SPI International Brings FilmBox channels to the Middle East with Etisalat

Channel provider SPI/FilmBox and Emirates-based telecommunications company Etisalat have signed a strategic agreement to launch two new specialist FilmBox channels to subscribers in the Middle East, marking the debut of the channels in the region. 

FilmBox Action and FilmBox Familywill be available starting October 1 on channels 654 and 655, respectively.

FilmBox Action offers thrillers, Westerns, horror, sci-fi, and disaster films featuring the likes of Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Seagal, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and others.

FilmBox Family presents TV series, family movies, cartoons, and educational programming geared toward general audiences.

Other SPI channels that are currently available to Etisalat subscribers are the Turkish series hub Dizichannel in the basic package on channel 156 and Gametoon in the Sports package on channel 771.

“We are excited to expand on our agreement with our long-standing partner Etisalat with the launch of two sought-after FilmBox channels in the region. Now, subscribers will be able to enjoy a large spectrum of content from SPI that covers popular Turkish series, esports content, family-oriented movies, and Hollywood’s best action features,” said Murat Muratoglu, Head of Distribution at SPI International.

Separately, Canal+-owned SPI International has launched its first space in the metaverse, Casa FilmBox. The virtual space within Spatial’s metaverse features an auditorium, meeting rooms, galleries and exhibition halls to showcase SPI’s portfolio of content, products and marketing campaigns. Casa FilmBox also features a performance centre that the company aims to use for hosting special events such as movie screenings, shows, company get-togethers and other community activities.

“With the introduction of higher speed mobile internet, 5G, metaverse will become an essential part of our daily lives. We see the metaverse as a space where the physical and digital come together to create the ‘phygital’, a brand new immersive experience that will transform the ways in which brands engage with their communities and vice versa. This will be a kind of immersive engagement that is unprecedented in the professional world,” said Haymi Behar, CMO and CDO at SPI International.