MUMBAI: Ten Sports will launch in the Middle East on 1 August.
Broadcast from Dubai, the Taj Television promoted Ten Sports will now be seen on the Arab Digital Distribution and E-Vision platforms, says the company. The Middle East beam of the channel will begin with exclusive live coverage of the Champions Trophy hockey (featuring both India and Pakistan) live from Amstelveen in the Netherlands from August 16 to 24. 
August will also see, for the first time in the Gulf, highlights of the recent Cherry Blossom Sharjah Cup and the Bank Alfalah Cup from Sri Lanka. In coming months, there will be extensive cricket coverage on the channel including India's home series against Australia and New Zealand, Sri Lanka's home series against England and Australia, the Sharjah Cup and England's tour of the West Indies, says a company release. 
Apart from this, there will be regular/weekly shows like Cricket Classics, Gillette World of Sports, Indoor Cricket World Cup, One on One with Raageshwari, Ian Healy on Wicketkeeping, Sharjah Greats, Speed, Western Union Football Show and Superfund World Series. 
Ten Sports will be available to subscribers on the Pehla silver, Pehla gold, Firstnet silver and Firstnet gold packages on ADD, and also on E-Vision. The channel will be available to viewers in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Egypt, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait as well as existing viewers in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives, the release adds. 
The channel recently announced the acquisition of exclusive rights in both Asia and the Middle East to all cricket played in the West Indies, adding to its bouquet of exclusive cricket rights from Sharjah, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Morocco. 
Says Taj Television CEO Chris McDonald "We are very pleased to launch Ten Sports into the Middle East. The region is home to many dynamic and growing economies, and the television industry is a direct beneficiary of that growth". 
He adds,"We are also very happy to have entered into a long term carriage agreement with the Middle East's leading pay television platform, Arab Digital Distribution. ADD's excellence in aggregating and marketing television channels, together with the tremendous product on Ten Sports, points to a very bright future indeed." 
Established in January 2001, Taj Television is broadcast from Dubai Media City and maintains five offices across the sub-continent.