The Arab World’s major pay TV operators provided a choice of 124 pay TV channels by Q3 2010. New research and analysis by the Arab Advisors Group reveals that as of September 2010 the three main Satellite pay TV operators in the region offered a combined total of 124 channels. There are five satellite Pay TV providers that cater to the Arab region; Namely: Arab Television and Radio Network (ART), Orbit Showtime Network (OSN), Al Jazeera Sports, Abu Dhabi Sports and Majd. The Arab Television and Radio Network (ART) was the first to be established in 1993. Moreover, in July 2009, Showtime Arabia and Orbit Group, two major Pay TV providers in the Arab World, announced the merger of their Pay-TV operations. The newly formed company is owned by "Panther Media Group Ltd", a company registered in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Al Jazeera Sports + is part of Al Jazeera Network, which is headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Since its launch in 1996, Al Jazeera was keen to expand its channels’ content into sports. A new report, Satellite Pay TV operators in the Arab World 2010 was released to Arab Advisors Group’s media strategic research service subscribers on November 14, 2010. This report can be purchased from the Arab Advisors Group for only US$ 950. The report -which has 63 pages and 29 detailed exhibits- analyzes the landscape of Satellite Pay TV and profiles all the main operators including ART, OSN, Al Jazeera Sports, Abu Dhabi Sports and Majd. The report also provides insights into pay TV penetration in the region based on Arab Advisors major surveys. Please contact the Arab Advisors Group to get a copy of the report's Table of Contents. Any investment in this report will count towards an annual Strategic Research Service subscription – Media should the service be acquired within three months from purchasing the report. By September 2010, ART, OSN (Orbit Showtime Network) and Al Jazeera offered 124 Pay TV channels. OSN has the highest number with 82 channels (including the 3 pay-per-view channels), ART came in second with 24 channels and Al Jazeera Sports provides 15 channels dedicated for all sorts of sports events.” Mr. Tareq Masarweh, Arab Advisors Group senior analyst wrote in the report. “Despite the promotions of Pay TV operators, most of the Arab World remains tuned to free-to-air satellite TV channels. Economically, many viewers seem to favor the free content of FTA channels rather than paying for TV content”. Mr. Alaa Numair, senior analyst added. The Arab Advisors Group’s team of analysts in the region has already produced over 2,100 reports on the Arab World’s communications, media and financial markets. The reports can be purchased individually or received through an annual subscription to Arab Advisors Group’s (www.arabadvisors.com) Strategic Research Services (Media and Telecom). To date, Arab Advisors Group has served over 600 global and regional companies by providing reliable research analysis and forecasts of Arab communications markets to these clients. Some of our clients can be viewed on http://www.arabadvisors.com/clients.htm

1.
Satellite Pay TV operators in the
Arab World 2010
Arab Advisors Group
Strategic Research Service
November 2010
Analyst: Tareq Masarweh
Alaa Numair
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Strategic Research Service to be used exclusively by its employees

2. Satellite Pay TV operators in the Arab World 2010
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3. Satellite Pay TV operators in the Arab World 2010
Table of Contents
Section I: Introduction.......................................................................................1
Section II: Pay TV Trends in the Arab World ......................................................3
Section III: The Arab Pay TV Landscape – A Comparison .................................12
Channels ................................................................................................ 12
Packages & Prices .................................................................................... 14
Dealers................................................................................................... 16
Interactive Services.................................................................................. 18
Other satellite Pay TV operators ................................................................. 19
Pay TV channels’ companies ...................................................................... 20
Section IV: ART (Arab Radio and Television Network) .....................................21
Section V: OSN – Orbit Showtime Network.......................................................29
Section VI: Al Jazeera Sports + ........................................................................41
© 2010 Arab Advisors Group

4. Satellite Pay TV operators in the Arab World 2010
List of Exhibits
Exhibit 1: Pay TV providers ................................................................................1
Exhibit 2: Some of the Cable TV providers in the Arab region.............................2
Exhibit 3: Pay TV subscriptions of Internet users in Egypt .................................3
Exhibit 4: Internet users who share a pay TV subscription with neighbors ........4
Exhibit 5: Pay TV provider ..................................................................................4
Exhibit 6: Internet users who watch Pay TV.......................................................5
Exhibit 7: How respondents get Pay TV channels ...............................................6
Exhibit 8: Pay TV provider ..................................................................................7
Exhibit 9: Internet users who watch Pay TV.......................................................8
Exhibit 10: Pay TV provider subscriptions in UAE ...............................................9
Exhibit 11: Internet users who watch Pay TV...................................................10
Exhibit 12: Pay TV provider subscriptions in Oman ..........................................11
Exhibit 13: Total number of channels by language (September, 2010) ............12
Exhibit 14: Total numbers of different types of channels .................................13
Exhibit 15: Packages and prices .......................................................................14
Exhibit 16: Dealers throughout MENA ..............................................................16
Exhibit 17: Distribution of total dealers throughout the MENA region ..............17
Exhibit 18: Availability of interactive services ..................................................18
Exhibit 19: Abu Dhabi Sports Pay TV list of channels .......................................19
Exhibit 20: STAR channels and availability on Pay TV platforms.......................20
Exhibit 21: ART Packages and Prices................................................................21
Exhibit 22: ART list of channels ........................................................................22
Exhibit 23: ART’s dealers throughout MENA .....................................................25
Exhibit 24: OSN packages and prices ...............................................................29
Exhibit 25: OSN Channels list ...........................................................................30
Exhibit 26: OSN list of dealers ..........................................................................39
Exhibit 27: Aljazeera Sports Pay TV channels and packages ............................41
Exhibit 28: Al Jazeera Sports subscription prices .............................................42
Exhibit 29: Al Jazeera Sports list of dealers .....................................................42
© 2010 Arab Advisors Group