More than 800 prescheduled meetings were booked before DICM began, setting a record for the event.
Dubai International Content Market has officially opened its doors and received more than 600 participants from over 50 nations at the Jumeriah Beach Hotel Conference Centre.
DICM is an exclusive event specially designed and structured for content producers and distributors looking for development opportunities with broadcasters and other various platforms.
Notable dignitaries visited the event on its first day to show support for their countries own home-grown content, including the event’s Guest of Honour nation Türkiye, who has a dedicated country pavilion promoting Turkish content. The visiting delegation included Ahmet Misbah Demircan, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in the Republic of Türkiye, İlker Kılıç, Consul General of the Republic in Türkiye in Dubai and Munur Ustun, Executive Board Member of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, who were all welcomed by Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding.
Speaking about the event, İlker Kılıç, Consul General of the Republic in Türkiye in Dubai, said: “We participate at DICM every year, but this year, Türkiye is the Guest of Honour. So, we are especially pleased, honoured, and proud to be here as we also love to participate in events organised by INDEX. Our content is very well known in this region and we currently export our content to more than 150 countries. We are mainly popular for our series but we also produce so many great movies, animations, and so much more.”
He continued: “Content is the window that opens into our house and lets you see our culture, our language, our values, and our products. Content is a very important gateway and we don’t only see it as just a trade business, but a cultural element as well. So, we are always happy to work with INDEX on this matter for DICM is a very important event which we have seen grown over the years, and we are confident that it will grow even further.”
Buyers participating in the event also have access to DICM’s Content Business Hub platform and lounge, which gives them access to over 10,000 hours of content to browse through and pre-schedule meetings with sellers in advance.
Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, stated: “We have seen an incredible turnout to DICM this year more than ever before. There were more than 800 prescheduled meetings booked before the start of DICM, setting a record-breaking all-time high for the event. This further proves the UAE is the best place to introduce new content into the region and connect with people from all over the world.”
DICM offers brands in the global and regional entertainment, media, and content industry an interactive platform that allows them to explore the regional market and further develop their businesses. Several meetings took place during DICM which led to the signing of numerous deals.
Raheena Irshad, Head of Programming at AAN TV, closed a deal during DICM and revealed that AAN TV will be the first Pakistani TV channel to broadcast Iranian content Jayran, which is produced by HA International.
Raheena Irshad commented: “We are very excited about this deal. The channel will dub the show in the Urdu language and air it in the upcoming 2023 season. It will surely be a visual treat for Pakistani viewers and a new market will open up for Iran’s producers and broadcasters.”
DICM also encourages and supports home-grown UAE enterprises by providing them a B2B platform to promote and sell their content to pre-qualified regional and international buyers. One of the rising enterprises participating this year will be AC Comics, which was established by an Emirati content creator who specialised in storytelling through Comics and Animation.
Rashid Al Rahmani, CEO at AC Comics, noted: “We are very happy to be here at DICM and showcase our content. AC Comics specialised in storytelling through comics, novels, and animation, with great emphasis on our values and heritages. As an Emirate brand, it is a pleasure to be here and show that we have incredible content to show the world.”
Near the end of the day, DICM organisers made two surprise announcements revealing the opening of the E-Content Market by DICM, which is an online trading platform for buyers and sellers within the content community across the globe. During the second announcement, organisers stated the next DICM event will be held in a larger venue at the Madinat Jumeriah to accommodate the expanding business interests of all those involved.
The DICM 2023 edition will be held on the 23 and 24 of November at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai.
