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.

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 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 Arabia announced recently that it is making significant investments to ensure its exclusive coverage of the English Premier League is the best ever seen in the region.

Two studios and supporting control rooms that are currently being built are state of the art and together with a line-up of football commentary legends will provide game by game coverage, preview and review shows, live sports reporting, expert analysis, celebrity and football pundit guests that guarantee unique coverage of the world's best league.

Ali Alawieh, who brought the 2006 World Cup coverage to viewers across the Middle East, has been announced as the main presenter to head up an expert panel of co-hosts in Showtime's Arabic commentary studio.

Ali has been presenting live programmes for over 15 years and is proud to be the youngest sports presenter in the Middle East aged just 17.

'I am passionate about being part of the innovative plans Showtime has for the English Premier League and along with the top names we will bring into the studio, we will set new standards of sports broadcasting in the region giving viewers what they want - the best package of English Premier League games ever to be shown on screen!'.

Joining Ali is Khaled El Ghool who has more than 20 years of TV experience, commentating on six World Cups and over 700 English Premier League games. An institution in the Arab world, Khaled has also covered three Olympic Games and many other major sporting events.

Perhaps the most knowledgeable man in the Middle East when it comes to European Football, Ali Fawz completes the core Arabic commentary team kicking off the 2007 season in August. Ali became an overnight sensation at the 2006 World Cup, partly because of his ability to provide brilliant facts and witty insights on almost any given football related subject - he keeps a database of thousands and thousands of facts which he updates every week -and partly because of his natural flair for amazing and amusing TV viewers.

To complete the Arabic-speaking team, several ex-players and coaches will take on the roles of studio analysts and an additional three Arabic commentators are yet to be announced.

Head of Sport Production Charles Balchin commented, 'Big games, big names - that's Showtime's philosophy as we prepare to exclusively air the English Premier League for the next three years. There is an unbelievable amount of effort going into this with the aim of giving Showtime subscribers the best experience possible. Alongside the highest quality of live commentary and analysis we have announced, viewers can further enhance their viewing experience through the technology of Showtime's SHOWBOX, a digital video recorder, through which viewers will be able to stop and rewind the action during live play - meaning they can't miss a thing!'

With new names to be announced over the coming weeks, including an impressive English commentary line-up, the excitement will build to fever pitch as the August 11th kick-off day approaches.