Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Digital Broadcasters | Middle East | JumpTV Adds MBC Group to Arabic Program Line Up

Digital Broadcasters Vendor News can report that JumpTV Inc. (AIM: JTV) (TSX: JTV) the streaming-over-the-Internet broadcaster has signed with Dubai-based MBC Group to broadcast MBC1, the pan-Arab general entertainment channel, and Al Arabiya News Channel, as part of JumpTV's All-Arab programming package. JumpTV also has the rights to stream MBC's flagship radio stations, MBC FM and Panorama.

The deal calls for co-branding of the project and has launched from MBC Group's popular website, mbc.net as well as, alarabiya.net, one of the top portals in the Middle East region with more than one million page views per day.

The agreement with MBC Group, the largest broadcasting company in the Middle East, to broadcast its top-rated television and radio channels represents a very important step forward in JumpTV's Middle Eastern and Northern African business (MENA). MBC's programming appeals to a wide-range of Arabic cultures and has a viewership that has grown to more than 130 million Arabic speaking people worldwide with a market share that exceeds 40% in the Middle East.

Amir Hegazi, general manager of JumpTV's MENA group, commented that by adding the MBC Group as a partner further expands JumpTV's diverse library of exclusive Arab content to 40 channels -the largest amount of Arabic content outside of the Middle East.

Kaleil Isaza CEO, JumpTV International commented that the deal provides a much longer tail for MBC's Arabic news and entertainment than that of the traditional broadcast mediums.

MBC1 and Al Arabiya were signed subsequent to the Company's June 30, 2006 quarter end disclosure. JumpTV now has 227 channels under license.

MBC1 is a pan-Arab news and entertainment television channel, with an estimated audience of more than 130 million Arabic-speaking people around the world.

JumpTV says it is the world's leading subscription-based digital broadcaster of ethnic television over the Internet.

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