How will the likes of Justin Timberlake and Rihanna go down in a region that's not exactly brimming with goodwill toward Americans? Better than you might think. Middle Eastern youth may not agree with U.S. politics, but they can't get enough of Western music and fashion. "The myth about the Arab world is that people go to bed at night hating the U.S. and wake up hating Israel," says James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, a think tank in Washington. "But go to any mall in Saudi Arabia, and you'll see kids in jeans and baseball caps hanging out at Starbucks (SBUX) and McDonald's (MCD). Globalization is real."For Viacom, MTV Arabia is just the beginning. The region is attractive because it's awash in petrodollars and two-thirds of the population is under 25. Viacom has signed a 10-year licensing deal between MTV Networks and Tecom Investments, controlled by Dubai's ruler. On Oct. 12, Viacom planned to announce another decade-long licensing deal with Tecom for children's channel Nickelodeon Arabia. That's set for the second half of 2008, and the company reckons an Arabic version of Comedy Central won't be far behind. Also under discussion: Paramount Pictures productions in the region and licensing of Nick's characters for clothing, toys, and games. "The Middle East may be the world's most underappreciated growth story," says Viacom (VIA) Chairman Sumner M. Redstone.
Our pop culture is like the Borg. Resistance is futile.
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