Arab Media Summit 2026 in Dubai Hosts the First Euronews Forum Outside Europe: 15 to 17 September, Eight Specialised Forums and a Network in 430 Million Households Across 166 Countries

2026-09-07

The Arab Media Summit 2026, which the Dubai Press Club holds at Dubai World Trade Centre from Tuesday 15 to Thursday 17 September 2026, will host the Euronews Forum on its second day, Wednesday 16 September. It is the first edition of the forum outside Europe, the summit’s organising committee announced on Sunday 6 September 2026 through the Emirates News Agency (WAM). Euronews, launched in 1993 and controlled since 2022 by the Portuguese fund manager Alpac Capital, publishes in 21 languages, is available on television in more than 430 million households across 166 countries and recorded 1.83 billion video views and 1.4 billion page views in 2025. The forum joins a programme that Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council and Chairperson of the summit’s organising committee, calls the largest edition to date: eight specialised forums, around 6,000 expected participants and international forums with Reuters and the Financial Times. This article sets out what has been announced about the Euronews Forum, the full 2026 programme, how the summit compares with the 2025 edition, and what the event means for a media, marketing or content business in the UAE, including the Advertiser Permit that became mandatory on 1 February 2026.

The Euronews Forum: what has been announced

The announcement came from the Arab Media Summit organising committee on Sunday 6 September 2026. The Euronews Forum will be held on the second day of the summit and is organised by Euronews itself, which the release describes as the European Union’s leading international news network. The summit runs under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and under the directives of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council.

Al Marri said that the forum’s inclusion in the largest edition of the summit to date reflects the event’s growing profile as a global media platform and its expanding role in shaping the future of media regionally and globally. Hosting the forum in Dubai for the first time outside Europe, she added, reflects the summit’s commitment to a global dialogue on the future of the industry. According to the organisers, the forum will provide an opportunity to exchange ideas on the changes shaping the media industry and on how the sector can prepare for what lies ahead.

Pedro Vargas David, Chairman of Euronews and CEO of Alpac Capital, said: “The future of media will be shaped by greater connectivity across markets, cultures and perspectives. Euronews is proud to contribute its international and European experience to the Arab Media Summit and to engage with media leaders from across the region and beyond. We look forward to a meaningful exchange on how our industry can innovate while continuing to serve audiences with trusted, relevant journalism.” His participation as a speaker had already been announced by the Dubai Press Club on 27 August 2026, when Al Marri described Euronews as adding an important European dimension to the summit; the forum itself is the new element.

The session titles, the speakers and the hall of the Euronews Forum had not been published at the time of writing. Registration for the summit is handled by the Dubai Press Club through its website.

Who Euronews is: ownership, reach and a Dubai bureau

Euronews was launched in 1993 as a pan-European news channel. In July 2022 Alpac Capital, an investment fund manager based in Portugal and led by Pedro Vargas David, completed the purchase of an 88% stake from Media Globe Networks, the holding of the Egyptian businessman Naguib Sawiris. The network’s corporate page now lists Alpac Capital with 97.6% of the shares and minority shareholders that include the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation (ADMIC), Morocco’s SNRT and Malta’s PBS. Euronews lists 12 bureaus outside its affiliate network, among them Dubai and Doha, so the network already reports from the Gulf and has an Abu Dhabi investor on its shareholder register.

Sources: organisers’ release via WAM and Gulf News of 6 September 2026; Euronews corporate information; Broadband TV News of 5 July 2022.

The 2026 programme: eight specialised forums under one roof

The Arab Media Summit grew out of the Arab Media Forum, first held in 2001, and is organised by the Dubai Press Club, part of the Dubai Media Council. The 2026 edition was first announced in July 2025 for 31 March to 2 April 2026 and now takes place on 15 to 17 September 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre, the venue of the 2025 edition. In February 2026 the Dubai Press Club described the programme as around 10 forums under one umbrella; in July 2026 it spoke of 10 forums over three days and about 6,000 participants; the announcement of 6 September lists eight specialised forums alongside several international media forums. The summit falls in the middle of the September 2026 season of business exhibitions and forums in the UAE, a week after AIM Congress 2026 at the same venue on 7 to 9 September.

Sources: Dubai Media Office releases of 14 July 2025, 9 February 2026 and 26 August 2026; WAM of 28 July, 1 September and 6 September 2026.

How the summit compares with 2025

Sources: Dubai Media Office of 14 July 2025; WAM of 28 July and 6 September 2026. The organisers describe the 2026 edition as the largest to date; the 2026 participant figure is a forecast published before the event.

Dubai as a media market: the numbers behind the summit

The summit is the annual gathering of an industry that is physically based in Dubai’s free zones. Dubai Media City marked 25 years in January 2026: TECOM Group’s media cluster of Dubai Media City, Dubai Production City and Dubai Studio City serves more than 4,000 companies and more than 40,000 creative professionals and houses more than 60% of the Fortune 500 companies in the media sector, according to the Dubai Media Office release of 27 January 2026. The same release gives the 2024 figures for the cultural and creative sectors in Dubai: 971 greenfield foreign direct investment projects, AED 18.86 billion of capital inflows and 23,517 new jobs. The in5 Media incubator has supported more than 1,100 start-ups since 2013, which raised more than AED 9 billion in funding, and Dubai Studio City reported more than 12,000 hours of original content produced in the previous two years. The gaming side of the programme rests on the same base: Dubai brought 495 gaming companies to its Gamescom 2026 pavilion.

