‘Street Smarts 2’, the hugely successful reality television show currently airing on Infinity TV, the Middle East’s leading entertainment television network, has won a nomination in the ‘Best Reality TV Programme’ category for the first-ever pan-Arab Middle East Broadcasters’ (MEB) Awards 2007 to be held on March 21, 2007 in Beirut, Lebanon. The reality television show, now in its second season, has witnessed 400 percent explosion in the number of viewers as total number of SMS messages received per this season crosses 1 million mark.
Street Smarts 2 retains the format of the first season, wherein all the contestants of the show are split into two mixed teams and all judged on their expertise and skills through 15 intense and intellectually stimulating assignments in business, entertainment and creativity. Offering a prize-money of US$ 100,000, the action-packed show tests the expertise and skills of 16 young Arab male and female contestants, and the winner is the contestant who successfully completes all assignments and survives the voting of the audience and the judgment of the jury panel at the end of 33 episodes.
“Street Smarts 2 is truly a unique show in the region and we are delighted to have been nominated for an award at the MEB Awards 2007. This honour recognises the uniqueness of the show’s concept and its excellent execution, which has made Street Smarts 2 the most popular reality programme on air today,” said Ziad Batal, Executive Producer, Media Group.
“The response from viewers has been growing every week as seen from the overwhelming number of SMS text messages we receive over the course of each successive episode. We are halfway into Street Smarts 2 and we have already begun preparations for the third season.” he added
The Middle East Broadcasters’ Awards 2007 is the first professional awards ceremony in the region, launched to honour and encourage excellence in production and broadcasting. Relying on a two-stage selection process and involving over 2,000 MEB Association members from across the region, the Awards aim to recognise leading industry players with an underlying objective of raising the standards of television broadcast and production in the region. Entries from over 200 television stations spread across the 22 Arab countries will be judged in 33 categories and the winners will be awarded with Mebbys, gold-plated statuettes that have been designed by R.S. Owen, designers of the Oscars and the Emmys awards.
With 15 more episodes to go in the 33-episode series, 8 contestants in all remaining from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Jordan and Morocco are left in the fray for the huge prize money.
“Audiences in the Middle East have responded positively to Street Smarts 2, which offers a welcome change from the traditional kind of entertainment they are accustomed to viewing. The show goes beyond regular programming to create true leaders and entrepreneurs by encouraging contestants to push themselves to the limit and discover their own strengths and abilities, and this nomination is indicative of the support and recognition for the show,” said Taleen Kirresh, host and presenter of Street Smarts 2.
Launched in Dubai in October 2004, Infinity TV produces a variety of entertainment and educational programmes including films, sitcoms, documentaries, musicals, children’s and sports programmes that suit the tastes and preferences of different audience segments. The Dubai Media City-based television channel is broadcast free-to-air via Nile Sat, Hotbird and Arabsat.
Media Group is a leading producer of feature films as well as reality television programmes in the region and is behind the recent production. The company has also produced ‘Tarab Fashion’, UAE’s first feature film and which has elicited rave reviews both within the country and across the Arab world. Media Group Productions has a team of creative experts, writers and professional freelancers to handle every phase of production from concept to completion.
