Sharjah Media City (Shams) said it has joined hands with Zoo Digital, a key provider of subtitling and digital distribution services for the global entertainment industry and Olive Digital to bring quality localisation and digital distribution services to the UAE and also the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.

 

The MoU builds on a three-year-long relationship between the three parties, wherein Shams will serve as a hub for Olive Digital’s New York office and Zoo Digital, stated Dr Khalid Al Midfa, the chairman of Shams.

 

The MoU signifies the strategic partnership between the three parties to roll-out localisation, media ingest and QC services in Sharjah in response to the growing importance of Over-the-Top (OTT) services in the UAE and Mena region, noted Dr Al Midfa, after signing the deal with Syed Ahmed, the international business development head of Zoo Digital and Asad Khan, the president and founder of Olive Digital, in Sharjah.

 

"We look forward to being the trusted local partners of Zoo Digital and Olive Digital in the UAE and Mena region. This collaboration will further boost our mission to be a world-class hub for creative and media businesses," added Dr Al Midfa.

 

Ahmed said Zoo Digital was thrilled to be working together with Shams and Olive Digital to deliver competitive and global media content in the region. 

 

"We believe that Shams’ innovative ecosystem and creative forward-thinking community provides the ideal, strategic location for Zoo’s expansion in the Middle East. We will provide expertise in the design of facilities and implementation of its cutting-edge, cloud-based technology, including training and security," he added.

 

On the joint initiative, Khan said it will help establish Olive Digital’s operations within Shams growing community. 

 

"This privileged opportunity will enable us to provide our smart, innovative, multilingual support services to the UAE and Mena region. It forms the foundation of a long-term partnership with Shams," he added.-TradeArabia News Service