2020 Deals
MultiChoice partners with Walt Disney to add ESPN on DSTV
01 August 2020
MultiChoice collaborates with The Walt Disney Company Africa to offer more sports to subscribers across Africa. Two 24-hour ESPN channels will be accessible to DStv customers from 29 July.
Sharjah Art Foundation announces winners of Short Film Production Grant
01 August 2020
Sharjah Art Foundation announced the winners of the Short Film Production Grant, a component of the Foundation’s annual Sharjah Film Platform, SFP, which supports filmmaking in the United Arab Emirates, the surrounding region and around the world.
CARACOL TV TITLES NOW AVAILABLE ON ALLRITES
01 August 2020
The renowned Colombian catalog will be available on the global content platform. The alliance comes within the 'Let's Go Virtual' campaign with which they seek to create spaces to reach new audiences.
Etisalat launches cloud-based OTT service with Synamedia
01 August 2020
Etisalat, the Emirati telco with operations across the MEA region, has launched a new direct-to-consumer (D2C) streaming service following a partnership with Synamedia.
'Empire' Duo Plot Arab American Dramedy 'Ya Bint' at Freeform
01 August 2020
Sanaa Hamri and Danny Strong are developing 'Ya Bint' at the Disney-owned cable network.
"Abou Leila" represents Algeria at Shanghai International Film Festival
01 August 2020
Feature film "Abou Leila" by Algerian filmmaker Amine Sidi Boumediene participates, alongside about 360 other films, at the 23rd Shanghai International Film Festival, held from 25 July to 2 August, said the event's organizers on their website.
Egyptian director Amr Salama finishes shooting of Netflix's series Paranormal
20 July 2020
The show is based on Ma Waraa Al-Tabeea, a bestselling series of horror books by late novelist Ahmed Khaled Tawfik
Ooredoo Launches ''YARA'' the Algerian Netflix
12 July 2020
Ooredoo Algeria has just launched the “Yara” streaming and video-on-demand platform based in the country and focused on helping Algerians watch their favourite local Drama and Comedy series for free.
Madd and Medyapim announce new series based on Japanese format
12 July 2020
Executives from Madd Entertainment, Fox Turkey and production house Medyapim presented two popular new Turkish drama series to the international market at a special NATPE Virtual VFront™. The executives came together at the Fox studios in Istanbul along with lead actors from The Teacher and Nehir.
BeIN Sports licence in Saudi Arabia permanently cancelled
12 July 2020
In the latest part of the diplomatic row between Saudi Arabia and Qatar that has spilled over into TV, Saudi Arabian authorities have cancelled permanently the broadcast licence of Doha-based beIN Sports.
Roya named most watched TV channel during Ramadan
12 July 2020
Roya TV has been ranked the number one channel in Jordan, according to global market researcher Ipsos.
MBC Group’s Johannes Larcher Appointed Head of HBO Max International
12 July 2020
Larcher currently serves as Managing Director, Digital at MBC Group, has been appointed head of WarnerMedia’s HBO Max International.
Netflix elevates Ted Sarandos to Co-CEO; Greg Peters named COO
12 July 2020
Netflix, the leading streaming entertainment service provider has announced the elevation of Ted Sarandos to co-CEO. Sarandos will be serving as chief content officer, in addition to the co-CEO post. Meanwhile, Greg Peters has been named COO in addition to his role of chief product officer.
AbuDhabi Media’s Chairman appointed as UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology
07 July 2020
The new UAE government structure, approved and announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has been revealed. It included an announcement that H.E, Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, current chairman of AbuDhabi Media, the country’s main state broadcaster, is now appointed to a Minister role in the UAE government.
Saudi Arabia reportedly looking to snatch Bundesliga rights from beIN Sports
06 July 2020
The Saudi government has reportedly entered into talks with Germany’s Bundesliga in an attempt to beat Qatar’s beIN Sports to the league’s broadcast rights across the Middle East.
GLOBAL AGENCY OBTAINS EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO “RISE OF EMPIRES: OTTOMAN”
06 July 2020
The six-episode docudrama is produced by Karga Seven Pictures. Through this deal with STXtv, Global Agency will distribute across Latin America.
Ten Cent buys into Asian streaming platform iFlix
06 July 2020
Chinese entertainment titan Tencent said it has purchased Southeast Asian streaming service Iflix to extend the reach of its own streaming platform WeTV into the region.
