beIN shakes up MENA pay-TV sector with advent of entertainment channels
Rebecca Hawkes | 02 November 2015
beIN Media hopes to "re-shape the future of pay-TV" in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) after confirming it will launch 24 entertainment channels alongside its already strong sports offer.
The Doha-based organisation says it is "democratising" the pay-TV landscape in the region with its All You Want package of films, TV series and sports – available in HD and with parental controls, via satellite or on the go.
beIN holds media rights for premium sports competitions such as the English Premier League, FIFA World Cup, Formula 1, and the Olympics. However, its Dubai-based pay-TV competitor OSN currently leads the regional field by some distance in delivering diverse premium entertainment content via multiple platforms to subscribers.
"Our consumer research in the MENA region indicated for quite some time that families expect a leading entertainment provider like beIN to offer a complete range of TV entertainment channels.
Furthermore we identified a sweet-spot in terms of pricing of pay-TV in the region, that has traditionally been over-priced," said Nasser Al Khelaifi, chairman and CEO of beIN Media Group.
"Hence it was natural that beIN offers latest blockbuster movies, great family entertainment in the form of latest series, factual and kids' content along with our premium sports offering. beIN's vision is to reshape the future of pay-TV and family entertainment in MENA through offering premium multi-genre entertainment at affordable prices," he added.
The appearance of test cards for two beIN Movie channels some weeks ahead of this announcement have led analysts to speculate on the content that will be offered and the industry's future landscape.
"The major challenge for beIN now is how to develop its non-sport proposition as OSN and MBC dominate rights to Hollywood content in the region," Constantinos Papavassilopoulos, senior analyst, IHS TV Intelligence, told Rapid TV News.
"And, if it wants to add movies and expand from having two or three million subscriptions in the MENA region, it is important that beIN continues its tougher stance on content piracy," demonstrated by switching to more secure set-top boxes.
Specific details of studio tie-ups are yet to be divulged, however beIN Media says that "latest Hollywood movies" will populate the new channels, which will be characterised by family-friendly content geared to the regional audience. In a statement, the company added it "is determined to keep expanding its sports, movies and entertainment content portfolio".
The entertainment channels are to be offered to existing beIN Sports Arabia subscribers without charge until the end of the year, while new comprehensive subscription packages are also being sold.
This move relates only to MENA, although beIN Media now broadcasts premium sports content across five continents to 33 countries, including France, Spain, USA, Canada, Indonesia, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. It has also recently acquired the Digiturk pay-TV platform in Turkey.