MBC exec heads for Egypt's CBC

The group director of content at Arab satellite broadcast group MBC Group has stepped down after 13 years at the firm to join recently launched Egyptian broadcaster CBC as its first general manager.

Badih Fattouh joined CBC this month, relocating from Dubai-based MBC, and will oversee the free-to-air satellite TV group’s general entertainment channel CBC and its specialist channel CBC Drama. He brings almost 25 years of broadcast experience with him.

“During the last 24 years that I’ve spent in this business in the Middle East, one of the best, most interesting times I had was when I participated in launching new channels. They were very exciting times to be creating something rather than just doing a job. After 13 years at MBC I thought I needed a new challenge and take myself a bit out of my comfort zone,” Fattouh told C21 at Discop Istanbul.

“Catering for the Gulf Region and the Saudi market for so long, I thought it would be interesting to get introduced more to Egypt – a big county that has its own parameters, its own viewing trends and is the major exporter of Arabic entertainment to the Middle East.”

Fattouh’s move marks the second major departure from MBC in recent months. The firm’s group director of television Tim Riordan retired in October and was replaced by Ali Jaber – a seasoned business professional with experience as a TV consultant and advisor to the telecoms industry in the Middle East.

MBC has yet to announce a replacement for Fattouh. However, it is understood that following his departure, rather than appoint a direct replacement, MBC is restructuring its content group, moving its acquisitions and commissioning and production units into different departments.

The flagship CBC channel was launched in July last year by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Amin. It is designed to be a “credible, balanced, objective voice within Egypt” following the recent political upheavals in the Arab world, said Fattouh.