thePlatform Named as Centralized Video Management System for STARZ PLAY Arabia

SEATTLE, Sept. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- thePlatform, the leading white-label video publishing company and independent subsidiary of Comcast, today disclosed that it was selected by Parsifal Entertainment Group to provide the back-end video management and publishing system for STARZ PLAY Arabia. STARZ PLAY Arabia is the new, premium content, direct-to-consumer multiplatform subscription video service for select markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

STARZ PLAY Arabia has launched a premium video-on-demand service across the MENA region. The new service relies upon thePlatform's cloud-based mpx video publishing system to support viewers across a variety of IP-connected devices. Technically, thePlatform's mpx provides workflow management of video ingest; metadata management; subscriber management and viewing rights enforcement; automated publishing across devices and video players and sophisticated TV data feeds to power their web and app experiences.

"We're fully committed to giving people a groundbreaking subscription video service leveraging STARZ PLAY Arabia's incredible content library and brand," said Saleem Bhatti, CIO of STARZ PLAY Arabia. "Part of that commitment means using a back-end system with proven scale and versatility, which is why we turned to thePlatform."

"We're extremely proud to have been selected to play such a key role for STARZ PLAY Arabia in these growing international markets," said Marty Roberts, co-CEO, thePlatform. "The service offers subscribers a compelling new choice in premium video entertainment, and we're confident that mpx will deliver the enterprise-grade reliability and capabilities required to support the service now and into the future."

STARZ PLAY Arabia is available in markets including: Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, and Tunisia. Additional information is available at www.starzplay.com

Earlier this year, thePlatform disclosed it was powering subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services in Australia for Stan, the joint venture between Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media Limited, and shomi in Canada, a joint venture owned equally by Rogers Communications and Shaw Communications.  Recently, thePlatform was cited as one of the vendors that plays prominently in the online video platform market according a Forrester Research report entitled, Market Overview: Video Platforms for Digital Media Companies. The report outlines that online video has gone from an ancillary strategy to a critical growth opportunity, and noted that "thePlatform has the most support for pay-TV operators and TV programming networks."

More information about thePlatform is available at https://www.theplatform.com. 

About thePlatform
thePlatform® is the TV industry's leading video management and publishing company. Companies rely on thePlatform as their cloud-based, central hub for managing, monetizing, and distributing shows, movies, and other videos across any screen around the globe. Customers include: the majority of the top 50 most-watched cable programming networks, including USA Network, History Channel, A+E, E!, Syfy, Travel Channel Media, and others; top broadcasters' properties from CBS, FOX, NBCUniversal, CBC, Bell Media, Shaw Media, and others; the largest pay TV providers in the world, including Liberty Global, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Cox, Rogers, BT, Telstra, and others; and OTT subscription services such as shomi, Stan, STARZ PLAY  Arabia, Viaplay, and others. Founded in 2001, thePlatform is an independent subsidiary of Comcast based in Seattle, with offices in New York, Washington DC, Toronto, London, and Sydney. For more information: www.thePlatform.com.

About STARZ PLAY Arabia
STARZ PLAY Arabia (https://arabia.starzplay.com) is an on-demand video streaming service that launched across 17 countries in the Middle East and North Africa in April 2015. Developed exclusively for the Middle East and North Africa markets, Starz Play Arabia is rich in original programming offering more than 4000 hours of movies and TV series for the equivalent of $12.99 a month, with a 30-day free trial, no monthly contractual obligations and the immersive benefit of no advertisements. The platform is available on PCs and Macs, iPhones, iPads, Android and other devices, with up to five devices registered per subscription. Users can watch on any two devices at the same time and the platform offers easy parental control functions.

About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading integrated global media and entertainment company with operating units that provide premium subscription video programming on domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television and movie production (Starz Animation).

All products, brands, and service names listed in this release remain property of their parent companies and do not indicate official support or endorsement for thePlatform or its products and services.

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