Federal regulation has changed in parallel. Federal Decree-Law No. 55 of 2023 on media regulation is administered by the UAE Media Council. Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025, in force since 29 May 2025, sets administrative fines for violations of the media content standards from AED 5,000 to AED 1 million, doubled for a repeat violation within a year. Since 1 February 2026 anyone who publishes promotional content from within the UAE, paid or unpaid and regardless of follower count, needs an Advertiser Permit from the UAE Media Council. The permit is free for the first three years for citizens and residents and renewable for AED 1,000 a year from the fourth year; visiting creators obtain a three-month permit through a licensed UAE agency, for AED 500 according to the Gulf News explainer. By September 2025 the council had issued more than 1,800 permits to applicants from 75 countries. Applications go through the council’s portal with UAE Pass and are reviewed within three working days.

What the Euronews Forum means for a media or content business in the UAE

The forum itself is one day of sessions; its practical value for a company lies in what surrounds it. Three days at Dubai World Trade Centre bring together broadcasters, publishers, government communication offices, platforms, production companies and advertisers from 26 or more countries, and the 2026 programme adds a European news network with a Dubai bureau, Reuters, the Financial Times and the government communication track. For a production studio, advertising or PR agency, publisher or content business from the CIS that serves Gulf clients or plans to, the summit is a way to meet the buyers and regulators of this market in one place. The following points are what such a company should have in order before September.

• Registration. Registration is handled by the Dubai Press Club; the Government Communication Forum is on 15 September and the Euronews Forum on 16 September. The programme of the summit has changed twice since July 2025, so check the dates on the organiser’s channels before booking travel.
• A licence with media activities. Advertising, content production, publishing, event management and media consultancy are licensed activities. Media businesses in Dubai are typically registered in Dubai Media City, Dubai Production City or Dubai Studio City, in Sharjah Media City or in the twofour54 zone in Abu Dhabi, or on the mainland with a Department of Economy and Tourism licence; the choice depends on the client base, the need for a physical studio and the visa quota.
• The Advertiser Permit is personal. A company licence covers the business; a founder, presenter or employee who promotes third-party products or services on a personal account needs the Advertiser Permit as well, and a creator who visits the UAE for a campaign needs the three-month permit through a licensed agency.
• Content standards. The fines under Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025 apply to the publisher of the content; agencies working for UAE clients should build the review into their production process.
• Banking. A media company’s income arrives from advertising networks, platform payouts and foreign clients; banks in the UAE ask for the contracts, invoices and payout statements behind such flows, and the file should be ready before the account application.
• People. Employees are sponsored by the licensing zone; the UAE also runs the GulfGotTalents platform for hiring creative professionals.
• Calendar. The summit is followed by Dubai Future Week on 18 to 21 November 2026; a company that plans one trip for both should book early.

How Atlant Capital can help

Atlant Capital works with founders from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and the wider CIS who set up and run companies in the UAE. For a media, advertising, production or content business we handle company registration on the mainland or in a free zone, including the media free zones of Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, the choice of licensed activities and the office or studio option that fits the plan; opening a corporate bank account with a file that explains advertising and platform revenue to the bank; and work visas and residency for founders, presenters and staff. Bookkeeping, audit, VAT and corporate tax filings are carried out by licensed accounting firms from our partner network. If the plan starts with a visit to the Arab Media Summit, we can prepare the licence and permit checklist before the trip so that the first meetings at Dubai World Trade Centre lead to contracts a company is entitled to sign.

Conclusion

On 16 September 2026 Euronews will hold its forum outside Europe for the first time, at the Arab Media Summit in Dubai, with a network that reaches more than 430 million households in 166 countries and already keeps a bureau in the city. The summit around it has grown from the Arab Media Forum of 2001 to eight specialised forums with Reuters, the Financial Times and a government communication track, and it sits in a market where the media cluster employs more than 40,000 professionals and where, since 1 February 2026, every promotional post needs a permit. For a company that wants a share of this market the requirements are known in advance: a licence with the right activities, an Advertiser Permit for the people who publish, a bank file that explains the revenue and visas for the team.

FAQ

When and where is the Euronews Forum at the Arab Media Summit 2026?

The Euronews Forum takes place on the second day of the Arab Media Summit 2026, Wednesday 16 September 2026, at Dubai World Trade Centre; the summit itself runs from 15 to 17 September 2026. It is the first edition of the forum outside Europe and is organised by Euronews. The session titles and speakers had not been published by 7 September 2026; registration for the summit goes through the Dubai Press Club.

How big is the Arab Media Summit?

The 2025 edition, held on 26 to 28 May 2025 at Dubai World Trade Centre, drew more than 8,000 participants from 26 countries, 175 sessions and nearly 300 speakers, according to the Dubai Media Office. For 2026 the organisers announce eight specialised forums plus international forums with Reuters and the Financial Times, describe the edition as the largest to date and expected around 6,000 participants as of July 2026. The summit grew out of the Arab Media Forum, first held in 2001.

Who owns Euronews and how large is its audience?

Alpac Capital, a Portuguese investment fund manager led by Pedro Vargas David, bought 88% of Euronews in July 2022 and now holds 97.6%; minority shareholders include the Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corporation, Morocco’s SNRT and Malta’s PBS. According to the organisers’ release of 6 September 2026, Euronews publishes in 21 languages, is available on television in more than 430 million households in 166 countries and recorded 1.83 billion video views and 1.4 billion page views in 2025.

Do I need a permit to publish promotional content in the UAE?

Yes. Since 1 February 2026 anyone who publishes paid or unpaid promotional content from within the UAE needs an Advertiser Permit from the UAE Media Council, regardless of follower count. For citizens and residents the permit is free for the first three years and costs AED 1,000 a year from the fourth year; visiting creators obtain a three-month permit through a licensed UAE agency. Content violations are fined under Cabinet Resolution No. 42 of 2025 at AED 5,000 to AED 1 million, doubled for a repeat within a year.