A Eurovision Song Contest in the Middle East and North Africa

The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition for active members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), represented by the public broadcasters in their respective countries. The first contest was held in Lugano Switzerland in 1956. Since then, the contest has become a true European tradition with more than 40 countries joining.

This new Song Contest will be developed for broadcasters by Nibras Media in partnership with Tanweer Group in the countries extending from Morocco in northwest Africa to the Gulf in southwest Asia. The countries in the MENA region include Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

“The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the oldest, and by far the best established, entertainment formats in the world. The recipe of the Eurovision Song Contest is excellent and can travel worldwide. So it is not surprising that other versions of the Eurovision Song Contest will emerge, ” says Bettina Brinkmann, Head of Formats and Special Events at Eurovision TV. “We are excited to see the new version very soon, and are delighted that the Eurovision Song Contest will celebrate different cultures worldwide, ” adds Brinkmann.

The Nibras Company, which has the exclusive rights to develop and market the Arabic version of the Eurovision Song Contest under the signature “Arabian Vision”, enjoys an in-depth access to the media and cultural activities in the MENA region.

Saleh Jallad, Head of Nibras, added: “Our mission is to widen the cultural exchange and knowledge among the diversified countries in the MENA region and beyond.”

Several broadcasters have already expressed interest in joining the MENA version and a number have already indicated their desire to be the host broadcaster for the first ever Eurovision Song Contest in the region.

For further information, please contact

EBU: Murielle Mégias ([email protected], +41 22 717 22 16)

Nibras Media: Konstantina Mavridaki, Executive International Affairs ([email protected], +30 6948 740078)