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- Transfer comes after E& and ADQ acquired a majority stake in StarzPlay in March
- Firm’s leisure streaming platform has 1.9m subs throughout its 19 MENA territories
StarzPlay, the Abu Dhabi-based subscription streaming service which was majority acquired by ADQ and E& from Lionsgate in March, has announced the launch of a brand new devoted sports activities platform for the Center East and North Afica (MENA) area.
For its first three years, StarzPlay Sports activities might be anchored by the media firm’s protection of Italian top-flight soccer’s Serie A, a contract it secured in partnership with Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) for a reported €75 million (US$76.5 million).
Through its two AD Sports activities Premium channels, the brand new streaming service will provide all of its annual 380 Serie A dwell matches with Arabic and English commentary, plus protection of the Coppa Italia, in addition to the Supercoppa Italiana.
StarzPlay Sports activities may also present dwell Dutch Eredivisie soccer, PGA Tour golf, boxing from Frank Warren’s Queensbury secure, in addition to elite basketball from the EuroLeague and EuroCup. Looking for to faucet into cricket’s native reputation, StarzPlay additionally has the rights to the Indian nationwide crew’s house matches and the Pakistan Tremendous League (PSL) Twenty20 competitors.
With the present StarzPlay platform already accounting for greater than 2.1 million subscribers throughout its 19 territories, the corporate hopes to make sports activities content material into certainly one of its core merchandise. The brand new sports activities providing may also be made out there by means of StarzPlay’s desktop and cell platforms.
Danny Bates, StarzPlay chief business officer, mentioned: “Because the pioneer of SVOD within the area and since launching our first sports activities channel in 2021, constructing an unique portfolio of sports activities within the OTT area has been our strategic precedence.
“Now, we’re difficult the established order of sports activities streaming with StarzPlay Sports activities, a platform like no different that may present sports activities lovers extra causes to cheer. We’re devoted to making sure the most effective sports activities leisure is quickly accessible to our subscribers. We leverage cutting-edge expertise to deliver customers a seamless, high-quality expertise and finest business low latency dwell streaming potential.”
SportsPro says..
Sports activities media within the MENA area is dominated by Qatar-based BeIN however StarzPlay and its backers in Abu Dhabi clearly really feel there’s a hole out there for a rival. Saudi Arabia, essentially the most populous and highly effective of the rich Center Japanese states, doesn’t have a serious media providing and continues to be recovering from its state-backed piracy debacle.
Nonetheless, for StarzPlay to interrupt by means of it can want extra premium properties. The excellent news is that BeIN ditched a number of those amid the BeoutQ affair, though the Qatari media firm has maybe a very powerful rights contract – the Premier League – sewn up until 2025.
