UAE-based Yahlive adds BBC Persian and BBC Arabic

Sami Boustany, CEO of Yahlive

United Arab Emirates-based satellite broadcasting company, Yahlive, is adding the TV channels BBC Persian and BBC Arabic, to its platform from October 2014. 

The Farsi- and Arabic-language BBC World Service news channels will be available free-to-air and will air a mix of political, economic, cultural and sports stories and features – along with documentaries.

The new channel launches will follow the recent addition of CNN International on Yahlive, with the company claiming it has grown its channel offering by 140% over the past year.

“Over the past year we have seen exceptional popularity for our east beam service as a focus for regional high quality Farsi content, as we commit to meeting the needs of regional audiences. We continue to select channel partners based on the quality of their programming and offering a selective choice of premium television channels to our diverse and culturally rich viewers across the region,” said Yahlive CEO, Sami Boustany.

Yahlive is a joint venture between Yahsat, the UAE-based satellite communications company, and Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES. The firm already offers 110 channels in HD and SD and broadcasts in the Farsi, Arabic, English, Afghani and Kurdish languages.

“Audiences for BBC Arabic and BBC Persian have doubled over the last five years across all platforms.  We’re delighted that Yahlive will feature our channels, allowing even more viewers and listeners to enjoy the wide range of news, business, sport and documentary programming on the BBC World Service,” said Behrouz Afagh, head of journalism for BBC World Service in the Near East, West and Central Asia.