Abu Dhabi Media (ADM), UAE's leading public service broadcaster and media company, and STARZPLAY, MENA region’s fastest growing subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, have secured the exclusive rights to stream the premium Italian League (“Serie A”), “Coppa Italia” (Italy Cup), and “Supercoppa Italiana” (Italian Super Cup), for the next three seasons beginning this year.
The Italian Football Federation granted the rights after a competitive bid by Abu Dhabi Media and STARZPLAY to win the rights to broadcast one of the most powerful European leagues to offer football fans across the region the best quality viewing at the highest broadcasting standards.
STARZPLAY’s reach of over 2.1 million regional subscribers will offer “Serie A” clubs’ maximum visibility to grow the brand across a population of 400 million people. The deal is an example of a successful partnership between ADM and STARZPLAY. They have been strengthening their collaboration to bolster the sports offering (such as AFC, UFC, FIFA Club World Cup) for enthusiasts in the region.
Commenting on the deal, Haitham Al Kathiri, Acting Executive Director of Abu Dhabi TV Network, said: “AD Sports' acquisition of the exclusive broadcast rights to Italian League (Serie A), Italy Cup (Coppa Italia) and Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) confirms our leading position, and highlights our technical expertise and media portfolio. We are looking forward to broadcasting the competitions in partnership with STARZPLAY, which is enjoyed by millions of football fans around the world.”
“This milestone comes in line with the digital transformation of AD Sports Channel, which has an extensive track record in covering the most important sports competitions across the world with professionalism and impartiality.”
“Driven by its reputation in covering the most prominent and largest local and international tournaments with the latest technologies and in line with the highest standards of global broadcast quality, AD Sports will continue to fulfill the expectations of viewers by providing premium HD audio and video coverage.” Al Kathiri concluded.
Danny Bates, Chief Commercial Officer, STARZPLAY, said: “Sports in the OTT space is a huge focus for us, and we have been investing in the live sports category over the last year with our platform witnessing an impressive subscription growth. As part of our long-term strategy, we are building this content category into one of our core products, offering the best in sports entertainment to subscribers across the region. With our stellar technical and customer support, STARZPLAY today is undoubtedly the best positioned platform to seize this incredible opportunity.”
“Abu Dhabi Media has been a strong catalyst in driving the sports portfolio for STARZPLAY and we are proud to partner with them once again to bring the popular Italian League to regional fans. Our ability to pitch and secure the exclusive broadcast rights for one of the top European leagues in a highly competitive bid, is a testament of our strength together as a team. We are confident that there is a huge untapped market in MENA which will support our goals for the coming years, and we look forward to additional category offerings in the future,” added Bates.
STARZPLAY has added yet another prestigious sporting league to its ever-growing portfolio of live sports events offering enthusiasts across the region premium and the most sought-after content. “Serie A” will be core to STARZPLAY’s sport offering which will encompass other premium international and regional assets such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Abu Dhabi Sport channels and FIFA events such as the recent FIFA Club World Cup hosted in Abu Dhabi.
To watch Italian League, sports fans can subscribe to the Sports Pack on STARZPLAY by visiting STARZPLAY.com. Subscription to the Sports Pack will entitle subscribers to access various other exciting sports and competitions in addition to the Italian League.
With thousands of hours of premium content including the best western content, Arabic shows, Turkish favourites, anime, and live sports, STARZPLAY is today the number one streaming platform in the MENA region reaching over 2.1 million subscribers. The service is available in 19 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan for fans to enjoy quality content anytime, anywhere, and from any device.
