Entertainment entrepreneur of Indian origin Gina Golani Shetty of Stellar Entertainment Co. who has been instrumental in hosting the Indian film community at the festival since its inception has onboarded Kajol, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan, A.R. Rahman, Ranbir Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan to be an intrinsic part of this year’s star-studded line-up.

Gina Shetty shares, “Bollywood is such an integral part of the world cinema market and I’m truly delighted that doors which were once closed have now opened for Bollywood in the region courtesy the Red Sea International Film Festival. In the augural year we faced a lot of challenges and cynicism but it’s amazing to see the power packed participation this year from Bollywood.”

Kajol will grace the opening night of the festival for the public screening of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge alongwith Shahrukh Khan who will be felicitated with an Honorary Award . Priyanka Chopra and Sonam Kapoor will also attend the opening night. Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan will be attending the Women In Cinema Gala Dinner that champions inclusivity and highlights the role of women in cinema. Akshay Kumar will chair ‘In Conversation’ event moderated by Kaleem Aftab where he will share his success story. Ranbir Kapoor will be felicitated with the International Vanguard Actor Award as well as be a part of an ‘In-Conversation’ event moderated by Martin Dale. Hrithik Roshan will be participating in an ‘In Conversation’ event moderated by Raya Abirached and attend the closing award ceremony. AR Rahman will be marking his debut performance in Jeddah at the festival. Other Indian names on the line-up include Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Kapur and Gurinder Chadha

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan state, “It's truly an honor to champion an initiative that supports women parity. We will not just be celebrating world cinema but also women stakeholders of the industry who make cinema a more diverse, fulfilling and rich experience. We are grateful to Gina Golani Shetty and Red Sea International Film Festival for giving us this wonderful opportunity to propel the cause of inclusivity.”

Kajol states, “DDLJ is a cult film that has been instrumental in spreading positivity, happiness and love across the world for over 27 years. I’m honoured to be an intrinsic part of the gala opening event to represent a film that is one of the most loved films in the history of world cinema. It will be a memorable evening as I will be joined with my co-star Shahrukh Khan. It is such a proud moment for all Indian cinema buffs that DDLJ will be a part of the inaugural night of the revered Red Sea International Film Festival. Grateful to Stellar Entertainment for making this happen.”

Akshay Kumar states, “This is my second year at the Red Sea International Film Festival all thanks to the consistent efforts by Stellar Entertainment. The debut year was quite intimate and it's really heart-warming to see how the festival has grown multifold in a span of a year. I'm happy and grateful to be back again to spread a good word about Indian cinema on the world stage.”

Ranbir Kapoor states, “I am extremely honoured to be invited to attend the Red Sea International Film Festival, I look forward to being around and meeting so many stalwarts of cinema from around the world in Jeddah.”

Hrithik Roshan states, “I'm honoured to be invited by Stellar Entertainment to represent the Indian film industry at the Red Sea International Film Festival 2022. Looking forward to being a part of the closing ceremony and addressing a live audience in Jeddah, on the 8th of December. It's a wonderful time for the global film community to be coming together to celebrate and strengthen cross-cultural entertainment collaborations.”

A.R. Rahman states, “I'm extremely pleased to be performing at the Red Sea International Film Festival, Saudi Arabia. I'm looking forward to being a part of one of the most prestigious celebrations in the region. See you soon!”

Aside of Indian talent, the sophomore edition of the Red Sea Film Festival will also witness presence of international talent such as Jemima Khan, Sajal Ali, Naughty Boy, Guy Ritchie, Sharon Stone, Oliver Stone, Bruno Mars, Jeff Mirza, Luca Guadagnino, Park Hae Soo, Andy Garcia, Henry Golding, Giuseppe Tornatore, Scott Eastwood, Luna Maya, Bella Ranee Campen, Nattawin, Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, Wichapas Sumettikul, Michelle Rodriguez, Lucy Hale, Freida Pinto, Alessandra Ambrosio, Sara Sampaio, Rossy de Palma, Marina Ruy Barbosa, Nolan Funk, Michele Morrone, Melanie Laurent, Maria Pedraza, Alex Gonzalez, Alejandra Onieva, Hiba Abouk.

