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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, …

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 …

MILAN: The French-Tunisian producer and financier Tarak Ben Ammar has made moves to acquire the Egyptian network ONTV, which he plans to manage through his Italian company Prima TV. Ben Ammar is purchasing the network from Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris. He already owns leading North African network Nessma TV along with …

SILVER SPRING: Discovery Communications has purchased Takhayal Entertainment and its affiliated companies in Dubai and Egypt, including the flagship food-based network Fatafeat. The move grows Discovery’s reach in the Middle East and North African TV market. It also gives Discovery access to a wealth of cooking recipes and shows and to …

JERUSALEM: Keshet hosted the first Innovative TV (INTV) Conference earlier this week, held over two days in Jerusalem, where Ari Emanuel, co-CEO of WME, was the guest of honor. Emanuel took part in a conversation with Avi Nir, Keshet’s CEO, to kick off the event. The conversation focused on changes …

TORONTO: Peace Point Rights has entered into a distribution partnership with Tanweer Group, which distributes content across the Middle East and North Africa.  Peace Point’s slate includes Keasha’s Perfect Dress, Colin & Justin’s Street Sweep, The Bulloch Family Ranch, Bake with Anna Olson and School Run, among others. This is …