DMI sweeps Promax/BDA Arabia Awards

Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) bagged the lion's share of the Promax/BDA Arabia Awards, with a total of 19 golds and silvers.

The Promax/BDA Arabia Awards that recognise excellence in on-air promotion, branding and advertising, was held on Sunday night in Dubai and saw an almost exclusive competition among DMI, Orbit Showtime (OSN) and Arab Radio and Television (ART).

DMI won seven gold awards and 12 silver awards among 31 award categories, with OSN ranking second and ART third. OSN won six gold awards and four silver awards, while ART won four gold awards and four silver ones.

The gold awards won by DMI included the "best use of English typography" for its promotion on the movie Kill Bill; "best design in promotion" for The Bill Engvall Show, in which category they also bagged a silver for Romantic Thursdays promotion; "best entertainment, music, variety, comedy promo" for Dubai 101 promotion, with a silver in the same category for Out and About.

DMI received both gold and silver awards in The Habibi Award, a newly introduced category at the Promox/BDA Arabia Awards, which recognises work that expresses Arabian-ness. The winning promotions were Emarati, as gold winner, and Najm Al Khaleej as silver winner.

The group which is considered one of the pioneering media in the UAE, won both golds and silvers in the categories of "best movie promo", "best sound design" and "best copy or script writing for a promo".

DMI's Ice Age NFL station image promo, received five of the 19 awards. In addition to gold awards in "best sound design" category and "best copy", the cartoon movie promo got silvers in "best in-house station image promo", "best editing" and "best promotional campaign".

Kill Bill promo won DMI a gold award in the "best movie promo" category. Other winning promos included Rassassat Rame for "best Arabic drama promo"; Dubai One graphics in the "best on-air channel branding" category, Athan in "best use of Arabic typography" category.

DMI includes in addition to its broadcasting portfolio of Dubai TV, Sama Dubai, Dubai One, Dubai Sports, Dubai Racing and Noor Dubai Radio and TV, Al Bayan newspaper, Emarat Al Youm Arabic daily, Emirates Business 24|7 English daily, and Masar Printing Press.

OSN

Meanwhile, OSN received gold awards for Ronaldo Ultimatum in "best in-house station image promo" and "best editing" categories. Another gold award went to the season five promo of the series, Lost, for "best English drama promo"; cookie promo in "best children's programme promo" category; family movies April in the "best use of original music composition in a promo", and season four promo for series, House, in the "best promo not using programme footage" category.

OSN's fours silver awards were granted to Silent Witness promo in the "best English drama promo"; ShowMovies Kids Ramadan promo in the "best children's programme promo" category; kids cookie promo in the "best use of original music composition in a promo" category, and ShowMovies comedy image spot in the "best promo never made-it-on-air" category.

The "best promo never made-it-on-air" category which was introduced for the first time at the Promax/BDA Arabia Awards, is given to viral promos that never made it to the TV broadcast. Orbit Showtime had announced its new brand OSN after having completed a merger around a year ago. OSN has 75 channels through 8 packages including HD channels.

ART

The Arab Radio and Television (ART) received a gold award in the "best Arabic programme promo", for its promo on the programme Youth Issues. This promo also won ART a gold award in the "best use of Arabic typography" category.

Another gold was awarded to ART in the "best Arabic drama promo" for its programme Relative Calm. The broadcaster received a fourth gold award for its UNRWA friendly game promo, in the "best holiday, seasonal or special event promo.

The network's silver wins included an award in the "best Arabic programme promo", with DMI its sole competition.

ART was also decorated with silver for its UEFA final promo in the "best sports promo" category.

In the category titled Something for Nothing, ART bagged a silver award. The gold winner was Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, for its Wir logo promo. The category recognises work that has been executed with very little financial, creative and human resources. Promax/BDA recognises winners in this categories based on the total costs of the execution which are equivalent to the cost of 100 BigMac burgers.

DMI competed with both ART and Al Jazeera Documentary Channel, having two promos shortlisted – Romantic Thursdays promo and Tie Break promo.

OTHER WINNERS

Among the other winners in the Promax/BDA Arabia Awards 2010 were Al Jazeera Network, Ten Sports, Plan A, Baraem TV and View.

In the "Best out-of-house station image promo", View won a gold award for its Al Jazeera Sports Channel promo, while JCCTV and Baraem won Baraem cross promo TVCs won the silver award.

Baraem TV is a specialised channel for children between ages three and six, founded by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. Ten Sports TV channels won a gold award for its Ten Sports 2010 promo The Year Ahead in the "best sports promo" category.

Al Jazeera English won both gold and silver awards in the "best news or factual programme promo". The gold award went to the channel's Listening Post – Ghost in the System promo, while the silver went to its Inside Story – Behind the Headlines promo. It also won a gold award for the "best programme packaging" category and a silver award for the "best use of English typography".

ADMC won a silver award in best promo not using programming footage. Turquoise won a gold award in the best public services announcement category, with DawnNews winning the silver in that category for its promo titled Fourteenth August – Rise Pakistan.

Plan A, a Beirut-based agency that specialises in on-air and off-air promotions for TV broadcasters, won the gold award for the "best promo never to make it on-air" for its Plan A viral promo.

BBC World Service Marketing team also received a gold award in the "best promotional campaign" category, for BBC Arabic's the Commission Campaign.

Among the winner are View, Radiant Studios, Al Jazeera Sport and Dreambox.

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