Arab Digital Distribution (ADD) recently announced the exclusive move in January 2002 of all Star Select pay television channels to ADD platform in the Middle East and North Africa, which includes Arabic Al-Awael, International FirstNet and Asian Pehla packages.
An estimated 10 million satellite receivers serve the region’s total population, exceeding 300 million. This is where potential exists to build and expand the existing pay television operations with the STAR Select channels in the program lineup, asserted a company press release, hoping the move will create a new force in TV entertainment for the Middle East region.
ADD asserts pay-TV is driven by four factors: quality/exclusive events, premium movies, premium sports and viewer choice for consumers. “The three TV platforms of Al-Awael (Arabic entertainment), FirstNet & Star (Western entertainment) and Pehla (Asian entertainment) deliver these factors as demanded by viewers today.”
“Exclusive/quality events include Formula One, World Cup, African Nations Cup, Cricket, Confederation Cup and numerous World Boxing Championship Title Fights. Premium Sports and Movies are the backbone of a pay-TV proposition and our bouquets offer several specialized sports and Movie channels. For choice, in each of our three propositions, Al Awael, FirstNet & Star and Pehla, there are around 30 channels ranging from Children’s programs, Music, Drama/Comedy, News, Education and Natural History,” confirmed ADD CEO John Tydeman.
The 11 Star Select Channels will now be integrated into the three pay-TV bouquets of Al-Awael, FirstNet and Pehla. STAR channels to migrate to ADD will include Star Movies, Star World and UKTV entertainment channels, Sky News, [V] music channel, CNBC Europe for business information, History Channel, Fox Sports, Fox Kids, National Geographic Channel and Adventure One.
“In addition, STAR plans to eventually localize channels such as the National Geographic Channel and STAR Movies, which will further enhance the television experience for Arabic viewers too,” Tydeman added. ADD focuses on packaging and distributing television channels across the Middle East, North Africa and Europe, tailoring television packages to suit various markets. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
