Samir Abdulhadi

The 7th Media and Telecoms Convergence Conference convenes in Amman on June 7&8

Sun, 2010-05-30 07:16 - By

Events, Media, Arab Advisors Group, Arab Jordan Investment Bank Group, Jawad Abbassi, Marwan Juma, Mohammad Omran, Peter Kaliaropoulos, Princess Sumaya Bint Al Hassan, Saad Al-Barrak, Samir Abdulhadi, Seventh Annual Media and Telecommunications Convergence Conference

Showtime and Orbit merge their pay-TV operations

Sun, 2009-07-12 17:13 - By

editor

Announcement, Media, Faisal Al Ayyar, Kipco, Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, Mawarid Group, Orbit Group, Samir Abdulhadi, Showtime Arabia

Kuwait Projects Company (Kipco) has announced the merger of its satellite broadcast company Showtime with Orbit, one of the region's leading television companies.The deal brings together the Showtime and Orbit brands and operating platforms. The new company will become the leading pay-TV platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The new company is a partnership between the Orbit Group, a member of the Riyadh-based Mawarid Group and Showtime Arabia, a subsidiary of Kipco. The deal follows statements by Kipco and Orbit Group calling for a consolidation of the region's pay-TV industry.

The new company will offer over 70 exclusive channels featuring the widest choice of exclusive first run Hollywood movies, premium sports, Arabic and international television entertainment.

The deal brings together the two core network operations comprising programming, marketing, distribution, broadcast technology and subscriber management systems. The merger offers customers superior programming choice, innovative decoder technology and the most complete pay-TV platform.

Mr Faisal Al Ayyar, Kipco's Vice Chairman, said the merger was good news for all concerned and another example of Kipco's successful business strategy.