Newsweek And ARY Digital Network Announce Partnership To Publish Newsweek Middle East

NEW YORK and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Newsweek LLC, the iconic newsweekly publication, is continuing to expand globally through an exclusive licensing partnership with ARY Digital Network to publish Newsweek Middle East, a localized newsweekly magazine that will be printed in English and Arabic.

"Newsweek represents high quality journalism, and there is global demand for that," said Etienne Uzac, Co-Founder and CEO of IBT Media, parent company of Newsweek LLC. "We are thrilled to partner with ARY Digital Network to launch Newsweek Middle East and continue to build the Newsweek brand in the Middle East."

A historically strong licensing brand, Newsweek has already established international editions through foreign licensing partnerships to meet the growing global demand for Newsweek. Newsweek Middle East will be the eighth international edition; other international editions are distributed in Japan, South Korea, Latin America, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia and the United Kingdom. ARY Digital Network is one of the world's fastest growing satellite networks, which includes bilingual news channel ARY News, and this partnership marks the company's entry into print media. Empirical Media, which pursues and facilitates foreign license partnerships to publish Newsweek in targeted markets, served as an advisor in the formation of Newsweek Middle East.

"I am very pleased to announce this long term partnership with IBT Media and the launch of Newsweek Middle East," said Salman Iqbal, Founder and CEO of ARY Digital Network. "Newsweek Middle East will be published in English and in Arabic with region specific content, offering award-winning reporting and commentary from some of the top writers in the Middle East and the world."

The first issues of Newsweek Middle East will be available in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The English version is anticipated to launch by June 2015 followed by the Arabic version.

About Newsweek

Newsweek is one the world's premier weekly news magazines. Newsweek has been a staple of American media for over 80 years, bringing high-quality journalism to millions of readers around the globe. Newsweek publishes print editions in Japanese, Korean, Polish, Serbian and Spanish, as well as an English language international edition, but is a primarily digital property available across platforms and devices. Newsweek provides in-depth analysis, news and opinion about international issues, technology, business, culture and politics. For more information, please visit www.newsweek.com

About ARY Digital Network

ARY Digital Network is the largest and most watched Urdu language television network in the world broadcasting throughout the Middle East, Pakistan, North America and Europe and Australasia.   The Network's growth from one channel, one country in 2000 to 10 channels available in over 130 countries in a decade has been phenomenal.  The group is considered to be a pioneer in the region's media and broadcasting industry, and one of the fastest growing media conglomerates with an expanding network of channels, each with an independent focus and carrying a long-list of globally acquired formats and programming.  ARY currently represents and does business with HBO, Nickelodeon, Disney, NBC, Endemol, Freemantle and a variety of other US and international media houses. For more information, please visit http://www.arydigital.tv/

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SOURCE Newsweek LLC