20 February 2017
Ooredoo and MBC GROUP hosted a star-studded event at the Museum of Islamic Art last night to launch the exclusive new MBC+ Ooredoo Channel for Ooredoo TV subscribers.
The event was attended by Ooredoo Qatar CEO Waleed Al Sayed, MBC GROUP CEO Sam Barnett and a host of MBC talent including: “Sabah Al Khair Ya Arab” star Khaled Al Shaer, reporter and broadcaster Ali Al Ghofaily, journalist Ola Al-Fares, as well as presenter Ghada Mussali from MBC1 and presenter Mariam Said from ET Bil Arabi.
The MBC+ Ooredoo Channel launch is part of a multi-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Ooredoo and MBC GROUP signed last year, which gave Ooredoo exclusive rights to some of the GROUP’s most popular High Definition (HD) channels in Qatar.
With this latest partnership, Ooredoo TV customers will now be able to exclusively enjoy a brand new channel and that will include a selection of MBC’s best Arabic content.
MBC+ Ooredoo Channel is available on channel 180 now and content will include: Tabakh Al Sultan, Scoop, Dahsha, El Hokm, El Hob Al Halal and much more.
Talking at the event, Waleed Al Sayed, Ooredoo Qatar Chief Executive Officer, said: “Since its launch Ooredoo TV has offered the latest and best content, whether live, On Demand or on the go via the Ooredoo TV App. This is the latest step in our vision of offering leading local and international content to Qatar and we hope you enjoy the wide range of programmes we have selected especially for Ooredoo TV customers in HD.”
MBC Group CEO, Sam Barnett said: “It’s a privilege to be partnering with such an innovative telecommunications company.
The speed and sophistication of the network provided by Ooreedoo means that viewers in Qatar are able to experience audiovisual content at industry leading levels of quality”.
Barnett further added: “It was only a few months ago when we announced our intention to work together, and now today our combined teams are ready to launch both MBC+ Ooreedoo and our premium Video On Demand service SHAHID PLUS”.
To ensure that Ooredoo’s entertainment portfolio stays ahead of the growing switch to digital content, Ooredoo and MBC GROUP have recently announced that all Ooredoo customers can now exclusively enjoy MBC’s SHAHID PLUS online service in Qatar. They can catch-up with the latest & the exclusive shows, award-winning content among many dramas and movies with no ads.
With MBC’s SHAHID PLUS service, Ooredoo customers enjoy MBC’s premium VOD service and enjoy its strong content offering (exclusive Arabic series, shows and the latest Arabic movies) on-the-go in an uninterrupted experience with no ads.
Existing Mozaic TV customers who want to upgrade to Ooredoo TV to take advantage of the MBC+ Ooredoo Channel can simply visit any Ooredoo retail shop to register and collect a free Ooredoo TV play device.
Ooredoo TV offers features such as 4K resolution, time shift, Android apps, parental control, thousands of hours of on-demand content and much more at no extra cost. Ooredoo TV is available from Ooredoo Shops, Starlink, TechnoBlue and Jumbo outlets. The service has no upfront charges, no equipment costs and no ongoing contracts.
Visit ooredoo.qa/portal/OoredooQatar/ooredoo-tv_2 for more.
About Ooredoo
Ooredoo is Qatar’s leading communications company, delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential.
(Source: MBC press release)
20 February 2017
- HD pace accelerates across Eutelsat video neighbourhoods
- 240 new channels in 2016 represents ↗30% growth
High Definition TV continues to gain ground across the broadcast satellites operated by Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) with the 240 HD channels launched in 2016 equalling the total number launched during the previous two years.
The symbolic landmark of 1,000 channels was crossed this month with the launch at Eutelsat’s HOTBIRD neighbourhood of CGTN HD, the news and current affairs channel of China’s CCTV media organisation, marking its first foray into HDTV in Europe.
Eutelsat’s key video neighbourhoods all saw HD growth in 2016, with three distinguished for exclusive content and market leadership.
