STARZPLAY and Asiacell Announce Partnership to Target Iraq Market

Latest deal set to enhance customer service in Iraq with one of the market's leading telecommunications operators

DUBAI, UAE, Dec. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- STARZPLAY, the leading subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, has entered into a partnership with Asiacell in Iraq, a leading provider of quality mobile telecommunications and data services with a subscriber base of over 14 million customers. STARZPLAY's streaming service will be available to all Asiacell's 'UNLIMITED' monthly package subscribers.

Asiacell, with its subscriber base of over 14 million customers, was the first mobile telecommunications provider in Iraq to achieve nationwide coverage. Its network coverage, reaching some 99 per cent of the Iraqi population with its 3.9G data services. The company offers a range of prepaid lines as well as post-paid packages and services for companies and individuals.

Raghida Abou-Fadel, Vice President of Sales & Business Development, said: "One of our objectives as a business since we launched in the region was to establish a clutch of partnerships with telecommunications providers so that we could offer the best value deals to customers, with flexible payment options through existing mobile contracts."

"This latest partnership with Iraq's Asiacell underlines our commitment to this strategy, offering enhanced customer service through hard bundled packages for subscribers. We're also pleased to announce our continued penetration of what is a fast growing and important consumer market as we progress in achieving our expansion plans across the Middle East and North Africa region."

Abdulla Hassan, Spokesperson of Asiacell, added: "Asiacell has always set out to be the prime digital life enabler in Iraq. We are proud to have established this significant partnership with the region's leading SVOD platform STARZPLAY to further drive customer satisfaction."

An innovative digital start-up from the region, STARZPLAY has achieved exceptional growth and currently enjoys market leadership in online video subscription. A trendsetter in terms of its business model, the company has successfully established mutually beneficial partnerships with some of the region's leading telecommunications companies and offers flexible payment options through customers' existing mobile/WiFi packages.

Available in 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, with more than 10,000 hours of content including premium movies, exclusive and Arabic series, STARZPLAY has also secured its place as the number one player in the MENA region.

About STARZPLAY:

STARZPLAY (www.starzplay.com) is a subscription video on demand service that streams Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, kids' entertainment and same-day-as-the-US series – plus dedicated Arabic content – to 20 countries across MENA and Pakistan. The service carries thousands of premium titles including exclusive STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen.

STARZPLAY allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.

STARZ (www.starz.com) and State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) are the lead investors along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Capital Partners and Delta Partners.

About Asiacell:

Asiacell is a leading provider of quality mobile telecommunications and data services in Iraq with a subscriber base over 14 million customers as of January 1st 2019. Asiacell was the first mobile telecommunications provider in Iraq to achieve nationwide coverage, offering its services across all the Iraqi governorates including the national capital Baghdad and all other major Iraqi cities. Asiacell's network covers 97.78% of the Iraqi population, which makes its national coverage the widest among the mobile operators in Iraq. Asiacell is also the best internet provider with its 3.9G data services, offering the best network coverage in the entire of Iraq since January 2015.

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