Abu Dhabi TV

Abu Dhabi TV is an Emirates-based television channel that was originally launched in 1969. It broadcasts content from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and is owned by Abu Dhabi Media.
Abu Dhabi TV is managed by the Abu Dhabi Media. It is managed through its previous attachment to the Ministry of Information and Culture since 1999 and current attachment to Abu Dhabi Media since February 2006, when the ministry was scrapped.
Abu Dhabi TV presents news bulletins every three hours. Abu Dhabi TV broadcasts content throughout the Arab World, North America, Europe, South America, and Australia.
History and Re-Branding
Abu Dhabi Television started grayscale broadcasts on 4 August 1969, later adopting the PAL format for color broadcasting on 4 December 1974. The station was only carried terrestrially in the United Arab Emirates for its first 23 years on the air. The Abu Dhabi TV satellite channel began regular broadcasts on 15 November 1992 on Arabsat A1; broadcasts were later transferred to Arabsat A2. The network also began to be carried through the entire Arabian Peninsula at that time.
The network was rebranded on 30 January 2000 as a service aimed at the Arabic-speaking diaspora. Under this format, the channel began carrying a wide range of news programs, as well as entertainment programs catered to Arabic audiences; as a result, it began to become competitive against rival networks MBC and Dubai TV. One of the network's most popular programs was the game show Waznak Dahab; the program premiered on 16 September 2002 and was canceled in early 2003 due to the invasion of Iraq by the United States, which resulted in the beginning of the Iraq War.
On 6 October 2008, Abu Dhabi TV (then-renamed Abu Dhabi Al Oula) was re-branded with a new logo, theme and new original programming content. This re-branding involved the launches of an online website involving catch-ups of television programs and a 1080i high definition broadcast channel; which then featured bespoke idents in contrast to the standard-definition cast. The new themes were produced by graphic designer Lambie Nairn and the soundtrack was made by David Lowe, who produced the famous BBC News themes. The rebrand also involved the launch of 'Abu Dhabi Sports', a group of eight sister channels (broadcast in either Arabic or English) with the inclusion of 'EDGE Sports' and 'YAS Sports'; all of which are currently broadcast 24/7.
In the same year, President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a decree ordering Abu Dhabi TV to be established as a public joint-stock company that is wholly owned by the government of Abu Dhabi.
In 2009, Abu Dhabi Media relaunched and rebranded 'Emirates TV' as 'Abu Dhabi Al Emarat' after acquiring the network in 2007. Additionally, a UAE-based channel of National Geographic was launched on 1 July of the same year.
On 5 April 2010, the sister channel Abu Dhabi Drama was launched, offering free-to-air broadcasts of drama and soap opera television programs broadcast 24/7 without advertisement breaks. On 13 February 2012, Abu Dhabi TV shut down its analogue broadcasts on terrestrial television and began broadcasting solely in high definition while existing standard definition casts were down-converted.
On 22 March 2015, the network was once again rebranded back to the 'Abu Dhabi TV' name with a brand new logo and identity.
On 19 February 2020, Abu Dhabi TV unveiled its new logo after 5 years in use. It is now co-owned by the National Geographic Society/The Walt Disney Company & Abu Dhabi Media Company. The latter is also responsible for launching the Arabic version of the National Geographic magazine.
Programming
Mission Everest - The UAE Military Team
Global Village, & Every Emirati's Son
News and current affairs
‘Ulūm ad-Dār
Soap operas
Turkish
Valley of the Wolves
Animated shows
Avengers Assemble
Guardians of the Galaxy
Sister channels
Abu Dhabi TV is additionally paired with sister channels such as Abu Dhabi Al Emarat (Emirates TV), Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya (Abu Dhabi Sports TV), "Abu Dhabi Drama" (Abu Dhabi Drama TV) and Abu Dhabi Al Oula +1, a 1 hour time shifted variant of the station.
References
External links
Television channels and stations established in 1969
Television stations in the United Arab Emirates
Arabic-language television stations
Mass media in Abu Dhabi
Television companies of the United Arab Emirates
Foreign television channels broadcasting in the United Kingdom
1969 establishments in the Trucial States
State media
Publicly funded broadcasters