MEA August 2017

MEAMARKETS / August 2017 31 , Football fans across theMiddle East and North Africa will gain access to exclusive original footage, from the top clubs and players on ALTV.com, following news that ALTV partners with Dugout. Exclusive Behind the Scenes Football Action ALTV.com, one of the fastest growing free streaming services recently launched in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), at the end of last month announced its partnership with Dugout, the digital platform created to connect football fans with the world’s greatest clubs and players and deliver exclusive behind-the-scenes content and access. ALTV has established itself as the most popular platform across MENA providing exciting and innovative content that showcases views from the street, as well as lifestyle and entertainment and sports. ALTV’s latest partnership with Dugout will give exclusive access to original content for football fans across MENA where leading Western football clubs are immensely popular. Launched in 2016, Dugout has partnerships with many of the world’s most popular clubs and footballers, working with the clubs and players to creative exclusive, high-quality content that gives fans a backstage pass to the biggest names and events in football. Over 50 clubs including Arsenal, FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Juventus, Manchester City and Real Madrid are partnered with Dugout in addition to over 100 of the game’s greatest players, such as Gareth Bale, Dele Alli, Gianluigi Buffon, Javier Mascherano and Edinson Cavani. ALTV will now host new content from Dugout accessible for free both online at ALTV.com and via the ALTV app. ALTV will also provide Dugout with editorial guidance for future content based on its insight in broadcasting popular online content in across the MENA region. Dugout President, Elliot Richardson, commented: “ALTV is really shaking up the entertainment and broadcasting model and is doing an unrivalled job of connecting to audiences across the Middle East and North Africa. I’ve travelled all over the world and am yet to find fans more fanatical about their football than in this part of the world. We believe there’s a real appetite here for the type of top-quality football content we produce, so tapping into ALTV’s network will give us the platform to really engage fans and give them more of what they want.” The Middle East and North Africa is playing a key role in the growth in European football revenues as popularity for the sport continues to gain ground. According to The Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance 2016, 9% of the English Premier League’s international rights fees came from broadcasters in the MENA region. Commercial partnerships with Middle East-based sponsors is also on the rise, with three of the top five revenue generating clubs having Middle-East based shirt sponsors. ALTV founder and media entrepreneur David C. McCourt added: “Since our launch in 2016, ALTV has quickly grown to become one of the most watched video streaming platforms based in the Middle East and North Africa, providing relevant content to local audiences in Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and the wider MENA region. “We’ve quickly established three main programming categories and based on the hugely positive reactions to our highly original content, sports has cemented itself as a key genre. Football is one of the most popular sports across MENA and through this partnership between ALTV and Dugout, fans across the region can feel more connected to the action, news and discussion than ever before.” “By collaborating with the world’s best and most creative companies, we can offer something really unique - in this case amazing football content from across the globe.” Watch the videos at www. altv.com/channel/sport See more shows at www. altv.com Download the ALTV app, available on Android or iOS