SRMG and Bloomberg Media expand agreement to launch Asharq Quicktake and Bloomberg Invest in Riyadh

Asharq Quicktake targets Arabic-speakers across the Middle East. (SRMG/Supplied)
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Updated 09 January 2023
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SRMG and Bloomberg Media expand agreement to launch Asharq Quicktake and Bloomberg Invest in Riyadh

  • Arabic-language Asharq Quicktake will enable viewers to deep-dive into key topics covering business, technology, politics and culture through original programs and news coverage, primarily targeting youth
  • Bloomberg Invest Summit will bring together influential figures in global investing to discuss key topics for the first time in Saudi Arabia in October 2023

RIYADH: SRMG, the region’s largest media group, and Bloomberg Media have expanded their agreement with the launch of Asharq Quicktake, the Arabic edition of the Quicktake streaming news platform. Additionally, the Bloomberg Invest summit will be held for the first time in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in October 2023. The event will bring together influential figures in global investing. Further details on the agenda will be announced in the upcoming months.

The Asharq Quicktake platform will cover prominent international news, with a focus on business supported by Bloomberg’s data-driven business news. The new platform, which is targeted at youth and Arabic-speaking audiences across the Middle East and beyond, provides new offerings including original documentaries, news programs, data visualization and live coverage of global events in addition to translated original content from Bloomberg Quicktake.

The new addition to the Asharq Network will feature updates on the most important global and regional topics, while Asharq Business with Bloomberg will continue to cover in-depth financial and business news. In line with SRMG’s transformation strategy, the new online and social platform- which will be available on the Asharq Business with Bloomberg platform– will allow audiences to experience news in innovative formats, when and where they want it.

Jomana R. al Rashid, CEO of SRMG, said: “Our latest collaboration with Bloomberg Media builds on our successful venture - Asharq Business with Bloomberg - and demonstrates our vision to attract the best global platforms to the MENA region - enabling our youth audiences to gain access to high-quality premium content, information and analysis in the format that suits them. Asharq Quicktake is representative of our vision and is designed to provide innovative and rich content across multiple platforms.”

M. Scott Havens, CEO of Bloomberg Media said: “This launch demonstrates the strong appetite the region’s business communities have for high-quality business and financial news and analysis. We believe the Arabic-speaking audience will value Asharq Quicktake’s global insights.”

The latest announcement is an extension of the agreement between SRMG and Bloomberg Media, which included the launch of Asharq Business with Bloomberg- a platform providing curated news and analysis on the economy, markets, and companies in the Middle East for Arabic-speaking audiences.

Launched in November 2020, Asharq Network is a 24/7 multiplatform Arabic news network with reach across the Arab world and beyond under SRMG’s portfolio.


Google launches AI music model in English, Arabic

Updated 59 min 34 sec ago
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Google launches AI music model in English, Arabic

  • Lyria 3 lets users generate 30-second audio tracks via Gemini

DUBAI: Google has launched Lyria 3, a generative AI music model currently in final testing, that can be used via the Gemini website and app to create customized audio tracks.

Users can provide text prompts such as “an upbeat, modern Arabic fusion track for Ramadan” or “a massive, anthemic rock song with an emotive male singer.”

They can add images to their prompts and ask the model to generate a track that reflects the ideas within the pictures. They can also add lyrics or ask the model to generate them.

Lyria 3 then produces a 30-second track along with cover art generated by Google’s artificial intelligence image generator and editor, Nano Banana.

Google said the aim was not to create a musical masterpiece or for copying existing artists but to let users express themselves in unique ways. However, if a prompt specifies a particular artist, the model can draw inspiration their style while still creating an original track.

Lyria was launched in 2023 and is the company’s most advanced music generation model. SynthID, Google’s tool to watermark and identify AI-generated content, is embedded in all tracks it creates.

Users can also upload a file to check whether it was generated using Google AI. Gemini will examine it for SynthID and provide a response based on its analysis.

Lyria 3 is available in Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Hindi, Japanese, Korean and Portuguese, with more languages expected in the future. It will be available on the mobile app in the coming days.