Discovery and beIN renew MENA carriage deal, add Discovery Channel

Discovery has renewed its longstanding MENA partnership with beIN Media Group, the pair have confirmed.

The partnership, an extension of one first agreed in 2016, will see the flagship Discovery Channel become available to beIN subscribers. Customers will also continue to have access to Discovery’s channels HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel and Arabic food network Fatafeat.

The Discovery Channel currently has an audience of 62.5 million viewers across EMEA, and offers a mixture of high-production factual content. Its shows cover genres including science and technology, exploration, adventure and history.

Of this new deal, Francesco Perta, senior business development and distribution director, Middle East, Africa, Turkey and North East Europe at Discovery, said: “beIN has been a valued partner in MENA and we’re delighted to not only be continuing our agreement, but also adding our flagship Discovery Channel to beIN’s broadcast portfolio. Superfans can enjoy their favourite content across multiple passion verticals, including food, home, natural history and science, and travel, with new seasons of many much-loved shows launching in the coming months.”

Mohammad Al-Subaie, acting CEO of beIN MENA said, “beIN Media Group is committed to providing viewers around the Arab world with best in class, thought-provoking content that meets the needs of the whole family. We are delighted to continue our partnership with Discovery, a leader in this field, bringing novelties in travel, gastronomy, history and nature from around the world to our subscribers’ living rooms. Viewers can enjoy their favourite Discovery shows on our newly-released smarter and simpler packages, which offer subscribers great content and better user experience.”