'Best Arab Artist': Region's Stars at European Music Awards for First time

Dubai, October 25, 2007: MTV Arabia has announced that viewers can log on to MTVa.com before October 28 to vote for Nancy Ajram, Mohammed Hamaki, Rashid Al Majid, Tamer Husni, and Elissa, who have all been nominated for the new category of 'Best Arab Artist.' For the first time ever, Arabic artists will be recognized at the prestigious European Music Awards, the only awards show where fans choose the winners.

The winner will be announced at a special ceremony in Munich on November 1, which will be aired in the month of November on MTV Arabia. All of the region's music lovers are expected to tune in.

Fans can win an all expenses paid trip to the European Music Awards ceremony by logging on to the MTV Arabia website at www.MTVa.com and entering the EMA competition. The deadline for entries is October 28, 2007.

Patrick Samaha, General Manager of MTV Arabia, will award the winning artist their coveted trophy. He said: "the fact that Arab artists are being recognized means that the world is beginning to take note of the incredible talent that we have in this region. Our aim at MTV Arabia is to foster and promote that talent until we host an Arabic Music Awards here in the Middle East.

Audiences here are excited about participating in popular culture, and innovative award programmes like EMA give them an opportunity to do so."

Bhavneet Singh, Managing Director and Senior Vice President, Emerging Markets Group, MTV Networks International, expanded on the rationale for including Arab artists: "we have been interested in the culture of this region for some time, and are glad that Arab music is taking its place on the world stage. With the launch of MTV Arabia, we are confident that the numbers of Arab artists who are known throughout the world will grow."

MTV Arabia will launch in mid-November, and will be the first region-wide, free-to-air channel to cater to youth across the Middle East.

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About Arabian Television Network:
Arabian Television Network (ATN) is a subsidiary of Arabian Broadcasting Network. ATN features a series of free-to-air satellite TV channels and digital broadcast services in English and Arabic across the Middle East. 4 new multilingual and multi-format channels will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2007, offering diverse programming to the region's local and expatriate population, with a focus on home-grown talent and productions.

© Press Release 2007