Future Television (
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
: تلفزيون المستقبل,
Televiziyon Al Mustaqbal) a television station broadcasting from
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
. It was founded in 1993 by the late
Rafik HaririRafik Bahaa El Deen Al-Hariri — , , a self-made billionaire and business tycoon, was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004. He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. Future TV is also available via satellite in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Politically, the channel supports the views of the Future Movement. The channel has also a sister channel,
Future NewsFuture News is a 24-hour news channel. It is a sister channel to Future Television. It was launched on December 9, 2007. The channel offers not just political news, but it also offers social, documentary and financial shows. The channel openly supports the views of the Future Movement...
. Future Television was forced into closing on May 9, during the 2008 Lebanon conflict.
Future Television (
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
: تلفزيون المستقبل,
Televiziyon Al Mustaqbal) a television station broadcasting from
LebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of Lebanon
[Republic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies...]
. It was founded in 1993 by the late
Rafik HaririRafik Bahaa El Deen Al-Hariri — , , a self-made billionaire and business tycoon, was the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004. He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
, a former Prime Minister of Lebanon. Future TV is also available via satellite in Europe, the United States, Canada, and Australia. Politically, the channel supports the views of the Future Movement. The channel has also a sister channel,
Future NewsFuture News is a 24-hour news channel. It is a sister channel to Future Television. It was launched on December 9, 2007. The channel offers not just political news, but it also offers social, documentary and financial shows. The channel openly supports the views of the Future Movement...
. Future Television was forced into closing on May 9, during the 2008 Lebanon conflict. After moving its broadcasting headquarters, the station was back on the air on May 13 at 4:30 p.m (Lebanese Local Time). On May 16, the station went back to its original offices.
History
Future Television is a Lebanese owned and operated company founded in 1993. First launched in Lebanon on February 15, 1993, Future Television, although the youngest of the Lebanese stations back then, became the nation’s fastest growing station. Supported by a large capital, advanced technology, wide coverage and an excellent image quality, Future Television triggered competition on all fronts in the Lebanese TV market.
In the beginning of a post-war epoch, it tried to provide a new outlook for the Lebanese public. For that, Future Television took off with a sweeping reputation for an eccentric funky look, extensive family programming, an Oriental-Western promotional blend and a diversity of public awareness messages; all in all, an optimistic view of the future.
On October 1994, Future Television started a trial satellite broadcasting over the footprint of
ArabsatThe Arab Satellite Communications Organization is a leading communications satellite operator in the Arab World, headquartered in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Arabsat owns and operates five satellites platforms at orbital positions 26° and 30.5° East...
1D. The testing period lasted two months and left an audience, mostly in the Arab World, asking for more. Shortly after, following the success of the initial experiment, Future International was launched on the Arabsat 2A transponder. Since the very beginning, it has successfully maintained two important characteristics: (1) preservation of our Lebanese identity and (2) quality production rather than easy-to-market production.
Quckly Future International grew to become one of the leading Arab satellite stations gathering the highest audience ratings in the Gulf, Egypt and the Levant. Ever since, Future International has been an 24 hour open window to Lebanon for the Arab world, North Africa, and South Europe. Like Future Television, Future International is a family TV that promotes Lebanon as a place for reconstruction, civilization, prosperity, coexistence, fun and good times.
In 1996, in compliance with the new Lebanese audio visual law, Future Television restructured its ownership. Future Television presently has around 90 new shareholders, all from the Lebanese business, social and media elite.
Future Television was the first Lebanese Television company to establish a presence online in March 1996. With an increasing number of daily hits, website continues to be a reliable reference for Future Television viewers and fans worldwide on one hand, and a connection linking Lebanese abroad to their mother country on the other.
Future Television brands
- Future TV Terrestrial: A localized channel dedicated to the whole Lebanese
The Lebanese people are an ethnic group or nation of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state...
family.
- Future News
Future News is a 24-hour news channel. It is a sister channel to Future Television. It was launched on December 9, 2007. The channel offers not just political news, but it also offers social, documentary and financial shows. The channel openly supports the views of the Future Movement...
: A localised news channel.
- Future TV International: The channel is dedicated to Lebanese
The Lebanese people are an ethnic group or nation of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state...
citizens in the Arab WorldThe Arab World refers to Arabic-speaking countries stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast...
& EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
- Future TV America & Australia: The channel is dedicated to Lebanese
The Lebanese people are an ethnic group or nation of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state...
citizens in AmericaThe Americas, or America, are lands in the Western hemisphere or New World, comprising the continents of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions. America may be ambiguous in English, as it is more commonly used to refer to the United States of America...
and AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
.
Defunct brands
- Zein TV: This channel had programs aimed at a younger adult audience, with discussions and content relevant to Lebanese youth. Reasons for shutting down this channel remain unclear.
Popular programs
Future TV has produced many popular programs including
SuperStarSuper Star is an Arabic television show based on the popular British show Pop Idol created by Simon Fuller's 19 Entertainment & developed by Fremantle Media. The show unites the Arab community by democratically choosing the next singing sensation. The show is broadcast worldwide on Future TV, a...
(Arabic version of
Pop IdolPop Idol is a British television series which debuted on ITV on 5 October 2001; the show was a talent contest to decide the best new young pop singer, or 'pop idol', in the United Kingdom, based on viewer voting and participation...
), La Youmal (a comedy/skit show), Miss Elite Top Model, El Halka AlAd'af (Arabic version of
The Weakest LinkThe Weakest Link is a television quiz show which first appeared in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 14 August 2000. The original British version of the show airs around the world on BBC Entertainment and used to air on BBC America...
), El Fakh (Arabic version of The Trap) &
Alakhbar (News & weather) which is usually broadcast daily on different times in
ArabicArabic is a Central Semitic language, thus related to and classified alongside other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and the Neo-Aramaic languages. In terms of speakers, the Arabic macrolanguage is the largest member of the Semitic language family. It is spoken by more than 280 million people as...
,
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
, and even
ArmenianThe Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
.
Its most famous talk show is
Sireh wo infatahit (Arabic for
Open for Discussion) hosted by
Zaven KouyoumdjianZaven Kouyoumdjian is a well known Lebanese talk show host of both Armenian and Arab descent. His show, Sirée Wenfatahet , is the highest rated in the Middle East...
. The show, which discusses various social and political issues, is thought to be the highest rating talk show in the Arab World.
Future TV's longest running show is
Khaleek bill bait (Arabic for
Stay at Home) hosted by Zahi Wehbe. The show interviews artists and intellectuals from the Arab World. The show used to be co-hosted by Shahnaz Abdallah.
A new show called "Transit" presented by talented anchor Najat Sharafeddine airing Sunday nights on Future Television is competing with a lot of other "Media Talk shows" aired on Lebanese and Middleastern TV corporations.
Present
- Sahar El Khatib
- Mounir Hafi
- Zaven Kouyoumdjian
Zaven Kouyoumdjian is a well known Lebanese talk show host of both Armenian and Arab descent. His show, Sirée Wenfatahet , is the highest rated in the Middle East...
- Zahi Wehbe
- Salman Sarriyiddine
- Lina Doughan
- Najat Sharafeddin
- Youmna Tayyara
- Ali Hamade
|width=20%|
|width=20%|
|width=20%|
|}
External links