Qatar’s Ooredoo Signs Content Deal With Disney

Qatar’s telecom provider Ooredoo announced that it has signed a multi-territory deal with Walt Disney’s MENA division to provide customers access to some of Disney’s popular entertainment programmes.

Customers of Ooredoo’s pay service Next Generation Mozaic TV will now be able to access Disney movies, Disney channels and ABC TV on demand via the video-on-demand services.

The multi-screen agreement will allow customers to access the content via iPads, iPhones and PCs, as well as their home television sets.

“This is a milestone agreement for Ooredoo, as we link with one of the world’s leading companies to provide the very best content for our customers,” said Waleed Al Sayed, chief operating officer, Ooredoo.

“Disney is a brand that is known and loved all around the world by children and families, and we are delighted to be able to offer such a range of fantastic family entertainment directly to our customers.”

Didier Vanneste, country head, The Walt Disney Company MENA said: “Our deal with Ooredoo brings audiences in Qatar a range of quality content from Disney, Disney Pixar, and ABC Studios.

“With the launch of Disney Movies on Demand, ABC TV on Demand along with additional catch-up services and the ability for customers to access content on the move, this agreement gives viewers the content that they want, whenever they want it.”

Ooredoo, which operates in 16 countries across the Middle East, Africa and Asia, is swiftly increasing its presence across the region. The Qatar-based telco has spent about $3.9 billion on acquisitions since the start of 2012, and it now has a majority stake in Iraq’s Asiacell and owns 90 per cent or more of Kuwait’s Wataniya and Tunisia’s Tunisiana.

The company made a net profit of QAR923 million ($253.5 million) during the second quarter of this year, up from QAR641 million during the same period last year.

Ooredoo’s consolidated customer base grew 10 per cent year-on-year, the company said in a statement earlier this year.