ABU DHABI: Abu Dhabi Media, the UAE’s leading public service broadcaster and media company, and Starzplay, the Middle East and North Africa region’s fastest-growing subscription video-on-demand service, have secured exclusive rights to stream the premium Italian Serie A competition, as well as the Coppa Italia (Italy Cup) and Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Super Cup), for the next three seasons beginning this year. 

The Italian Football Federation granted the rights to ADM and Starzplay, which will broadcast one of the most powerful European leagues to football fans across the region. 

Starzplay’s reach of over 2.1 million regional subscribers will offer Serie A clubs’ maximum visibility across a population of 400 million people. ADM and Starzplay have been strengthening their collaboration in an effort to bolster the sports offering, such as AFC, UFC, FIFA Club World Cup, for enthusiasts in the region.

Haitham Al-Kathiri, acting executive director of Abu Dhabi TV Network, said: “AD Sports’ acquisition of the exclusive broadcast rights to Italian League (Serie A), Italy Cup (Coppa Italia) and Italian Super Cup (Supercoppa Italiana) confirms our leading position, and highlights our technical expertise and media portfolio. We are looking forward to broadcasting the competitions in partnership with Starzplay, which is enjoyed by millions of football fans around the world.

“This milestone comes in line with the digital transformation of AD Sports Channel, which has an extensive track record in covering the most important sports competitions across the world with professionalism and impartiality.” 

He added: “Driven by its reputation in covering the most prominent and largest local and international tournaments with the latest technologies and in line with the highest standards of global broadcast quality, AD Sports will continue to fulfil the expectations of viewers by providing premium HD audio and video coverage.”

Danny Bates, Starzplay chief commercial officer, said: “Sports in the OTT space is a huge focus for us, and we have been investing in the live sports category over the last year with our platform witnessing an impressive subscription growth. As part of our long-term strategy, we are building this content category into one of our core products, offering the best in sports entertainment to subscribers across the region. With our stellar technical and customer support, Starzplay today is undoubtedly the best positioned platform to seize this incredible opportunity.”

He said: “Abu Dhabi Media has been a strong catalyst in driving the sports portfolio for Starzplay, and we are proud to partner with them once again to bring the popular Italian League to regional fans. Our ability to pitch and secure the exclusive broadcast rights for one of the top European leagues in a highly competitive bid, is a testament of our strength together as a team. We are confident that there is a huge untapped market in MENA which will support our goals for the coming years, and we look forward to additional category offerings in the future.”

Starzplay has added another prestigious sporting league to its growing portfolio of live sports events offering enthusiasts across the region premium and the most sought-after content. Serie A will be core to Starzplay’s sport offering, which will encompass other premium international and regional assets, such as the Asian Football Confederation, Ultimate Fighting Championship, Abu Dhabi Sport channels and FIFA events, such as the recent FIFA Club World Cup hosted in Abu Dhabi.

To watch the Italian League, sports fans can subscribe to the sports pack by visiting Starzplay.com. Subscription will entitle subscribers to access other sports and competitions in addition to the Italian League.

With thousands of hours of premium content, including live sports, Starzplay is the leading streaming platform in the MENA region, reaching over 2.1 million subscribers. The service is available in 19 countries across the Middle East, North  Africa and Pakistan.