New chairman of OSN appointed
August 15, 2011
By Chris Forrester
Samir Abdulhadi, the former head of Orbit, has been appointed chairman of Panther Media Group, which operates the Dubai-based Orbit Showtime Network. He succeeds Faisal Al Ayyar, who was previously the chairman of Showtime/Gulf DTH. Abdulhadi’s appointment is effective from August 10th.
Abdulhardi is the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Group’s senior representative on the Panther board. Al Ayyar is vice-Chairman of Kuwait’s Kipco Group.
OSN/Panther Media was formed in July 2009 after Orbit merged with Showtime and after a challenging period for both pay-TV broadcasters. “I am honoured to have been appointed Chairman, said Abdulhadi. “I look forward to working with the Board and Management as we continue to grow the MENA Pay TV market and to ramp up our market strategy.” He further expressed his sincere appreciation and thanks to Al-Ayyar, who chaired the board of Panther Media Group Limited (PMGL) for the previous two years for his great contribution and leadership, during which the successful integration of both the Orbit and Showtime pay television platforms took place.