StarSat today announced plans to launch two new entertainment channels for the South African pay TV market: FilmBox Africa HD (channel no. 188) and FashionBox HD (channel no. 282) channels. Both networks will be carried on StarSat’s DTH and OTT platforms.
StarSat’s viewers with access to FilmBox Africa will get a chance to enjoy “No Easy Days,” the new 9 episode action crime series that will premiere on June 5th, 2018. “No Easy Days” by Red Rock Entertainment tells a story about the President’s daughter who is kidnapped and held ransom by a British mercenary - a rebellious Navy Seal is the only hope of saving her.
FilmBox Africa HD and FashionBox HD are two of several thematic channels which SPI International distributes internationally. Other SPI channels which are already being carried by several other platforms and operators across the continent include: FightBox HD, DocuBox HD, Fast&FunBox HD, FilmBox Art House, 360TuneBox and Gametoon.
Says Ms. Wu, CEO of ODM – "StarSat has gone to great lengths to enhance the quality and depth of its Pay TV entertainment offer in South Africa by providing new and exciting viewing experiences to our loyal customers. We are delighted to extend the multi-channel viewing experience by adding these 2 new channels. We recognize the demand in South Africa for truly dynamic content that is both culturally relevant and entertaining - which is what StarSat is all about. Our loyal customers should expect much more immersive storytelling experiences on our platform in the near future.”
Amit Karni, Head of Distribution for SPI in Africa, says - “We are honored to cooperate with StarSat to launch FilmBox Africa HD and FashionBox HD on its DTH and OTT platforms in South Africa and neighboring countries, bringing fresh, new and exciting content to its audiences."
Global media group SPI International/FILMBOX is expanding its distribution footprint in Europe with the launch of FilmBox Art House channel on Ålcom, an IPTV/OTT service in Finland.
FilmBox Art House is an award-winning TV network presenting classic cinema masterpieces by such prominent filmmakers as Kurosawa, Fellini, Antonioni, Visconti, Hitchcock, Bunuel, Eisenstein, F.W. Murnau and many others. The channel also offers a wide variety of independent feature films from all over the world as well as shorts and animations. Ålcom's subscribers may now enjoy an impressive collection of acclaimed films which received top awards at the most prestigious festivals including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, BFI, Sundance, Locarno, SXSW, Tokyo, Hong Kong and many more.
FilmBox Art House is broadcast with no commercial breaks and is carried by DTH platforms, cable networks, streaming platforms and IPTVs across Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
“We are excited about our first channel launch in Finland, which is a new market for SPI in Scandinavia where some of our networks debuted in Sweden a few years ago,” said Berk Uziyel, executive director for SPI/FILMBOX. “As we add Finland to the long list of countries where our channels are currently available, we appreciate Ålcom's recognition of top quality content featured on SPI's channels and our growing presence in Europe,” Mr. Uziyel added.
“Ålcom is proud to include FilmBox Art House in our IPTV solution. Through FilmBox Art House we give our customers a unique opportunity to enjoy award-winning movies from around the world,” said Daniel Dahlén, CEO at Alands Telekommunikations.
SPI International / FILMBOX, a rapidly-expanding global media company, has signed a multi-year agreement with MEASAT Satellite Systems Sdn. Bhd. (“MEASAT”) to distribute six 24-hour TV channels including one Ultra HD channel across the Asia Pacific region.
SPI International gains access to MEASAT’s 91.5°E hotslot with an established video neighborhood and strong affiliate base across wide geography comprising of Asia Pacific, Australia, Middle East and parts of Africa.
Broadcasting its premium content to cable operators and DTH providers, SPI will broadcast these worldwide thematic channels: FightBox HD,a 24/7 sports network with live international MMA events, DocuBox HD, a documentary channel covering nature, wild life, science and human civilization, Fast&FunBox HD, a lifestyle/sports channel with extreme adrenaline sports programming, FilmBox Art House, a movie channel presenting independent and classic films, Gametoon HD, a new interactive, eSports channel for millennials and FunBox UHD, a general entertainment channel featuring native Ultra HD content.
“For over 25 years, we have been a leading supplier of theatrical films and television programming in the international market and, with MEASAT’s expertise, we will be able to expand our 24-hour television channel distribution footprint and reach new audiences across Asia Pacific,” stated Murat Muratoglu, SPI’s head of distribution for MENA, Turkey, APAC, Russia and CIS, Baltics, Bulgaria and Ex-Yugo.
“MEASAT is excited to add SPI International’s prime HD and UHD content to our 91.5°E hotslot, which continues to be the preferred choice by broadcasters as Asia’s leading video neighborhood,” said Raj Malik, Senior Vice President – Sales, MEASAT. “Our experience in creating Asia’s strongest HD and UHD neighborhood, combined with our ability to offer customized solutions is key to the consistent growth in number of channels at 91.5°E”.
8 SPI/Filmbox channels and Filmbox On Demand service are now available via Vodafone Mobile TV service in Turkey
Eight channels from SPI’s portfolio are being launched by Vodafone Turkey’s newly introduced Vodafone TV. Vodafone has 23.6 million mobile subscribers in Turkey and is the second largest mobile operator player in the territory.
The channel line-up picked up by Vodafone TV includes: FilmBox and FilmBox Art House, FightBox, Fast&FunBox, DocuBox, FashionBox and 360 TuneBox.
In addition to linear channels, SPI’s newest digital service Filmbox On Demand is also available at Vodafone TV where users are able to select movies and thematic titles within an extensive catalogue of Filmbox On Demand and enjoy the movies in the highest quality possible.
Watching SPI channels and Filmbox On Demand service will not effect users mobile internet package quotations.
Engin Aksoy, Vice President of the Executive Board of Vodafone Turkey, said that they could meet all sorts of communications needs of their customers from a single point by enriching their service’s offering with the great help of SPI/Filmbox.
Expressing their satisfaction over the cooperation with Vodafone, the SPI Regional Manager for Turkey Murat Muratoglu said this collaboration will lead SPI to reach a wider audience and will allow more people to have access to Filmbox channels.
Muratoglu went on to say: "Accessibility to our channels without consuming mobile internet will lead to an extensive usage. As a result, we assume that access to our channels via Vodafone will rise significantly. We continue to present the most exclusive and rich content to the audiences in proportion to the ever-increasing number of our users. In this respect, we have received highly positive feedback from our users all over Turkey. We will continue to introduce Filmbox channels and content to new viewers by strengthening our cooperation with Vodafone."
