OSN secures first pay window, OTT rights for NBCUniversal content


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Rebecca Hawkes

| 14 January 2016




Middle East pay-TV network OSN has signed a new deal with NBCUniversal International (NBCUI) for content including Arabic versions of the channels E! Entertainment and Syfy.


Furious 7 on OSNOSN will have exclusive rights to E! Entertainment Television in Arabic, providing subscribers across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) with celebrity news and updates, including localised entertainment programming from the region.

Syfy will deliver science fiction entertainment, with 80% of the channel’s content either subtitled or dubbed in Arabic, upon its launch on OSN in the middle of 2016. The channel features original series, original movies, classic science fiction and fantasy programming.

Additionally, NBCUniversal’s blockbuster films such as Minions, Furious 7 and Jurassic World will be joined on OSN by the Hollywood studio’s upcoming theatrical releases including Ride Along 2, Untitled Next Bourne Chapter, The Huntsman Winter’s War and Warcraft.

“The pay-TV industry will be led by those who own the most compelling content, and OSN is dominating the space of original and exclusive programming through our long-term channel and content partnerships such as with NBCUniversal International, which truly opens a universe of unmatched content available now only for OSN subscribers,” said David Butorac, CEO, OSN.

“We do not operate as just content carriers; we also work with our partners to ensure that we can customise their content for the local market. That is why we will be focusing on localisation and bringing amazing Arabic content – through E! and Syfy.”

OSN will also broadcast NBCUniversal TV series such as Suits, Mr Robot, Bates Motel, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grimm, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, and the new drama, Game of Silence. Late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers, also form part of the deal, as well as news programmes including the Today Show and Meet the Press, as well as business news channel CNBC.

The deal secures first pay window rights for OSN, in addition to exclusive over-the-top (OTT) content access for subscribers on OSN Play, and GO, its ‘skinny’ online TV service for non-subscribers across MENA.