Making the Next Headlines

During Web Summit Qatar 2026, held from February 1–4, 244 interested leads expressed interest to join Media City Qatar over the four-day event, reflecting strong regional and international interest in establishing media and creative businesses in Qatar.

Applications submitted during the event benefited from exclusive incentives available only to Web Summit participants including the waiver of application fees, as well as initial and annual licensing fee waivers for the first three years. These incentives are enabled by Media City Qatar’s collaboration with Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2024. Through this collaboration, media companies pre-approved by Media City Qatar are registered through QFC, benefiting from a streamlined process that enables them to operate according to the relevant regulations while benefiting from summit-specific advantages.

Hamad Omar A. Al-Mannai, CEO of Media City Qatar, commented on the milestone, saying: “For another year, the level of interest we saw at Web Summit Qatar highlights Media City Qatar’s role as a destination for media and creative companies looking to establish and scale. This sustained momentum reflects confidence in our ecosystem and in Qatar as a place where ideas, talent, and businesses can grow. As these companies move through onboarding, they will contribute new capabilities, expertise, and economic value that strengthen our media sector and support Qatar’s broader diversification ambitions under Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Throughout the summit, Media City Qatar maintained an active presence sponsoring the Media Village for the third consecutive year and engaging directly with founders and companies through its booth at the Startup Qatar Pavilion, hosted by Invest Qatar.

From gaming and animation to content creation and production, Media City Qatar continues to attract companies contributing to a dynamic and evolving media ecosystem.