Multi-year deal will see the two companies develop and co-produce premium original series DUBAI: MBC Group and MGM International TV Productions have signed a multi-year deal to develop and co-produce premium original series. Variety magazine reported that the shows will air exclusively on MBC’s streaming platform Shahid in the Middle East, while MGM handles distribution for other markets. “MBC Group is uniquely positioned to tell stories that will combine regional focus with global interest,” Sheikh Waleed bin Ibrahim Al-Ibrahim, chairman of MBC Group, told Variety. This is not the first collaboration between the two companies. They recently partnered on MGM shows “Last Night” and “Billy the Kid,” which will air on MBC. Sam Barnett, CEO of MBC Group, added: “We have 30 years of experience telling stories that touch the lives of hundreds of millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa. Now with a great and global partner like MGM, we’re extending our reach beyond this region. “For centuries, audiences all over the world have been fascinated by the art and creativity of the Arabian culture — long before Scheherazade’s tales of ‘One Thousand and One Nights’ hit the screens globally,” added Rola Bauer, president of MGM International TV Productions. MBC Group has been expanding its reach across industries and territories. Recently, it signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s NEOM to establish the first AAA games development studio in the region. The group launched its streaming platform Shahid VIP in North America towards the end of 2020. It also plans to expand to a number of countries in Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, Jakob Mejlhede Andersen, then chief content officer of Shahid, told Arab News last year.