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Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Watching TV is the Kingdom’s favourite weekend pastime, based on the “Daily Behavior in KSA” study by IPSOS.
According to OSN, the region’s leading entertainment network, TV is alive and kicking in Saudi Arabia, with households spending an average of eight hours a day watching TV (source: OSN data study 2018).
Peak TV viewership in KSA occurs during the hours of 6pm and 1am, and even on the weekend while ’surfing the internet’ was the most common activity, watching TV is a close second, with 62 per cent of respondents citing it as their pastime of choice.
To meet KSA’s increasing demand for quality content, flexibility and variety, OSN is officially launching ‘El Farq’, OSN’s latest and most flexible entertainment package yet, offering one great price, a rich diversity of channels and no annual contract.
The official launch of El Farq, meaning ‘The Difference’ in Arabic, follows an extensive research period and three-month testing phase carried out across the Kingdom, which recorded a positive response from customers and impressive sales growth.
OSN also identified the factors which make Saudi consumers consider and purchase TV entertainment services. The top priority highlighted by respondents was ease of use (53 per cent), followed by value for money (49 per cent) and latest movies (42 per cent).
El Farq meets all these needs and more with its simple online purchasing process, attractive price and a channel selection that guarantees the latest movies, series, kids and lifestyle programming for all the family.
Bandar Al Mashhadi, Managing Director – Saudi Arabia, OSN, added: “El Farq is about absolute simplicity. It is total value for money, delivered just the way our customers in Saudi Arabia want. We want to make entertainment accessible for everyone, and we are confident that El Farq will further cement OSN’s position in the Saudi market as the leading provider of premium entertainment.”
What makes El Farq a truly different proposition is that it offers a simple and genre-spanning collection of channels giving new subscribers access to OSN’s exclusive content from the world’s leading studios including Fox, HBO, Disney and more for only SAR 159 per month. Customers can also watch El Farq anytime, anywhere with OSN Play.
Steve MacDiarmid, Chief Commercial Officer, OSN, said: “As a customer-first organization, we carried out research into the entertainment preferences of Saudi families in order to bring this unique package, to customers here. Our research has helped us understand what really matters to customers in KSA, and OSN has brought all of those elements together in ‘El Farq’. Our test phase recorded growth in the subscriber base across all segments, particularly in the 25 to 44 age-group, which makes us confident that, as we roll out El Farq in Saudi Arabia, this product will resonate with customers and exceed their expectations.”
OSN’s research identified that general entertainment and Arabic series are the most consumed genre on OSN video-on-demand, and El Farq aims to keep audiences happy with even more of the content that Saudi audiences love. In the next few months OSN will exclusively premiere some of the most talked about shows including the final season of Game of Thrones (premiering April 15); season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale (premiering in June); new Arabic shows on OSN YaHala Al Oula HD such as Tishweesh (Sundays at 11pm) and Stiletto Vendetta (premiering March 11), as well as Menna w Fina ( ) on Comedy Central – a new locally produced stand-up series filmed in Jeddah and Dubai with some of the best Arabic comedians including Atheer Yacoub, Ali Sultan, Khalid Omar, and Rajae Qawas to name a few.
El Farq’s benefits go beyond what’s on screen, OSN has also simplified the payments process making it easier for customers to pay for their OSN experience, using either cash or credit card upon installation.
Saudi Arabia spoke, OSN listened, and El Farq delivers what families in KSA want from their TV experience. For more on El Farq visit www.osn.com/en-sa/el-farq
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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.
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, and Sony to name a few.
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 in kids and lifestyle programming. 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 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 a variety of channels in several 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.
For more information:
Zahabia Motiwala
Communications Director, OSN
+971 (0) 367 7084
zahabia.motiwala@osn.com
Malek Abdelrahman
ASDA’A BCW
0544426364
malek.abdelrahman@bcw-global.com
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