Middle-East and North Africa Digital TV News

Discovery and STARZPLAY partner to launch Dplay in MENA
Mar 16, 2020 – Discovery's OTT service, Dplay, will now be available across the MENA region, due to a partnership between Discovery MEA and STARZPLAY. STARZPLAY subscribers gain access to a new, branded area on the existing platform.
News categories: STARZPLAY, Discovery, Danny Bates, Amanda Turnbull, Digital TV, Middle-East, OTT

Viu reaches 41.4 million monthly active users
Feb 17, 2020 – Viu (SEHK:0008) has announced that it reached 41.4 million monthly active users at the end of 2019, representing an increase of 35% over 2018. Additionally, video views grew 69% to 5.7 billion year-over-year, supporting growth in its video segment revenue.
News categories: Viu, Janice Lee, Africa, Asia, Digital TV, Middle-East, OTT, Results, Subscribers

Vianeos provides revamped UX for Batelco TV in Bahrain
Feb 13, 2020 – Vianeos has announced the launch of services for Batelco. Vianeos has revamped Batelco TV by developing a new User Experience and Interface. The new Batelco TV application is available on the Bahrain operator’s legacy AOSP set top boxes.
News categories: Vianeos, Batelco, Bachir GHALAYINI, Bahrain, Digital TV, IPTV, OTT, Set Top Box, UX

Hot submits offer for 100% of Partner Communications.
Jan 29, 2020 – Responding to market speculation, Altice Europe (Euronext: ATC & ATCB) has confirmed that its subsidiary Hot Telecommunication Systems Ltd has submitted an offer for 100% of the share capital of Partner Communications.
News categories: Altice, Partner Communications, Digital TV, IPTV, Israel, MnA

EUTELSAT 7C enters into commercial service
Jan 28, 2020 – EUTELSAT 7C has entered full commercial service. Eutelsat (Paris: ETL) teams have migrated a number of services from EUTELSAT 7A to EUTELSAT 7C, including Digiturk and TRT for Turkey, and Globecast for coverage across Europe and the Middle East.
News categories: Eutelsat, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Middle-East, Satellite, Turkey

MENA SVOD revenues to triple
Jan 27, 2020 – According to Digital TV Research, MENA SVOD revenues will reach $2.97 billion by 2025, tripling between 2019 and 2025. Turkey will grow to $908 million by 2025, with Saudi Arabia adding $563 million and Israel $470 million.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, Middle-East, OTT

Disney+ brings forward EMEA launch date
Jan 21, 2020 – The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer & International segment has set March 24th as the new launch date for Disney+ in markets across Western Europe. Pricing has also been confirmed at £5.99/€6.99 per month, or £59.99/€69.99 for an annual subscription.
News categories: The Walt Disney Company, Digital TV, Europe, Middle-East, OTT

No growth expected for MENA pay TV revenues
Jan 20, 2020 – According to Digital TV Research, pay TV revenues in the Middle East and North Africa region fell by 12% between 2016 and 2019. Given the hangover from the beIN ban and generally falling ARPUs, revenues in 2025 will still be lower than in 2019.
News categories: Digital TV Research, Simon Murray, Digital TV, Market Research, Middle-East

Eros Now partners with EUROSTAR Group for GCC countries
Jan 8, 2020 – Eros Now (NYSE: EROS) has announced a partnership with UAE-based digital retail giant, EUROSTAR Group. The association enables the large diaspora from the Indian sub-continent and locals across GCC countries to access Eros Now’s content library.
News categories: Eros Now, EUROSTAR Group, Ali Hussein, Shaan Jethwani, Digital TV, Middle-East, OTT