With over 20 billion views worldwide and 21 million subscribers, Osratouna TV has established itself as the number one Arabic kids channel worldwide, with audiences spanning the GCC, North Africa and the global Arabic-speaking diaspora.

BBM Licensing will serve as the exclusive international licensing representative for Osratouna TV’s full character portfolio, driving brand partnerships across categories including toys and plush, publishing, apparel and retail, bedtime products, lifestyle accessories and immersive entertainment experiences.

“Osratouna TV is one of the most compelling licensing opportunities I have seen come out of the Arab world, and I would argue, out of the global kids’ content market in recent years,” said Amer Bitar, Founder & CEO at BBM Licensing.

“What this team has built is extraordinary: a media brand anchored by a truly loveable flagship character in Thaloob, with genuine emotional resonance, a proven audience of tens of millions, and a universe that translates seamlessly into consumer products. We are not introducing Osratouna TV to the licensing market; we are bringing a beloved brand home to retail shelves and living rooms around the world. We could not think of a better stage than Licensing Expo in Las Vegas to make that introduction.”

Abderrazak Bennadji, CEO at Osratouna TV, added: “Osratouna TV was born from a simple belief: that children in the Arab world deserve world-class entertainment that reflects their language, their stories, and their hearts. The response from millions of kids and families has been beyond anything we could have imagined.

“Partnering with BBM Licensing is a defining milestone in Osratouna TV’s journey, the moment our brand steps from the screen into children’s bedrooms, classrooms, and toy boxes worldwide. This is just the beginning of a global franchise built from the Arab world, for the world.”

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Studio 100 International has joined the event as an official sponsor.

“The Middle East continues to demonstrate strong appetite for high-quality children’s and family IP, supported by robust retail infrastructure and expanding entertainment ecosystems,” said Joachim Knödler, Head of Licensing at Studio 100 International.

“Licensing Horizons Dubai provides a focused and strategically relevant platform to engage with regional partners and explore sustainable long-term growth opportunities.”

Licensing Horizons has established itself as a high-level industry forum, connecting brand owners and rights holders with local manufacturers, retailers, experiential operators, and investors seeking structured entry into the Middle East market.

Philippe Guinaudeau, CEO of BrandTrends, added: “The Middle East licensing landscape is evolving rapidly, with increasing sophistication from both rights holders and regional partners. Studio 100 International’s sponsorship reflects the caliber of global players now prioritizing the region as part of their international growth strategy.”

The 2026 event will focus on actionable frameworks for market entry, licensing strategy sequencing, retail alignment, cultural intelligence and ecosystem building across Saudi Arabia, the UAE and broader GCC markets.

“Licensing Horizons is designed to bridge global IP with regional execution excellence,” said Amer Bitar, CEO of BBM Licensing.

“Studio 100 International’s participation reinforces the event’s positioning as the gateway for serious rights holders looking to scale in the Middle East through structured licensing models.”

Registration for Licensing Horizons Dubai 2026 is now open. You can register your interest at https://www.licensinghorizons.com/.

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We discussed it with Licensing International, and they agreed to support it, so we hosted the first event in Dubai back in 2023. It was a small but successful one-day conference. We invited a few people to speak and facilitated networking between global brands and executives. And now it’s an annual event in Dubai that focuses on the Middle East.

And last year saw you launch a second event in Saudi Arabia?
Yes, we had started to get more interest in the Saudi market, which is a bit different to Dubai. So last year we launched a Licensing Horizons event in Saudi, just focused on the Saudi market. It took place in Riyadh and was very successful. We want to do more, and find more ways to help local brands, especially in Saudi, to go global. As an event I think it has lots of potential.

Very exciting. And does this feed into the activity around Vision 2030 – the Saudi government initiative that looks to diversify the country’s economy, society and culture?
Yes, lots of big brands now are coming to Saudi to invest – especially now the infrastructure is being built to support different events and initiatives. It’s the same across the wider region – Disney is launching a park in Abu Dhabi. So there’s lots of potential there – we just need to educate local industry about the power of licensing and how they can grow their business through licensing.

Would you like to see more creative agencies attend Licensing Horizons?
Absolutely. Look at Dubai, it is home to lots of big media creative agencies. And they do need to cultivate their own local talent, but there’s exciting opportunities for creatives to engage with the region. And it’s important that creative for this region is authentic. The Bedouin culture is so strong, so we need to get that culture into the creative for this region. designs. But yes, we would love more creative agencies to attend the event as there’s lots of projects happening and opportunities in the region for them to engage with.

