• Home
• /
• Football

In depth coverage of EPL

The Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) on Wednesday announced details of the programming and the channels that will be created to deliver the Barclays Premier League from next season.

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.

Highlights on these channels will include live topical shows from the Abu Dhabi studios on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings with special guests from the world of football. On a Friday evening, the show will turn its focus to the fixture list of the weekend ahead, with predictions, reporting from stadiums in England and profiles of players and managers in the spotlight. There will also be a Monday night wrap-up of the thrills and spills of each weekend.

Match day previews will be delivered in Arabic from the studios with dedicated reporters both in England and Abu Dhabi. There will also be two channels catering to English programming.

One will be a 24/7 feed of Premier League TV, the official channel of the Premier League which is produced and broadcast from London. This will include full pre-and post-game analysis from experts, presenters and commentators, along with live fan call-in shows. The channel is supported by a range of new programming, including reviews, previews, latest news, behind the scenes reports and technical analysis.

The second English channel will mix Premier League shows and other sports. The channels will also carry Formula 1, UFL and tennis in HD.

AD Sports will continue to broadcast the two free to air channels, AD Sports 1 and AD Sports 2. These will carry a Premier League highlights show but will not broadcast any matches.

Mohammed Najeeb, Director of AD Sports Channels, said: “We have been working really hard to create a new line-up of programmes, not seen before in the region, to support our live coverage. For the Arabic and English audiences alike, we will deliver more than just football. Our channels will become a way of life for the football fan, exploring every highlight from every angle.

He added: “Our state-of-the-art studios and the technical ability of our staff and partners means we can truly deliver football and football analysis like never before. Our programming will appeal to every sort of fan, mixing lively debate and good humour with deep analysis and an authoritative voice to satisfy the appetites of fans in the region.”

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.

Subscription and platforms

Meanwhile, the ADMC also announced the cost of subscribing to watch all the Barclays Premier League football action next season. All subscriptions will be available starting in mid-July.

Fans will be able to watch all 380 games live and exclusive in one of three ways: Users can buy a Humax HD decoder and smartcard to watch via satellite on ADTV’s new pay-tv network. Satellite TV viewers will pay up to Dh 999 for the HD decoder, which comes with a smartcard providing a year’s subscription to the AD Sports channels that will be broadcasting the league. For users who currently have a compatible Humax HD decoder, smartcards can be bought alone for Dh 370 for a year’s subscription. They will also continue to get all the current free to air channels.

Users can subscribe through their local IPTV (cable) provider. The recommended retail price for a basic package will be Dh 75 per month. Some cable providers may include AD Sports in bundles of channels or combine the package with other offers that could be sold at a higher price.

Users can also sign up to stream the matches online. In the GCC, fans who subscribe to watch matches online will pay Dh 370 for the season. In non-GCC countries, the price for the online season package is Dh 220.

“No matter how you choose to watch the league from the start of next season – through satellite TV, cable TV or via the internet – you will be able to watch all 380 games live at a great price,” said Karim Sarkis, ADMC’s Executive Director for Broadcast. He added: “HD, 380 games live, reporters on the ground in the UK, presence at the big matches, interactive live shows from Abu Dhabi and England, daily news updates, an official Barclays Premier League Channel, English/Arabic commentary, and analysis by well-known guests. This is football like never before.”

Ricky Ghai, ADMC’s Executive Director of Digital Media, said: “The online offering is groundbreaking. For the first time ever football fans will be able to watch Barclays Premier League matches live on their computer.

“In this day and age fans want to live and breathe football and through our three way offering we are giving them the chance to do just that.” He added: “We are also working on a range of exciting mobile options to give our digital reach more depth still and we will be able to say more about this as they are developed and completed, ready to be delivered before the start of the season.”

james@khaleejtimes.com