The 99 animated series on MBC3

 “THE 99” animated series to premiere exclusively on MBC3 and Yahoo! Maktoob this Ramadan Dubai, UAE – July 18th, 2012: Teshkeel Media Group’s animated series “THE 99,” created by Dr. Naif Al Mutawa, will make its Middle East debut this Ramadan, airing exclusively on MBC3 and making its exclusive digital premiere on Yahoo! Maktoob. Teshkeel Media Group first launched THE 99 in 2006 in a traditional comic book series when Dr. Naif Al Mutawa saw a need for new role models that children from around the world could relate to. THE 99 are the world’s first superheroes based on Islamic culture and society, and make up a team of superheroes born of Middle East history and Islamic archetypes that possess values shared by the entire world. The superheroes are from ninety-­‐nine countries and from both genders. Dr. Naif Al Mutawa, creator of “THE 99”, said, "Today, MBC Group is the largest broadcaster in the Arab world and Yahoo! Maktoob is the largest Arab online portal. Each is a great success story of Middle East media. The fact that MBC and Yahoo! have chosen to work together to raise THE 99 to their own lofty heights speaks volumes, as does our gratitude for their confidence." Ashraf Younis, MBC3 Channel Manager said: “We are delighted to air THE 99 exclusively on MBC3 this upcoming Ramadan, as it addresses our viewers in an edutaining and cultural manner, in line with our scheduling for this season.” Younis further commented: “We hope that our audience will engage with those superheroes.” Ahmed Nassef, Vice President and Managing Director, Yahoo! Maktoob, said, “Fans have been waiting for THE 99 to come to life in an animated series, and we are thrilled to be the exclusive online partner for its debut in the region.” He added, “THE 99 can be viewed on Yahoo! Maktoob Screen, our revamped video destination, which is home to a wide variety of high quality video content including the region’s finest Arabic movies, plays, and TV series as well as our own original productions.” In 2011, THE 99 team partnered with DC Comics’ Justice League of America in a collaboration which was publically praised by Barack Obama, the president of the United States during a summit on entrepreneurship. View the trailer here: http://en-­‐maktoob.screen.yahoo.com/99-­‐081408834.html -­‐ENDS-­‐ About Yahoo! Yahoo! (NASDAQ:YHOO) is a technology powered media company, creating deeply personal digital experiences that keep more than half a billion people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the globe. Yahoo!’s unique combination of Science + Art + Scale connects advertisers to the consumers who build their businesses. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.com) or the company’s blog, Yodel Anecdotal (http://ycorpblog.com/). Yahoo! is the trademark and/or registered trademark of Yahoo! Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners. About MBC3: MBC3 is the children’s entertainment channel. It delivers a programming mix of children's education and entertainment that connects with and stimulates the imagination of Arab kids aged between three and thirteen as well as creating the quality viewing time with their parents. After the huge success of the program and its 6 seasons, MBC 3 is currently re-­‐airing the third season of the locally produced reality show for kids, Eish Safari, which recruits young Arab kids and sets them on a month long trip of mental and physical challenges. Moreover, the channel produced a new game show called “Graduate In A Day”, similar in concept to “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” for children and their parents, in addition to a talk show for kids, called “Yalla Ne7ky” and a cooking show called “Eish Tabkheen Ya Danyah”. As for "Banat W Bass”, the only girls show on Arab Kids TV, it is presented by Azza. And most recently, MBC 3 launched a new reality show called ‘Hawla Al Mamlaka” which takes the audience on a trip around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, allowing them to explore the rich history, culture and landmarks of the Kingdom. Finally, MBC3 has a long standing deal with Nickelodeon to air their kid’s shows, such as “Sponge Bob”. About MBC Group: MBC Group is the first private free-­‐to-­‐air satellite broadcasting company in the Arab World which was launched in London in 1991 and later moved to its headquarters in Dubai in 2002. Over the past 20 years, MBC Group has grown to become a well-­‐established media group that enriches people’s lives through information, interaction and entertainment. Based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, MBC Group includes 11 television channels: MBC1 (general family entertainment), MBC2 and MBC MAX (24-­‐
hour movies), MBC3 (children’s entertainment), MBC4 (entertainment for new Arab women), MBC Action (an indigenous Channel with local and homegrown productions), MBC Persia (24-­‐hour movie channel dubbed in Farsi) , Al Arabiya (the 24-­‐hour Arabic language news channel); Al Arabiya Al Hadath (an extension of Al Arabiya News Channel)； Wanasah (24-­‐hour Arabic music channel) and MBC DRAMA offers 24/7 Arabic Drama; the Group also includes two radio stations: MBC FM (Gulf music), and Panorama FM (contemporary Arabic hit music); as well as O3 productions, a specialized documentary production unit. It has also several online platforms: www.mbc.net, www.alarabiya.net, and www.shahid.net, the first free VOD and catch up portal in the Arab world. As of July 2011, seven of MBC Group’s channels began to air in HD across the MENA Region; the channels are: MBC 1, MBC 2, MBC 4, MBC Action, MBC Drama, MBC Max and Al Arabiya News Channel. For further information please contact: Ruba Al Ayed Group PR Manager MBC Group Tel: +971 4 390 9825 Email: ruba.alayed@mbc.net Website: www.mbc.net