The Red Sea International Film Festival is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions set up after the country in late 2017 removed its religion-related ban on cinemas. Unfolding against the backdrop of the Red Sea port of Jeddah, the festival will present 131 feature films and shorts from 61 countries in 41 languages this year from 1st December – 10th December 2022.

Winners to be announced during an online show on December 8

The Epica Awards are delighted to announce the preselected entries for the 2022 competition. Reaching the shortlist is a fantastic achievement, so we would like to congratulate everyone who appears on it.

Over the past few days, a unique jury of editors and senior reporters has watched and analyzed over 3000 pieces of work. We would like to thank all the agencies, production companies and clients who took part. Every entry has been carefully appraised by the jurors, delivering valuable media exposure to all the entrants.

The full list can be found Here

These finalists will go through to the grand jury, which votes online from November 23 to December 2. Gold and Grand Prix winners will be screened during a special online ceremony on December 8.

Silver and Bronze winners will be published on the Epica Awards website the next day, December 9.

Since 1987, the Epica Awards jury has been exclusively composed of editors and senior reporters from the world’s leading titles covering creativity and communications. They are supported by journalists from specialist fields such as post-production, VR, design, finance and luxury. A full list of jury members can be seen at www.epica-awards.com

This year the Epica Awards received 3099 entries, a slight drop on last year explained by the absence of Russian agencies, which were banned from entering. The highest number of entries came from North America (400) followed by Ukraine (396), Germany (276), and France (158). There was an increase in entries from Asia, notably Thailand, China and India. In terms of networks, McCann, Publicis and Accenture were particularly well represented, but independent entrants are ever more in the majority, making up over 55% of total entries this season.

Ceferin Lauds Host Nation’s Impact in an Exclusive Interview with beIN SPORTS 

Arabian culture, spirit of inclusion, and tournaments of the past fall under the spotlight during classy opening ceremony in Doha ahead of Qatar vs. Ecuador

Ceferin believes Qatar is continuing to evolve and improve as a nation

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin believes Qatar has already underlined why it is a worthy host nation in the early stages of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. 

After a decade of build-up and anticipation, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 got underway with a spectacular opening ceremony at Al Bayt Stadium, its design inspired by a Bedouin tent - one of the main foundations of Arabian culture and hospitality. 

After High Highness Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, declared the tournament officially ‘open’, the focus immediately switched to the month-long action set to unfold across the Arabian Gulf state, which is the first country in the Arab world to host FIFA’s quadrennial showpiece.

With more than $200 billion spent in sporting infrastructure for the tournament, seven new stadiums have been built specifically for this World Cup, including the 60,000-seat Al Bayt Stadium north of Doha, with Ceferin revealing he has only heard positive feedback from teams participating in the event.

Speaking exclusively to beIN SPORTS, Ceferin said: “The opening ceremony was impressive, it was a great show in a great new stadium. It was a great start to the World Cup. All the teams I speak with, and all the presidents of the European Federations, are very happy with how they are placed here. Everything is great.”

Ceferin also insisted that Qatar, home to three million people, is constantly evolving and improving: “The infrastructure is impressive and the fact that things have changed too [in Qatar] means hosting a competition with all the world looking at you helps your development. It’s great to host a competition like this as you can do many things from it. I’ve been in football 11 years and debates in football never end. Facts are important, not debates.”

Meanwhile, Ceferin reinforced European Club Association Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s recent message that European football must remain united amid fresh talk of a breakaway Super League being introduced.

“We have many priorities, but the most important thing is we keep the European sports model and the model of the competitions we have,” Ceferin explained. “We must keep the ‘[Champions League] slogan: ‘Earn it’ on the pitch, but what I would like to say is we don’t have the crises of the last three years anymore. We had COVID, we had this crazy idea of Super League, we had the UEFA European Championships in 11 countries with COVID, and in the end the [Russia and Ukraine conflict] started. So, I hope we have calmer days in the future. 

