q.media Acquires Gulf Film

Qatar Media Services (q.media), owned by the Qatari government, has completed the acquisition of Gulf Film and Grand Cinemas, the largest film distributor and cinema operator in the Middle East.

q.media was established in 2004 with the vision to provide the latest advertising concepts to Qatar. Presently, q.media operates in seven international markets and in varying media sectors such as outdoor advertising, audio-visual communication channels and events management.

Founded in 1989, Gulf Film today distributes the lion’s share – around 50% market share – of the Middle East’s movie releases. Among its sources for the Gulf territories are Hollywood majors Paramount and Universal.

Gulf Film also holds leading exhibitor status through its Grand Cinemas movie theatres, the region’s largest cinema chain with more than 136 screens and 60% of the UAE’s film exhibition market.

Speaking about the acquisition, Yousif R. Al Khater, Group Chief Executive at q.media said: “Gulf Film is a great addition to q.media’s growing media and entertainment service portfolio and we will utilise its unwavering market dominance to our benefit.”

“This is a great moment for q.media,” Jaber Al Ansari, Chief Enterprise Management Officer at q.media added.

“Gulf Film is considered to be one of the biggest film distribution firms in the region and with its vast numbers of theaters it is a complete entertainment package.”

Selim El Azar, Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Film,  said the acquisition “further solidifies our leadership in the entertainment arena and bolsters our combined vision for an era of unprecedented growth throughout the Middle East”.

“Gulf Film has promising expansion plans expected in the MENA region, including Qatar, where q.media is the dominant outdoor media service provider.”