Etisalat teams up with MBC for internet television

Etisalat has launched internet TV in association with MBC to provide television content over the internet.

The telecoms company tied up with MBC to enable online viewing of the top nine programmes being aired by MBC during the holy month of Ramadan through satellite and mobile TV. MBC will begin using the etisalat internet TV on its portal, www.mbc.net.

The first such initiative in the region, internet TV will change the way broadcasters showcase and customers view content.

Internet TV will enable hundreds of millions of MBC viewers around the world to view their favourite programmes online, in case they missed them when they were aired or simply want to watch them again.

The customers can select the videos from the website, www.mbc.net/ramadan, and watch the programme online at no charge.

Commenting on the launch, Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer, etisalat, said: "Etisalat has always endeavoured to leverage technology and convergence to provide a unique experience and unlimited reach to its customers. We believe that internet TV will not only create a paradigm shift in the way broadcasters showcase content and customers view content, it will also create a new customer segments of the future – the online customer, the mobile customer and the interactive customer. I do foresee new business avenues opening up for broadcasters and content providers to create content catering to these diverse customer segments and providing them the best of what they require."

"This partnership between the MBC Group and etisalat marks the deal's regional, if not global, significance," said Dr Ammar Bakkar, Head of New Media at MBC Group,

"It is an alliance between two of the biggest companies in media and telecommunications respectively, which aims to provide special content over the internet during the month of Ramadan.

"The success of this venture will hopefully offer new opportunities for our viewers to interact with our infotainment content."

The internet TV solution, also known as over-the-top video distribution, gives broadcasters and content owners the ability to upload their videos onto the etisalat network, manage their content and ensure effective content delivery through mobile phones, PC or notebook, TV, and even kiosks.

"It is exciting to be a part of such innovative solutions that the etisalat team is proactively providing to this market. Our partnership with a broadcaster such as the MBC Group through the internet TV platform not only gives end-users a new way of interacting with media but also provides an opportunity for broadcasters such as MBC to customise and create new online service offerings thereby creating new avenues for earning incremental revenues," said Mohammed Al Mulla, Director of Digital Media Services, etisalat, who manages the team responsible for the development and implementation of the telecom company's internet TV solution.