Endemol Sport has partnered with Abu Dhabi Media Company for the launch of four new HD English Premier League Channels to broadcast accross the Middle East to 22 countries.
Endemol Sport will join forces with Endemol Middle East to support ADMC in the production of programming covering the EPL. These programmes will be produced at new state-of-the-art studios at ADMC and will be broadcast in HD, along with all 380 EPL matches, as part of next season’s subscription package.
Programming will include big match previews and reviews, news bulletins and shows mixing football and entertainment, thereby providing extensive EPL content in addition to the live matches. The first two new EPL channels will be broadcast in Arabic specifically targeting the local audiences across the region. Two English language channels are also being launched as part of the package.
The main English channel will broadcast Premier League TV, the newly launched official 24/7 channel from the English Premier League, with match presentation from studios in London and additional programming including a mix of news, views and classic games from the EPL archives.
Mohammed Najeeb, Director of Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya sports channels, said: “There is so much passion for football in this region we know we have to give viewers truly in-depth coverage. The EPL is debated by millions of people on a daily basis and from next season we will be at the heart of that debate. We want people to not only watch the matches but also stay tuned for all the opinions and analysis shows with our own presenters and experts and our special guests.”
Lawrence Duffy, Managing Director of Endemol Sport, said: “This is possibly the most significant sports channel launch of the last decade. ADMC are one of the most forward thinking broadcasters and we are proud to be working with them on the launch of this new platform, which will provide an unprecedented viewing experience for football fans across the region.”
The agreement with Endemol comes just weeks after ADMC announced its distribution strategy to make English Premier League available in the MENA region via several subscription platforms, including HD set-top boxes, IPTV, and streaming via broadband Internet.
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