beIN renews feature films partnership with leading independent distributor, Front Row Filmed Entertainment
beIN Media Group, the global sports, entertainment and independent media group, has renewed its multi-year agreement with leading Indie film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment LLC, securing first pay and Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) window for independent feature films across the Middle East and North African territories.
The agreement will see English language feature films such as Ana Todd’s After series adaptation; Sean Penn’s Flag Day; 2021 Oscar favorite The Father (which also opened this year’s Cairo International Film Festival); Sia’s directorial debut Music; the action packed The Marksman; Paul Schrader’s The Card Counter among other premium titles premiering exclusively in the MENA on beIN’s movie channels and on the platform’s OTT service, beIN Connect.
Commenting on the deal, Mohammad Al-Subaie, Acting CEO of beIN MENA said, “We are excited about extending our partnership with Front Row Filmed Entertainment as we continue to cater to an audience looking for thought provoking and critically acclaimed movies. The partnership renewal is a testament to our commitment to offer a complete spectrum of entertainment programs through valuable entities such as Front Row Filmed Entertainment, who continue to innovate in an ever-changing entertainment landscape.”
Gianluca Chakra, CEO of Front Row Filmed Entertainment said, “We are pleased that our feature films will have a home on beIN’s channels in the MENA and look forward to continuing our close relationship with the beIN team in servicing their already vast and loyal audience while continuing our search for untapped audiences across the region through innovative acquisitions.”
Front Row Filmed Entertainment acquires over 100 feature films a year notwithstanding TV series. The distribution company has also set up Yalla Yalla, a JV production company with international sales company Rocket Science and will be shooting their first feature film production on the 17th of February with the Arabic language remake Perfect Strangers starring Nadine Labaki, Mona Zaki, Eyad Nassar and Adel Karam.
beIN has long established its dominance in sports in MENA, and also worldwide, including broadcasting all major sporting events such as major football leagues, tennis Grand Slams, NBA, the UEFA Euro 2020, the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo as well as FIFA’s biggest event the World Cup in Qatar 2022 across the Arab world. beIN is also developing into a regional powerhouse in entertainment, including through original content production with its Hollywood film studio MIRAMAX, and its Turkish operation Digiturk – which is the leading sports and entertainment platform in Turkey. In recent months, beIN has also invested significantly in developing its OTT platform, beIN Connect, as well as its VOD offering, beIN On Demand.
beIN entertains and operates in 43 countries globally, including 24 countries across the MENA region. With broadcast on satellite in 4K and Full HD, the beIN experience is also available on mobile, tablet, computer and other home devices through beIN CONNECT.