Dubai Media City to spotlight $20.6bn MENA media boom at BRIDGE Summit 2025

The Middle East and North Africa’s media industry is set to expand to $20.6bn by 2028, according to Dubai Media City’s Arab Media Outlook – Future Vision report.

Dubai Media City will play a leading role in spotlighting the sector’s transformation when it joins global leaders at BRIDGE Summit 2025, running from December 8–10 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.

The event, recognised as the world’s largest gathering of leaders in the media, cultural and creative industries, will highlight the region’s rising influence and rapid pace of change across content creation, technology and digital economies.

Dubai Media City

For more than two decades, Dubai Media City has fuelled the development of the UAE’s media and creative industries.

Together with Production City and Studio City, it forms TECOM Group’s Media Cluster, home to major global brands such as CNN, Reuters, Discovery Networks and Epson. Across the three ecosystems, more than 40,000 creative professionals contribute to shaping the region’s expanding media landscape.

At BRIDGE Summit, Dubai Media City will underscore the opportunities emerging from the sector’s projected rise from $17bn in 2024 to $20.6bn by 2028, reflecting a 4.9 per cent compound annual growth rate.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Media City, Dubai Production City and Dubai Studio City at TECOM Group, said: “The exponential growth and evolution of the regional media market necessitate a collaborative approach from industry stakeholders across the public and private sectors to chart a sustainable, unified path forward. Digital transformation is fundamentally changing how businesses operate, consumers consume, and creators create.

“The BRIDGE Summit presents a strategic opportunity for us to ensure its integration works to the advantage of creativity. Our commitment to shaping this future trajectory and contributing to the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 underscores our recurring participation at this prestigious media event.

“We look forward to empowering our diverse community of creators, innovators, changemakers, and storytellers, and collectively shaping the way forward.”

Championing creators and start-ups

Media City will also champion the diverse creative and media community it hosts — spanning multinational media organisations, regional agencies and high-growth start-ups.

Strengthening this presence will be in5 Media, the industry-focused vertical of TECOM Group’s in5 entrepreneurship incubator.

in5 supports start-up growth by providing access to advanced content creation and production facilities, including recording and production studios, screening rooms and editing suites.

It also offers mentorship and networking opportunities to help founders bring high-quality content and innovative media products to market.

Dubai knowledge and innovation economy

Dubai Media City sits within TECOM Group’s portfolio of business districts, which includes:

• Internet City
• Production City
• Studio City
• Knowledge Park
• International Academic City
• Science Park
• Dubai Design District (d3)
• Industrial City