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.