Press Releases

DUBAI (May 22, 2012) - Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has inked three new distribution deals in the Middle East region, with local broadcasters in Egypt, Qatar and Dubai. The multi-year deals, brokered by SPT's recently opened distribution office in Dubai, license broadcast rights to feature films from the Sony Pictures library across a wide variety of genres and decades.

For the first time, SPT has made content distribution deals with Al Rayyan in Qatar and the Egyptian-based television network, Rotana, which will broadcast the features on its multi channel platform. Meanwhile in Dubai, SPT has confirmed a new distribution deal with national broadcaster Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), who will air their selection on Dubai One.

Announcing the agreements, Ziad Yaghi, executive director, distribution, for the Middle East, said: "As a committed participant on a pan-regional level, SPT is now also establishing new relationships at a national level as the sector expands. With many thousands of feature films and television series, the SPT library is well placed to meet growing Middle East demand."

Headed up by Yaghi and based in Dubai, SPT's distribution office opened in October 2011 and reports into SPT's regional EMEA headquarters in London. Its remit is to expand SPT's distribution business in the region, particularly with the rapidly expanding number of local and regional broadcasters in each territory, and to harness new business in the fast growing digital sector. SPT's Dubai distribution office also works with SPT's London office to manage the studio's pan regional output deals with OSN and MBC.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

ABOUT SONY PICTURES TELEVISION
Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment around the world and for every platform: broadcast and cable television, first-run and off-network syndication and digital distribution. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of feature films and television shows, SPT boasts a current program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Internationally, SPT produces 6,000+ hours of programming annually in over 70 countries. SPT is a leader in local language productions, some of which are co-produced with local partners, and sells SPE-owned formats around the world. To better serve its clients and partners worldwide, SPT maintains offices throughout the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, the People's Republic of China, Russia, Singapore, Spain, Venezuela and the United Kingdom. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio is a key strategy in SPE's long-range commitment to the global marketplace, with 120 channel feeds, which are available in 159 countries reaching more than 543 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns Dutch entertainment company 2waytraffic, production company Embassy Row and Sony Movie Channel, and is a part owner of cable channel GSN, new 3D channel 3net, FEARnet, the premier horror/thriller website and VOD service, and national media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in all of SPE's digital businesses in the United States. SPT (www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.

For further information, contact:
Mark Macdonald,
Executive Director, Communications
Sony Pictures Television
Mark_macdonald@spe.sony.com
+44 20 7533 1363