asia soon joining the collective. New language editions of the comic were planned and following a deal with Endemol, work on an animated TV series began in 2009. It is from this series that The 99 Unbound has arisen.

"It is the story from the first few episodes that are part of the feature," explains Dave Osborne, the London-based director at Endemol who was overseeing both the film and the TV show. "It basically tells the origins of the initial core group of 99-ers as they come to terms with their powers and realise what they should be using them for."

In the film, Dr Ramzi Razem, the leader of The 99 and the superheroes' very own Dr Charles Xavier-like father figure, is introduced, as is the main baddie, the mysterious Rughal, who wishes to harness the power of the stone for his own gains. "We've been conscious to ensure that even if you've never read the comics, you can still enjoy the film," says Osborne.

For the comics, Al Mutawa recruited an impressive roster of artists from Marvel and DC Comics, but for the animation Osborne turned to his specialisation, CGI. "But all of our design work is rooted in the comics," he says. "I think if you looked at the series and the film and then to the books, you'd see that we've been very authentic. There are slight differences, as there are whenever you take a 2D design and turn it into a model. For example, with the characters' powersuits we made them with less erroneous features, but that's just a technicality."

Commentary:Do not let Islamophobes defeat 'The 99' everyday heroes

Last Updated:Nov 9, 2010

One person who has tried to stem this relentless tide of bad publicity is Dr Naif al Mutawa, the Kuwaiti creator of The 99, a comic book series whose 99 Islamic superheroes are named after the names of Allah.

ALI KHALED

Of course, with The 99 being very much his baby, Al Mutawa had involvement in the filmmaking process at each stage. "He drives production with a lot of passion, giving a lot of feedback and looking at the different elements," says Osborne. "While he physically isn't in London, a lot of material has been going backwards and forwards."

One of the driving sentiments in the stories throughout the comic books is one of friendship and cooperation across differing cultures, with the superheroes split into small teams to solve each adventure depending on their particular skills. This feeling is a major part of the animated feature, but Osborne suggests that was also exemplified in its development. "One of the things that Naif wanted to show was how these guys all got on, and it's been very much like that in production," he explains. "We've worked remotely, with Naif in London, us in London, a huge animation team in India, a team in Canada and writers in Los Angeles." In total, there have been around 300 people working on the series and the feature over the past two-and-a-half years. "In a way, the production echoes the story, making you realise that there's more we share than makes us different," says Osborne, who admits there were a few laughs with the team in India over the Twenty20 cricket world cup results and numerous late nights due to time differences. 

Read more:

TechCrunch, the top global tech blog recently interviewed Muxlim CEO Mohamed El-Fatatry.

Robin Wauters from TechCrunch writes: Having spent the past couple of days in Finland visiting some of the country’s most interesting startups, the omnipresent Nokia and attending the great MindTrek conference, I’m starting to get some insight in the Finnish tech scene. In short: it’s relatively tiny but surprisingly fascinating.

Muxlim, a media company that is all about ‘enhancing the Muslim lifestyle’. Based out of Helsinki, Muxlim operates a network of websites and services geared towards Muslims from across the globe, a seriously underrated and underserved audience. If you consider the fact that there are approximately 1.5 billion Muslims on the planet, of which nearly 150 million can be found online, it amazes me that there aren’t more companies who target this vast amount of eyeballs (and wallets) whether it’s from a publisher or an advertisers’ perspective. No wonder Muxlim, being laser-focused on becoming the number one destination for Muslims to gather and share information, multimedia and more, is growing…

Muxlim CEO Interview on Social Media Marketing ME

Written by Mohamed El-Fatatry 

Social Media Marketing ME interviewed Mohamed El-Fatatry about Social Media Marketing and the story of Muxlim. Here is the interview:

Listen to internet radio with socialmarketingme on Blog Talk Radio

Islamic social networking website to be launched in Istanbul

Salamworld, an Islamic social networking website, is set to start its journey from Istanbul.

The website is funded by prominent Muslim businessmen, with over 100,000 people waiting for membership. Based in Istanbul, Salamworld will have working branches in many other cities, including Cairo, London, Moscow, Dubai and New York.

The site will be streamed in 15 languages. The site’s name ”Salamworld” means “Hello world,” and the motto for the site reads “no politics, no bans, no limits.”

Salamworld aims to attract 100 million users by the end of its first three year term, targeting Muslim youth, intellectual leaders and non-Muslims wanting to learn more about Islam.

Getting to know the market

Getting to know the market

Gillian Duncan

Oct 11, 2011 

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Major companies looking to crack large markets usually target countries with vast, rapidly expanding populations such as China.

But there is one community whose growth is expected to outpace all others during the next two decades. And it is not confined by borders.

About 23 per cent of the world's population is Muslim, but followers of Islam could account for more than half of the globe's inhabitants by 2050, according to one estimate.

But how do companies attract consumers for whom religion plays such a pivotal role in their lives? And which brands appeal the most to Muslim shoppers?

A recent survey of about 2,600 people in four key Muslim markets - Malaysia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan - has provided the answer. And the list may surprise some.

Lipton, Nestle, Nescafe and Kraft all appear in the top five, while homegrown brands such as Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline both languish towards the bottom in 77th and 85th place respectively.

"What was really interesting and shattered a lot of preconceptions was the fact that a brand doesn't really have to have be Muslim in origin or be an Islamic brand for Muslim consumers to feel close to it," says Tanya Dernaika, of Ogilvy Noor, a company that specialises in Islamic branding.

The study also found that the most popular brands are a key source of jobs in the Muslim community.

They all either provide employment, speak to Muslim shoppers in a way that resonates with them, or produce products that suit their lifestyles.

"I think of Nokia as an Egyptian company … they did research and produced products that suit the Egyptian consumer - they have Islamic values and know how to deal with Egyptians," said one Egyptian shopper who took part in the poll.

The study was commissioned by Ogilvy & Mather, an international advertising agency, to serve as a launch pad for the branding consultancy.

"By applying the findings [we can] advise our clients to come up with better ideas and really break that barrier of fear that a lot of global companies feel sometimes when you say 'Muslim consumer'," says Ms Dernaika.

"The first reaction is let's be safe, rather than let's be creative."

The first thing brands need to keep in mind when targeting Muslim shoppers is that community comes first.

"First do something for my community," she says. "Show me you genuinely care and that you demonstrate universal good practice.

"First they will judge a brand as they will judge a human being, by their principles and their behaviour, and then they will hear them out."

But some question whether it is right to target shoppers based on their religion.

Sunil Varughese, a director of Brand Indigo in Dubai, says all religions promote sustainable consumption to ensure that future generations can meet their needs.

"Targeting consumers from a specific religion for example in categories such as food, retail banking services etc merely to enhance consumption in these respective categories and in turn enhance profitability is inherently going against the precepts of any religion," he says.