“We are working close together, we are almost one. We think about every topic concerning club football and our co-operation with the chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is fantastic,” added Cerefin. “I have so many challenges that we would need another interview to tell you everything. I can say that we at UEFA work for the good of football and we’ll do that in the future. There’s no compromise on that.”

54 winners across 21 categories and over 200 attendees for one of the biggest nights of the year!

Last night the greatest minds of our industry came together at Proud (London) to celebrate the incredible projects awarded at this year’s BIMA Awards.

The BIMA Awards are the UK’s longest standing and most prestigious digital and tech awards, a flagship event for our organisation and for the whole industry. Our awards exist to champion those driving social change, diversity and talent in the industry.

This year, agencies were asked to submit their projects against 21 categories across three main areas of industry: Sectors, Content & Craft and Strategy; and, for the first time ever, we’ve asked entrants to opt in to have their existing submission put forward for the Inclusive Design Award judged by BIMA’s Inclusive Design Council to acknowledge projects that have understood, implemented, and exceeded in providing a digital experience that is truly inclusive.

At BIMA, we love celebrating the talents in our industry and this year’s BIMA Awards were no exception. We saw some incredible work from people who are truly pushing the boundaries, and we couldn’t be prouder.

It’s been a really interesting year for awards. While the pandemic saw many pivot into digital very quickly, we’re now seeing that same technology and innovation becoming more mainstream. Entries that a few years ago would be seen as breaking innovation are now central to solving a clients brief. It was interesting to hear judges debate more about ubiquity and platform integration in addition to a search for new ideas breaking through. It felt like the shift was less new tech and early adopters but better use of what we have that impacts more people- Matt Sullivan, BIMA MD.

We’ve been blown away by the breadth and diversity of winners and their projects. The night was full of inspiration and fun, and we hope everyone who was there had a blast!

A special thanks goes to our wonderful host, the legendary award-winning Business Leader, Coach & Mentor, five times recipient of the BIMA 100 accolade and 2022 BIMA Hall of Fame inductee, Mary-Keane Dawson. Mary did a superb job presenting our winners and their work. We were honoured to have her!

Thanks to everyone who shared the night with us, the winners and their guests and thank you to our wonderful 2022 judges who made this happen.

Congratulations to all our winners! See the full list of winners HERE.

In 2026, for the first time ever, the World Cup will be spread over three countries. Sixteen cities across the U.S., Canada and Mexico will host matches, giving brands and advertisers a chance to expand their reach and build connections with growing football fan bases across North America—if they know where to look.

The tide of popularity is turning for football in North America, to the benefit of sponsors and advertisers. Since 2015, the U.S. has added 10 clubs to the MLS, while Canada founded the Canadian Premier League in 2017 with 8 current teams and Mexico’s Liga MX boasts some of the largest crowds of any North American league1.

This new popularity is creating hotspots of football fan bases across future host countries. In Canada, for instance, interest in football in general has increased 32.8% since the announcement that the country will host ten 2026 World Cup matches. And according to Nielsen Scarborough, in the U.S. Houston is the 2026 World Cup host city with the most football fans per capita, followed by Los Angeles and Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.

World Cup host cities are home to their own football clubs, so fan concentration in these areas makes sense. But, importantly, the popularity of local teams can spread to surrounding areas, enlarging the sphere of influence for advertisers that partner with regional teams or athletes.

To reach these fans, advertisers are using social media sites like Twitter, TikTok and Twitch. According to Nielsen’s 2022 World Football Report, while free-to-air television is still the preferred method of viewing matches (81%) for football fans who watch sports, social media is now a go-to platform, with 72% of fans claiming they use apps to watch the action.

And when their teams do well, fans flock to social media to follow and like and engage with content. The Canadian men’s team, for example, saw a significant increase in social media content & interactions in the 2021/2022 season after qualifying for their first World Cup in 36 years. The women’s national team saw a similar increase in social media engagement when they won gold in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

World Cup qualification increases social media engagement for Canadian football

The Canadian Men's football team saw an increase in social media content and interactions after their World Cup qualification. The women's national team saw a similar increase in engagement when they took gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

The qualification also sparked interest in football for Canadians in general, with 35.6% saying they are now more interested in watching football than before the team qualified for the World Cup, according to Nielsen Fan Insights.

