Dubai International Content Market

What Dubai International Content Market does

Dubai International Content Market (DICM) is a privately organized annual B2B content marketplace event held at Madinat Jumeirah Arena in Dubai, UAE, serving the Middle East and Africa (MEA) entertainment content industry. Established in 2008 and operated by INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Organization LLC, DICM delivers a two-day curated exhibition bringing together content producers, distributors, broadcasters, streaming platforms, co-producers, and service providers for pre-scheduled B2B meetings, exclusive screenings, panels, and structured networking. The event's named buyer and exhibitor base spans regional and global majors including MBC Group, OSN, Rotana, Shahid, Netflix, StarzPlay/LIONSGATE+, Zee Entertainment, and Globo.

DICM's core technology is the Content Business Hub, an online matchmaking platform that uses an algorithm to match participants by business interests and enables pre-scheduling of face-to-face meetings up to six weeks before the event. Supporting services include Producers Connect (co-production matching), DICM Ramadan Content (seasonal programming distribution), and a year-round webinar program. The Content Business Hub exposes access to 10,000+ hours of international and regional content and serves as the operational backbone for B2B deal flow before and during the event.

DICM's revenue model is event-driven and multi-stream. The business generates revenue from exhibition booth fees, buyer and co-producer registration fees, and tiered sponsorship packages (including Gold Sponsorship and co-production sponsorship tiers). Go-to-market is structured around annual direct enterprise sales with verified registration categories (Exhibitor, Buyer, Co-Producer, Service Provider), supplemented by international representation through country pavilions (e.g., KOCCA UAE) and an invited buyer network spanning MENA broadcasters and streamers. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Name

Dubai International Content Market

Legal name

Dubai International Content Market

Website

https://dicm.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Dubai International Content Market (DICM) is a privately organized annual two-day B2B marketplace event in Dubai for entertainment content producers, distributors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms targeting the MEA region, featuring pre-scheduled meetings, screenings, and the Content Business Hub matchmaking platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Exhibition and Sponsorship Fees: DICM generates revenue through exhibition booth fees, sponsorship packages, and participation fees from content producers, distributors, and service providers who want to showcase their content and services at the event. Additional revenue comes from co-producer and buyer registration fees.
2. Sponsorship Packages: Sponsorship packages offer maximum exposure before and during the event, with various tiers including Gold Sponsorship and co-production partnerships. Sponsors receive brand visibility through event materials, logos, and booth placements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DICM is an annual two-day B2B exhibition and marketplace for entertainment content held at Madinat Jumeirah Arena in Dubai, bringing together content producers, distributors, broadcasters, and streaming platforms for pre-scheduled meetings, exclusive screenings, and structured networking. The event offers access to 10,000+ hours of international and regional content and supports co-production matchmaking, content licensing, and distribution deals across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

Product overview

DICM is a single unified product—a two-day annual content marketplace event held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. The event serves as the leading international marketplace for entertainment content in the MEA region, bringing together regional and international stakeholders for content showcase, B2B meetings, and business deal-making. Supporting services include the Content Business Hub (online matchmaking platform for pre-scheduled meetings), Producers Connect (co-production matching), DICM Ramadan Content (seasonal content promotion), and DICM Agenda & Sessions (conference programming including keynotes, panels, and the Spotlight Stories pitching challenge).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DICM Annual Marketplace Event
• Content Business Hub

Quantifiable outcome

• Access to 10,000+ hours of international and regional content before and during the event
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• INDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Organization LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerINDEX Conferences & Exhibitions Organization LLC is the official organizer of DICM. They manage all aspects of event planning, venue coordination, participant registration, and logistics for the annual content market.
• KOCCA UAEstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerKorea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) UAE is a South Korean government office established in Dubai to promote and foster the Korean content industry in the Middle East and North Africa region. They organize a country pavilion at DICM.
• TRT (Turkish Radio Television Corporation)strategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTurkey's national public broadcaster, TRT is a Gold Sponsor of DICM and participates to promote Turkish content internationally. TRT has exported over 250 contents to over 100 countries.
• Relic HouseminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as a co-producer sponsor for DICM, providing content production services and participating as an exhibitor.
• Union MediastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerLebanese production and distribution company, Union Media participates as both an exhibitor and producer connection facilitator, with decade of experience in MENA region content.
• Animation Studios NetworkminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVarious animation studios from MENA region including Animation Plus Studio, Clear Pictures, and others participate in the exhibition to showcase children's and family content.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NATPE: North American content market and conference organized by the National Association of Television Program Executives. Closely comparable in serving broadcasters, streamers, and distributors for content acquisition and co-production, competing for overlapping global exhibitor base.
• Canneseries: Cannes-based international series festival and content market running alongside MIPCOM. Comparable in focusing on TV series content, with similar professional audiences of buyers, producers, and talent representatives.
• Series Mania: Lille, France-based international series festival and content market. Directly comparable in bringing together global producers, distributors, and platforms for series content deals and co-productions, with a similar boutique focus on premium drama content.
• Content London: London-based annual content market and conference for the international TV industry. Comparable B2B event format featuring pre-scheduled meetings, screenings, and conference programming targeting the same buyer/seller segments as DICM.
• European Film Market (EFM): Berlin-based film market running alongside the Berlinale. Comparable B2B event for buying, selling, and financing film content, drawing international buyers and producers from the same roster as DICM.
• American Film Market (AFM): Santa Monica-based annual film sales market. Directly comparable in facilitating international film content distribution and co-production, targeting similar independent producers and global buyers as DICM.
• MIPCOM / MIPJUNIOR: The flagship international content market held annually in Cannes by RX (Reed). Directly comparable B2B marketplace for buying, selling, and distributing TV/film content, drawing the same global buyers and sellers (Netflix, MBC, Globo) that participate at DICM.
• Content Americas: Miami-based content market serving Latin American and Hispanic U.S. buyers. Comparable B2B event format for content distribution, co-production, and licensing, attracting some of the same international sellers that participate at DICM (e.g., Globo).

Broad incumbents

• International Broadcasting Convention (IBC): Amsterdam-based broad media technology exhibition and conference. Larger-scale incumbent covering broadcast and media technology infrastructure alongside content; partially overlaps with DICM in serving MENA broadcasters and content professionals.

Regional players

• Asia Television Forum (ATF): Singapore-based content market serving the Asia-Pacific region. Comparable B2B content marketplace format targeting regional broadcasters and global producers; competes with DICM for international exhibitor attention by region but focuses on APAC rather than MEA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DICM_AE
• Instagraminstagram.com/indexhospitalityuae
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dicm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dubai International Content Market