Doha Film Institute Announces New Grants, With Nearly Half for Female-Directed Projects
06 July 2020
The Doha Film Institute, which is a leading incubator for quality Arab fare, has announced the 39 projects receiving its Spring grants - Three-quarters of the selected projects are from the Middle East and Africa.
MIPCOM preps for Cannes return as Reed Midem unveils Covid-19 strategy
06 July 2020
MIPCOM organiser Reed Midem has revealed how the 2020 edition of its sprawling content market will look in October and provided details of a raft of Covid-19 prevention measures being introduced.
Malaysia's iflix in sale talks after co-founders exit
22 June 2020
Malaysia-headquartered video streaming platform iflix is in talks for a sale to avoid a looming debt crisis and has appointed distressed asset specialists to its board of directors
44 Iconic and Contemporary Arabic Films to Stream on Netflix Now
21 June 2020
As Netflix continues its quest to champion regional storytelling on an international level and rapidly expand its diverse collection of Arabic titles for all audiences, dozens of critically-acclaimed Arab films will be added this week, on the worldwide streaming platform
‘Adam’ ,‘It Must Be Heaven’ top Arab Critics Awards nominations
21 June 2020
Maryam Touzani’s Adam and Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven received four nominations each in the first round of voting in this year’s Critics Awards for Arab Films.
SIC'S "NAZARÉ" Has Been Licensed TO MBC GROUP
21 June 2020
After the success of titles like ‘More than Love’, ‘Frozen Memories’ and ‘Living Passion’ on MBC, it’s time to pick a new title, ‘Nazaré’.
Inter Medya Announces Further Deals for The Ambassador’s Daughter
21 June 2020
One of this season’s biggest hits THE AMBASSADOR’S DAUGHTER has been licensed to new territories worldwide
ViacomCBS new Regional EVP, and planning relaunch
21 June 2020
Bob Bakish, CEO of ViacomCBS, announced plans to relaunch the CBS All Access platform with other 15 thousand hours of content from Viacom and CBS, with the aim of expanding it internationally in 2021. The most recent ViacomCBS OTT launches in Latin America are Pluto TV and Paramount+.
Ramadan 2020 report: filled with pleasant surprises!
09 June 2020
The mena.tv Ramadan report, an annual report providing in -depth analysis of the region’s most popular TV month of the year, will be available as soon as next week.
Intigral launches linear channel, undertakes remote operations
05 June 2020
Intigral launched a linear channel called Jawwy TV on IP last month to complement the Jawwy TV streaming service.
mena.tv named Distributor Initiative of the Year at Digital Studio Awards 2020
05 June 2020
For the second consecutive year, mena.tv has been recognised by the region’s longest-standing industry awards.
Ouarzazate, Capital of Moroccan Cinema, Deserted by Foreign Filming
05 June 2020
The city, described as the capital of Moroccan cinema, normally attracts film crews from all over the world. But since the beginning of the pandemic in Morocco, which began in March, causing an interruption in international air traffic, foreign film crews have left Morocco in a hurry, forced to stop filming.
Abu Dhabi Media Office and VICE Media Group to launch online youth content platform
05 June 2020
Lamma aims to connect Arab youth online through content creation and build a virtual community that is focused on a brighter future
OTT Revenue Now Projected To Double By 2025
05 June 2020
Global OTT revenues are expected to reach US$167bn in 2025, more than doubling the US$83bn recorded last year, according to industry analysis firm Digital TV Research.
The most watched series in Morocco in Ramadan 2020
24 May 2020
The Moroccan channels captured most of the TV audience over the month of Ramadan
Virtual Screenings 2020 hailed as a huge success
24 May 2020
Virtual Screenings 2020 is a comprehensive global event. According to its organizers, after its eighth day it involves 3,510 participants from 101 countries, 306 cities.
IPSOS MENA CEO highlights changes in MENA Ad Market
24 May 2020
In a personal address to the industry, Elie Aoun, CEO, Ipsos Media Cluster in MENA, last week outlined the new shape of the advertising industry.
