Samsung Smart TV to live stream Al Jazeera Arabic and English to reach new audiences across the world
Dubai - United Arab Emirates, March 18, 2012: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today announced that it has formed an exclusive agreement with Al Jazeera, the 24 hours news and current affairs channel. As part of the agreement, Al Jazeera will live stream its Arabic and English TV news channels through a custom built application for all Samsung Smart TVs, which will be their first application launched on a connected TV.
Commenting on the exclusive agreement Mr. Young Soo Kim, President at Samsung Gulf Electronics, said: "Samsung's development of regional applications and content has allowed us to stand out as market leaders in this category. Introducing Al Jazeera on Samsung Smart TV's is a cornerstone in application development as it is the first live streaming news application within the region. Our agreement will allow Smart TV users around the world to access Al Jazeera News anytime and anywhere."
The Managing Director of Al Jazeera English and Director of Media Development for the Network, Al Anstey said that "Presence on connected TV, which is reshaping the conventional way we watch TV, is part of Al Jazeera's Multi Screen Distribution Strategy. We are pleased to announce a partnership between a global brand like ours and one of the most innovative and largest televisions manufacturers in the world."
Al Jazeera's decision to partner with Samsung is based on the immense popularity of Samsung Smart TVs amongst consumers throughout key markets. Samsung recently announced that its Smart TV range is dominating the Gulf region with 45% market share in the Smart TV category and 50% market share globally. In the last quarter of 2011, Samsung recorded a 21% increase year-on-year within the Gulf market. The impressive increase resulted from Samsung's commitment to offering a diverse portfolio of content with services launching in English, Arabic and Hindi.
In the region, Samsung currently has 250 Smart TV applications, including: Dubai Media Incorporate, streaming all of its broadcast channels; YuppTV, streaming over 60 Indian channels; Arabian Radio Network, with live radio feed and program schedule; and DEWA, the first business solutions application developed in the UAE. Samsung's partnerships with local and regional partners highlight the region's growing interest in tapping into new forms of media. Given this growing interest, Samsung continues securing business partnerships with the aim of providing locally tailored content and services to regional consumers.
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About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 222,000 people in 205 offices across 71 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LCD. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world's most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
About Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera is one of the world's leading media corporations, encompassing news, documentary and sport channels. Al Jazeera started out more than fifteen years ago as the first independent news channel in the Arab world dedicated to covering and uncovering stories in the region. It is now media network consisting of over twenty channels - Al Jazeera Arabic, Al Jazeera English, Al Jazeera Balkans, Al Jazeera Sport, Al Jazeera Mubasher, Al Jazeera Documentary, the Al Jazeera Media Training and Development Center, and the Al Jazeera Center for Studies. This year it will also launch Turkish and Kiswahili language news channels. The network has an extensive newsgathering reach with over eighty bureaus across all the continents of the world.
© Press Release 2012
