OSN Pehla affirms position as top provider of South Asian content with launch of two channels

GEO News brings news and current affairs in Urdu; SAB TV is leading Indian comedy entertainment channel

Dubai, UAE; January 06, 2014: OSN, the region’s leading pay-TV network, is sealing its position as the top provider of popular South Asian content with the addition of GEO News and SAB TV for OSN Pehla subscribers.

Available exclusively on OSN Pehla, GEO News is the highest rated news broadcaster from Pakistan. The channel offers premium content for Urdu-speaking expatriates with a focus on news and current affairs.

Extremely popular with families, the Indian comedy entertainment channel, SAB TV is the only one in its genre. Owned by Multi Screen Media, it has achieved an impressive 300 per cent growth in viewership over the last few years, particularly among youth and children.

The newest additions follow the recent revamp of CricOne to OSN Sports Cricket HD, showcasing cricket from across the world, live and exclusive, including the prestigious India Premier League (IPL). GEO News and SAB TV add to OSN Pehla’s growing portfolio of over 30 popular South Asian channels in Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Tamil and Malayalam.

David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer of OSN, said: “Since its launch in August 2013, the response to OSN Pehla has been overwhelming. The large community of South Asians who live in the MENA region can now have complete control over their entertainment experience though our award-winning technology and can enjoy world-class cricketing action in high definition. We are delighted that OSN Pehla serves as a bridge for the large South Asian community to their home countries.”

He added: “GEO News and SAB TV have clearly proved their popularity among South Asians. With the addition of several channels planned in the next few months, we are redefining the South Asian TV experience.”

Iman Aslam, President, GEO TV Network said: “GEO News has set its ambition to be ubiquitous. Our launch on OSN Pehla brings us closer to our mission in the Middle East. As a credible source of news and current affairs in Urdu, GEO News enjoys a loyal and well informed audience. With an estimated 1.8 million Urdu speaking expatriates in the region, GEO News is sure to become the expat’s window to their homeland to stay on top of local issues. OSN Pehla’s extensive reach, technological and digital capabilities and high standards in customer service are an ideal fit for us to provide a value-added TV experience for our audiences.”

Neeraj Arora, EVP and Head of International Business, Multi Screen Media adds: “We identified a unique offering in the South Asian television sector with SAB TV, which offers round-the-clock and original family comedy content. Our emphasis is to connect with families by providing innovative, light-hearted and clean entertainment. Our partnership with OSN will take SAB TV to a wider audience of not just Indians but people from across South Asia, who live and work in the MENA region.”

GEO News brings unparalleled current affairs programming including highly rated shows such as: Aaj Kamran Khan Kay Saath that discusses the stories and events of the day; Capital Talk, which provides insights and analysis into the key issues of Pakistan; and Score which brings thrilling performances, spell binding competitions, and informative commentaries.

Featuring enjoyable ‘family viewing’ experiences, from silent comedy to humorous sketch shows and sitcoms, SAB TV is the winner of the ‘Brand Leadership Award’ in media and entertainment. Headlining shows on SAB TV include: Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma, which follows the lives of residents in an apartment block; Baal Veer, the ultimate hero for children; and F.I.R, story of a boisterous female sub-inspector Chandramukhi Chautala and Chief Inspector Hanuman Prasad Pandey, who solve interesting mysteries.

GEO News and SAB TV will be available on OSN Pehla Variety and OSN Pehla Prime Packages. For more details on OSN Pehla and to subscribe, please visit: www.osn.com

OSN is the ultimate destination for the widest choice of brand new premium Western, Arabic, South Asian (Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Malayalam and Tamil) and Filipino entertainment in the Middle East and Africa.

OSN is the home of nearly 140 channels filled with great value entertainment, offering viewers in the MENA region exclusive access to the latest blockbuster movies, top rated series, sports, documentaries, news, kid’s entertainment and live talk shows. The movie offering includes over a 100 uncut and uninterrupted movie premieres a month so viewers can watch them the way they were meant to be watched.

OSN boasts the most comprehensive portfolio of exclusive rights from all the major studios including Warner Brothers, Paramount, Fox, Disney, Sony, MGM, Universal, HBO and DreamWorks and offers access to the world’s leading television brands including Disney channel, Sky News, Discovery Network and Nat Geo.

Launched in August 2013, OSN Pehla brings the best of Bollywood movies and premium cricket, including exclusive telecast rights of international tournaments such as the ICC Cricket World Cup and Indian cricket, through leading sports channels OSN Sports Cricket HD and Ten Cricket.

As the leader in innovation, OSN has changed the TV viewing experience by bringing quality entertainment through 36 High Definition channels and is currently the only network offering a full HD bouquet of channels as well as 3D entertainment in the region. OSN was the first to launch the DVR, the OSN DVR HD; the regions first online TV platform, OSN Play; the regions first 3D, HD, internet enabled satellite receiver and recorder, OSN Plus HD and the region’s first VOD service, OSN on Demand offering viewers the opportunity to watch over 1000 movies and 52 latest seasons of the top series, all available in full HD quality and Dolby Digital sound.

September 2012 saw the launch of OSN’s rewards programme, OSN Privileges, offering subscribers money can’t buy experiences, special offers and premium prizes all year round.

The OSN platform is owned and operated by Panther Media Group Limited; a company registered in DIFC, and is owned by KIPCO and Mawarid Group Limited.