ChannelSculptor wins ‘du’ contract for MENA channels
March 12, 2014
By Chris Forrester
The UAE’s ‘du’ telco-based entertainment provider has awarded a major contract to Dubai-based ChannelSculptor as its channel aggregator partner for the region’s free-to-air broadcasters. ChannelSculptor’s ‘mena.tv’ initiative will provide “an efficient link” between the ever-growing number of broadcasters and the increasingly important IPTV-based networks in the region.
Ahmed Mokhles EVP/Consumer Business at ‘du’ commented, “Our TV channel portfolio already exceeds 400, and we need to make the most of all our content opportunities. Working with ChannelSculptor will allow us to engage efficiently with the broadcasting community. We are making it easier, faster and hassle free for broadcasters to get on board.”
Nick Grande, Managing Director of broadcast consultancy ChannelSculptor said, “We aim to make it simple for IPTV networks to keep pace with the ever-growing number of MENA TV channels. The mena.tv initiative also provides a gateway for broadcasters to reach a wider audience in the region. We are delighted to be providing the service to du, the region’s first IPTV network.”
ChannelSculptor’s ‘mena.tv’ is designed to serve the almost 1000 FTA channels available in the region “but find it difficult to engage and maintain links with the wider regional TV industry,” says ChannelSculptor.
‘du’ says it has more than 7.4 million people using its services. ‘du’ is 39.5 per cent owned by Emirates Investment Authority, 20.08 per cent by Abu Dhabi sovereign fund Mubadala Development, 19.5 per cent by Emirates Communications & Technology, and the balance is publicly held.