Fan will be the winner

They will be able to watch all the 380 games live through a variety of platforms, thanks to the Abu Dhabi Sports Channel.

The Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC), on Wednesday, announced details of their programming and the channels that will be created to air the English Premier League from next season. The new season kicks-off in the middle of August.

The Abu Dhabi Media Company has won the live and exclusive television and digital broadcast rights in the region for the 2010-2013 seasons.

According to the announcement on Wednesday, there will be six channels on the AD Sports pay TV platform – four of which will run 24/7 content and two that will be active when they are needed to screen live games. On the few weekends when more than six live matches are played simultaneously, more channels will be made available to ensure all can be screened live.

During all live matches, fans can switch between English and Arabic commentary. Two channels will cater to the Arabic speaking audience.

The English Premier League can be accessed through a high-definition set-top box, IPTV (Internet Protocol Television), and, in another first for the region, streaming via broadband Internet.

People who subscribe online will get the 380 live games streamed to their computer, with pre-match, half time and post match analysis from AD Sports in Arabic or English. The online offering will also include video on demand (VOD) bonus content, such as goals of the week, players of the week and team of the week mini-features.

Once fans have subscribed to the online package, they can log on and watch it anywhere in the GCC providing there is adequate speed broadband available. “There will be a combination of commentators, presenters at the stadium. There will be a continuous presence on the ground. Apart from that, we will have the EPL channel studio in the UK which will be another source of programming. The presenters and commentators and analysts will be announced later. We already have studios here and we are the single largest producer of Arabic content.

“We are also building new HD studios. There are two new studios coming up. But it is not about the studios. It depends on how we link it up with the ones in the UK,” Karim Sarkis, ADMC’s Executive Director for Broadcast, said on Wednesday.

Sarkis declined to name the presenters, commentators and analysts but hinted it would be the best. “The names will be announced later. We have a lot of expectations to meet but they will be up to the calibre of the EPL. It would be a combination of current players, former players, managers. We are speaking to people from all categories and they will be in Abu Dhabi,” he said.

Mohammed Najeeb, Director of Abu Dhabi Sports Channels, said that there will be an array of features to look forward to. “In the past, it was just programming matches. But now, there will be shows and there will be debates where fans can take part.

“There will also be phone-ins where fans can air their opinions and questions and experts will respond to them. We will be at the heart surrounding English football and the guests we bring in will be current players, former players and managers. They will be coming to Abu Dhabi and will be in the studios as the games unfold,” said Najeeb.

Regarding the online offering, Ricky Ghai, ADMC’s Executive Director of Digital Media, said: “We have tested it and the technology is being used in the US and Europe. It will be near HD quality but it will depend on the connection. There will be a dedicated sports player being developed and there will be dual commentary.

“There will be supplementary free content as well. Fans will have the chance to watch games, chat and RSS feeds. We are looking into the mobile space as well and we will come up with more details later. But it will be a seamless 380 games for the fans. We will push out to the largest fan base.”

james@khaleejtimes.com