MUMBAI: The number of pay TV homes in Middle East and North Africa will double between 2011 and 2018 to 16 million, according to a new report from Digital TV Research.

The third edition of the Digital TV Middle East and North Africa report forecasts that fewer than 15 per cent of TV households (analogue and digital) legitimately paid for TV signals by end-2012. This proportion will climb to 21.6 per cent by 2018.

Report author Simon Murray said: ?Legitimate pay TV revenues for the 16 countries covered in the report] will grow by more than 42 per cent between 2012 and 2018 to $4.76 billion. Turkey accounts for more than half of the total.?
 
DTH will continue to dominate pay TV revenues, taking 71 per cent of the 2018 total (similar to the 2012 proportion). DTH revenues will be $3.39 billion in 2018, up by more than $1 billion on 2012 and more than double the 2008 total. Turkey will account for $1,952 million of the 2018 total (almost quadruple its 2008 total). Regional pay DTH penetration will gradually climb from 6.2 per cent in 2008 to 13.7 per cent in 2018, with subscriber numbers rocketing from 3.9 million to 10.1 million.

MUMBAI: Broadcasters from across Middle East and Africa have snapped up a number of the latest top dramas at BBC Worldwide Showcase 2013.

The four-day event plays host to over 700 TV buyers including IBA, Yes and Al Jazeera from the Middle East and Africa?s MNet. Between them the networks have licensed ?The Paradise?, ?Call the Midwife?, ?Da Vinci?s Demons?, ?Top of the Lake? and ?Ripper Street? amongt others.

Israel broadcaster IBA has picked up two key Showcase titles, ?The Paradise?, starring Elaine Cassidy and Emun Elliott and ?Call the Midwife? (series one). IBA has also licensed a number of David Attenborough natural history titles including ?Attenborough: 60 Years in the Wild? and ?Attenborough?s Giant Egg?.

Also in Israel, Yes DBS has concluded a drama package that leads with the eagerly awaited ?Da Vinci?s Demons?, written by David S. Goyer and starring Tom Riley and Laura Haddock, based on the genius? early years in Renaissance Italy. This follows BBC Worldwide?s sale of the eight-part series to Fox International Channels announced in August last year. Other series in the deal include ?The Fear? and ?The Secret of Crickley Hall? as well as a documentary package for titles such as ?Addicted to Tattoos?, ?Eat, Fast and Live Longer? and ?Junior Doctors? (series two).

In a drama double, BBC Worldwide has licensed both ?Ripper Street? and ?Top of the Lake?, to MNet for South African territory premieres.

?Doctor Who? (Series 5, 6, 7) will premiere on Al Jazeera?s children?s channel. Meanwhile Al Jazeera Documentary Channel has bought 200 hours of documentary, current affairs, science and natural history programming including ?Attenborough?s Giant Egg?, ?India on Four Wheels?, ?Panorama: Poor America?, ?Panorama: Price Tag Wars?, ?Transit of Venus? and ?True Stories? (series 2-4).

Elsewhere, OSN Dubai has acquired the latest series of ?Top Gear? (S19) and ?Top Gear USA? (S3), securing the exclusive first window in the Middle East territories.

BBC Worldwide territory manager Middle East and Africa, sales and distribution Paola Tonella said, "Drama is topping the bill at this year?s Showcase and it?s clear that BBC Worldwide?s programming with its quality scripts and first class production values are extremely attractive to global buyers. We are very proud of the Showcase slate, and I?m delighted we have completed important deals for these series, as well as our premium blue-chip documentaries, to key broadcasters in this region."

MUMBAI: ITV Granada, part of ITV Studios Global Entertainment, will be rebranded as ITV Choice across Asia and the Middle East as part of ITV?s company wide rebrand which was unveiled in January this year.

The new look will be revealed for the first time on 25 March, at the top of primetime, before Four Weddings Australia.

The channel rebrand includes a change of name, from ITV Granada to ITV Choice, a new logo, and refreshed on-air idents. The upcoming changes will align the channel more closely with the new ITV brand globally, as well as reflect the channel?s proposition as a premium broadcaster, offering first run drama and entertainment, fresh from UK schedules.

ITV Studios Global Entertainment SVP Asia Pacific Augustus Dulgaro says, "Changing the channel?s name to ITV Choice and aligning our brand with our parent company is truly reflective of the channel?s proposition, as the heart of popular British culture away from home. We anticipate that our new look will not only engage with our audiences, but also inspire and excite."

The channel first launched in 2008 as Granada TV in the Middle East, later becoming ITV Granada in 2010. Its footprint has rapidly increased over the years, with the soon to be renamed ITV Choice currently available across over 40 countries in over 7 million homes.