You mentioned Bedouin culture there. What are some of the other key differences around how licensing works in the Middle East compared to in Europe or the US?
It’s different, but Saudis love brands – and the Middle East is very much connected to what is going on around the world trend-wise, especially in Europe. That said, you need to adapt to the different culture. For example, the Middle East is very much a relationship culture – work between two parties is built on trust… Contracts don’t have any value if the trust isn’t there. This is so important to understand for brands coming from the West. This is part of what we’re trying to do with Licensing Horizons – educate global companies on how to work in the region.

Great. And when is the next event?
Our next Licensing Horizons Dubai takes place on March 24th. Anyone that would like to have a chat with me about that can reach me at amer.bitar@bbmlicensing.com. We will also soon announce the next Riyadh event, which will take place around October.

And Amer, to wrap up, how did you find your way into licensing?
Yes, in 2006 I joined Spacetoon Kids TV – one of the largest kids’ media groups at that time in the Middle East. I moved to Dubai to head up that operation, handling growing content monetization, licensing among other things. Then I moved to a Japanese agency called Animation International – I established their operation in the Middle East, Turkey, and Pakistan at that time. I worked with them to introduce brands like Captain Tsubasa and Doraemon to the region. Then I joined WWE – so a big shift to sports entertainment. We signed a big deal with Saudi during that time and I think WWE was one of the first entertainment brands to become part of the Vision 2030 initiative there.

In 2022, I started an agency called Markettcom and we worked with brands like the Met, TGI Fridays and a few other brands. Earlier this year, I sold it to my partner and an investment firm who acquired it, so I started again with BBM Licensing, a brand management and licensing agency.

Also, I do research around brands. There’s a project we started two years ago called The Authenticity Formula with a researcher based in Germany called John Lam. We are working on a book that soon will be published by Palgrave Macmillan this summer. It’s about how to keep brands authentic when they move into another culture.

We’ll keep an eye out for that. Thanks again Amer.

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Licensing Horizons is a regional licensing business forum dedicated to advancing the licensing, entertainment, and brand partnership sectors across the Middle East and Africa.

Co-founded by BBM Licensing and BrandTrends, Licensing Horizons has hosted four editions – Dubai 2023, Dubai 2024, Dubai 2025 and Riyadh 2025.

The Riyadh event, hosted last month and deemed Saudi Arabia’s first licensing event, was organised by the Saudi-French Business Council in collaboration with BrandTrends, BBM Licensing, Licensing Horizons, and Licensing International.

The day looked at how brand licensing can fuel growth across Saudi Arabia’s evolving economy, with sessions including ‘Think Global, Act Local: Does Authenticity Drive Licensing Success?’ and ‘Location-Based Entertainment and Its Future in Saudi Arabia’.

The event was supported by Licensing International, represented by President & CEO Maura J. Regan, and Licensing International France, represented by Laurent Taieb.

“Licensing Horizons gives the Middle East its own stage in the global licensing community,” said Amer Bitar, CEO of BBM Licensing and Co-Founder of Licensing Horizons.

“Riyadh is the natural next step. Under Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia is becoming the region’s creative growth engine – this marks the beginning of a new IP era.”

Philippe Guinaudeau, CEO of BrandTrends and Co-Founder of Licensing Horizons, added: “Our mission has always been to connect global creativity with regional ambition. Bringing the forum to Riyadh was essential – the Kingdom now embodies the innovation, energy, and openness that define the future of licensing in the Middle East.”

In 2026, Licensing Horizons Dubai will take place in the first half of the year, with Licensing Horizons Riyadh hosted in the second half of the year.

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“This partnership presents endless possibilities for innovation around masterpieces from the MFA’s rich holdings,” said Debra LaKind, Senior Director, Intellectual Property & Business Development at the MFA.

“We’re excited about the opportunities to create inspiring, contemporary narratives about our works of art and connecting to new audiences in the Middle East – a region with longstanding appreciation for arts and culture.”

The licensing program will focus on developing consumer products, retail experiences and lifestyle collaborations that ‘celebrate the Museum’s artistic legacy in new and exciting ways’. Product categories will include home décor, apparel, stationery, collectibles, and more.

“We’re honoured to represent the MFA in the Middle East,” said Amer Bitar, CEO of BBM Licensing.

“This partnership creates exciting opportunities to bridge history and innovation, offering consumers and retailers alike a new way to engage with world-class art in their daily lives.”

Julie Newman, CEO of Jewel Branding & Licensing, added: “Our goal is to help partners tell compelling stories through product. The MFA’s vast collection is a treasure trove of inspiration, and we’re thrilled to support its global expansion with trusted regional partners.”

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