Rotana and Yahoo reveal Internet video service

Rotana and Yahoo reveal Internet video service

Yahoo Maktoob will showcase Rotana’s portfolio of movies, TV and music.

July 9, 2010 10:45 by Rasha Reslan

Yahoo Middle East has announced a new partnership with Rotana, the diversified media company and world’s largest producer of Arabic music and key distributor of movies. The alliance will enable Yahoo! to use and stream Rotana’s wide range of multimedia content, including music, videos, movies, concerts, TV channels and radio, through its new Video Network channel for the Arabic speaking world.

Combining Rotana’s position as the Arab world’s largest entertainment company, which contains Rotana Records, a film production company, magazine, television and music channels (Rotana Radio), with Yahoo’s reach and strong position as the Arab world’s leading online media destination will provide a wealth of new opportunities for both companies, says a press release.

“This is an exciting and important development for Yahoo Middle East as we continue to strengthen and support Arabic content on the internet, and introduce more innovative and locally relevant content and products for our consumers in a highly engaging platform,” said Ahmed Nassef, VP and Managing Director of Yahoo Middle East. “We strive to be the centre of people’s online lives, and are delighted to partner with Rotana, one of the Arab world’s leaders in high quality content. We look forward to joining forces to build an ever-evolving content platform, for the benefit of our valued customers in the Arab world.”

Yousef H Mugharbil, President of Digital Media, Rotana, said, “As the region’s largest entertainment company for quality Arabic content, we are always looking to sustain a healthy growth in our audience numbers. Yahoo’s entertainment network is the ideal platform to utilize for the ever-growing Arab online world.”

The release says that Yahoo aims to enrich its content portfolio and utilize streaming technology for a wide range of Rotana content. This includes Ramadan-specific programs, music from locations such Egypt, Lebanon, and the Gulf, videos, movies, concerts, TV and radio through its online facilities. This strategic agreement will also enable Yahoo to roll out a number of added-value services for Rotana and end users such as mobile-friendly content, advertising content management, and an enhanced IPTV offering, amongst others.