CNN International is launching a multiplatform show, called “CNN Creators,” from its new facility in Doha‘s Media City Qatar.
The new 30-minute weekly CNN International show — which will air on Thursdays at 11:30 a.m. ET — will kick off on Oct. 23 under a phased launch plan. During its first months, the show will be called “CNN Creators – The Intro.” This initial phase will introduce the team of multiplatform content creators, “each with their own unique background, interests, skills and perspective,” according to a CNN statement.
“These digital-native storytellers will explore the conversations that are capturing the zeitgeist, with a focus on AI, tech, art, culture, sport and social trends,” the statement added.
The “CNN Creators” team in Doha will be led by Andrew Potter, a former senior editorial producer at Vice. Potter is being joined by Ivana Scatola, a multilingual digital video producer and former BBC and France 24 reporter; Bijan Hosseini, who is known to CNN International viewers for his work hosting some of the network’s features content across TV and social; and Antoinette Radford, another former BBC News journalist who is a member of CNN’s Digital Live News team.
Matias Grez, an award-winning producer and reporter who has worked with CNN Sport in London for more than a decade, and Ben Foley, a veteran war photojournalist whose vast work experience comprises Seven Network and Network Ten in his native Australia as well as Al Jazeera, Vice and the New York Times, complete the “CNN Creators” lineup at launch.
In early 2026, the show will take on its permanent format as “CNN Creators.” It will become the first show anchored out of CNN’s brand-new state-of-the-art facility in Doha’s Media City Qatar. The purpose-built studio (pictured above) will feature custom workspaces “designed to enable dynamic content creation and collaborative, spontaneous work among the team,” the statement said. Alongside the TV show, “CNN Creators” will also be producing content for CNN.com and CNN’s social platforms.
“’CNN Creators’ is unlike any show we have ever launched,” said Meara Erdozain, SVP of CNN International programming, in a statement. “This exciting new digital-forward initiative will reflect how our younger audiences are engaging with stories and will deliver compelling, entertaining content in a multitude of ways,” she added.
In February, CNN opened a new hub in Qatar that marks its first new broadcast facility in a new country since they launched their Abu Dhabi bureau in 2009.
CNN’S presence in Qatar complements its existing Middle East programming and news gathering hubs and CNN’s flagship headquarters in the region. Abu Dhabi is home to “Connect the World With Becky Anderson” and Dubai is the base for CNN Arabic.
Qatar, which has played a key role in negotiating the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, is also the home country and big backer of the Al Jazeera global news organization, which is CNN’s main competitor in the region.
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