The Arab ABU member countries.

Last week the official facebook account of the ABU TV Song Festival, confirmed that the ASBU, the Arab States Broadcasting Union, was going to take part in the festival. This pan arabic entity, which is part of the league of Arab States will also participate in the ABU Radio Song Festival in Yangon, an event that unlike its TV counterpart is focused on unknown artists.

It was specified that the ASBU would organise the entry of one of the arab nations that belong to the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union: Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar and Palestine. These countries, are elegible to participate in any of the ABU Song Festivals.

From all these countries,  Egypt is notable for being the heart, and the main production centre of the arabic recording industry. In fact, an important porportion of the well known arabic singers, are egyptian. For those reasons, is highly likely that Egypt, sends the arabic entry to the ATSF. Singers such as Tamer Hosny, Amal Maher, Amr Diab, Ehab Tawfik, Sherine or Mohamed Hamaki, are highly likely to be selected by ASBU in order to perform in the ABU TV Song Festival 2015.

Tamer Hosni	Amal Maher	Amr Diab
Ehab Tawfik	Sherine	Mohamed Hamaki

Jordan is another arabic country, whose national broadcaster belongs to both ASBU and ABU. This little country, in the last decades has also given important names in the arabic show bussiness such as Diana Karazon, Mai Selim, Toni Qattan or Mais Hamdan. Any of those singers could also be the ASBU representatives in the Asia-Pacific TV Song Festival.

Diana Karazon

Mai Selim

Toni Qattan

Mais Hamdan

Saudi Arabia is another ABU and ASBU member arabic country. Although compared with other countries from the Middle East, this country hasn't got the booming music industy of their neighbours, (Due primarily to the conservative policies) Some singers have been able to be recognised in all the arabic speaking world. That's the case of the well known Rabeh Saqer. 

Although the Saudi show bussiness is not as strong as in Egypt and Leebanon, this country owns Rotana Records, the biggest recording company of the arab world. Saudi Arabian music industry is known for producing mainly khaleeji (Gulf arabic dialect) songs, just like Qatar, which has got a music industry almost totally focused on the gulf arabic market.

Palestine, another country which has got a broadcaster that belongs to both broadcasting unions, is taking part this year in the ABU Radio Song Festival 2015 in Yangon. Dalal Abu Amneh, a young Tarab style singer will be the first palestinian representative in the event. If this country is finally the one that will send the ASBU entry, maybe singers such as Asala Yousef, Mohammed Assaf, Adham Nablusi or Maher Halabi could be chosen.

Asala Yousef

Maher Halabi

Adham Nabulusi

Mohammed Assaf

The country and the performer that will sing onstage the ASBU entry will be revealed more or less one or two months before the ABU TV Song Festival takes place, just when the other participating countries reveal their acts.