MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Television has inked three new distribution deals in the Middle East region with local broadcasters in Egypt, Qatar and Dubai.

The multi-year deals, brokered by SPT?s recently opened distribution office in Dubai, license broadcast rights to feature films from the Sony Pictures library across a wide variety of genres and decades.

For the first time, SPT has made content distribution deals with Al Rayyan in Qatar and the Egyptian-based television network, Rotana, which will broadcast the features on its multi channel platform.

Meanwhile in Dubai, SPT has confirmed a new distribution deal with national broadcaster Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), who will air their selection on Dubai One.

Announcing the agreements, SPT executive director, distribution, for the Middle East Ziad Yaghi said, "As a committed participant on a pan-regional level, SPT is now also establishing new relationships at a national level as the sector expands. With many thousands of feature films and television series, the SPT library is well placed to meet growing Middle East demand."

Headed by Yaghi and based in Dubai, SPT?s distribution office opened in October 2011 and reports into SPT?s regional EMEA headquarters in London.

Its remit is to expand SPT?s distribution business in the region, particularly with the rapidly expanding number of local and regional broadcasters in each territory, and to harness new business in the fast growing digital sector.

SPT?s Dubai distribution office also works with SPT?s London office to manage the studio?s pan regional output deals with OSN and MBC.

MUMBAI: MBC Group has signed a contract with Talpa and Sony Pictures Television ("SPT") Arabia which gives it the exclusive rights to broadcast the international TV format ?The Voice? on multi-platforms, across the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

SPT Arabia, the producer who represents Talpa formats in
the region, will co-produce the show in its local adaptation.

MBC Group Group TV Director Ali Jaber said: "We are pleased to announce this multi-year agreement today, in our capacity as the exclusive broadcaster of this international format that has gained much popularity and viewership across the world."

MBC, thus, offers three strong talent show formats in the region across multi-platforms.

"Talent shows have positively affected the TV viewing habits, patterns and trends in the region, while further enhancing the family viewing experience and raising the levels of engagement with TV content, through social media
and other platforms," said Jaber.

The Voice is a blockbuster. Said SPT Arabia president Ziad Kebbi, "We?re very excited to co-produce "The Voice". In particular, social media and digital extension will play a major role in our production activity; both key elements in uniting the audience across various territories."

Auditions for "The Voice" are being organised in countries including the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Kuwait, Tunisia, Lebanon and Morocco, and others. The show will broadcast from MBC?s studios in Beirut- Lebanon soon.

?The Voice? consists of three phases: a Blind Audition, a Battle Phase, and Live performance shows. Four coaches, all famous musicians, will choose teams of contestants through a blind audition process.

Each coach has the length of the auditionee?s performance to decide if he or she wants that singer on his or her team; if two or more judges want the same singer then the singer gets to choose which coach they want to work with.

Each team of singers will be mentored and developed by their coach. In the second stage, coaches will have two of their team members? battle against each other by singing the same song, with the coach choosing which team member will advance to the next stage.

In the final phase, the remaining contestants will compete against each other in live broadcasts. The television audience will help to decide who moves on. When one team member remains for each coach, the contestants will compete against each other in the finale.

MUMBAI: People across the Middle East have increasingly turned to the BBC during the ‘Arab Uprising‘ with a record rise in audiences, according to independent research published recently.

Overall audiences to the BBC‘s Arabic services have risen by more than 50 per cent to a record high of 33.4 million adults weekly - up from 21.6 million before the ‘Arab Spring‘.

BBC Arabic TV‘s audience has risen to 24.4 million from 13.5 million - up by more than 80 per cent. Weekly reach across Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabic, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco has nearly doubled to a weekly reach of 18.4 per cent from 9.8 per cent.

The weekly audience estimates are based on an independent study that was carried out by the Broadcasting Board of Governors‘ International Audience Research Program (IARP). Surveys were conducted in Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabic, Jordan, Lebanon and Morocco.

Biggest increases were seen in Egypt, where the BBC Arabic TV audience quadrupled to a weekly reach of 16.2 per cent, reaching 9.3 million people.

BBC Global News controller, languages Liliane Landor said, "In turbulent times, the BBC‘s aim to provide trusted news and impartial information is more valued than ever across the Middle East and North Africa. These impressive figures show that international audiences are increasingly turning to the BBC for independent news that they can trust.

In an increasingly competitive TV market, it demonstrates there will always be space for high-quality journalism that seeks to inform all, even-handedly.