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 Saudi entertainment group Rotana has shelled out more than Dhs100 million (upwards of $27 million) to acquire large chunks of Disney content for Rotana’s Fox-branded free-to-air channels, it announced at a press conference today.
The multi-year deal (Rotana and Disney refused to comment on the exact number) will see Disney movies and TV shows such as Pixar films, the Narnia franchise, Lost, Flash-Forward and Ugly Betty come to Fox Movies and Fox Series in the Middle East, with immediate effect.
“The deal with the Walt Disney Company for broadcasting their content exclusively is of extreme significance as it allows us to target multiple age groups. Big deals aimed at enhancing the content of our channels will continue. We will sign more deals that would interest our viewers in the region,” said Pierre Al Daher, president of broadcasting at the Rotana Group, in a press release.
In the release – which the physical presser did little to add to, other than emphasising the fantastic and important nature of the deal – Rotana’s owner Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal “expressed his delight at the strategic partnership between the two giants, Rotana and Disney”. One of them might, we suggest, me somewhat more giant than the other, though...
Nevertheless, this is a big deal for Rotana, in its continuing battle to dethrone firmly-seated MBC from its top spot in regional television.
At the Riyadh iteration
of today’s press conference, Nezar Nagro, prez of Rotana Media Services, said he hoped the Disney deal would help boost Rotana to a 30% share of audience in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, up from its current 20%.
By snapping up premium content, especially some of the bigger movies, newer series, and the last two seasons of weirdo-island-psychos drama Lost, for example, Rotana/Fox will also be sapping the strength of pay-TV broadcasters, especially Orbit-Showtime, which usually makes much of its wide-ranging international content.
“This deal follows on from a number of recent initiatives; undertaken to provide an even better experience for our viewers,” said Ward Platt, president of Fox International Channels, in the release. Fox also carries Disney content in a host of other markets around the world.
“These include the development of a whole new look and feel for the channel, as well as our acquisition of even more blockbuster content from some of the biggest studios, which gives us access to a wide range of great movie entertainment from the studio’s catalogues, and a new and explosive line-up of ground breaking, award-winning television series that have never been seen on the region’s screens before,” Platt added, in a rather breathless sentence.
Nagro commented: “Providing innovative and diversified content to our viewers across the region has been our aim since launching the Fox Movies and Fox Series channels, in order to raise the bar of the Middle East’s television entertainment.
“We have put a lot of time and research into creating channels that are based on regional viewer preferences and with the aim for a fantastic viewing experience. Once again, this is something our partnership will fulfil and is facilitated even further with Disney’s most popular movie releases and award-winning television series,” he added.
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