Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is cutting back on Arabic production out of the Middle East, according to local reports. The production unit is closing its operations in Beirut and scaling back output from Cairo and Dubai.

SPT Arabia’s president Zaid Kebbi is leaving, and his departure follows that Dany Karam, who left in December. Kebbi is one of the best-known producers in the region and had been at SPT Arabia for some 4 years. Previously he ran the local division of Endemol.

“After careful consideration, Sony Pictures Television has decided to restructure its Middle East production business, SPT Arabia,” the firm told trade mag TBI. “The production of Arabic-language content for the region remains a key focus for us, and we will continue to collaborate with independent producers and broadcasters in the market. Our distribution business is unaffected by this change and continues to be a supplier of premium content, including our library of Arabic-language programmes, throughout the region.”

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