Biz Report Middle East, First Corporate Internet TV Channel In The Middle East

Biz Report Middle EastBiz Report Middle East (BRME) was recently launched as the Middle East’s first dedicated corporate web television channel. This Middle East channel will be the first of a series of similar channels to be launched around the world over the next 6 – 12 months. Future channels will include Biz Report North America, Biz Report Europe, Biz Report Sub Continent, and Biz Report Far East & Pacific.

The channel concept is simple. Clients (or their PR agency or corporate video production company) upload their recorded press conference or corporate video to the web channel through a control panel for a nominal fee.

Once the material is uploaded to the channel relevant journalists around the Middle East are notified that a press conference or other release is available to view taken from an up-to-date 20,000 strong Middle East media database. In addition, business executives and any other international journalists who have registered on the channel as ‘Power Users’ receive a notification that there is a new release available to view. Further to this, the client also has the option to attach a press kit, event photographs or digital marketing materials to the release when it is uploaded so that journalists can download this information too and it can all be available to view or download within an hour of the event taking place.

Whilst the channel can be viewed by anyone, it is targeted primarily to journalists and business executives.

Biz Report Middle East

The channel concept was developed by Marketing Strategist and Corporate Media Producer, John Robins. “The the idea for Biz Report TV came about as a result of the years I have been working on international corporate communication projects” explained Robins. “Over the years, I have been responsible for the recording and editing of countless press conferences, corporate events and corporate videos and it has always staggered me how many of these have ended up being burnt to DVD and then left on a shelf somewhere in someone’s office. It seemed such a waste given the amount spent on the material in the first place. From this thought I developed the idea of having a TV channel that would enable companies to broadcast their productions and significantly increase viewership, generate far more media coverage and get a significantly increased ROI on large chunks of marketing budget.”

Robins first developed the idea 4 years ago, and teamed up with freelance web designer and software engineer David Lear to develop it, and work on the sophisticated technology that will power their new channel network. Robins and Lear believe that there are few web TV channels, if any that offer the full range of features that BRME does.

Biz Report Middle East (BRME)

More Innovative Partnerships On The Way For Etisalat’s Internet TV Solution

EtisalatEtisalat revealed to ITP.net that more innovative partnerships are in the pipeline for their recently launched internet television solution, which gives broadcasters and content owners the ability to upload content onto Etisalat’s network.

Etisalat’s IPTV solution was officially launched on September 10th through a partnership with MBC to enable online viewing of the top nine programmes being aired by MBC during the month of Ramadan.

“This service is relatively new to the region. Our alliance with MBC is also a test of the popularity this service might gain in the future,” said Khalifa Al Shamsi, vice president of marketing, consumer & SMB at Etisalat.

“Already, we have a lot of such exciting and innovative partnerships in the pipeline, which we will disclose in the coming months,” he added.

Etisalat believes that the reach of this technology is not just limited to the UAE, as it presents an opportunity to cater to a global audience. However, content providers can easily add restrictions on exactly who can access the content.

“While the platform has the ability to geographically block users that come from certain parts of the world, imposing any such restrictions is left to the discretion of producers and owners of the content since they are the ones who control what content should be shown and who should be able to access it,” said Al Shamsi.

# Source: ITP.net

Etisalat Ties Up With MBC To Launch Internet TV From The UAE

EtisalatEtisalat just announced the launch of ‘Internet TV’ in association with MBC Group, to provide television content over the Internet. The company tied up with MBC to enable online viewing of the top nine programmes being aired by MBC during the month of Ramadan through the satellite and mobile TV. MBC began using the Etisalat ‘Internet TV’ beginning Wednesday 10 September 2008 on their mbc.net portal.

A first such initiative in the region, the Internet TV will change the way broadcasters showcase content and customers view content. Internet TV will enable hundreds of millions of MBC viewers around the world to view their favorite programmes online, in case they missed them when they were aired or simply want to watch them again. The customers can select the videos from the website and watch the programme online, at no charge.

Commenting on the launch, Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat said: “Etisalat has always endeavored to leverage technology and convergence to provide a unique experience and unlimited reach to its customers. We believe that Internet TV will not only create a paradigm shift in the way broadcasters showcase content and customers view content, it will also create a new customer segments of the future: the online customer, the mobile customer and the interactive customer. I do foresee new business avenues opening up for broadcasters and content providers to create unique content catering to these diverse customer segments and providing them the best of what they require.”

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