BBC Worldwide Expands Branded Services Footprint Across Middle East and North Africa

BBC Worldwide today announced that its global factual brand BBC Earth will launch as a linear channel across MENA through the beIN DTH service on 5 April 2018.
The agreement will also see BBC Earth extend its distribution in Turkey, launching on the region’s largest pay-tv operator Digiturk, on the same day.

Pre-school brand CBeebies will also make its debut as a full linear channel in the Turkish market on 5 April exclusively via Digiturk. The channel will be fully localised with Turkish dubbing and a bespoke schedule for the Turkish market. The 24-hour channel will be available on channel number 161.

Seeking to inspire audiences by sharing the incredible wonders of our universe, BBC Earth is the world’s leading natural history and science producer with single landmark titles having been watched by an estimated 500 million globally. The channel will be fully localised across MENA with 100% Arabic subtitling and will launch with the latest and critically acclaimed natural history series from the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, Blue Planet II. Other launch highlights include Emmy award-winning series Life Below Zero (Series 5) and Astronauts: The Toughest Job In The Universe which follows 12 ordinary people as they take on a demanding training regime usually reserved for real-life astronaut candidates*. BBC Earth will be available on the beIN platform on channel number 308.

CBeebies is a critically acclaimed, multi-platform brand for pre-schoolers aged six years and under, which encourages children to learn through play. The channel offers a mixture of new and landmark, high-quality programming to educate and entertain young audiences. It is already giving children, together with their parents, entertaining, interactive and educational programming in over 100 territories globally. It has a successful website, several branded apps and a YouTube page which has close to 389,000 subscribers and over 500 million views for all of its captivating and educational videos.

The Turkish channel will launch with the BAFTA and International Emmy ® Award winning Hey Duggee, globe-trotting adventure series Go Jetters and the BAFTA award-winning, animated series, Sarah and Duck.

Natasha Hussain, Vice President and General Manager for Middle East & Mediterranean Region, BBC Worldwide says: “Our expanded partnership with beIN marks an important step in BBC Earth’s journey as a global brand as it increases its reach to a significant new audience across the MENA region and extends its availability to a number of new homes across Turkey via Digiturk. The BBC is uniquely positioned as the world leader in natural history and factual film making, with an unparalleled 60 year heritage in leading production of quality natural history programming. With beIN we are delighted to deliver world class production, creation and technological breakthroughs that BBC Earth has to offer.

CBeebies is the number one channel for pre-schoolers in the UK and I am delighted to be spreading its success to Turkey for the first time. I am certain that the channel’s unique offering of award-winning, interactive and educational programming will make it becomes a firm favourite with Turkish pre-schoolers and carers.”

Source: BBC Worldwide