E-Vision, part of Etisalat and the leading cable TV provider in the region, has announced the launch of Videoclub, the first Video-On-demand (VOD) service in the UAE.

The service will transform the TV viewing habits of customers by giving them the flexibility and interactivity to view the most comprehensive line up of content available in the UAE whenever they want with more than 400 hours of content across Arabic, English, and Hindi, said a top official.

Speaking at the 2009 edition of the Middle East Cable, Satellite, Broadcast, and Communications Exhibition (Cabsat), Humaid Rashid Sahoo, CEO, E-Vision, said the new service will offer a “True VOD” experience with 100 per cent connectivity and longer duration of content that can be viewed on their set top box based on an affordable pricing model.

"The service will provide a user friendly interface for customers to enjoy the service," he commented.

E-Vision is providing an exciting array of content for VOD customers in various languages ranging from Arabic content to the latest movies from Hollywood & Bollywood.

The content also encompasses sporting events, serials, talk shows and other programming to complete a wide selection for customers.

E-Vision is also in talks with various content providers such as Rotana, DMI, and MBC to provide content on their shops within "Videoclub" the first Video-on- Demand in the UAE, he said.

"In an increasingly busy age where consumer lifestyles are so hectic, services like VOD represent a great way for consumers to enjoy their favourite television programming whenever they want instead of settling for whatever there is on TV," he observed.

"This is an increasingly on-demand world and the introduction of this exciting service is part of E-Vision’s ambitious strategy to delight our discerning customers with innovative technology and diverse content to create the best user experience," Sahoo added.

E-Vision’s VOD service will allow users to select and watch video over a network as part of an interactive television system.

Thus viewers can select a movie or television program to begin playing it on the television set almost instantaneously.

Customers will also enjoy innovative applications related to Real Time VOD such as “Catch Up TV”, which is also available for the first time in the UAE. It will allow users to watch their favourite programmes that they might have missed.

The launch of the “Videoclub” by E-Vision represents a growing trend worldwide with consumers increasingly choosing VOD.-TradeArabia News Service