By Valeria Marinova

Northwestern University in Qatar hosted its biannual Qatar Media Industries Forum on Nov. 8, an event that brings together representatives from different fields of media to discuss the development and challenges the media industries in the region are facing. This year’s forum, titled “Going Regional: Taking a Media Company Beyond Borders,” addressed the challenges media companies face when expanding beyond national borders. The panelists explored issues from legal, marketing and operational perspectives, and provided possible solutions to such obstacles.

Fares Akkad, a panelist from the MBC Group, stressed the importance of finding the right content that fosters not only the pan-Arab identity, but also interests the global community.

“I think the number one challenge, or question, when somebody is expanding outside of the region, from a content standpoint, is how well will that content do across borders,” Akkad said, adding that the most important thing is whether or not the product itself is worth being taken beyond borders.

Watch TDQ’s video from the forum.