🎬 $1M AI Film Award Launches in Dubai

Submit a 7–10 min AI-made short for a chance to win $1M | Streaming in Short – W39

Yann Colleter

Sep 26, 2025

This week, I cover the launch of the $1M AI Film Award in Dubai, CANAL+ taking control of MultiChoice to create a global media powerhouse, and the Saudi League striking new broadcast deals

🎬 The $1M AI film award opens for entries

👉 The world’s biggest prize for AI-powered short films, part of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.

📍 Here’s how it works:

Submit a 7–10 min film created with Google Gemini tools.
Choose one of two themes: Rewrite Tomorrow or The Secret Life Of.
Films can be in any language (with English subtitles).

🏆 Key dates:

Submissions close: Nov 20, 2025
Top 10 shortlist: Dec 5, 2025
Public voting: Dec 10–15, 2025
Winner revealed at 1BFS Dubai: Jan 11, 2026

💡 With a $1 million prize, the award aims to showcase how AI can transform storytelling and content creation worldwide.

🌍 CANAL+ takes control of MultiChoice

👉 The French media giant now holds effective control of MultiChoice Group after its takeover offer became unconditional.

📍 What this means:

Combined reach of 40M+ subscribers across nearly 70 countries.
Positions CANAL+ as a stronger player in Pay-TV and streaming across Africa and beyond.

💡 A major consolidation move that changes the Pay-TV landscape in Africa and reinforces CANAL+’s global ambitions.

💡 In collaboration with Medianova

In the world of media and OTT streaming, every second counts. Whether it’s a blockbuster premiere, a hit TV series, or live content with millions of viewers, audiences expect flawless, high-quality playback.

Trusted by STARZ ON, MBC Shahid, and many others, Medianova is recognized as a top CDN partner in MENA, offering:

1️⃣ 100% local delivery: Traffic stays within the region for faster response times, stronger data sovereignty, and reduced international transit costs.

2️⃣ Real-Time LogPush/Analytics: Instant access to traffic and error logs for faster performance monitoring, enabling proactive issue detection and optimization.

3️⃣ Reliability at scale: Traffic is intelligently balanced across networks, ensuring uptime and stability even at peak demand.

4️⃣ Superior viewing experience: With smart routing and the most distributed network in MENA, latency drops by 30–40% and buffering is cut by over 45%.

🏆 The result: higher engagement, longer watch times, and happier subscribers, no matter where your audience is or how many are watching.

Learn More

⚽ Saudi League secures global broadcast expansion

What happened?

👉 The Roshn Saudi League (RSL) signed key international media deals for the 2025/26 season, ensuring its matches will be shown in more than 180 territories worldwide.

Key details:

Partnerships with ESPN, Fox Sports, DAZN, YouTube and more.
Broadcast revenue up 20%+ over the last two seasons.
Long-term commitments: Fox (6 years in the Americas), Globo & Band TV (Brazil), Movistar+ (Spain), Sport TV (Portugal), SPOTV (Asia), Fancode (India).
Over 230M global viewers tuned in last season, making RSL one of the most-watched football leagues in the world.
Growth in reach: +25% in Africa, +35% in Asia, +32% in the Americas.
Innovative deal with French Twitch creator Zack Nani to stream matches live to younger audiences.

Why it matters?

🎯 The Saudi Pro League is rapidly evolving into a global football product. By mixing traditional broadcast giants with digital-first platforms, it’s building cultural relevance across continents.

🎬 NETFLIX: K-Pop Demon Hunters becomes biggest hit

The animated musical ended its 91-day run with 325M views, making it Netflix’s most-watched title ever. What started small turned into a global hit, with the soundtrack topping charts, TikTok boosting the buzz, and sing-along screenings drawing big crowds.

Netflix moved quickly, releasing merch, food tie-ins, and even a short spin-off.

✈️ INFLIGHT: Delta partners with YouTube

Delta has signed a multiyear deal with YouTube to bring creator content directly to seatback screens. Passengers will also get free trials of YouTube Premium and enjoy a custom boarding playlist built by Delta flight attendants.

The partnership boosts the inflight experience by mixing curated longform videos with full YouTube access via onboard WiFi.

⚽ STARZPLAY: Abu Dhabi Media boost serie A coverage

StarzPlay has expanded its deal with Abu Dhabi Media to upgrade Serie A broadcasts across MENA. The partnership brings back full studio programming with analysis, tactical insights, and commentary from top Arab football voices.

Live matches will stay on StarzPlay Sports Channels and partners like STC, now backed by Abu Dhabi Media’s production strength.

🏀 DUBAI MEDIA: EuroLeague lands 5-year MENA deal

Dubai Media has signed a five-season agreement to air EuroLeague games free-to-air across the Middle East and North Africa, reaching more than 100M households via Dubai Sports TV.

Fans will see weekly top fixtures plus every Dubai Basketball game as the team debuts in the 20-club format.

📺 PIF: $2B deal secures majority stake in MBC Group

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has acquired 54% of MBC Group for nearly $2B, part of its push to grow the Kingdom’s media and entertainment sectors.

MBC is the region’s largest media group, with 13 TV channels, 3 radio stations, MBC Studios, and Shahid, the leading Arabic streamer. The deal strengthens local content production, expands media tech, and positions Saudi Arabia as a rising global hub.

🇩🇪 BERLIN: MediaTech Hub Conference opens at Babelsberg

The 2025 edition launched with an opening keynote by director Maria Schrader, followed by sessions on the creator economy, MediaTech in journalism, and the rise of TrustTech.

Day 1 set the tone with packed panels and hands-on insights into how film, TV, and streaming are being reshaped by technology.

🇦🇪 ABU DHABI: UAE launches BRIDGE summit

The UAE unveiled the BRIDGE Summit, set for 8–10 December 2025 at ADNEC, as the world’s largest gathering for media, marketing, and creative industries.

The event will feature 400+ speakers, 300 exhibitors, 200 panels, and 50 workshops, expecting over 60,000 participants across seven tracks including media, music, gaming, creator economy, tech, and film.

👻 Haunting Hotel, from Matt Roller (Netflix, 10 episodes): After inheriting a hotel from her late brother, a single mom moves in with his good-natured ghost — and high-maintenance guests who will never check out.trauma.

🧟‍♀️ Marvel Zombies (Disney+, 4 episodes): After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.

☕ 31 years ago, Friends premiered on NBC. Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the sitcom followed six friends, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe, navigating life and love in New York City. With its unforgettable catchphrases, iconic coffeehouse moments at Central Perk, and timeless humor, the series became a global cultural touchstone, running for 10 seasons and shaping the modern sitcom for generations.