FOX vs MBC

The battle to offer viewers Free to Air (FTA) US prime movies is on!

On my left, the current leader, part of the MBC family, please welcome.........MBC2
On my right, the challenger, part of the Fox network, please stand up for.....Fox Movies

MBC2's control over the FTA US movies has now (since May 2008) a key challenger. Fox Movies is now celebrating its 1st month bday in the Middle East.

FOX pros:
The channel has access to the huge movies library owned by the Fox studios
MBC pros:
Viewers are used to tuning to MBC for their daily dose of US movies

What this battle of the movies hides, is the real mega struggle to control the Arab airwaves.
Fox Movies (Middle East) is co-owned by Rotana (Walid Ben Talal's group)...
and Rotana and MBC are two biggest media groups in the Middle East.

Rotana Holding owns all the Rotana channels (Rotana Music, Rotana Tarab, Rotana Aflam, Rotana Music) + some religious channels + LBC Sat

MBC Group owns the MBC channels (MBC1, MBC2, MBC3, MBC4) + Al-Arabiya.

These two groups are fighting for the grand advertising prizes (even though the Choueiri Group sells ads for both):
-MBC1 vs LBC Sat (respectively number 1 and number 2 general entertainment channels in the Middle East)
-MBC2 vs Fox Movies (US movies)

so my bet is that MBC is probably studying the possibility of entering Rotana's turf in terms of Arab movies...(Rotana owns the biggest Arab movies library)

I'll be watching this battle...