GMA Network lowers Mid-East subscription rate by 22%

To attract more business in the Middle East, broadcast giant GMA Network Inc. is lowering its subscription fee by 22 percent starting May 1, the company said Wednesday. An upcoming relaunch in the Middle East is seen benefiting close to 2.4 million Filipinos in the region. The network decided to lower its subscription fee to $25 from $32 when it entered into a partnership with Dubai-based pay-TV provider My-HD, Joseph Francia, GMA Network vice president and head of international operations, noted in an e-mailed statement. “While we have decreased our subscription rate from $32 to $25, GMA subscribers and followers can expect even bigger things from the Network with the improved standards of our programming,” said Francia. “The My-GMA package from My-HD includes not only the GMA international channels namely, GMA Pinoy TV, GMA Life TV and GMA News TV International, but also up to 28 English language channels, 14 of which are in High Definition,” he added. GMA News TV International, flagship international channel GMA Pinoy TV, and GMA Life TV—the first international Filipino lifestyle channel—are also available in the Middle East under the lower subscription fees. “We have decided to make the GMA Channels more relevant to our viewers in the Middle East by providing greater value and better service in this key market,” said Francia. “With this new partnership in place, we are now offering the GMA channels at a more affordable price and have made them more accessible to more Filipinos in the region," he added. After North American, the Middle East hosts the second largest population of Filipinos abroad. A stronger programming and wider presence in the ME region would allow GMA Network to expand its subscriber base there, according to the network. The company, through GMA International—the unit managing its distribution and operations overseas—is embarking on massive promos to help subscribers transition smoothly into the new set up. Around 40,000 digi boxes, which include the entire line-up of My-HD and the MyGMA package, are being distributed free of cost to Filipinos in the Middle East, signaling a new phase in My-HD’s intention to creating a unique viewing experience for audiences across all nationalities and age brackets. For the GMA Network launch, My-HD chief executive officer Cliff Nelson said his company has appointed SAWA Media as its IPTV and cable distribution company. “With over 2.4 million Filipinos in the Middle East, this community is considerably one of the largest ones in the region and thus plays a significant role in the development of the local economy. Through our agreement with GMA Network, we aim to offer viewers their favorite programs on our one-stop HD platform,” Nelson noted. MyGMA package will be available on Arabsat through frequency 10,770 MHz Vertical on BADR-5 satellite, further expanding the reach of My-HD Media’s line-up of channels to over 170 million viewers in more than 80 countries across the Middle East, Africa and beyond, according to My-HD Media. The partnership between GMA and My-HD covers Bahrain, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen in the Middle East as well as countries in North Africa including Algeria, Chad, Djibouti Northern, Egypt, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia. — VS, GMA News