Dubai Media City, which is part of the Dubai Holding tax-free complex, is an important yet slightly controversial part of the business life of Dubai. The Dubai Media City has been created in order to improve, refresh and give a go to the media activity in Dubai and in the entire Middle Eastern area. It offers special offices on its territory that has the characteristics of being tax-free. Media City has large spaces enabling the complex to host various national and international events such as the Dubai International Jazz Festival, which is a yearly festival in the Dubai Media City and to the Taste of Dubai three day festival. Both events are going on with growing success.
Taste of Dubai Festival has become an annual event and it is held in the first week of March, when the weather is mild yet warm enough to eat and go out. The festival is held in the huge Dubai Media City, which has the place prepared to welcome all types of musical and touristic events. Dubai Media City also hosts the annual Dubai International Jazz Festival, being one of the most successful music event in Dubai, which has grown out from having only one stage to having five stage areas where its been held.
Dubai Media City today hosts more than 1300 broadcasting and Media companies from the entire Middle Eastern region, from where they broadcast. Among the Media with which the Dubai Media City deals with and controls, we can find the Independent News Agencies such as Reuters, the Television channels including Arabic, Iranian, Turkish channels, Radio Stations such as Radio Sawa, Websites such as Eurosport Arabia, Newspapers and Magazines , Advertising agencies and Event Management Agencies.
First started with some hundreds of visitors, today the Dubai International Jazz Festival attracts more than fifteen thousand people. The Dubai International Festival is one of the most successful ongoing events in the cultural life of Dubai, but out of this, there are several other musical and cultural events, which attract a large number of visitors. Most importantly, Media City is a great place to hold these events, with its huge spaces and good facilities for all instruments.
Dubai Media City broadcasts dozens of TV channels and the rest too, goes through its system. The only thing is that neither the Media nor the Internet is entirely liberal in the Middle Eastern countries. To the dismay of many Westerners living or working in the area, the broadcasting indeed is censored, so are the films, and the internet is severely checked through and limited in many ways. Of course, it has the good sides and we can understand the will of Dubai government, to limit viewers from the broadcasting of any excessive programs. Films are also censored in the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia and some other countries, the censorship is even heavier.
The censored televisions mainly include the Pakistani, Indian and Western broadcasted channels, US films and news agendas.
Besides the censorship facts, Dubai Media City plays a key-role in the Media life of Dubai, so it is worth contacting with if you are dealing with connecting Media affairs. Dubai Media City is also great to visit when it is hosting colourful festivals or cultural events.