DUBAI: The Middle East’s giant broadcasting group, MBC, has unveiled its latest upgrades to its streaming platform, Shahid on Wednesday as the group partners with Disney, Fox and Spotify for exclusive content.
Shahid will feature 3,000 hours of content form entertainment companies Disney and Fox. MBC said that further details of the partnership with global music streaming platform Spotify will be announced at a later date.
Shahid, which was the Arab world’s first video on demand platform launched in 2010, will also offer original content that will feature regional productions, and exclusives movies and television programs, it was revealed during an exclusive event at the Dubai Opera.
“Secondly, we’re immensely proud to provide the region with an advanced digital platform that is on par with the best in the world. Shahid is a global brand that is worth watching,” MBC Group Chairman Waleed Al-Ibrahim said in his opening speech.
MBC Group Chairman Waleed Al-Ibrahim during his opening speech at the Dubai Opera during the re-launch of Shahid. (Supplied)
“As we look ahead, we strive to take control of our own narratives, showcasing our stories to the rest of the world through the very best in original films, series, and other media content, produced and marketed via MBC Studios,” he added.
Managing Director of Digital and VOD at MBC Group, Johannes Larcher, said that the platform outperforms all regional players in the digital entertainment sector today.
To coincide with the announcement of the latest partnerships and upgrades to the platform, MBC is giving users a discount of up to 70 percent off the Shahid VIP subscription. The offer will end on February 29, 2020.
MBC Group General Manager Ali Al-Hedeithy, newly appointed CEO, Marc Antoine d’Halluin, and other VIPs and celebrities from the world of entertainment and Arab media were present at the event.
Shahid’s new slogan “It’s Our Time” was also illuminated on the UAE’s iconic Burj Khalifa tower to mark the announcements.
Speaking on Saudi Arabia’s recent developments, Al-Ibrahim said that the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s reforms were an inspiration for the new changes in MBC.
“The social and economic reforms currently being witnessed by my home country…is something we have always dreamed of. It gives me great pride to witness this dream being finally realized. Today, it is almost apt that we face a new start for our Group, albeit with a difference in objectives,” he said.
“As we look ahead, we strive to take control of our own narratives, showcasing our stories to the rest of the world through the very best in original films, series, and other media content, produced and marketed via MBC Studios,” he added.
