Tag Archives: SPI International

SPI partners ZAP to launch Dizi in Africa

Dizi specialises in Turkish drama

Global media company SPI International has collaborated with Luanda-based digital satellite television provider ZAP to launch Turkish drama channel Dizi in Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde.

Dizi is an entertainment channel that broadcasts a selection of top-rated Turkish drama series starring popular actors and reaches millions of households worldwide. The inclusion of Dizi will enable ZAP subscribers to watch with Portuguese subtitles as part of the Mini+ package.

SPI’s portfolio on ZAP already features sports entertainment network FightBox, action-focused channel Fast&FunBox and lifestyle net FashionBox.

”We are thrilled to bring Dizi to the audiences in Angola, Mozambique and Cape Verde and to build on our existing partnership with ZAP,” said Georgina Twiss, MD for Western Europe and Africa at SPI International.

SPI operates multiple free-to-air and pay TV channels in Europe, Asia and Adria. The company is owned by French pay TV group Canal+.

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SPI, Canal+ take Gametoon to Ethiopia

International media company SPI/FilmBox and its parent Canal+ Group have partnered to launch SPI’s gaming and e-sports channel Gametoon in Ethiopia.

Georgina Twiss

The move comes shortly after SPI launched FilmBox movie channels FilmBox Africa, FilmBox Action and FilmBox Family.

Gametoon, created by gaming and e-sports enthusiasts, features highlights of popular games, entertainment content from gaming YouTubers, video game tournaments with million-dollar prize pools and more.

Georgina Twiss, MD for western Europe and Africa at SPI International, said: “We are delighted to build on our existing carriage of FightBox with Gametoon and the full portfolio of FilmBox brands including the launch in the market of FilmBox Action and FilmBox Family.

“Following their popularity in other countries and following local demand, we wanted to offer the same rich bouquet in Africa. The SPI/FilmBox portfolio of channels, now enriched also by Gametoon and available via Canal+ offers in Ethiopia, will entertain and engage audiences of all ages and tastes.”

Alexandre Gruner, senior VP of channel acquisitions and partnerships for Canal+ International, added: “We are very pleased to pursue the partnership with our new family member, SPI, with the launch of the FilmBox movies portfolio as well as Gametoon. Those channels will appeal to our Ethiopian viewers and strengthen our offer.”

Gametoon is available on channel 71 in the Desta package.

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SPI/FilmBox, Virgo ink distribution pact

Global media company SPI/FilmBox has partnered with telecoms monetisation firm Digital Virgo to bring FilmBox Africa and other TV channels in the SPI portfolio to multiple territories across Africa.

The deal will give all Digital Virgo subscribers in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Morocco, Cameroon, Tunisia, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Mali and Congo access to content ranging from gaming to fashion, sports, music, documentaries, movies and series, as well as via Molotov’s OTT service deployed by Digital Virgo across Africa.

FilmBox Africa broadcasts Hollywood blockbusters and popular hits, FilmBox Arthouse showcases cinema classics, Gametoon shows gaming content and FightBox broadcasts combat sports from around the world.

Fast&FunBox, meanwhile, offers action-packed programming, DocuBox presents award-winning documentaries, FashionBox showcases content on fashion trends and 360 TuneBox offers content on music.

Georgina Twiss, MD for Western Europe and Africa at SPI International, said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Digital Virgo to bring SPI’s home of great entertainment to multiple territories in Africa and introduce viewers to the breadth of our content, covering so many different genres that people of all ages and interests will definitely find something that they can enjoy.”

Vincent Taradel, chief marketing officer at Digital Virgo, added: “Our solutions to monetise TV and VoD content are constantly enriched with new partners and an approach combining global entertainment, but also more specific and local content. The partnership with SPI International fully meets this strategy and we are excited to bring these high-quality TV channels to our customers in more than 10 markets in Africa.”

SPI/FilmBox operates a portfolio of 42 TV channels and digital services on six continents while Digital Virgo brings mobile payments to telecom operators’ billing systems.

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StarTimes adds SPI’s TDC, Gametoon

Pay TV operator StarTimes and SPI International have expanded their distribution agreement to make two more channels,  gaming channel Gametoon and Turkish net Timeless Drama Channel (TDC), available to StarTimes subscribers from this month.

Chinese-owned StarTimes, which already carries SPI channels including movie net Filmbox Africa and FashionBox, will broadcast Gametoon in English and TDC in Turkish, while the latter will also have English subtitles.

TDC, which launched in 2019, currently reaches more than five million homes and features popular dramas such as Karadayi, Black Money Love, 20 Minutes, Kurt Seyit & Shura, Moms & Mothers, Red Scarf, Five Brothers, The End and The 8th Day.

Gametoon, created by gaming and eSports enthusiasts, features game reviews, eSports tournaments and exclusive sessions from popular online gamers such as Dan Gheesling, Bifuteki and Lothar.

Georgina Twiss, MD for Western Europe and Africa at SPI International, said: “TDC is one of our fastest growing channels due to a global affinity for Turkish dramas. Providing audiences with a diverse collection of high-quality content is a shared mission with our partner StarTimes, and we can’t wait to introduce the world of TDC to African audiences. Gametoon has also gained huge popularity within the community and I am sure that StarTimes subscribers will enjoy our exclusive content.”

Lily Meng, the head of StarTimes Media Division, added: “We are delighted to bring TDC and Gametoon to our viewers. It demonstrates our consistent commitment to provide access to premium content to our subscribers. They have been huge fans of telenovelas and I am sure they will love TDC’s Turkish dramas. And eSports have been booming in Africa, so Gametoon has great potential in Africa.”

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SPI/FilmBox, Discover Digital expand

Global media company SPI/FilmBox and South Africa’s Discover Digital have expanded their content offering to include seven new channels across sub-Saharan Africa.

Stephen Watson

The additional channels are FilmBox Africa, FilmBox Arthouse, Fast&FunBox HD, DocuBox HD, 360 TuneBox, Gametoon HD and FashionBox HD. They are part of SPI’s channel portfolio on the digital entertainment on demand (DEOD) platform.

The channels will offer subscribers content including Hollywood movies, series, documentaries, fashion trends, lifestyle programmes, music, sport and live events, such as KOK World Series, RXF MMA Championship and MFC Makowski Fighting Championship,.

“Building on the great response to FightBox HD amongst the DEOD subscribers who enjoy a live event every week, and together with our long-term partner Discover Digital, I am pleased to announce we have expanded our agreement to bring seven more channels to their platform. Now DEOD subscribers have access to a richer variety of great HD-quality channels from SPI/FilmBox,” said Georgina Twiss, MD of Western Europe and Africa at SPI International.

Stephen Watson, director of Discover Digital International, said: “We are very excited to add such a broad mix of quality content and extend our distribution partnership with SPI International.

“Not only do the additional FilmBox channels continue to provide our audiences with an excellent selection of broad entertainment, but they also continue to grow and diversify our formidable movie offering by introducing documentaries and arthouse titles. This deal provides additional value for our broadcast and telco operator partners, who offer the DEOD service to their customers in multiple countries on the continent.”

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