The passion and skills of the players and the incredible involvement of the fans of Italian Serie A, Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana will be brought to the football fans in the Middle East and Northern Africa region by Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) and StarzPlay, the region’s fastest-growing subscription video on demand (SVOD) service.
The UAE’s leading public service broadcaster and media company has secured the exclusive rights to stream the tournament 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 won the rights to broadcast action from one of the most powerful European leagues.
StarzPlay’s reach of over 2.1 million regional subscribers will offer the 20 Serie A clubs, including the reigning champions AC Milan, who beat crosstown rivals Inter Milan by just two points, 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, who 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.
“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.”
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.”
“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.”
Serie A will be core to StarzPlay’s sport offering which includes other premium international and regional assets such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Abu Dhabi Sport channels and FIFA events.
StarzPlay reaches over 2.1 million subscribers in 19 countries across the MENA region and Pakistan. To watch Serie A, sports fans can subscribe to the Sports Pack on StarzPlay by visiting their website.
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