LONDON -- The Arab TV biz is about to get even bigger.
A consortium of Jordanian and Kuwaiti companies -- including Jordanian broadband provider Smartlink -- are coming together to launch $500 million project SmartSat, the Arab world's first privately owned satellite.
The move could potentially double the capacity for Arab TV channels.
There are currently some 500 Arab satellite channels, which broadcast mainly on Arabsat, a satellite platform jointly owned by members of the Arab League, and Nilesat, a public-private partnership between the Egyptian government and businesspeople.
Other players include Bahrain-based Noorsat, which has inked a pact with Eutelsat to maximize its presence in Europe as well as the Arab world.
The creation of SmartSat, which will be HQ'd in Dubai Media City, could lead to hundreds of new Arab channels.
"Being the first privately owned Arab company working in the satellite sector will contribute significantly to enhance and develop the satellite sector in the Middle East and North Africa region," commented SmartSat chairman and managing director Khaled Derbas.
Not that capacity is the biggest problem for Arab TV execs.
The issues of an increasingly fragmented marketplace, the lack of People Meters and a trusted ratings system, as well as an undervalued pan-Arab ad market, are the biggest challenges facing the Arab TV biz.
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