press releases

twofour54, the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority – Abu Dhabi, has entered into a partnership with First Gulf Bank Arena (FGBA) to promote and utilise the venue for TV and film projects in the Emirate.

FGBA is the latest addition to twofour54 intaj’s growing list of production locations and will be the venue for the MBC Action’s Desert Force mixed martial arts (MMA) championship being held in Abu Dhabi for the first time on August 25.  As part of the agreement, twofour54 intaj will provide full production services for the venue including the use of nine HD cameras, mobile studio equipment, post production facilities and crew on an on-going basis.

Jamal Al Awadhi, Head of Commercial, twofour54 intaj, said: “twofour54 is proud to assist in growing the Abu Dhabi film and TV sector and by partnering with FGBA, there are tremendous opportunities for production companies and support services to benefit from having this venue as a filming location.  For this event, our team along with MBC’s production team will work closely to manage all aspects of the production including lighting, audio and filming; ensuring all the excitement of Desert Force is captured in the best high definition quality.

“Desert Force is just the first in a long list of productions that will now be held at FGBA and we look forward to working with them on a variety of exciting shows ranging from light entertainment shows to high-octane events”

The FGBA 6,000 seat multipurpose indoor stadium is the size of three basketball courts and is located at Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi. The arena, which officially opened its doors to the public in February 2014, has since managed to host several successful events such as the Ragheb Alama concert, The Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, and Fatima Bint Mubarak’s First International Basketball tournament.

FGB Arena’s General Manager Rainer Schueler, “We are extremely delighted with our partnership with twofour54 intaj. Working closely with them as our new strategic TV and production partner we will benefit from their extensive regional and international experience and will provide us with the opportunity to utilise our venue for major TV and film productions in Abu Dhabi.

The MBC Action’s Desert Force MMA Championship is the first Middle Eastern Platform for aspiring MMA athletes to face-off against regional and international fighters for the title of Middle East Desert Force Champion. Previously held in other Arab cities, such as Amman, Jordan, and Manama, Bahrain, the event aims to promote Arab mixed martial artists by providing them with the opportunity to showcase their skills on a weekly TV series aired on MBC Action.

Desert Force will be broadcast live on MBC Action and will showcase the middle weight title fight between Abdallah Abou Hamdan from Lebanon and Ibrahim El Sawi from Egypt. The fight card also features Emirati fighter, Mohammad Yahya, Qatari Ali Al Naemi as well as two UAE-based martial arts instructors.

For more information on Desert Force MMA or to buy tickets to the event, customers can visit mbc.net. To find out more about FBG Arena, customers can go to fgbarena.com

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