ART ‘rights sale’ clarified?
ART ‘rights sale’ clarified?
Despite our well-placed sources Middle East pay-TV broadcaster Arab Radio & Television (ART) is firmly denying that it has ‘sold’ its exclusive sports rights to Al Jazeera Sport. by our information, but with slight modifications.
First, the ART denial: Nawaf Tamimi, the head of public relations at ART, quoted by The National newspaper, said there had been no rights deal. "This has been around for the last three weeks, people putting rumours into the press," he said. "Yes, we are in talks with Al Jazeera, but this is related to so many issues, such as exchanging content, set-top box technology and putting our efforts together to try to fight piracy. So there is talk, but it is not about selling rights. Why should we sell our library?"
We said a deal was due to be signed this past weekend. We can now confirm that a deal with Al Jazeera is in the offing but is a few days away from signature. understands that ART has a small but very high-level team in Doha, working closely with Al Jazeera Sport’s senior executives.
They are NOT discussing a merger.
The outcome is likely to see ART showing a comprehensive portfolio of sports programming comprising its own exclusive material, as well as that from Al Jazeera in order that the ART platform remains at the forefront of Middle East pay-TV broadcasting.
Cash might well change hands between the ART and Al Jazeera. However, the end game will see ART concentrate on its brand new programming offering, a brand new pirate-resistant set-top box, and with everyone working hard towards next year’s ART-exclusive FIFA World Cup soccer championships, which insiders say might well add another 1m subscribers. Al Jazeera, which has struggled in the past to monetise its exclusive sports offerings, will support ART and receive a percentage of ART’s premium sports revenues.
“The cost of acquiring those foreign leagues has become very high and to make money out of them is a major challenge. You have to change your business model to a high subscription fee model hoping you gain enough paying subscribers to get your money back. We have shifted our strategy to concentrate on the local leagues, which cost considerably less. ART is after the mass not the niche market and this shift has been successful and is producing results as good or better than when we had rights to the English league,” claims ART’s Multichoice Middle East GM Khaled Abu Namous, talking to Digital Production Middle East recently.
The viewer, who cares very little where these rights come from, only that access is available, gets the best-ever offering. ART more or less quits high-cost sports, leaving the battle to Al Jazeera, and Abu Dhabi Sports. Both of which will want to see a return on their high investments. This can only be achieved by using a highly secure set-top box. Step forward ART with just the beast!
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