26% surge in Netflix' UAE subscriber numbers
24 May 2020
Netflix is coming off of its best quarter yet for subscriber growth not just in the region, but globally
STARZPLAY partners with Zain to boost customer acquisition and make content access easier than ever
24 May 2020
Middle East SVoD service Starzplay has partnered with Zain Group to offer easier payment options for subscribers. Starzplay expects to accelerate customer acquisition through direct carrier billing integration with Zain in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq
Huawei Video announces new Ramadan series in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt
24 May 2020
The new content lineup is free to stream for Huawei and Honor Mobile users during Ramadan.
MENA networks buying more 3rd party content
12 May 2020
Recent trends are recording a continuous surge in content consumption in the MENA region, a pattern that is shared with many countries across the globe.
Rotana+ Arabic TV Launches on the Roku Platform
12 May 2020
Rotana Media Group announced today that its much anticipated streaming platform, ROTANA+ ARABIC TV will now be available on all Roku® streaming devices in the United States and Canada.
New Deal Between Kanal D International & Tring
12 May 2020
Kanal D International, the owner of the widest catalogue of Turkish dramas and the most important Turkish content broadcaster in Albania, Tring; signed a 3 years of output deal.
Mondo Globo/MCNC launches Arabic multi-delivery TV platform in Europe
12 May 2020
The platform is a result of cooperation between Mondo Globo/MCNC Group and major broadcasting groups and TV channels across the Arab world.
YouTube TV Adding More ViacomCBS Channels Through New Deal
12 May 2020
ViacomCBS and Google have come to terms on a multi-year distribution agreement that will see Google’s YouTube TV vMVPD service continue to carry ViacomCBS channels.
Netflix launches ‘Made In Africa’ collection
12 May 2020
The collection aims to honour and celebrate Netflix's commitment to Africa and the African creative community.
International Buyers asking for more Middle Eastern content
22 April 2020
mena.tv is receiving numerous enquiries from broadcasters and streaming platforms outside the Middle East region, mainly enquiring if Arabic content listings are available for their respective territories. Most of their questions relate to rights available, pricing and dubbing/ subtitling.
For the first time ever: A New Genre is released in the Middle East
22 April 2020
“Al Nihaya” which translates to “The End” (of the world) is promoted by Egypt’s government- supported production house, Synergy,as the Middle East’s first ever SciFi series. The 30- episode SciFi Thriller will be airing exclusively on Egypt’s FTA channel ON Drama, available to the vast majority of viewers residing in the Arab World.
Sabbah Brothers productions will see the light in Ramadan 2020
22 April 2020
The crisis of the Coronavirus outbreak affected all sectors, especially the artistic production sector that was in a race against time in preparation for the Ramadan season. This year Sabbah Brothers Company had a lineup planned of nine television works, including eight series from Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco, in addition to a huge TV program "Ghaleb Al Saqqa" starring Ahmed El Saqqa.
Abu Dhabi TV and Emarat TV unveil Ramadan shows
22 April 2020
Abu Dhabi TV and Emarat TV have announced a raft of star-studded shows for viewers in the region during the holy month of Ramadan. The shows include 13 Emirati and Arabic-language series and more than nine diverse programmes.
Facebook, CNN International Partner on ‘Stories of Ramadan’ Series
22 April 2020
Facebook is rolling out a 10-part series with CNN International as part of a slate of programming collaborations celebrating Ramadan during the coronavirus pandemic.
beIN announces Ramadan programming
22 April 2020
BeIN’s Ramadan programming, launching today, will offer entertainment for all ages its exclusive channels – including beIN Movies, beIN Drama, beIN Gourmet, Fatafeat, Baraem Channel and Jeem TV – with various announcements to follow over the coming days.
Industry speculation surrounding Lebanese Ramadan Series
08 April 2020
Until last year, the Lebanese content creation industry was on the rise, in terms of both quality and quantity of Dramas released during the peak season. 15 brand new titles aired last Ramadan, 25% more than the year before according to mena.tv’s exclusive annual Ramadan report.
Pandemic causes a huge jump in MENA region’s TV and streaming audiences
08 April 2020
As quarantine becomes the new norm, new research suggests that people are watching more and more TV content, both on channels and streaming services.
Kalevala World Ltd presents its TV / VOD drama series in development to the global financiers, producers and distributors
08 April 2020
‘’ KALEVALA – The Return of The Golden Age’’ It’s a mythical adventure which explores one of the most important issues of our time: The interdependence and unity of human life with Nature.