In the Press
CNN went live from its multi-million-dollar broadcast facility in Abu Dhabi last month, marking a new chapter in the network’s history in the Middle East. In an interview with BroadcastPro ME, the Abu Dhabi team shares details of the new technologies that have helped launch the news operation into the future.
On February 27, CNN launched its first full show using its brand-new studio facility in the Abu Dhabi Yas Creative Hub. The 600sqm bureau, home to 40 staff, has enabled the team to increase the scale and scope of its operation in the UAE. As one of the network’s key international production hubs alongside Atlanta, New York, London and Hong Kong, it marks the latest of several major investments in technology and editorial production for CNN.
“This brand-new bureau is a multimillion-dollar investment by CNN, which underscores how important this region is to the network,” Becky Anderson, Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi & Anchor, tells BroadcastPro ME. “Its primary purpose is to tell stories about the region, from the region, but also to offer a regional perspective on global stories for audiences around the world. From a production standpoint, what the new bureau brings is a far more technically versatile, efficient facility, geared towards collaborative workflows. Put simply, that means we can produce more dynamic programming on a set that gives us many more presentation options, and we are better integrated into CNN’s global systems. Beyond these walls, twofour54’s Yas Creative Hub is an inspiring environment for the creative industries here, a growing community of which we’re excited to be a part.”