National team football fans in each host country prefer YouTube for sports news and content. While Twitch is among the lowest used by percentage, fans over index significantly on its use compared to the general population. To further expand its reach for the 2022 World Cup, Twitch is adding a live streaming component to their coverage for the first time, granting Brazilian Twitch influencer Casimiro Miguel the rights to stream matches to his millions of followers.

In addition to the notable on-screen audience exposure that sponsors receive on both live TV and social media, Nielsen’s 2021 Trust in Advertising study found that brand sponsorships in sporting events rank just behind recommendations from friends and family, as 81% of consumers reported either completely or somewhat trusting them (vs. 89% who trust recommendations). Football fans are also eager to learn more about the brands sponsoring their favorite team—56% of percent actively inform themselves about brands engaged as a sports sponsor.

But football sponsorships are more than an opportunity to increase brand awareness—they can be the key to staying top of mind with fans when it comes time to make a purchase. According to Nielsen Fan Insights, 67% of football fans think brands are more appealing when they participate in sports sponsorships, and 59% would pick a sponsor’s product over a competitor’s if price and quality are the same, compared to 45% of the general population. And Nielsen’s 2022 Global Sports Report found that the sponsorships drove an average 10% lift in purchase intent among the exposed fanbase.

As the 2022 World Cup heads to the first match, winners and losers will be decided both on the field and off, with advertisers tallying up the cost of sponsorship against the impact on brand awareness and revenue. Brands that want to get ahead of the game for the 2026 World Cup and start making early inroads in North America need to start planning now for campaigns that can build on the momentum of 2022 and turn today’s fans into tomorrow’s customers.

Did you see the report of the most luxurious cities in the world in 2022? The luxury lifestyle is always in search of the top expensive luxury city in the world. Today, I will show you the full details of the expensive cities in the world.

This thing happened for the first time in 30 years of history. Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore got a first place together as the topmost expensive & luxurious cities in the world. Mostly, luxurious people like to live in these cities.

This list of most luxury cities in the world 2022 will make you surprised to see the price of their high-end living costs. This list included living costs, food costs, clothing costs, transport costs, monthly costs, family costs, etc. You may check our recent publication on Dubai Luxury Lifestyle.

The Economist Intelligence unit researches every year to find out the top most luxury cities in the world. This list is the most updated list that can be frequently updated day after day.

Let’s see the top list of most luxurious cities to live in the world in 2022

01. Dubai, UAE

Living Cost: $4,000 – $8,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $900 – $1,600 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $130 – $200 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $600 – $1,000 (Per Month, 01 Person)

02. Los Angeles, USA

Living Cost: $3,500 – $7,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $800 – $1,200 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $100 – $160 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $400 – $800 (Per Month, 01 Person)

03. Paris, France

Living Cost: $3,000 – $6,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $600 – $1,200 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $70 – $150 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $300 – $700 (Per Month, 01 Person)

04. Hong Kong, China

Living Cost: $4,500 – $6,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $800 – $1,400 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $50 – $100 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $200 – $500 (Per Month, 01 Person)

05. Singapore

Living Cost: $1,500 – $4,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $600 – $1,100 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $60 – $110 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $300 – $800 (Per Month, 01 Person)

06. Sydney, Australia

Living Cost: $2,500 – $4,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $700 – $800 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $70 – $130 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $400 – $700 (Per Month, 01 Person)

07. New York, USA

Living Cost: $1,500 – $4,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $400 – $900 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $50 – $100 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $300 – $600 (Per Month, 01 Person)

08. Tokyo, Japan

Living Cost: $2,000 – $5,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $700 – $1,200 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $50 – $110 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $300 – $600 (Per Month, 01 Person)

09. Geneva, Switzerland

Living Cost: $3,000 – $6,000 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $700 – $1,200 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $120 – $180 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $400 – $900 (Per Month, 01 Person)

10. Zurich, Switzerland

Living Cost: $3,000 – $5,700 (Per Month, Family)
Food Cost: $1,000 – $1,500 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Clothing Cost: $100 – $125 (Per Month, 01 Person)
Transport & Vehicles: $750 – $1000 (Per Month, 01 Person)

Source- PassionBuz.com

Given the video gaming industry’s close ties with sports thanks to the popularity of sports video games, it is worth exploring how interested gamers are in the real thing.

