ADD and ESPN join hands to bring best sporting action in Middle East

Arab Digital Distribution (ADD), a large pay television platform management company in the MENA region, announced the addition of three channels from ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports.

The channels will feature in the popular ART, Pehla and FirstNet bouquets.

Announcing the launch of the ESPN channels, Mr. Vinod D’ Mello, Executive Vice-President, Group Strategy and Planning, ADD, said: ‘We are glad to bring the best in sports entertainment to our viewers through this tie-up. ESPN carries some of the world’s most popular sports networks: our sports viewers will be able to choose from the greatest moments in international sport to US Sports that are popular not just with Americans and other Western expats, but also with the Arab and Asian communities who follow American sports across the Middle East region.’

Commenting on the tie-up, Lynne Frank, Managing Director of ESPN, Europe, Middle East and Africa said: ‘In a region that is young and dynamic, where sport plays such a vital part in the life of the people, we are thrilled to be reaching new fans. We are pleased to be able to bring ESPN, NASN and ESPN Classic to ADD subscribers. These three channels show ESPN’s desire to meet the needs of sports fans all over the world.’

ESPN Classic will be added to Pehla Basic and FirstNet Choice packages while ESPN and NASN channels will be part of Pehla Silver, Pehla Gold and FirstNet Premium packages. The channels will be available to subscribers from August 2008.

ESPN is a world leader in sports entertainment, dedicated to bringing round-the-clock programming to its viewers around the globe. Founded in the US in September 1979, the network covers the leading tournaments, leagues and championships including golf, tennis, cricket, NFL football, NBA basketball, NHL hockey, NASCAR racing and Major League Soccer. It’s programming is composed of live and near live sporting events, as well as sports-related news, documentaries and talk shows.

NASN (North American Sports Network) is a London-based sports network that is the home of North American sport in Europe, Middle East & Africa. It broadcasts a selection of professional and collegiate sports leagues (Major League Baseball, NHL, NFL, CFL, NCAA, etc) 24 hours a day on digital cable and satellite. Launched in December 2002, it was acquired by ESPN in 2007.

ESPN Classic, launched in 2003, is a classic sports network that features the greatest sporting moments of the last four decades: including sporting documentaries, profiles and biographies of famous sports stars. Programming includes English Premier League, UEFA Finals, Moto GP, ESPN Big Fights and a selection of great sport from around the globe.

Tags: ADD, Arab Digital Distribution, ART, ESPN, Lynne Frank, Vinod D' Mello

Media Agency Middle East secures media representation rights for ICC Champions Trophy

Media Agency Middle East (MAME), the single window media and media-business consultancy provider, has secured the advertising sales representation rights for ICC Champions Trophy, 2008 on ART Prime Sports, the MENA region’s best sports action channel.

MAME has won these rights from Arab Research and Media Service (ARMS) / Arab Digital Distributors (ADD) through a bidding process which was contested by agencies from the region. Earlier this year MAME had also won the representation rights for the IPL 2008, which has been a huge success. The ICC Championship would be played in Pakistan from 11th September 2008.

ICC Champions Trophy, which is popularly known as mini world cup, is a popular event in the cricketing world. After the IPL 2008, the ICC championship is the next big cricketing event, with teams from Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England battling it out on the fields in 15 One Day Internationals, to win the coveted tournament.

The partnership between ARMS / ADD and MAME will highlight ICC event available to cricket fans across the Middle East. These arrangement promise to extend the popularity and reach of ICC events, heightening the international game of cricket to the region and promising unmatched coverage to audiences, while continuing to strengthen its popularity in core cricket territories & viewer base.

Commenting on attaining the ICC Champions Trophy 08 rights in the region, Mr. Bipin Pathak, Managing Director & CEO, MAME, said: ‘ICC Champions Trophy is the mini world cup. The popularity of the game in this part of the world is huge because of the multi cultural population living here. GCC countries have people of over 160 nationalities living here. Moreover a vast majority of the resident population comes from cricket crazy countries like India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Australia, UK, South Africa and New Zealand. Their passion for the game is unrivalled. This is a perfect avenue for brands & products to reach out to their target audience and MAME with its extensive knowledge of media consumption habits in the region and experience in handling cricket properties is confident of delivering value to its advertisers as well as viewers across the region.’

According to Mr. Pathak, MAME is perfectly positioned to leverage its regional experience and keen insight into media consumption habits to help its clients introduce their products and services in a fast-growing market through effective communication strategies targeted at a global audience. It offers single-window media representation services at the local, regional and international levels covering both the electronic and print media.

The Media Agency Middle East (MAME) electronics division features largest electronic media window in the region for the Asian channels, offering complete end-to-end television solutions.

Tags: ADD, Arab Digital Distributors, Arab Research and Media Service, ARMS, ART Prime Sports, Bipin Pathak, ICC Champions Trophy, MAME, The Media Agency Middle East