Multiply Group Lights up the World With the Launch of Multiply Media Group, Creating a Media Powerhouse Headquartered in the UAE

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 6, 2025--

Multiply Group (ADX: MULTIPLY), the Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company, today launches Multiply Media Group (MMG), uniting the three market-leading out-of-home (OOH) companies under its portfolio to create a new media powerhouse headquartered in the UAE. The combination of BackLite Media, Viola Media and Media 247 under Multiply Media Group represents a significant move that will shape the future of tech-enabled media in the UAE and beyond.

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Samia Bouazza, GCEO and Managing Director of Multiply Group, said: “The launch of Multiply Media Group represents the most significant media consolidations in the UAE. By bringing together market-leading media assets under a single AI & tech-driven group, we are reinforcing our commitment to long-term value creation and shareholder returns. MMG lays a strong foundation for our global ambitionsand forward-looking investment strategy.”

MMG was launched at the World Out of Home Organization (WOO) Annual Congress in Mexico City, and simultaneously it lit up the world through a global takeover across key DOOH media, illuminating cities and screens worldwide with its bold presence. The move reflects the global expansion of Multiply Group, the $7.2 billion holding company, which is part of IHC, the most valuable holding company in the Middle East with a market cap of over $240 billion. The newly consolidated group will serve as a launchpad to capture regional and international opportunities arising in the media sector through MMG portfolio businesses.

MMG will drive performance and innovation across the OOH media sector, reshaping the UAE’s media landscape through scale, AI, and strategic partnerships. To achieve its mission, MMG will invest in high-potential media assets, catalyse growth with innovation and create synergies across its portfolio through strategic investments.

Jawad Hassan, Head of Media and Communications Vertical at Multiply Group, said : “For several years, Multiply Group’s ambitious growth strategy for the media sector has taken us from an integrated portfolio of three industry leaders to a media powerhouse with vast potential to redefine the entire regional media landscape in ways that will bring immediate impact and long-term value for clients. Through MMG, we stand ready to embrace the emerging trends in our industry, particularly the transformative role of AI, and we will continually look to invest in technologies that enable us to create dynamic and innovative campaigns.”

The scale of MMG includes 3,000 advertising units across the UAE, including 75+ premium assets on Dubai’s Sheikh Zayed Road, which are backed by long-term partnership agreements with the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) (Mada Media) in Dubai and The Department of Municipalities & Transport (DMT) in Abu Dhabi.

James Bicknell, CEO of Multiply Media Group, said: “Multiply Media Group launches as a transformative force in out of home media — a powerhouse that unites some of the region’s most strategic media assets under one bold vision. With MMG, we are not simply scaling up — we are scaling intelligently. Our mandate is clear: deliver context at scale, and reach audiences where it truly matters, when it matters most. MMG is engineered to be agile, data-led, and deeply integrated, enabling our clients to engage audiences with greater relevance, responsiveness, and resonance than ever before. This is more than media — it’s momentum.”

The launch of MMG follows a recent strategic agreement between Multiply Group’s media vertical and Al Arabia, Arabian Contracting Services Company (Al Arabia) to create a joint venture (JV) to invest in the global out-of-home (OOH) advertising sector. Multiply Group, also announced a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saudi Media Company (SMC) – with these two strategic moves underscoring the global expansion potential of Multiply’s portfolio brands.

Multiply Group’s other media holdings include Yieldmo, a contextual mobile ads platform, and Firefly, North America’s leading digital Taxi-Top company. The group completed the acquisition of Viola Communications, a marketing and communications firm, in 2021.

ABOUT MULTIPLY GROUP

Multiply Group PJSC is an Abu Dhabi-based investment holding company that globally invests and operates in transformative, cash-generating businesses.

Known for its trademark growth mindset, Multiply Group will continue to deploy capital across its two distinct arms, both of which follow a disciplined approach to investing and ensure consistent, sustainable value creation for our shareholders in the short-, medium- and long-term:

Multiply, the investments and operations in long-term strategic verticals, currently investing and operating in Mobility, Energy & Utilities, Media & Communications, Wellness & Beauty, and Retail & Apparel. Anchor investments provide long-term recurring income, through which bolt-on acquisitions are made.

Multiply+, the Group further engages in opportunistic, sector-agnostic investments, via mainly minority stakes in private and public markets.

For more information, visit www.multiply.ae

ABOUT Multiply Media Group

Multiply Media Group (MMG) is a media powerhouse committed to driving performance and innovation across the sector. Our ambition is limitless, but our approach is precise. We invest in high-potential media assets, catalyse growth through innovation, and create synergy across our portfolio through strategic investment and smart leadership.

MMG includes BackLite Media, Viola Media, Media 247, and Purple Printing. Together, they form an integrated ecosystem built to deliver scale, precision, and sustained value.

MMG provides the clarity required to lead meaningful transformation in the industry. Through targeted investment in technology, talent, and innovation, we develop future-ready products and services — anticipating client needs before they emerge. By aligning capabilities across the group, we multiply impact, accelerate innovation, and drive long-term growth.

More impact. More innovation. Greater momentum.

For more information, visit www.mmg.global

Source:AETOSWire

Multiply Group lights up the world with the launch of Multiply Media Group, creating a media powerhouse headquartered in the UAE (Photo: AETOSWire)

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of fatally shooting a man and his girlfriend during a home invasion robbery was put to death Thursday evening in a record 19th execution in Florida this year.

Frank Athen Walls, 58, was pronounced dead at 6:11 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Walls was convicted of two counts of murder, two counts of kidnapping, burglary and theft and sentenced to death in 1988. The Florida Supreme Court later reversed the conviction and ordered a new trial, and Walls was again convicted and sentenced to death in 1992.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Republican who signed the death warrant, has ordered more executions in a single year than any Florida governor since the death penalty was reinstated in the U.S. in 1976. The previous state record was eight executions in 2014. DeSantis said earlier this year that his goal is to bring justice to victims’ families who have waited decades for the death sentences to be carried out.

Court records indicate Walls broke into the Florida Panhandle mobile home of Eglin Air Force Base airman Edward Alger and his girlfriend, Ann Peterson, in July 1987. Walls tied the couple up, but Alger managed to break free and attack Walls. Walls cut Alger’s throat and then shot him in the head when the airman continued to fight. Walls then attacked Peterson and shot her as she struggled.

Walls was arrested the day after the bodies were found when his roommate tipped off police about Walls’ odd behavior. During a search of the home, investigators reported finding items from the crime scene, and Walls later admitted to the killings.

After Walls' conviction, DNA evidence linked him to the May 1987 rape and killing of a woman, Audrey Gygi. Walls pleaded no contest, avoiding another trial and possible death sentence. Walls also admitted responsibility for the killings of Tommie Lou Whiddon in March 1985 and Cynthia Sue Condra in September 1986 as part of a deal with prosecutors.

The U.S. Supreme Court denied Walls’ request for a stay of execution on Thursday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Walls met with one visitor as well as a spiritual adviser and had a meal of steak, chicken and cheesecake, authorities said.

Including Walls, a total of 47 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and more than a dozen other people are scheduled to be put to death in 2026. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas with five each.

All Florida executions are carried out by an injection using a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.

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This undated photo provided by the Florida Department of Corrections shows Frank Athen Walls. (Florida Department of Correction via AP)