Gamers in this piece are defined as those who play video games on their PC or console for at least an hour each week. We will use various metrics from YouGov BrandIndex to explore the attitudes of gamers towards the FIFA World Cup in four distinct markets – USA, UK, UAE, and China.

Across three out of our four markets, gamers have been paying more attention to the FIFA World Cup, in the form of hearing things (both positive or negative) about the event from friends, family, the media or advertising.

Three-tenths of UK’s gamers say they have heard about the event in the past two weeks (29%), compared to a quarter of all UK adults (24%). In the States, nearly a fifth of gamers say they have heard about the World Cup (18%) as opposed to only 12% of the overall population.

In the UAE, nearly three-fifths of gamers have heard about the event in the past two weeks (59%), putting them only three percentage points ahead of the overall population in this regard (56%). With regards to the much higher rates in the UAE compared to other markets, it is worth remembering that this is the first FIFA World Cup in the middle east region, which is almost certainly resulting in more conversations about it.

China is the only market where gamers are less likely to have heard about the World Cup than the overall population (21% vs 23%).

While gamers are more likely to have heard about the World Cup in most markets than the regular population, what they are hearing isn’t necessarily positive. YouGov’s Buzz metric is a net measure based on responses to two questions: “Over the past two weeks, which of the following sports events have you heard something positive about?” and “Now which of the following sports events have you heard something negative about?”. By calculating the difference between these two scores, we create our Buzz metric.

In UK, higher attention scores aren’t translating into positivity about the event. Buzz scores among gamers sit at -8.8 (vs -5.9 in the overall population). In China, the tournament records a positive score and there isn’t much difference between the experience of gamers (9.9) and the overall population (10.6), as is the case in UAE (49.6 vs 48.9). Only in the US, do gamers maintain a strong lead in Buzz scores (11 vs 5.3).

The perceptions of the Value of the event follow a similar pattern, wherein scores among UK gamers are much lower than the overall population (-11.5 among gamers vs -6.5 among all adults), while gamers lead the overall population in Value scores in the US (9.1 vs 6.2) and UAE (52.7 vs 49.3). The Value metric is a net score of the percentage of those who feel a sports event represents good value for money for those paying to see it (whether in person or on TV) minus the share of those who feel it represents poor value for money.

While there’s a negative Buzz about the World Cup among UK gamers, it hasn’t impacted gamers’ appetite to watch or follow the tournament. YouGov’s SportsIndex Satisfaction score presents the net difference between the share of consumers who say they would give up time to follow an event as they take place and the share of those who say they are unlikely to give up time to follow an event.

Among UK gamers, this score is 18.9 points, markedly higher than the 14.2 among all UK adults. The Satisfaction score in the US and UAE is higher among gamers than the overall population in those markets, but the reverse is true in China.

Snapchat is providing fans with the chance to capture and share key moments with their families and friends, before, during and after the world’s biggest sports celebration

To celebrate the highly anticipated football season, four regional Augmented Reality (AR) developers – Mohamad El Asmar from Oman, Maha Aldosary and friends Ibrahim Boona and Fahad Mutlaq from Saudi Arabia have been selected by Snap Inc. and commissioned to create AR lenses for football fans, promising a highly engaging and immersive experience during this period. Through this collaboration, the four AR developers will have the opportunity to showcase their technical and creative potential to football fans from across the world.

By utilizing Snap’s unparalleled AR technology, creators are able to engage users through immersive AR experiences that transform how people experience the world around them. Over 250 million Snapchatters use AR every day and play with AR lenses more than 6 billion times daily. This football season, Snapchat is giving fans new, previously unimaginable ways to be part of the football experience.

