Max Signorelli, senior analyst for entertainment at research powerhouse Omdia, examines the current state of the OTT market in the MENA region. Paid OTT video subscriptions rose by nearly 77% year-on-year (YoY) in MENA last year, reaching just over six million at the end of 2020. The majority, 70% of the total of these subscriptions, […]
Australian SVOD service Stan is promoting Cailah Scobie to chief content officer, taking over from Nick Forward, who has landed a new role at Dubai pay-TV company OSN. Scobie, who is currently commercial director of content at Stan, will take on the role following Forward’s departure in May. The exec joined the streamer at launch […]
Dubai-based broadcaster OSN has ordered a Middle Eastern adaptation of escape room format The Way Out. This new version is currently being produced in Belgium by Be-Entertainment, alongside original format creators Roses Are Blue. This will be the fifth adaptation of the format and follows three seasons on VTM in Dutch-speaking Belgium, as well as […]
Dubai-based OSN has secured exclusive distribution rights to Disney+ Originals in the Middle East, across both its box and relaunched streaming service. OSN says that the deal strengthens its “position as the region’s leading entertainment network” and “further underscores the relationship between OSN and Disney,” which has no plans to launch Disney+ in the Middle […]
Middle East pay TV provider OSN has launched a new kids channel, OSN Kids Zone, in partnership with Mega Max Media and Middle East distributor Magmedia International. The channel, aimed at kids aged two to eight, includes shows such as Barney & Friends, Thomas & Friends (pictured), Transformers Rescue Bots, Heroes of the City and […]
Viacom has agreed an expanded deal with OSN and its Nickelodeon, NickToon and Paramount Channel will now all be carried on the Middle Eastern pay TV platform. The Teen Nick On Demand service will also be added as part of the new deal. Paramount Channel, which internationally is movie-focused although a new Paramount net is […]
Middle East pay TV provider OSN has struck a new long-term exclusive carriage deal with combat sports outfit UFC. The renewal means that all UFC content including live events, pre and post-event shows, and The Ultimate Fighter reality series, will be available exclusively for OSN subscribers in the region. OSN and UFC together will also […]
Viacom’s fledgling Comedy Central channel in the Middle East is moving into original production with a new stand up comedy series for the regional net. The local Comedy Central Presents is being filmed in Dubai and will be a showcase for local comedy talent. It will feature 30 up-and-coming and established Arab comedians from across […]
Middle East pay TV operator OSN has appointed the former director general of Spain’s Ono and chief financial officer of Sky in the UK, Martin Stewart, as its new CEO. The experienced executive, who is currently chief financial officer of The Football Association in the UK (The FA), is due to take up his new […]
NBCUniversal International Networks’ Syfy channel is due to launch exclusively in the Middle East and North Africa via operator OSN next month. The science fiction entertainment channel will go live on July 8, offering original series, movies, Japanese animation, science fiction and fantasy programmes for OSN subscribers in the region – with Arabic subtitles available […]
