DOHA: Ooredoo has announced an exclusive multi-year deal with the premium OTT video streaming service Starz Play to offer more “smart entertainment” options for customers as it moves to become the pre-eminent entertainment provider in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
Starz Play is a multi-screen video on-demand service which offers premium Hollywood TV series, movies and kids content.
The service, launched in Mena this year, will be available first in Qatar, with other markets in the Ooredoo footprint to follow.
Ooredoo is the first company in the region to announce a partnership with the smart entertainment service, which will provide exclusive rights to show more than 3,500 hours of programmes, on-demand content and movies for customers.
The service will be available via Ooredoo’s next-generation Mozaic service and Mozaic GO app in Qatar by this year-end.
To enable a smoother customer experience for Ooredoo users, Ooredoo Group is in talks with Starz Play to introduce an operator billing framework for some markets, so that customers will have a choice of paying for weekly and monthly subscriptions for unlimited content via their Ooredoo bill.
Dr Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: “Smart entertainment and content is more in demand today than ever before. Our customers want latest shows on-demand and on the go, and this partnership with Starz Play will allow us to offer this.”
Starz Play President Maaz Sheikh said: “In this new digital space, speed to market and ability to adapt to evolving consumer demand are critical success factors for leading global telecom groups.
“Recognising this, we appreciate the vision and momentum Ooredoo has brought to our partnership and we look forward to many mutual benefits and more entrepreneurial ventures like this in the Middle East.”
Starz Play focuses on exclusive premium content, offering US and European shows across Mena and in many cases on the same day it is released in the US. To enable suitable content for the family Starz Play also offers parental control features and a selection of shows for kids, including Power Rangers; My Little Pony; and Strawberry Shortcakes.
The Starz Play service screens content from channels, including STARZ Originals, Sony, CBS, Showtime Series, MGM, Shine, and Lionsgate, and films from studios, including STARZ, Warner Brothers, Walt Disney, NBC Universal, Sony, MGM, Paramount, Frontrow and Teleview. The Peninsula
