OSN rolls out low cost package for Saudi Arabia
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 21 February 2019

Middle East pay-TV operator OSN is officially launching El Farq (The Difference), a low cost contract-free package for viewers in Saudi Arabia.

The launch follows a three month pilot, which received favourable feedback from customers and “impressive sales growth”, claimed the Dubai-based operator.

The service provides access to OSN’s content from a range of studios including Fox, HBO, and Disney for SAR 159 per month. Customers can also watch El Farq anytime, anywhere with OSN Play. The service can be paid for by cash or credit card upon installation.

“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,” said Bandar Al Mashhadi, managing director – Saudi Arabia, OSN.

Saudi Arabian households spend an average of eight hours a day watching TV, according to an OSN study conducted last year.

Peak TV viewership in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (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% of respondents citing it as their pastime of choice.

OSN’s research identified that general entertainment and Arabic series are the most consumed genre on OSN video-on-demand.

Steve MacDiarmid, chief commercial officer, OSN, said: “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.”

Over the next few months, OSN will be the regional home to the final season of Game of Thrones; season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale; new Arabic shows on OSN YaHala Al Oula HD such as Tishweesh and Stiletto Vendetta, as well as locally produced stand-up seriesMenna w Fina (منا و فينا) on Comedy Central.