OSN, the pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, has expanded its entertainment bouquet with the acquisition of Pehla Media & Entertainment, provider of South Asian pay television content.
The acquisition brings nearly 40 popular South Asian channels in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam languages to OSN’s portfolio. Bringing Bollywood and cricket, with exclusive telecast rights of the ICC Cricket World Cup, OSN Pehla will underscore the network’s position as one of the ultimate destinations for premium content. Pehla will now be known as OSN Pehla, functioning as a unit of OSN that is dedicated to South Asian content delivery.
David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer of OSN, said: “We are marking an exciting new chapter in OSN’s history with the integration of Pehla into our network. This acquisition builds on OSN’s growth strategy to explore opportunities for market consolidation bringing greater economies of scale and operational efficiencies to offer great value entertainment for subscribers. Appealing to millions of South Asian expatriates, OSN Pehla now gives us the opportunity to reach out to one of the largest demographics in Mena, serving as the ultimate entertainment destination for all segments of the region’s population.
“OSN has already established its credentials in premium Arabic, Western and Filipino entertainment, providing unrivalled content through technologically advanced platforms and unmatched on-demand and on-the-go television experiences. OSN Pehla customers will now be able to enjoy the same value added services and benefit from OSN’s award-winning customer services, our values and international industry standards.”
OSN Pehla customers will soon receive free access to OSN Play, the region’s first online TV viewing platform and can participate in OSN’s rewards programme, OSN Privileges, offering a range of prizes and deals from retailers and lifestyle partners.
The new channels now available under OSN Pehla include popular entertainment choices such as Sony, Star Plus, Sun TV, Zee TV, Geo TV, ARY Digital, Asianet Middle East, Colors, Gemini TV and Kairali, among others.
“Bollywood and cricket are increasingly gaining popularity in the Mena region. Our acquisition of Pehla’s content will enable our existing subscribers to choose from newly tailored packages that cover the best in Arabic, Western and South Asian entertainment. A truly growth-oriented acquisition, the deal underlines our commitment to add consistent value to all our stakeholders,” added Butorac.
The Peninsula