Offering a new dimension for fan engagement, Snapchat is bringing together a range of AR experiences and video content to a highly-engaged audience that is passionate about football, the players OR the teams, whether it’s through AR Lenses, Maps, the Camera, Stories or Spotlight. To support regional AR developers, the platform continuously invests in local talent and delivers accessible and easy-to-use AR technology where creators can showcase their creativity and innovation to a global audience.

Through his three lenses, Mohamad captures fans' anticipation in the build-up to the games, encourages supporters to join the action through predictions, and keeps the spirit of the games long after the tournament by creating and sharing football memories. Maha's lenses capture the competitive nature of sports, celebrating the diverse cultures of participating countries and highlighting the colorful national kits. Meanwhile, friends Ibrahim and Fahad are inspired by the excitement of the games, with their lens depicting the fun atmosphere in stadiums.

Other Snapchatters can also express their enthusiasm for the game by creating their own memories. Snap's Camera and AR tools enable users to capture and share key moments with their families and friends before, during and after the world's biggest sports event.

Jake Thomas, Head of UAE Market at Snap Inc. said, "This is a special celebration for football fans in the region. Snapchat is a platform that brings sports fans together to celebrate and share authentic moments. We are offering the opportunity for the region's creative community to share their passion and showcase their talent to a global audience. We are also encouraging millions of Snapchatters in the region to create their own football memories that will stay with them long after the tournament is over."

A highly engaged Gen Z community talks about and watches sports and football on Snapchat every day: Over 340 million people use Snapchat daily, engaging with a range of content and creative, immersive AR experiences that bring football fans closer to the action. Research shows 83% of football fans use their phone while watching TV, with fans messaging their friends and engaging with content throughout the game.

These creative AR lenses allow football lovers to discover and learn more about football from its most passionate fans. They add flair and fun to the football experience allowing millions to join in the festivities and experience the joy of winning with friends and family. Snapchat will continue working with partners and the community to create new experiences throughout the tournament and after the event.

QUEST Esports CEO Elie Honain and CSO Elie Gemayel discussed issues and growth potential for thriving sector at inaugural Dubai Esports Festival

Integration, collaboration, and connectivity across multiple stakeholders in the eSports ecosystem are vital for the sector to reach its undoubted potential in the Middle East, according to senior officials from QUEST Esports, one of the leading esports organizations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Latest data forecasts the value of gaming in the MENA region to reach US$ 5 billion by 2025. Still, QUEST Esports CEO Elie Honain insists more needs to be done for the esports ecosystem to truly flourish, starting with publishers embracing the Middle East, alongside public-private sector collaboration.

“Publishers are the core of esports; this is the struggle we have had over the past decade with the majority of them not having a presence here. Publishers need to consider relocating or opening up offices in the Middle East to spur regional competition growth, and so we’re not always feeding into EU tournaments,” said Honain, who was speaking at the inaugural Initiate Summit, part of the first Dubai Esports Festival at Expo City, Dubai.

“Federations also need to collaborate with publishers to help grow the regional scene. In addition, if we look at interconnectivity and how some countries do not even have access to fibre optic internet, there isn’t an even playing ground. If publishers show faith in the region by investing, this will have a knock-on effect on telecommunication and governments to push investment in infrastructure and connectivity,” added Honain.

“We need to show potential partners and sponsors that there are opportunities here when getting involved in Esports – and governments can help. Saudi Arabia is a great example of how to promote the fact you are building an ecosystem. Because we have a presence there, we have received so many enquiries about how to get involved,” added Honain. 

Meanwhile, Elie Gemayel, Chief Strategy Officer at QUEST Esports, participated in a panel discussion looking at where and how fans engage with content and admitted the industry must up its game.

“We must look at which platforms are the most accepted and advanced here. In terms of supporting streamers with advanced data analytics and media tools, YouTube is the main avenue to reach the gaming audience and offers the best tool sets for streamers and content creators,” he said.

