OSN's Flagship Arabic Channel

OSN Ya Hala Launches in the UK

Premium Arabic entertainment now accessible to Arabs Abroad

Dubai, UAE; August 20, 2013: OSN, the leading pay-TV network in the Middle East and North Africa, makes its first international foray with the launch of its flagship Arabic channel, OSN Ya Hala on TalkTalk in the United Kingdom, in partnership with THEMA, a company that aggregates foreign TV channels into TV bouquets targeted to diaspora communities. 

The move marks the first time a bespoke Arabic entertainment channel will be broadcast to a global audience, enabling Arabs in the UK to enjoy premium and exclusive television content from the region.

David Butorac, CEO of OSN, said: “We are excited about OSN Ya Hala going international and joining TalkTalk, one of the premier networks in Europe.

“We launched OSN Ya Hala in August 2011, OSN's first step into original Arabic language content. The channel has proven to be hugely successful and is now the second most watched channel on our network. The launch of OSN Ya Hala internationally underlines our commitment to fulfil the entertainment needs of Arabs living abroad making world class Arabic television content accessible to millions.”

François Thiellet, CEO of THEMA said: “We are very glad to make OSN Ya Hala available in a country where international communities thrive. And there is no better partner than TalkTalk to reach OSN Ya Hala's audience.”

According to the latest UK census, there are approximately 240,000 British Arabs and around 110,000 live in London. OSN Ya Hala will now serve as one of the first channels of choice for popular and award-winning Arabic television including series, talk shows, general entertainment and lifestyle programmes.

Arab viewers can experience a plethora of award-winning entertainment including cooking themed drama Alf Akla w Akla and Znood El Sitt Season 2, popular Egyptian comedy starring Ahmed Mekky Al Kabir Season 3, Bassem Youssef's hugely popular Amerika Bil Arabi and epic Egyptian drama series Adam w Jamila to name a few.

TalkTalk is one of the UK's leading providers of fixed-line broadband, telephone, television and mobile, serving four million customers across the UK under the TalkTalk, AOL Broadband and TalkTalk Business brands. THEMA's other clients include major pay-TV platforms in Europe, Asia and North America. More information www.thematv.com