Sport Desk
ABU DHABI: evision, the media and entertainment division of e& life (part of e&), today announced the launch of ‘GolfLife’ a dedicated 24/7 channel for all golf fans in the region capturing all the best live and exclusive action of golf’s most competitive tours and team competitions in Middle East and North Africa.
The channel owned and operated by evision will also broadcast ancillary golf programming and become a platform to showcase golf activities/initiatives from across the region.
In line with this vision to bring the latest in sports, evision has acquired exclusive broadcasting rights across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region for professtional golf from PGA TOUR and DP World Tour events in 2023 and 2024 with special rights to broadcast the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome and 2024 Presidents Cup in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Speaking about the new broadcast partnership Olivier Bramly, CEO of evision said: “Golf as a sport is experiencing a boom in popularity across the MENA region and the new GolfLife channel will give fans unparalleled and exclusive access to the sport they love via eLife, Switch TV and STARZPLAY packages and platforms.
“The channel will also be made available to other operators across the region to ensure we can reach as many fans as possible. We are entering a big year for golf with the Ryder Cup taking place in September and the PGA TOUR returning to a calendar-year schedule that showcases the best players in the world, which makes this the perfect time to launch this brand new dedicated golf channel in the region,” added Bramly
Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour group, added: “With our season long ‘Race to Dubai Rankings’ in partnership with Rolex, the Middle East continues to be a core focal point for the DP World Tour and home to three of our Rolex Series events. With the launch of a new channel dedicated to world class golf in time for a busy year that includes the Ryder Cup, I know that evision will be an excellent partner and provide a first-class broadcast experience to fans across the region.”
“The PGA TOUR is excited to partner with evision and reach fans in the MENA region on eLife, Switch TV and STARZPLAY,” said Rick Anderson, PGA TOUR Chief Media Officer. “Fans can expect an exciting year as the PGA TOUR moves towards a calendar-year schedule that features top players competing more often and heightened importance on positioning for the Race for the FedExCup. We look forward to showcasing the best players and biggest moments in golf to fans in the Middle East and North Africa.”
At the time of launch, GolfLife will be available in the sports and premium packages on eLife IPTV as well as on sports packages on Switch TV, its OTT (over-the-top) platform in the UAE. GolfLife will also be distributed across the MENA region through STARZPLAY, a leading on-demand streaming service that is available directly to consumers.
Etisalat Group has changed its brand identity to e&, effective on February 2022. Its strategy aims to accelerate growth through the creation of a resilient business model represented by Group’s main business pillars.
The telecoms business currently continues to be led by etisalat by e& in the Group’s home market and e& international markets, upholding the Group’s rich telecoms heritage, bolstering the strong telecoms network and maximising value for the Group’s various customer segments.
Ramping up the digital services for individuals to elevate their digital-driven lifestyle, e& life brings next-generation technologies through smart platforms in entertainment, retail and financial technology. e& enterprise focuses on maximising value through its end-to-end solutions in cybersecurity, cloud, Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as deploying mega projects, in order to enable the digital transformation of governments, large-scale enterprises and corporates. e& capital allows the Group to focus its efforts on driving new investments while maximising shareholder value and strengthening the Group’s global presence.