“IP integration in content is also a growing opportunity. How we entertain the audience from a QUEST standpoint is to try to make our streams as engaging as possible. We make filler content fun and try to be clever about incorporating brand sponsorship into streams – this can be through polls, breakaway footage, or replays,” added Gemayel.

When prompted about the importance of localized content, Gemayel said: “We have come a long way. I’ve been working in event broadcasting since 2016, and what I have seen in just a short amount of time is a shift in perception that content isn’t in English, then it isn’t classed as top tier. Some of the local language esports broadcasters coming up at the moment have incredible talent and are helping to change that mindset.”

Established in 2019, QUEST has quickly joined the elite eSports domain and positioned itself among the industry giants. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Qatar Esports Federation (QESF) to develop esports in the country.

Last year, the Doha-headquartered company managed five major online tournaments across MENA and two major LAN tournaments in Doha for games such as Fortnite, CS: GO, PUBG Mobile, Dota 2, and FIFA.

Four-year deal highlights a commitment to invest in and grow both men’s and women’s game 

Partnership further enhances adidas‘s credibility in football across the Kingdom 

adidas has today announced a partnership with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) until 2026. The agreement provides adidas commercial rights both on and off the field, alongside branding opportunities across the full spectrum of traditional and digital media. From March 2023, the German sportswear brand will be the sole supplier of all training and match wear for the federation – including the men’s, women’s, and youth teams.

As the number one sport in the Kingdom, football has continued to gain prominence and momentum in recent years. Hidden talents have emerged and elite academies born in the quest to develop world class players. The national youth teams have grown from strength-to-strength, with the Under 23 team being crowned 2022 AFC U-23 Asian Cup champions without conceding a goal, while earlier this year the Under-20 team defended their Arab Cup title to claim-back-to back championships.

2022 also witnessed the historic formation of the Saudi women’s national team and in just a few days the senior men’s National team will embark on its sixth appearance at the FIFA World Cup finals following their strongest ever qualification campaign.

The partnership with SAFF targets the very top of the Saudi football pyramid and further enhances the brand’s footballing credibility across the region. Moreover, the deal continues adidas’s commitment to growing football in Saudi and follows the signing of several high-profile footballers such as national team captain Salman Al Faraj, Yasser Al Shahrani, Abdulelah Almalki, Abdullah Otayf and many more.

Together with SAFF, the new partnership will further develop women’s football across the Kingdom with the aim of strengthening the country’s ability to compete at the highest international level. The agreement will see adidas commit to investing in the development of women’s football across the Kingdom, from grass roots up, with the aim of creating an equal playing field for all. This important step builds on the brand’s existing commitment to grow the women’s game in Saudi, having signed women’s national team player and top scorer in the inaugural women’s football league, Farah Jefry.

adidas and SAFF believe that opening up football to all is an important step in inspiring the next generation of up-and-coming young female footballers across the Kingdom. Over the last year women’s football in Saudi Arabia has been unleashed with a new premier league, first division, schools league and regional training centres all established. The new partnership will seek to accelerate that growth even further.

Bilal Fares, General Manager MENA, said: “adidas is proud to partner with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.  We believe that through sport, we have the power to change lives and we’re delighted to support the federation’s strategy to enhance access to women’s football across the Kingdom. Saudi’s growth and ambitions within the sporting sector makes it an incredibly exciting market for adidas, with the partnership building on the brand’s wider ambitions to increase sports participation across the Kingdom in line with Vision 2030.”

SAFF President, Yasser Al Misehal, said: “the Saudi Arabian Football Federation is looking forward to welcoming adidas in March 2023 as our new kit partner. adidas respects our past, our present and admires our committed ambition to open up football to all. In the Kingdom football is a force for good and brings joy to so many, joy which is spreading to even more people thanks to the growth of women’s football. There is fresh energy and a genuine sense of optimism and excitement on and off-the-pitch in Saudi Arabia, that adidas believes in and wants to be part of. For the Saudi people, adidas is historically synonymous with football and are looking forward to kicking-off this relationship in 2023 with such a world leading brand and reaching new heights together.”