Dubai: It’s the pay-TV industry’s version of a slam dunk. That is what OSN — until now predominantly a platform for premium English language entertainment — expects to achieve by buying Pehla Media & Entertainment (PME) with its bouquet of 40 plus channels in multiple South Asian languages.

The latter, earlier owned by ART, has the broadcast rights for a wide footprint — the whole of Middle East and North Africa — and has built up a sizeable viewer base over the years. Having now acquired PME’s viewer numbers as well, OSN can reasonably hope to translate into higher ad revenues for itself. That’s where the slam dunk theory comes in.

“Subscriptions have always been the main revenue driver for OSN; we continue to focus on building our subscriber base, while at the same time leveraging the opportunity provided by ad revenues, particularly with television ad revenues gaining momentum in the region,” said David Butorac, CEO of OSN, though he declined to let out the subscriber base details. “The acquisition of Pehla will further drive our subscriber numbers, as OSN Pehla reaches out to one of the largest demographics in the region — South Asians.”

In particular, Pehla has historically had the high viewing numbers that matter from an advertiser’s perspective, the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Some of the Indian language channels also have built up an audience with Arab viewers as well, another pertinent factor an advertiser would be influenced by. According to estimates by Parc (Pan Arab Research Centre), television pulled in $54 million by way of ads, while Saudi Arabia’s was estimated at $35 million in the first six months of the year.

“At present, OSN Pehla subscription prices will remain the same,” the CEO added. “Our focus is to enhance the value offering for subscribers which includes immediate access to our rewards programme, OSN Privileges, and access to our retail network and customer services.

“Pehla’s rights are for the Mena territory and as such OSN has no immediate plans to develop its reach into newer territories with this platform. There’s a lot that can still be done within the territory that is already available to it.”

Interestingly, it was just recently that OSN made a push into a market outside of the region. It’s own Arabic language channel is now accessible in the UK as part of a newly minted distribution arrangement.

But doesn’t going after new demographics dilute the original OSN USP, i.e., that of being the pay-TV provider of choice for premium Western content? “I do not necessarily see it that way nor our subscribers,” said the CEO. “Ultimately, it is about creating choices for the widest possible viewing audience, which is what we have done with offering content in Arabic as well from leading Filipino channels. Now, we look to do the same with South Asian content.”