Showtime Arabia

Samir M. Abdulhadi named chairman of Panther Media Group Limited

editor — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:15:28 -0700

Orbit Group is pleased to announce that Mr. Samir Abdulhadi has been appointed as Chairman of Panther Media Group Limited (the owning company of OSN) for a period of two years. Mr. Abdulhadi takes over from Mr. Faisal Al Ayyar effective August 10, 2011.

Samir Abdulhadi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orbit Group has been recognized in the region with numerous milestones and achievements in leadership roles that span various activities. He is currently the President and CEO of Orbit Group, and is Vice Chairman of Saudi Chemical Company and a member of the Executive and Compensation Committees.

Saudi Chemical Company is a publicly listed company traded on the Saudi Stock Exchange. He also serves as Chairman of the Board of Meed Holding and Chairman of the Board of Noorsat WLL.

Mr. Abdulhadi brings extensive experience to assist in supporting and guiding the future growth of OSN. The network has achieved many milestones since the merger including offering the latest exclusive high definition content and HD VOD services delivered through a platform that is secured from piracy.

"I am honored to have been appointed Chairman, said Samir M. Abdulhadi. "I look forward to working with the Board and Management as we continue to grow the MENA Pay TV market and to ramp up our market strategy," he further expressed his sincere appreciation and thanks to Mr. Faisal Al-Ayyar who chaired the board of Panther Media Group Limited (PMGL) for the past 2 years for his great contribution and leadership during which the successful integration of both the Orbit and Showtime pay television platforms took place.

What's next for Showtime-Orbit deal?

editor — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:12:50 -0700

Rapid TVNews reports that the pay-TV merger between Showtime Arabia and rival Orbit was concluded on time at the end of last month, according to reports out of Kuwait on Aug 11. A statement from Kuwait-based Kipco said the agreement was formally wrapped on July 31.The deal was announced last month, although no official valuation was given other than a very vague statement that the merger was worth “billions”. Neither was any information given as to who initiated the “merger”, although it is widely spoken of as a Showtime Arabia initiative. Showtime Arabia had reportedly bought out its Viacom minority partner in its Gulf-DTH operation. Kipco, an investment vehicle ultimately controlled by the Kuwait royal family, already controlled 75.3% of Gulf-DTH.

Showtime Arabia and Orbit Group merge pay-TV operations

editor — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:39:49 -0700

Mr Samir Abdulhadi (left), President & CEO of Orbit
Group and Mr Marc-Antoine d’Halluin CEO of the
merged company.

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.

'This deal is all about consolidation. First, it brings together two great brands in one company to offer customers the very best in Western and Arabic entertainment. Kipco and Orbit were pioneers of the region’s pay-TV market and we’ve both been calling for a consolidation of the market for some time. So, joining forces in this way is good news for customers, staff and the local TV industry,'
Mr Faisal Al Ayyar.

'Secondly, this deal is also very good news for Kipco shareholders because the merged company consolidates our position in one of the region’s fastest-growing business sectors. This creates excellent long-term potential because we are now partners in the dominant company in the regional pay-TV market,' he added.

'Above all, this deal is another example of the way Kipco builds long-term shareholder value. Our strategy of creating and building businesses in high-growth sectors has been central to our success and we believe this deal is an essential part in the development of our stake in this industry. Our calls for consolidation in the market have now been fulfilled and this leads the way for much faster growth and greater financial return,' Al Ayyar said.

Showtime and Orbit merge their pay-TV operations

editor — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 10:13:09 -0700

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

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.

Showtime Arabia sign agreement with MGM Worldwide Television

editor — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:18:10 -0700

RapidTVNews reports that MGM Worldwide Television has signed a 5-year output deal with Gulf DTH/Showtime Arabia. It will see MGM’s programming appear on Showtime bouquets and covers VOD options.

Chris Ottinger, EVP/Worldwide Television, MGM, in making the announcement, said: "We are pleased to collaborate with Showtime Arabia in bringing MGM's theatrical blockbusters to the movie fans throughout the Middle East and believe that the Show On Demand platform will be a tremendous asset in gaining exposure for MGM's films and growing our global VOD business model.”

"MGM's brand and its diverse selection of popular feature films will enrich our customers’ experience," said Marc-Antoine d'Halluin, President/CEO, Showtime Arabia. "We're very proud to add MGM's popular film franchises to Showtime's Pay TV and VOD services and look forward to exploring other opportunities with the studio."

Nilesat offers HDTV and IPTV to the Middle East

editor — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:16:15 -0700

RapidTVNews reports that during last month’s CabSat show, a scheme was agreed between major local broadcasters to see mainstream HDTV content made available. “Dream Channel is playing out an HD demo channel, and we're transmitting it in high-def. Also Showtime Arabia, ART and Egypt TV are co-operating on a promo channel as a pilot project," says Salah Hamza, Nilesat’s chief engineer.

"We have given this bandwidth free of charge, and hopefully consumers will see demonstrations of this in the shops, and understand what HD is all about. Once it is started we hope this will break the stalemate, and boost interest in HD. The channel should be on air within the next two months. Incidentally, we are building a new play-out centre for HDTV at our 6th October City, Cairo facility.”

“We are also looking to IPTV. We see Dubai as being a customer, and Sheikh Salah Kamel (of Arab Radio & Television) already has his own IPTV service. He is giving this to remote areas, and resorts. But what we are thinking is that IPTV could provide a home for special services, niche offerings. What we will introduce is the main distribution format, and then leave it to others for the final distribution. We will introduce ideas to broadcasters and would-be broadcasters. Our IPTV will not look like DTH. We can play-out from Cairo, from Amman and Dubai.”