Accelerating HD growth at the HOTBIRD neighbourhood
The upwards curve of HD take-up was particularly strong at Eutelsat’s flagship HOTBIRD position where HD channels increased by 25% to 250, now accounting for almost one in four channels in the HOTBIRD line-up. This dynamic is driven by three key trends:
- Progressive HD adoption by public broadcasters including RAI that has transitioned nine channels to HD and CCTV that launched three channels
- New premium pay-TV content in flagship platforms including Sky Italia, Polsat, nc+ and Nova
- A wave of new free-to-air channels that include Euronews HD and Al Jazeera English
Eutelsat 7/8° West position sets the trend in Middle East, North Africa and features exclusive HD channels
With almost 150 HD channels (up 40% in one year), of which 100 are exclusive, the 7/8° West position hosted by Eutelsat and Nilesat satellites leads the transition to HD in the Middle East and North Africa. Free-to-air channels in HD now outnumber pay, with strong brands launched exclusively at this neighbourhood including five channels launched by Kuwait TV and Echourouk News HD, the 24/7 Algerian news channel.
Eutelsat 36° East neighbourhood hits new high spot in Russia and Africa
Eutelsat satellites at 36° East that serve Russian and African markets clocked 14 additional HD channels over the last 12 months, rising to 114 HD channels. Russia’s leading NTV+ and Tricolor platforms each broadcast around 40 channels, to which can be added 32 HD channels broadcast to homes in Siberia from 56° East. In Africa, MultiChoice Africa and Zap are in the vanguard of HD, broadcasting 16 and 17 channels respectively and underscoring the trend towards higher resolution in Africa’s TV market.
Michel Azibert, Commercial and Development Director at Eutelsat, said: “2016 marked a tipping point for High Definition TV across our portfolio of video neighbourhoods, culminating in a new landmarkof 1,000 channels, many of which are exclusive to Eutelsat. We are fully equipped to accommodate this accelerating pace and to work closely with broadcasters as they transition to an enhanced viewing experience.”
(Source: Eutelsat press release)
17 February 2017
London-based Celebro Media are in trials with a new type of HD OB Vehicle.
On Monday 20th February the studio and facilities company is offering a free trial to all broadcasters.
The new truck will be outside the UK Parliament at College Green (right) for planned coverage of the two parliamentary debates relating to the visit of Donald Trump. 15 minute slots will be available from Midday (1200GMT) till 1830 (GMT). Camera and sound is provided.
You can simply book a slot for a reporter or guest stand-up and Celebro Media will provide downlink details and IFB. The signal can be picked up at BT Tower for downlink (it may also be possible to arrange feeds to Reuters and EBU, by agreement) and there are no hidden costs or charges. We can also hand-off the signal via Streambox if required.
This is a totally free trial day with no commitment. Please pass on to your relevant Sat-Desk or bookings team – or any colleagues in international news media.
You can book your slot at studio@celebromedia.co.uk
For more details contact Andrew Lebentz on +44 7875 595 005 . Andrew is the on-site co-ordinator.
16 February 2017
(WASHINGTON — February 15, 2017) On UNESCO World Radio Day on Feb. 13, RFE/RL audiences gave the platform a resounding endorsement as a powerful medium and an indispensable source of information and news.
In an era when television and online media are increasingly dominant, radio continues to play a vital role for half of RFE/RL’s 27 million-strong audience. When RFE/RL asked listeners in Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Moldova, and Georgia what radio means to them, hundreds of calls, emails, social media messages and SMSs flooded in to its broadcast services.
A female listener of Radio Mashaal, which has 800,000 Pashto-speaking listeners in Pakistan’s tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan, wrote, “Radio Mashaal is like my mother, who gave me knowledge and awareness and taught me humanity.” A listener of RFE/RL’s Afghan Service wrote, “I congratulate all the journalists at Radio Azadi for upholding its name for 15 years by delivering programs that contribute to our freedom.” One of the 2 million listeners to Radio Farda, RFE/RL’s service Iran, said, “It has been 10 years now that Radio Farda has been my companion,” adding, “it is the only place [where] people are allowed to talk easily and freely… a democratic soul guides Radio Farda.”
