Dubai Media Council Signs Deals With SM Entertainment and Gaming Firm NEXUS in Seoul

The delegation, led by Nehal Badri, secretary-general of the Dubai Media Council, was in the South Korean capital from October 26 to 30 and held 25 meetings on media production, content distribution, talent development, film and drama, and the growth of the gaming industry, according to WAM.

The trip is part of Dubai's effort to build a creative economy that can draw foreign studios and game developers. Korea has turned music, drama and games into major exports, and Dubai officials said they want to borrow that model to make Emirati and Arabic content that can reach audiences abroad. Badri said Korea has an exceptional ability to reach audiences worldwide and that this is what Dubai aims for with its own content.

The agreement with SM Entertainment will look at opportunities to produce artistic works and music videos. The NEXUS agreement covers business development and investment in gaming, building on the company's existing presence in Dubai. Neither agreement was described as binding, and no financial terms were given.

The delegation included Mohammed Sulaiman Al Mulla, chief executive of Dubai Media Incorporated, and representatives of the Dubai Government Media Office and the Dubai Film and Gaming Commission. It met the Korea Press Foundation to discuss training and skills exchange, and held talks on co-production with the Producers Guild of Korea, Studio N, SMC&C and SLL. Al Mulla said meetings with leading studios and production companies had turned up real opportunities for co-production and distribution.

On gaming, the visitors met developer Pearl Abyss, the Korea Association of Game Industry (K-GAMES) and the secretariat of the G-STAR games show to discuss specialist events and links between developers, publishers and investors. The trip ended with a dinner hosted by the Dubai film and gaming office for about 30 executives from Korean game companies, including NEXON, NC, Blizzard, NHN and NEOWIZ, where Dubai pitched itself as a base for studios entering Middle East markets.

Hesham Al Olama, executive director of media development at the Dubai Media Council, said the council wants Dubai to become the regional gateway for content made for markets in the area. Rashid Al Marri, who runs the council's media regulation arm, said officials presented Dubai's government services, intellectual property arrangements and distribution models to Korean companies that might set up in the emirate.

The discussions also covered game publishing, localising games for different markets and talent exchange between companies in the two countries, WAM said.