World Screen

LOS ANGELES: The seventh edition of DISCOP Africa garnered record-breaking attendance, with a total of 1,248 delegates for the three-day event. There were 173 exhibiting companies and 304 broadcasters, pay-TV platforms, mobile operators, broadband-based services, closed-circuit networks and distributors operating in Africa. The total delegates represented 672 companies from 86 …

MUNICH/DUBAI: Red Arrow International has made a formats representation and co-production agreement with Sync Media for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Under the deal, Sync Media will exclusively represent and produce Red Arrow International’s formats in the region. Sync Media, a multiplatform content creation company, is led by …

LONDON: ITV Studios Global Entertainment (ITVS GE) has named Phil Sequeira as its senior sales executive for EMEA and has elevated David Wilcox and Jennifer Ebell to the respective roles of VP for North West EMEA and VP for South East EMEA. Sequeria most recently served as a sales executives …

LONDON: The 24-hour Arabic-language news channel Sky News Arabia has been brought to the U.K. on Sky. The channel was created through a 50-50 joint venture between Sky and HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Abu Dhabi Media Investment Corp (ADMIC). It launched last year in May, and now …

LONDON: The number of pay-TV homes in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is expected to double between 2011 and 2018, reaching 16 million, according to Digital TV Research, which forecasts that the proportion legitimately paying for signals is also going to rise considerably.  A new report from the group finds …

PREMIUM: David Butorac, the CEO of OSN, shares the gains made by the platform over the last two years and reveals what’s in store for the future. TV MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: What are the major gains you’ve seen in OSN’s subscriber base over the last year? BUTORAC: In December 2010 …

LOS ANGELES: DISCOP Africa has already amassed record-breaking pre-bookings for the next edition of the event, taking place in November in Johannesburg. An expanded floor plan is set to host more than 250 exhibiting distributors and a large contingent of national umbrella organizations representing South Africa, France, the U.S., Turkey, Kenya, …

JOHANNESBURG: Pana TV, an online television service for African content, has picked up more than 1,000 hours of programming from M-Net to stream on the PanaTV.com platform. The deal involves drama, documentary, lifestyle and kids’ content, as well as a number short films and Nollywood movies. Titles include, among others, …

This article originally appeared in the MIPCOM 2012 issue of TV Middle East & Africa.   The satellite-broadcasting business in the Middle East is coming to grips with channel jamming, fierce rivalries and increased competition.   By any measure, broadcasting in the Middle East is a booming business. However, the …

DUBAI: OSN is launching five new channels next month, along with expanding its bouquet of high-definition offerings for a total of 36 HD services operating in the Middle East and North Africa. The new channels will go live on January 1. The launches include two premium HD Arabic channels: OSN Ya …