With pressing issues from the climate emergency to the ongoing pandemic high on the agenda, CNN will begin comprehensive coverage of Expo 2020 Dubai this week, as leaders from the worlds of politics, business, and innovation convene there.
Beginning on Friday October 1st, and continuing regularly throughout the six-month event, CNN will bring a mix of live news shows, feature programming, and interactive digital content from the heart of the 1083-acre Expo site to audiences across the globe.
As an Official Broadcaster of Expo 2020 Dubai, the network will interview leaders, change-makers and innovators from the 192 participating nations and hundreds of organisations in attendance, and examine the ideas and potential solutions on display. This will include exploration of key themes and topics at the heart of Expo, such as Climate & Biodiversity, Space, Tolerance & Inclusivity, Knowledge & Learning, and Health & Wellness.
Anchor & Managing Editor of CNN Abu Dhabi, Becky Anderson, said: “Expo provides a timely forum to address some of the fundamental challenges we currently face, from the climate crisis and associated issues such as food security, through to education, women’s rights, trade, and the role of technology. It’s a focal point for diverse perspectives and discussion, and we’ll give our audiences a window into the important conversations taking place and the ideas being shared.”
In the opening week of the event, Connect the World with Becky Anderson will broadcast live from a bespoke studio at Expo, using the event’s opening theme of Climate & Biodiversity to bring in guests and reporting from around the world.
CNN International shows Quest Means Business, One World, and CNN Talk will also broadcast live from CNN’s Expo studio at key moments in the agenda. Anchor & Correspondent Eleni Giokos will anchor One World and report on-the-ground for the Africa Global Business Forum at Expo in October, and other CNN correspondents will play into the network’s coverage at key relevant points. Interviews with visiting newsmakers will also feed into other CNN shows.
Live broadcasting on CNN International begins this Friday, when Becky Anderson will host a scene-setting conversation with Her Excellency Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation & Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, and Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General. CNN Arabic will also live stream the opening ceremony, which will also be reported on as it happens on CNN.com.
CNN will also have a range of feature programming across TV and digital, including CNN Arabic, during the six month event, looking in-depth at some of the key Expo themes. These series include:
- Road to Expo – a series of reports throughout the opening week of Expo 2020 Dubai and a 30-minute show (airing on October 9th) looking at the complex journey that brought Expo to fruition, and examining the key themes behind the Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunity pavilions.
- Innovate – will explore the ideas and technological innovations that change the world we live in, airing in December.
- Eco Solutions – highlights the innovations, inspirations and collaborations that are building a more sustainable future, airing in January.
- Tomorrow Transformed: Beyond Expo 2020 – will see CNN speaking with the world’s sharpest minds and looking at how Expo has contributed to shaping the goals of human development throughout its history, airing in April 2022.
- CNN Arabic will run various series of vignette reports about content, ideas and unique experiences from the various Expo pavilions
In addition to its Expo studio, CNN will also participate in several events across the Expo programme, including discussions and panels in various pavilions. This will also include a CNN ‘thinkubator’ event towards the end of Expo, looking at the areas of solutions, inspirations and legacy, with a show around this event airing on CNN.