- Partnership to see production of a podcast series of 12 Arabic episodes titled ‘The New Realms’ based around the popular ‘Vikings’ drama series
Dubai, UAE; 14 January 2020: STARZPLAY, the leading subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, has partnered with Finyal Media, the regional production business specialised in podcast creation, to produce an Arabic podcast Series. The announcement follows STARZPLAY’s increasing focus on Arabic content production on multiple digital mediums, having also announced its first original content series earlier this month.
STARZPLAY will collaborate with Finyal to produce a series of 12 episodes to be released around the same time as the historical drama series ‘Vikings’ – the critically acclaimed series from creator and sole writer Michael Hirst depicting the remarkable tales of the lives and epic adventures of raiders and explorers of the Dark Ages. Titled ‘Vikings – The Nine Realms’, the podcast’s storyline revolves around the Norse Mythology of Vikings and will feature two weekly episodes.
Nadim Dada, Director of Content Acquisition, STARZPLAY, said: “With the growing quality of Arabic audio content on podcast channels in the region, STARZPLAY is pleased to partner with Finyal Media to create the story of ‘The Nine Realms.’ This podcast greatly complements STARZPLAY’s existing and ever-popular Viking themed content, allowing fans to go beyond the movies and series and learn about the history and mythology of their favourite characters. The partnership further underlines our commitment and focus towards Arabic content production as we continue to offer unmatched content to our customers on multiple fronts.”
Leila Alanani, CEO of Finyal Media, said: “Podcasts are an incredible storytelling medium and we strongly believe that Arabic language podcasts are a great way to help young people reconnect with the Arab world. We are excited to partner with STARZPLAY to offer unique content for our Arab listeners.”
Available in 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, with more than 10,000 hours of content including premium movies, exclusive and Arabic series, STARZPLAY has also secured its place as the number one player in the MENA region.
About STARZPLAY:
STARZPLAY (www.starzplay.com) is a subscription video on demand service that streams Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, kids’ entertainment the same time as the US series – plus dedicated Arabic content – to 20 countries across MENA and Pakistan. The service carries thousands of premium titles including exclusive STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen.
STARZPLAY 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 more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.
STARZ (www.starz.com) and State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) are the lead investors along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Capital Partners and Delta Partners.
About Finyal Media:
Finyal Media (www.finyalmedia.com) is a Middle East podcast network producing content that helps young people reconnect with the Arab world. Finyal Media are the creators of hit series 1001 Nights, Watr and Millennial Mirrors, among others. Finyal Media’s podcasts span a range of genres, including fiction, sports, music and culture. Series can be found on all available podcasting platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Anghami and many more.