• Flagship channels STAR Plus, STAR Gold, STAR Bharat & Asianet Middle East renewed

  • Deal sees new channel launch, Asianet Movies, and more content on OSN Play for anytime, anywhere viewing

Jeddah, KSA: OSN, the region’s leading entertainment provider, today announced the renewal of its partnership with STAR Asianet Middle East, ensuring OSN Pehla customers will continue to enjoy the latest and most popular shows and movie premieres across STAR’s bouquet of channels.

Underpinning OSN’s commitment to providing a more engaging viewer experience and addressing customer demand, the renewed agreement with the major South Asian network sees the addition of popular movie channel, Asianet Movies, delivering a total of ten STAR channels to OSN Pehla customers, with key shows also available on OSN Play to watch anytime, anywhere.

The addition of Asianet Movies, India's first 24-hour Malayalam TV channel, brings hit Malayalam blockbusters in addition to Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies dubbed in Malayalam to OSN Pehla’s prime pack.

As part of the renewed deal, the new movie channel adds to STAR Asianet ME’s bouquet of popular channels which include flagship Hindi channels STAR Plus, STAR Gold, STAR Bharat, ABP News and leading regional channels STAR Jalsha, STAR Pravah, STAR Vijay, Asianet News and Asianet Middle East; covering Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil and Bengali languages.  

Emad Morcos, Chief Content Officer at OSN, said: “The extension of OSN’s long-term partnership with STAR reinforces our commitment to continue to deliver leading content from the Subcontinent for South Asian expatriates in MENA, on OSN Pehla. Additionally, the introduction of the new movie channel, as part of this renewed agreement, adds increased value for customers.”

Sudhir Nagpal, Business Head, STAR Middle East, Africa and APAC, added: “The renewal of STAR’s long-standing association with OSN is a testament to STAR’s commitment towards delivering world-class entertainment to South Asian audiences in the region. STAR, with its multilingual portfolio, will continue to drive local relevance and be the one-stop solution of South Asian Entertainment.”

The very best South Asian shows and Bollywood Blockbuster movies will be available on Star channels including favourites India’s Next Superstar on STAR Plus, the biggest Hindi Movie Blockbusters such as Kalaakandi starring Saif Ali Khan, Aiyaary starring Siddarth Malhotra and Baaghi 2 starring Tiger Shroff on STAR Gold, Super Singer 6 on STAR Vijay, and International super-hit format, Big Boss for the 1st time on Malayalam Television on Asianet Middle East to name a few.

Be the first to hear about OSN news by following @OSNnewsME on Twitter. To download press material including releases, images, videos and more, please visit the OSN Media Hub at www.osn.com/media.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact:
Zahabia Motiwala                          
Communications Director, OSN       
Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE         
+971 (0) 367 7084                      
zahabia.motiwala@osn.com           

Robert Tasker | Rania Moussly
ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller
Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE
 +971 (0) 4 450 7600
robert.tasker@bm.com  | rania.moussly@bm.com

About OSN:
OSN is the region’s leading entertainment network with the rights to broadcast into 24 countries across the MENA. The company is owned and operated by Panther Media Group, registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and has two shareholders, KIPCO and the Mawarid Group Limited.

OSN has a history of providing exceptional value for customers with its focus on exclusive and in-demand content, and innovative digital platforms for anywhere, anytime access.

With over 150 channels, OSN’s strength is its unbeatable range of exclusive programming led by its long-term partnerships with studio majors including Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, Fox, Paramount, MGM, Sony, DreamWorks and Warner Brothers.

65 HD channels mean OSN is the home for premium and nowhere-else content in Arabic, English, Filipino and South Asian languages. OSN broadcasts the latest content at the same minute as in the US, including popular series, blockbuster movies, and the best sports events. In addition, OSN also provides entertainment content for devices such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones via its OSN Play, online and mobile app entertainment platform, WAVO, offering movies, series and sports on the go.

OSN has been at the forefront of digital technology innovation in the Middle East introducing the first Digital Video Recorder HD, OSN Play, an online TV platform, an internet-enabled satellite receiver and recorder and OSN on Demand, the region's first VOD service.

OSN also expanded its language services when it acquired Pehla Media & Entertainment, offering around forty channels in a variety of South Asian languages in the MENA region, with content such as Bollywood movies and cricket, including the ICC Cricket World Cup.

OSN’s ambition is to deliver entertainment everywhere for everyone, which is informed by the company’s three key pillars: A customer-first approach, unrivalled exclusive content and unbeatable value.

About STAR: 
STAR has defined the media landscape in Asia since 1991 and today is one of the region’s leading media conglomerates, reaching approximately 700+ million viewers a month across India and more than 100 other countries. STAR generates 30,000+ hours of content every year and broadcasts 60+ channels in 8 different languages, reaching 9 out of 10 C&S TV homes in India. 

The network’s entertainment channel portfolio includes STAR Gold, Channel V, STAR World, STAR World Premiere HD, STAR Movies, STAR Movies Select HD, STAR Utsav, STAR Utsav Movies, STAR Bharat, Movies OK and STAR Plus, India's No. 1 Hindi General Entertainment Channel. It has a leading presence in regional broadcasting as well, through a bouquet of channels which include STAR Jalsha, Jalsha Movies, STAR Pravah, Maa channels and affiliate channels Asianet, Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies, Suvarna, Suvarna Plus and Vijay. It is also present in the Indian movie production and distribution space through Fox STAR Studios, an affiliate joint venture company.

STAR India is making quantum leaps in transforming sports in the country by leveraging the group's strengths in superior content and audience engagement. STAR's sports business has grown rapidly to 12 channel properties (STAR Sports 1, 2, STAR Sports Select 1, STAR Sports Select 2, STAR Sports Hindi 1; STAR Sports HD1, HD2, STAR Sports Select 1 HD, STAR Sports Select 2 HD, STAR Sports Hindi 1 HD; India’s first Tamil Sports channel STAR Sports Tamil 1 and India’s first private FTA sports channel STAR Sports First), making it the leading sports network in the country. 

STAR is set to drive the agenda on digital content consumption in India with Hotstar, STAR’s revolutionary digital platform that brings your favourite TV shows, movies and sports in one destination.

STAR India is a fully owned subsidiary of 21st Century Fox. Follow us on http://www.startv.com/  

© Press Release 2018