The channel continues to enrich its schedule in 2013, with prime-time award winning dramas, including ITV Studios? Agatha Christie?s Poirot, Endeavour, Lewis and Midsomer Murders, as well as hit entertainment series including Dancing On Ice, Ant & Dec?s Saturday Night Takeaway and The Jonathan Ross Show.

MUMBAI: US media conglomerate News Corp has announced the appointment of Niklas Lagergren as Senior Vice President, Government Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa, effective 1 March 2013. Lagergren, who joins the company from the Motion Picture Association, will report to executive VP of Government Affairs Michael Regan.

In his new role, Lagergren will lead regulatory and public policy efforts for News Corporation and its broad portfolio of businesses operating across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He will be based in News Corporation?s new Brussels office.

Regan said, "Niklas brings to News Corporation a wealth of experience in the EU on issues critical to our businesses. We continue to build the reach and depth of our government affairs capabilities globally and Niklas? leadership of our Brussels-based operation will play a key role in maximizing our efforts."

Lagergren said, "I am very excited to embark upon this challenge and look forward to joining a strong government affairs team. For the last 10 years at the MPA, I have been both professionally and personally committed to representing the public affairs interests of media companies and I am now fortunate to be able to take my efforts to a new level by joining the leader in global media."

In addition, the company announced that Benjamin King has been named director, Government Affairs for Europe, Middle East and Africa, reporting to Lagergren. King most recently served as Public Affairs Manager for News International and was previously Head of Policy and Communications for the Publishers Association.

Lagergren served for more than a decade at the MPA, most recently as Vice President for EU Affairs. In this role, he was responsible for the government affairs strategy of the six major Hollywood studios at the EU level, focusing on policies around media, copyright, international trade, Internet governance, culture and e-commerce. He began his career at European Commission, where he held a number of positions at the Secretariat General before joining the FiSystem Web Agency, the team responsible for managing the EU?s Internet portal.

MUMBAI: The US-based non-fiction broadcaster Discovery has strengthened its presence in the Middle East by announcing an agreement to acquire Dubai-based media company Takhayal Entertainment and its affiliated companies in Dubai and Egypt, including its flagship TV food network, Fatafeat.

The parties are in final stages of formalising the transfer with the competent authorities. The announcement was made by Takhayal CEO Youssef El-Deeb and Discovery Networks International CEO Mark Hollinger.

The transaction is a targeted step by Discovery to further extend its reach in the growing Middle East and North Africa television market, and to further complement and strengthen its existing portfolio of female-targeted lifestyle pay TV brands, including TLC and Real Time, which are now available in more than 150 countries outside the US. The acquisition will also provide access to a vast library of cooking recipes and shows and the company?s production facility.

Hollinger said, "Discovery?s guiding principle has always been to customise our strategy on a region-by-region and market-by-market basis to build the strongest global nonfiction media company bar none. The acquisition of Takhayal, the premier company for cuisine and culinary programming in the Middle East, significantly strengthens our portfolio in this important region and adds content in a genre that has proven popular with our viewers around the globe, including on Real Time in Italy and the UK and on TLC in Poland, Latin America and India.

Takhayal?s executives, such as Youssef El-Deeb are exceptionally smart and creative and we look forward to working with them to leverage Takhayal?s strong position in the Arab-speaking world and take Discovery?s female-targeted lifestyle content even deeper into the marketplace."

Takhayal CEO Youssef El-Deeb said, "We have had great success with our TV brand Fatafeat, which has become one of the leading TV channels in the Middle East since it launched five years ago, and our slogan ?Al Hayat Helwa? (Life is Wonderful) which has been the driving force across our business and we are excited by how the rich expertise of Discovery will enable us to take the business to the next level. We are very honoured to become part of Discovery Communications.

"The core expertise of our team is its great creativity and dedication, and this combination has enabled us to achieve very clear brand positioning and stand out amongst the hundreds of Arab TV channels as the leading the lifestyle brand across the Middle East."

Fatafeat broadcasts to approximately 55 million TV households in the Middle East and North Africa and the in-house studio contains a library of 700 hours of programs, which is added to by 150-200 new hours each year. The popular line-up of shows includes Teslam El Ayadi (family cooking show), Matbakhna El Arabi (Our Arabian Cuisine hosted by chef, Mohammad Orfali), Shourba Wi Naknaka (Soups and Snacks), Houriyat Al Matbakh (Arabic and international cooking) and Wala Bil Ahlam (?Dream Desserts? from Egyptian award winning chef, Nermine Hanno).