ADMC and du ink distribution deal for the English Premier League

 Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) announced today it reached an agreement with du for distribution of the highly anticipated English Premier League (EPL) for three consecutive seasons, starting in August 2010.The agreement will allow du’s IPTV customers access to ADMC’s premium EPL sports programming on Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya channels. More information on availability, packages and pricing will be released in due course. 

 

The agreement reinforces both companies’ commitment to provide customers with the best from the world of sports entertainment, and it is expected to solidify their market position by strengthening their capabilities and expanding their reach. 

 

Ricky Ghai, Executive Director Digital Media, at ADMC, said: “We have an exciting season ahead and we look forward to bringing our EPL offering to as many sports fans as possible. We are delighted to be working with du because they share the same focus on creating more choice for our customers and the drive to consistently deliver high-quality services and exploit all new forms of digital delivery.” 

 

“This is a strategic move for us and we are delighted to partner with ADMC, which is regarded as a leading provider of premium sports entertainment content in the region”, said Farid Faraidooni, Chief Commercial Officer, du. “Sports entertainment programming and the EPL in particular represent an important part of our planning for future growth. Deploying such a prestigious franchise on our state-of-the-art du TV platform is sure to cheer up the EPL loyalists among du customers.”.” 

 

The agreement with du comes just weeks after ADMC announced its distribution strategy to make English Premier League available in the MENA region via several subscription platforms, including IPTV, high-definition set-top box, and streaming via broadband Internet. 

 

“This is a stepping stone in the roll-out of our distribution strategy - the first of many partnerships we anticipate as we seek to make our EPL offering as broadly available across multiple subscription platforms”, explained Ghai. 

 

The EPL 2010/2011 season kicks off in mid-August 2010. ADMC announced in July 2009 that it had acquired the exclusive regional rights for three consecutive seasons, 2010/2011, 2011/2012 and 2012/2013. /