Nilesat has just acquired a major slice of land alongside its existing 6th October City, in order to expand its facilities. A new admin-building has been constructed, and extra buildings for HDTV and the new satellite. “The most important element is that we are looking for new opportunities, and HDTV and IPTV both represent excellent opportunities. We see progress being made from both the pay-TV and free-to-air sectors.”

“Everything is on schedule for a June 2010 launch of Nilesat 201,” says Nilesat’s chief engineer Salah Hamza. “We have good co-operation from Thales to bring it in on time. Arianespace is also being very co-operative. Capacity sales are progressing well, and we now have an agreement in place with Eutelsat to help [the sales effort] and this makes our life easier.”

Hamza explains that since last November Nilesat itself has had zero surplus capacity to offer clients. “The incoming extra capacity will be marketed by ourselves. If you look to what we have available to us today, we are using 20 transponders from Eutelsat, part of this number are newly-released. But Nilesat 201 will have 24 transponders, a portion of which is replacement capacity as well as back-up. In the meantime we do not have frequency rights to add capacity, so the only alternative is to use Eutelsat capacity. Eutelsat, as they have announced will launch a new satellite for the area which will replace Hot Bird 10 which is designed for the Middle East. We are partners, but without a partnership agreement, and we are both working hard on this project.”

BBC Prime joins Showtime

editor — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 07:34:00 -0800

Middle East pay-TV operator Showtime Arabia has added BBC Prime, the BBC’s main entertainment-based service, effective March 1. BBC Prime is also available on the Orbit platform.

Showtime Arabia will include the channel as part of its basic tier. The channel from BBC Worldwide provides audiences with a diverse mix of the very best programming from both the BBC and independent producers in the UK.

BBC Prime, a 24 hour channel, will be available free of charge to all Showtime Family, Movies, Premier and Platinum subscribers, presenting a mix of entertainment shows from award-winning comedies and dramas to ground-breaking documentaries and lifestyle series offering ideas on cooking, fashion, gardening and interior design.

The channel says it opens a window to a wider world with its wealth of BBC natural history and documentary programming and is the home of the UK's most talked-about dramas such as Eastenders, Spooks and Waking the Dead, plus perennial comedy favourites and offbeat smash hits, including Absolutely Fabulous and Little Britain.

Marc Antoine d'Halluin President and CEO of Showtime Arabia said, “We are very happy to extend our relationship with BBC Worldwide by offering BBC Prime to our subscribers. The new channel will complement the wide range of British must-see programming available on Showtime including Sky News, BBC Lifestyle, and the full and exclusive coverage of the English Premier League.”

BT Signs Network Deal With Pay-TV Operator In The Middle East

editor — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:51:50 -0700

BT announced today that it has signed a five-year managed network-services contract with Gulf DTH, a company that owns and operates Showtime Arabia, a leading pay-TV network in the Middle-East and North Africa.

Under the terms of the agreement, BT will connect Gulf DTH operations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, and the United Kingdom using its Multi Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network.

Migration to a single network will enable Gulf DTH to reduce its operational costs and improve productivity by adding other services that can be built upon the network. It will also provide for the pay-TV operator to join BT's Global Digital Media Platform (GMN), thus transforming the way content is delivered to channels and home users.

GMN is a managed network service based on MPLS virtual private networks that provides secure, high quality interworking connectivity for both broadcast-quality real-time video and other data applications between customers in dispersed locations.

Wael El Kabbany, Business Development Director for BT Middle-East and AfricaBT Middle-East and Africa said: "We are delighted that Showtime Arabia has chosen us as a business partner. This deal demonstrates the importance of this market to us and our ability to meet the needs of global organizations. It is a sign of BT's continued commitment to the region and the success of its partnering approach."

"This solution was chosen to optimize inter-network performance and will deliver significant benefits to both our cost base and our effectiveness in serving our customers," Steven Macdiarmid, Vice-President of Operations at Showtime Arabia commented, "BT's strong track record, deep expertise in network IT services and experience in managing complex global contracts were key factors in making this investment decision."

Showtime braces for impact of free-to-air MTV Arabia & Arabic Nikelodeon

Zeid Nasser — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 15:25:46 -0700

Rapid TV News reports that MTV Networks has unveiled plans on October 15 for an Arabic version of Nickelodeon in cooperation with Arab Media Group. The bad news for Showtime is that it will be free-to-air.

Showtime’s existing relationship with MTV Networks is to show Nickelodeon and MTV in their English-language forms with Arabic subtitles.

MTV says the new free-to-air version will launch to a potential audience of some 190m viewers. A website will be launched at the same time.

Arab Media Group is the largest media group in the UAE, with approximately 1,500 employees. It is the UAE’s largest radio operator, with eight radio stations under Arabian Radio Network. AMG’s other business ventures include Awraq Publishing, a publishing house with three daily newspapers under its umbrella; Arabian Television Network; Masar Printing; Done Events, which manages events from entertainment to weddings; and outdoor advertising division Shoof Outdoor.

Showtime Arabia betting it all on Premier League

editor — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 04:20:14 -0700

Showtime Arabia is mounting a major effort to win new subscribers in the Middle East, using English Premiership soccer.

Dubai-based Showtime spent a fortune to secure exclusive English Premier League soccer for its subscribers, and the marketing build-up has begun. Showtime will air every one of the 380 games kicking off August 11. Showtime has gone the extra mile, investing in new local studio facilities, local hosting (in English and Arabic) and has secured some top-line talent to host the pre-match coverage, and actual match commentary.

Showtime is dedicating up to three live channels (Showsports 1, 2 and 3) and Showsports Extra to manage up to four live games simultaneously. There are occasions when six games are being played at the same time, and the soccer games will pre-empt some programming on other channels.