A Georgian sociologist who listens to Radio Tavisupleba said, “Radio is alive and we need it,” while a civil servant in Moldova wrote of Radio Europa Libera that it’s “the only place I can get something besides lies and propaganda.”
Remarking on the enduring relevance of radio in Central Asia, Umed Babakhanov, the founder of Tajikistan’s independent news agency Asia-Plus, told an RFE/RL podcast that “Since Soviet times radio has always been the most important mass media” in the agrarian societies of Central Asia, where “people in the field cannot watch TV, but they can listen to the radio all day long.” He said the role of foreign broadcasters is as important as it was during Soviet era, since it’s “almost impossible” to express criticism of the government on domestic-run platforms.
RFE/RL is also marking the one-year anniversary of Radio Donbas.Realities, a live, daily one-hour FM broadcast that brings coverage of local and international news stories either ignored or misrepresented by pro-Kremlin media – about infrastructure, education, and the war – to more than 15 cities in Ukraine’s war-torn eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
15 February 2017
AIB welcomes Hum Network as first Member in Pakistan
National and international broadcaster set to benefit from full range of AIB services
The Association for International Broadcasting, the trade association for television, radio and online, is pleased to announce that Hum Network has become its first Member in Pakistan.
Hum Network is Pakistan’s only publicly-quoted media company, operating a range of television channels that are available across the country. Hum Network also offers its television channels in North America, the UK and the Middle East.
Established in 2004, Hum Network has expanded into production for television and film, and has plans for further development in a range of areas of the media both at home and abroad.
“We are delighted to welcome Hum Network as a Member of the Association for International Broadcasting,” said Simon Spanswick, AIB chief executive. “HUM Network is a dynamic company that has developed fast over the past 13 years. The AIB and its Members look forward to working with Hum Network and its executives as they expand their reach and introduce new services. As part of the AIB, Hum Network will benefit from the expertise that exists within the Association and from the opportunities of collaboration with our global membership base.”
“In joining the AIB, Hum Network is reinforcing its position as the pioneer of Pakistan’s media industry,” commented Duraid Qureshi, CEO of Hum Network (pictured). “We are pleased to be the AIB’s first Member in Pakistan, benefiting from the work that the Association undertakes for all its Members across the world. My colleagues and I are looking forward to working closely with the AIB and its Members.”
As a Member, Hum Network now has access to the full range of the AIB’s work, ranging from market intelligence briefings to participation in working groups that focus on key areas of activity such as cyber security, sustainability and audience measurement. The AIB also supports its Members on key issues that affect their business through its international lobbying activities.
The Association for International Broadcasting is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organisation that works for the benefit of its Members and of the wider media industry.
15 February 2017
Arabsat and ONT have signed an agreement to launch a Tunisian broadcast platform on Arabsat Badr-4 at 26°E.
This platform operation will start by end of Q2, 2017 and will allow Tunisian and regional broadcasters to have direct access from Tunis to the growing 26°E neighbourhood with a coverage encompassing MENA and Western Europe.
“This platform is the result of the long term cooperation between Arabsat and the Office National de la Telediffusion Tunisien (ONT) which had started several years ago “said Khalid Balkheyour, CEO of Arabsat. “It will enhance our relationship with Tunisia where Arabsat is already present through our Satellite Control Station as well as the HQ of our strategic partner ASBU.”
“Expanding our cooperation with Arabsat will enable us to meet our customers’ needs and position ONT as a true one stop shop. We believe the 26°E neighbourhood will continue its growth through the addition of exclusive TV channels respecting the traditions of the region” added the CEO of ONT Mr Dhaker Baccouch.
Rohde and Schwarz was chosen for the installation and commissioning of the platform with the most up to date technical specifications.
(Source: Arabsat press release)
