Concurrent with the redesign, Al Arabiya has also rebuilt its newsroom and studios with technologies intended to provide viewers with a more immersive experience.
Al Arabiya unveiled a brand-new logo, idents and graphics across its TV and digital platforms on April 25, the first day of Ramadan as part a larger revamp across the network’s studios that included the deployment of new set designs and technology aimed at offering viewers a more immersive experience.
As part of the project, the fourth floor at MBC Group’s headquarters in Dubai was completely reworked with Al Arabiya’s four studios rebuilt and three new standup locations created primarily for the platform and social media shows. Al Arabiya’s studios have been designed in such a way that they are distributed across the whole newly-built newsroom and integrated seamlessly with it.
According to an article on the Al Arabiya web site, Mamdouh Almuhaini, General Manager of Al Arabiya Media Network said: “We are relaunching with new studios, a new design and more importantly, taking advantage of new technologies that will take the viewer into the next generation of journalism across not only our television screens but also our social media and digital offerings.”
The entire set has been designed by New York-based Clickspring Design, Fadi Radi, Head of Creative at Al Arabiya Network said.
Elaborating on some of the key technologies used in this revamp, Radi added: “The studios are equipped with 13 robotic cameras – 10 Cambot cameras from Ross Video, two from Electric Friend and one from Blackcam. All of the cameras support Augmented Reality as they all have tracking systems. Vizrt systems form the backbone of this whole setup. We have 200 sqm of LED screens that are all driven by the Viz engine. We now have the ability to change the mood of the studio with the lighting and graphics based on the show. We have integrated Augmented Reality (AR) solutions with mixed reality within this setting and can also create completely interactive environments on our new Barco video wall. In addition, we have also invested in transparent LG screens that enable videos and graphics to blend into an environment. The whole setup offers us so many creative options to play with, and is designed to offer our viewers a great immersive experience,” Radi added.
