“ They should abandon their expectation to recoup the billions of dollars invested over 30 years ”
brings together OSN exclusive and curated live tv channels , streaming and free-to-air entertainment across a single android device .”
Hasan ’ s view is that OSN will continue to struggle . “ OSN , and in fact the regional pay-TV industry in general , has been always struggling to reach a state of profitability or to break even at least . That has been the situation with ART , Orbit , and Showtime before the merge to become OSN . The competition from FTA networks such as MBC ’ s western entertainment channels , and more recently with the advent and fast proliferation of OTT streaming networks , especially Netflix and later MBC ’ s Shahid and StarzPlay , have given the OTT streamers with their rich content offering a competitive advantage over OSN with its relatively higher subscription costs . OSN ’ s newest management seem to be fighting hard to stay alive and offering value , with the continuous development of their own streaming service , OSN +, and the recent deal with Warner Bros Discovery to be the exclusive home for HBO content in the Arab region . In my opinion , OSN can survive as a hybrid Pay TV / Streaming provider , but their expectation to recoup the billions of dollars invested over the almost 3 decades should simply be abandoned .” PROGRAMMING . OSN is still extremely active , of course , and cannot be written off . It is investing in new programming ( indeed , Panther Media has invested in original Arablanguage content for years ) and securing exclusive rights to ‘ Western ’ programming . In April OSN announced that it has expanded its licensing agreement with NBCUniversal Global Distribution to deliver even more premium content to viewers across the Middle East and in Arabic-speaking North Africa . This deal will give OSN viewers access to what it describes as a “ treasure trove of first-run content , which includes blockbuster movies , hit TV shows , kids animation series and unscripted shows so viewers have access to some of the most highly anticipated releases ”.
There ’ s one fascinating aspect of the NBCU deal and it is the return of output onto the OSN system of NBC key shows such as its daily NBC Today breakfast show and other news and current affairs programming . HQ . MBC has already moved its corporate HQ to Riyadh . But it has to be remembered that this move is not as shocking as it would have appeared even five years ago . Proponents
“ Chat GPT could turbocharge piracy ” argue there are big transformations underway in Saudi society , and that Western politicians and media observers would be well advised to treat Riyadh and the Kingdom in general as more than a source of somewhat tainted cash . Mohammed bin Salman the Crown Prince
OSN CEO appointments
• Joe Kawkabani , from April 2022 , taking over from
• Sangeeta Desai , Interim CEO , from August 2021 , taking over from
• Patrick Tillieux joined OSN in November 2018 , taking over from
• Martin Stewart ( ex-Sky / FA ) who joined in June 2016 , taking over from
• David Butorac ( ex-Sky / Astro ) who joined in October 2010 , taking over from
• Marc-Antoine d ’ Halluin ( ex-Canal +) who joined Showtime in December 2006 , taking over from
• Peter Einstein ( ex-MTV ) who was founding CEO at Gulf DTH-Showtime from January 1997
And not to forget Orbit ’ s founding president , Alexander Zilo and his successor Samir Abdulhadi ( appointed in 2011 ).
is very much the man in charge of reforming and restructuring the Kingdom . The aim is to wean the nation away from petro-dollars into new ventures which must also provide work for the fast-growing population .
Robert Lakos , a well-regarded media expert and consultant in MENA TV , currently working on Eutelsat ’ s Sat . tv project to improve the FTA TV experience for the mass markets , says he counted at least twenty factories making set-top-boxes for the MENA region . “ Price trends continue downwards , and margins are thin , but those twenty factories shipped well over fifteen million set-topboxes in the Arabic speaking countries of MENA during the past year . Most of them are bullish on doing the same or more during the coming twelve months and I find that level of production and confidence to be a great indicator for some of the successes and failures of our TV industry in MENA .”
“ These factories are supplying the Freeto-Air ( FTA ) markets of the Arab world . TV is mass media and in our region with over 400 million people I think you need be talking about many tens of millions of households to qualify as a relevant player . These box exports are an indicator that FTA satellite is still the overwhelmingly dominant form of video delivery in our region . That contrasts with pay-TV where the entire industry combined
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