Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) is the main media group run by the government of Dubai. Established in 2003, the company runs a slew of media outlets including the television stations Dubai TV, Sama Dubai TV and Dubai One, the newspapers Al Bayan and Emarat Al Youm, the radio channels Noor Dubai Radio and Radio Dubai, and the news portal Emirates 24/7.
Media assets
Television: Dubai TV, Sama Dubai, Dubai One, Dubai Sports, Dubai Racing
Radio: Noor Dubai, Radio Dubai
Publishing: Al Bayan, Emarat Al Youm
Online: Emirates 247
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
DMI is a company wholly owned by the Dubai Government and was founded in 2003, according to official government documents consulted for this report. Before 2003, DMI’s media outlets were run by the media department of the Dubai government. The government appoints the company’s management, and government officials usually fill the top positions. In August 2022, Sheikh Mohammed also issued Decree No. (11) appointing Sheikh Hasher Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum as Chairman of DMI and Mohammed Sulaiman Al Mulla as CEO of the company.
Source of funding and budget
There is no publicly available financial data about DMI. The company funds its operations mostly through revenues from ad sales. The government offers subsidies to DMI, but they account for less than 50% of the company’s annual budget, according to journalists and experts covering the UAE interviewed for this report in May 2024.
Editorial independence
No editorial rules officially imposed by the government on DMI’s outlets to censor the editorial agenda of DMI’s media are in place. However, the government indirectly controls the group, which imposes its editorial requirements on DMI’s media through the company’s top management. The company’s top-tier management is filled with government loyalists. Although they sometimes engage in intrepid journalism, DMI’s media outlets never criticize the UAE authorities.
No domestic statue or independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of DMI’s outlets has been identified.
July 2024