Jomana Al-Rashed: Asharq News embarks on a new distinctive phase in the Arab media landscape

gulftech – Riyadh – Dubai: Asharq News celebrated the first year of its inception under the theme, “Wherever we are, opportunities exist”, commemorating 365 days of accomplishments since its establishment on November 11, 2020.
Today, Asharq News, a 24/7 multi-platform news service, is at the forefront of specialised media having achieved significant growth in a record time. Reporting news in a unique approach and in-depth analysis through the prism of the economy to empower people in their everyday lives.
 Since its establishment, Asharq News has proved its commitment to impartial and professional coverage, unravel the economic insights behind every headline and important news to enable the audience to better connect and understand the context of the news and its impact on their daily life, while providing real opportunities for aspiring youth.
 
Commenting on the occasion, Jomana Al-Rashed, Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), said: “We are proud of the achievements Asharq News and Asharq Business with Bloomberg have made in its first year. It has changed the face of the Arab media landscape – broadcasting economic news rich in context and content, unparalleled in terms of presentation and analysis. Asharq News addresses the interests not just of the region’s political and economic leaders but everyone who wants to learn about the people, events, organisations and ideas that impact our region.  The brand’s success on digital platforms as well as traditional broadcast exemplifies the digital transformation strategy set by Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG). It demonstrates our industry leadership in the adoption of new technologies and platforms – including artificial intelligence – to provide timely, valued content to our audiences”.
Al-Rashed added: “The Asharq Business with Bloomberg partnership is also indicative of SRMG’s commitment to forging global partnerships with the most prominent names in media, as the Group seeks strategic partners that enhance our position at regional and global levels”.
 
Nabeel Al Khatib, General Manager of Asharq News, said: “It’s been a year of achievement with our commitment to unlocking the true potential of news. Since day one, we have created meaningful opportunities for engagement with our audience, and we celebrate 365 days of championing positive as well as unfavourable stories and providing reliable, precise, rich and timely content”.
Al Khatib further elaborated: “Over the course of a year, we have covered regional events and occasions, and hosted thousands of high-profile individuals on Asharq television channel and digital platforms. Our guests attracted more viewers to our channel, expanded the social and digital footprint of Asharq and we launched many programmes that received much acclaim from our audience”.
 
Asharq News has succeeded in maximising the outcomes of its exclusive content Agreement with Bloomberg Media to provide a major service – “Asharq Business with Bloomberg” – which covered 48 specialised business events, published over 9,000 articles on the official website, hosted more than 3,500 specialists, and posted over 3,500 topics on social media platforms.
 
Asharq News platforms posted over 47,000 articles on its website, interviewed more than 8,300 specialists, covered more than 48 events, and shared over 50,000 posts on social media platforms.
 
Adding to its pride, Asharq News won “ME Innovative Project of the Year” category at the 2020 BroadcastPro Annual Summit & Awards in Dubai, UAE; and was shortlisted in the ‘Trendsetter’ award category. In addition, Clickspring Design, the lead designer of Asharq’s offices and in-house studios in Dubai, was awarded three 2021 Broadcast Production Awards. Asharq News also received the “International Project of the Year” award and the “Manufacturing Design” award.
 
Asharq News, a subsidiary operating under the umbrella of the Saudi Research and Media Group, was established on 11 November 2020 under the slogan “Connecting the Dots” to introduce a new platform for economic and political news and provide 24/7 coverage of news from the Arab world and the world.