New partnership brings Sky News Arabia to STARZPLAY’s subscriber base across MENA
Abu Dhabi, UAE; April 28, 2023: STARZPLAY, ranked consistently among the region’s top three subscription video on demand services, today announced it has signed a landmark deal with Sky News Arabia, a leading pan-Arab news network.
The channel carriage deal adds Sky News Arabia to the growing roster of news and entertainment available on STARZPLAY. Since its inception in 2012, Sky News Arabia has become a leading news outlet for Arabic-speaking audiences, with a strong audience for its business coverage, daily sports analysis, and current affairs. The channel brings 24/7 breaking news using cutting-edge broadcast technologies including studios that use virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technology, which is a regional first, and gives Sky News Arabia the most progressive newsroom in the Middle East and North Africa.
STARZPLAY will distribute Sky News Arabia through telecommunication partners across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, making it available to all their subscribers and greatly increasing the visibility of Sky News Arabia in the marketplace.
Nart Bouran, CEO of Sky News Arabia and International Media Investments, said: “At Sky News Arabia, we constantly endeavor to find new ways of delivering fast, credible news to Arab viewers, wherever they may be. In line with this, we recognize the importance of reaching audiences across streaming platforms, and we are pleased to partner with STARZPLAY as one of the leaders in that space who will enable us to engage with a wider segment of audiences across the MENA region.”
Danny Bates, CCO and co-founder of STARZPLAY, said: “We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Sky News Arabia, a leading multi-platform news network with extensive reach across the Arab world. We consider this partnership very significant as it will unlock the full market potential on channel distribution. It will also open a new customer base and grow the news content market across the MENA region. We look forward to offering more captivating content on our platform.”
With thousands of hours of premium content including the best western content, Arabic shows, Turkish favourites, anime, and live sports, STARZPLAY is available in 19 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan for fans to enjoy quality content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.
About STARZPLAY
Ranked consistently among the region’s top 3 subscription video on demand services, STARZPLAY Arabia (www.starzplay.com) streams an extensive variety of premium content covering Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries and same-time-as-the-US series – plus live sports, dedicated kids’ entertainment and Arabic content – to 19 countries across MENA and Pakistan.
STARZPLAY has thousands of prime titles including exclusive STARZPLAY Arabia original content such as Kaboos, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, Baghdad Central, STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen as well as a range of content with add-ons such as AD Sports, Premier Sports (Rugby), NBA League Pass and STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie leagues), wrestling (All Elite Wrestling), cricket, UFC Arabia, boxing, basketball and more.
STARZPLAY Arabia has secured tie ups with a host of leading, global studios, including Lionsgate, MGM, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery and Sony Studios along with regional producers such as UMS, Eagle Films and Falcon. Until 2022, STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) was the lead investor along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Investors and Delta Partners. In early 2021, STARZPLAY Arabia secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. In 2022, E-Vision, from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company acquired a majority equity stake of circa 57% in the company.
Reaching over 2.1 million subscribers, STARZPLAY Arabia allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on over three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.
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About Sky News Arabia:
Sky News Arabia is a leading pan-Arab news organisation broadcasting 24/7 to households across the Arabic-speaking world. With a free-to-air TV channel, audio platforms and digital platforms, it is the home of breaking news, business, lifestyle, arts, culture, and sports coverage.
Committed to delivering outstanding analysis of the regional and international news agenda since 2012, Sky News Arabia has become a trusted and respected news outlet appealing to people of all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. Alongside its core news coverage, the channel has built a strong audience for its business coverage, daily sports analysis, and current affairs.
Sky News Arabia was launched through a joint investment between International Media Investments and British Sky News. The International Media Investments portfolio includes a number of successful and distinctive media assets around the world, including “The National” newspaper. The Group pursues an approach focused on digital growth in all of its companies, and strategies that support ambitious and new investment horizons led by Nart Bouran, CEO of International Media Investments.