Author: Niyas Aboobacker

MCQ and ONE Championship™ (ONE), the world’s largest martial arts organization, wrapped filming of Season 2 of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” reality series in Doha this March 2023.

The new season of the popular Netflix show features prominent local business leaders, including Ooredoo MD and Group CEO Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo and Doha Film Institute CEO Fatma Hassan Alremaihi. Produced and directed by Refinery Media from Singapore, and Resolution Films as the local production support from Doha, filming took place across several iconic locations in Qatar, including Katara Hospitality’s Raffles Hotel in Doha.

In the show, participants compete for the grand prize of a one-year, US$250,000 job offer to work directly under ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong at ONE’s headquarters in Singapore. The upcoming season also features celebrity appearances by Australian Muay Thai legend John Wayne Parr and current ONE superstars Stamp Fairtex, Liam Harrison, and the Ruotolo brothers, among others.

Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah bin Khalifa Al-Thani, CEO of Media City Qatar, said: "It was an honor to welcome the ONE Championship team and to bring ‘The Apprentice’ to Doha in a unique opportunity to showcase our country along with its growing media production landscape. Driven by our mission to create a powerful and innovative media ecosystem in Qatar, we are grateful to our partners for helping us host this globally relevant production to Qatar, and we look forward to the show's worldwide release."

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi commented: “This is another milestone in the evolution of Qatar’s creative ecosystem, highlighting the growing interest of the global community to explore the exciting opportunities that our country offers. Through our world-class talent, iconic locations, and robust infrastructure, people across the world are discovering our country, and learning more about our rich culture and heritage. The Doha Film Institute proudly continues to support and promote the growth and establishment of Qatar as a major creative production hub and is excited for this further expansion into unscripted serial content.”

Extending its collaboration with ONE, MCQ worked with local and international partners to bring the global show to Doha, including Qatar Airways, Ooredoo, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Katara Hospitality, and TUMI. For MCQ, it is also an opportunity to showcase the country along with its growing media production landscape to global audiences.

MCQ entered a strategic long-term partnership with ONE in 2022 to collaborate on the production and development of global content across multiple media sectors, such as “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition,” as well as original programing, studio shows, and Esports.

MCQ concluded a successful eSports workshop in March 2023. The workshop featured Mr. Carlos Alimurung, Chief Executive Officer at ONE Esports, in addition to Hari Vijayarajan, Group Chief Commercial Officer at ONE Championship and ONE Esports. Similarly, there were representatives from Qatar Free Zone Authority, the Doha Film Institute, Qatar Tourism, Ooredoo, and Qatar Esports Federation.

A platform for open dialogue on the future of the eSports sector in Qatar, the workshop delved into the exciting multi-year partnership between MCQ and Group ONE Holdings, the parent company of ONE Championship. The two entities are collaborating on the production and development of global content across various media sectors, including original programing, studio shows, and eSports. Carlos, an industry expert, shared insights and expertise on the growth and potential of eSports in Qatar and globally.

As Qatar continues to establish itself as a hub for sports and entertainment, the event also highlighted the importance of eSports as a rapidly growing industry with immense potential. The collaboration between MCQ and Group ONE Holdings is poised to bring new opportunities and innovation to the eSports landscape in Qatar, with a focus on creating compelling content and delivering an enhanced experience for eSports and gaming enthusiasts.

Jassim Al-Khori, Executive Director of Strategy & Corporate Performance and Acting Marketing & PR Director at MCQ, together with Pedro Vargas, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Euronews, met with H.E. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Thani Al-Thani, CEO of Qatar Media Corporation, to discuss developments in the local media industry and potential collaborations between media corporations in line with Qatar National Vision 2030.

Also present in attendance, Carolyn Gibson, Chief Revenue Officer at Euronews, offered insights into the network’s international development, its activities at MCQ, and approaches to local cooperations.

Since its 2021 strategic partnership with Euronews, MCQ has supported the media network to establish a regional office in Doha – a milestone in MCQ’s journey towards attracting the biggest names in media to Qatar. The cooperation demonstrates MCQ’s ongoing commitment to supporting local talent and media companies at different stages of their development and expansion through new partnerships, as part of Qatar’s journey towards becoming a leader in global media.

MCQ completed a five-day intensive training bootcamp in Lyon, France in February 2023 as part of its multi-year collaboration with Euronews. The training covered all aspects of digital media and content production, providing MCQ team with invaluable insights into the opportunities and challenges of a post-linear media framework.

Led by senior Euronews staffers, including Javier Villagarcia, Head of Transformation, and François Chignac, Director of Africanews and Editorial Manager of Euronews' Branded Affiliates, the training was designed to equip MCQ team with the latest techniques and best practices in digital-first news reporting. One of the highlights of the bootcamp was the opportunity for knowledge-exchange between MCQ and Euronews, which allowed both partner entities to learn from each other and share their experiences in the rapidly evolving media landscape.

This training marks the successful completion of the second year of collaboration between MCQ and Euronews, which has resulted in a range of exciting developments and achievements. Through their partnership, MCQ and Euronews have been able to leverage their respective strengths and expertise to provide high-quality content and services to audiences across the region and beyond.

With the insights gained from this training bootcamp, MCQ is poised to continue delivering cutting-edge digital content and media services that meet the needs and expectations of its audiences in Qatar and beyond.