OSN, a leading pay-TV network in the region, said it has extended its landmark deal with The Walt Disney Company Mena, further strengthening its premium and first-run content offering to ist regional viewers.

The agreement will make OSN the exclusive subscription TV service in the region for first-run Disney movies, ABC Studios series and Turkish adaptations of ABC Studios hit series.

As part of the deal, OSN will continue to bring Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior to the region as well as key ABC News programming, said a senior official.

“We have shared a mutually beneficial relationship with Disney and I am extremely pleased to extend this landmark deal. For subscribers, this means they will continue to get access to first pay-TV windows of some of the finest and most imaginative family films, award-winning series and world-class kids entertainment," remarked CEO David Butorac.

“Audiences in the Mena region are more discerning now than ever before. Their unprecedented exposure to the world’s finest programming calls for upping the standards in television content delivery. Our partnership with The Walt Disney Company Mena, for home, On-Demand and online entertainment further defines our position as the number one premium content provider in the region,” he added.

OSN will premiere over 40 feature films this year alone including hit movies, “Wreck–it Ralph”, “Oz: The Great and Powerful” along with the most popular movie franchises such as “Marvel’s Iron Man 3”, “Thor 2”, Disney Pixar’s “Monsters University”, and “Brave” as well as “Planes” from Disney Studios.

The new season ABC Studios' series acquired by OSN will include the much-anticipated “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” and drama “Betrayal”, along with top-rated favourites including “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Castle” and “Revenge”.

OSN aims to boost its current repertoire of Turkish series with the addition of two new shows including “Intikam”, the acclaimed local adaptation of “Revenge” and “Marhaba Hayat”, the Turkish adaptation of “Private Practice”.

The pay TV network will also have first-run rights in the region to top-rated ABC News shows including “20/20”, “World News Saturday”, both airing in the region at the same time as the US.

“This Week World News Now”, “America This Morning”, “World News with Diane Sawyer”, “Nightline” and “Good Morning America” will be brought live to OSN subscribers, it added.

Didier Vanneste, the country head of The Walt Disney Company, Mena, said: “This deal with OSN brings audiences across the Mena region a superb range of quality content from Disney, Marvel, ABC Studios, and ABC News as well as successful local formats. We always aim to bring audiences the content that they want, whenever they want it."

Khulud Abu Homos, SVP Programming & Creative Services, OSN added: “The Disney deal underlines our ‘see it first’ proposition with movies premiering weeks from its theatrical release and the best TV series airing at the same time as the U.S.”

Starting from October 1, OSN has extended its premium On-Demand service with a dedicated new service called ‘OSN On Demand Extra’ giving viewers hundreds of hours of the best Disney movies including popular franchises such as Pirates of the Caribbean.-TradeArabia News Service