Dubai-based OSN, the region’s leading pay-TV network, recently secured a deal with Lebanon’s Right & Rights (R&R) for the exclusive distribution of its premium channels.
R&R is Lebanon's most prominent media aggregation company, sublicensing TV services to other distribution platforms in the country. The new deal will see R&R, in collaboration with its sister firm ECOnet, exclusively distribute OSN content in Lebanon, a move that signifies the alignment of three of the region’s leading companies in the broadcast and digital television industry.
“OSN saw in R&R the right partner to bring our premium content choices to Lebanon,” Elie Kawkabani, vice president of emerging markets and business development at OSN, told Gulf News Journal. “Lebanon has a huge appetite for compelling and innovative content, both in broadcast and digital, and we moved in to fill that void.”
The long-term contract grants R&R licence to redistribute OSN packages across all platforms, with the exception of DTH. This agreement firmly protects OSN’s rights as content owners and rights holders and provides a launch pad for growth in the pay-TV sector in Lebanon.
OSN’s emerging markets department, Kawkabani said, was created to focus on more complex and less developed pay TV markets. The Lebanese market, which is consumer driven, reiterates the benefit of subscribing to pay TV which is providing viewers with choice and access to the latest and most sought after premium content through a secure platform.
“The new deal allows us to cater to the growing demand for premium content among Lebanese viewers,” Kawkabani said.
R&R is a pioneer in the pay-TV sector in Lebanon and has built an excellent reputation in a traditionally complex environment. Its subsidiary, ECOnet, is investing in an advanced dedicated technology platform for its subscribers in Lebanon to ensure the quality and integrity of the OSN signal,and a secure viewing experience for OSN viewers. Through its relationships with other elements of the telecoms and broadcast arena, R&R brings the right combination of expertise, influence and vision to partner with OSN on this venture.
“OSN has a wide reach in the region, however, there is always potential to advance further in growth markets such as Lebanon,” Kawkabani said. “Through the deal with Right & Rights, OSN can now be enjoyed in even more homes across the Middle East.”
OSN is the home to over 150 channels and services filled with great value entertainment, offering viewers in the MENA region exclusive access to blockbuster movies, top-rated series, sports, documentaries, news, kid's entertainment and live talk shows. By signing an agreement with R&R to distribute its channels in Lebanon, OSN reiterates its indisputable stature as the most reputed direct-broadcast satellite provider in the MENA region.
“We are looking to help evolve the Lebanese pay TV market to a position where viewers can easily and securely access world-class TV entertainment,” Kawkabani said. “This deal is the first step in our journey toward achieving that.”
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