Middle-East and North Africa Digital TV News

Rohde & Schwarz wins DVB-T2 transmitter contract in Egypt
Apr 18, 2019 – The Egyptian National Media Authority (ENMA) has selected Rohde & Schwarz transmitters to support their DVB-T2 network. The equipment is to be commissioned by mid-June 2019 in time for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament.
News categories: Rohde & Schwarz, National Media Authority, Rommer Balanon, Mervat Hassan, Content Distribution, Digital TV, DVB-T2, Egypt

Arabsat 6A successfully launched
Apr 12, 2019 – Arabsat 6A has been successfully launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a Falcon-Heavy rocket. The satellite, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, is to be placed in the exclusive orbit of Arabsat at 30.5 degrees East.
News categories: Arabsat, Khaled bin Ahmed Balkheyour, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Middle-East, Satellite

OSN chooses Bitmovin Encoding for its WAVO streaming service
Apr 8, 2019 – Bitmovin has announced that OSN has selected Bitmovin Encoding to offer video content to subscribers of its video streaming service, WAVO. OSN adopted Bitmovin Encoding because of its rich feature set and API approach to building its platform.
News categories: Bitmovin, OSN, Stefan Lederer, Dave Mace, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Middle-East, Streaming

Vodafone Qatar selects MediaKind's MediaFirst cloud-based multiscreen TV platform
Apr 3, 2019 – MediaKind has announced that it has been selected by Vodafone Qatar to deliver its MediaFirst cloud-based multiscreen TV platform service. The deployment will enable Vodafone Qatar to launch new content over existing IPTV or OTT devices.
News categories: MediaKind, Vodafone, Damien Montessuit, Diego Camberos, Content Distribution, Digital TV, IPTV, Middleware, Qatar

Empire to open multi-sensory cinemas in Saudi Arabia
Apr 2, 2019 – Al-Rashed Empire Cinema Consortium has signed a deal with CJ 4DPLEX to open 10 4DX theatres around Saudi Arabia by 2023. 4DX enhances the on-screen visuals through special effects including motion synchronized seats, wind, fog, rain, lightning, snow, bubble, vibration, and scents.
News categories: CJ 4DPLEX, JongRyul Kim, Gino Haddad, Digital TV, Metaverse, Saudi Arabia

Skyworth and SURE Universal collaborate on IoT and voice assistance
Mar 26, 2019 – Skyworth Digital and SURE Universal have announced an R&D collaboration working to develop IoT and voice assistant capabilities. Once a proof of concept has been completed, the technologies will be applied to Skyworth's set-top box products.
News categories: Skyworth, SURE Universal, Steve Long, Dr. Viktor Ariel, China, Digital TV, Israel, Set Top Box, Smart Home, Worldwide

Applicaster secures $20M growth funding
Mar 26, 2019 – Applicaster has announced a $20M growth round of funding. The funding round, led by Viola Growth and backed by further investment from 83 North, Pitango, Saban Ventures, and Planven Investments, will be used to expand the company’s global presence and product set.
News categories: Applicaster, Jonathan Laor, Eran Westman, Apps, Digital TV, Israel, Venture Capital, Worldwide

Bezeq plans migration of 'yes' from satellite to OTT
Mar 14, 2019 – Bezeq (TASE: BEZQ) has announced that it plans to migrate its 'yes' service from satellite transmission to broadcasting over the Internet (OTT) in a gradual process that is expected to be spread over several years.
News categories: Bezeq, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Israel, Satellite, Streaming

iKO Media Group successfully re-launches Kurdsat TV
Mar 12, 2019 – iKO Media Group has announced a re-launch of Kurdish television station Kurdsat. The station was re-launched in SD and HD on a global scale – in the US, Latin America, Middle East and Europe. In addition, iKO provided their OTT platform, iKOFLiX.
News categories: iKO Media, Kurdsat, David Treadway, Amanj Kamal, Asia, CABSAT, Content Distribution, Digital TV, Europe, Latin America, Middle-East, Streaming