QUICKPLAY PARTNERS WITH SAUDI TELECOM COMPANY TO LAUNCH "BITS"

A new era of short-form, AI-powered video content designed to redefine the Saudi market

TORONTO, March 12, 2024 /CNW/ - Quickplay, a global leading OTT video platform for true personalization and user engagement, announced today its partnership with Saudi Telecom Company (STC) to launch "Bits," a short-form video content platform tailored to the rapidly-developing Saudi market. The agreement marks Quickplay's expansion into EMEA, continuing the company's growth across the global digital streaming landscape and building on Quickplay's existing collaboration with Google Cloud.

Designed to address Saudi Arabia's widespread use of short-form video apps like TikTok, the Bits platform will cater to a tech-savvy audience eager for fresh and engaging content. Bits' AI capabilities, with enhanced personalization and recommendations, are intended to provide consumers with relevant user-generated content (UGC) that drives user engagement and creates new opportunities for brands and advertisers to engage their target consumers.

"Bits is more than a platform; it's a gateway to a new era of digital engagement and content consumption," said Badr Almanshould, STC Play, Head, "The combination of Quickplay's platform and digital transformation expertise and the power of Google Cloud is helping us take our content offerings to new heights that will drive audience engagement and satisfaction."

"A track record of delivering advanced feature sets, proven interoperability, and rapid time to market all were major factors in the selection of Quickplay as our deployment partner," added Bill Sharp, CTO for STC Play.

"The launch of Bits is a transformative moment for digital content delivery in the Middle East," said Wim Ponnet, President, EMEA of Quickplay. "Saudi Telecom's passion for innovation, coupled with Google Cloud's new region in Saudi Arabia, which bring high-performance, low-latency services, and the utilization of our cloud-native and AI-enabled technology, are paving the way for groundbreaking video experiences in MENA and beyond."

"The collaboration between Quickplay and Saudi Telecom Company represents a new chapter in digital content delivery in the Middle East," said Bader Almadi, General Manager, Saudi Arabia, Google Cloud. "We look forward to helping Quickplay's customers in the Middle East achieve their objectives as Quickplay continues to prove that they have the commitment to drive positive results for the media industry in the region."

This agreement with Saudi Telecom Company follows Quickplay's recent partnership announcement with renowned Quebec radio broadcaster Cogeco Media, and a banner year driving change for leading brands like MSG Networks' MSG+, YES Network, Allen Media Group, Cignal TV's Pilipinas Live, and more.

For more information about Quickplay, please visit https://quickplay.com/.

Quickplay is leading cloud transformations of OTT and in-home experiences for pay-TV, telcos, and MVPDs. The company's cloud-native platform leverages a transformative open architecture for unparalleled performance in delivering premium video, handling complex use cases, and scaling to millions of viewers. Founded by a team that has built and operated dozens of Tier 1 OTT services worldwide, Quickplay is powering immersive sports, live experiences, and personalized entertainment on any screen. The company is headquartered in Toronto and has additional locations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chennai, India, and Europe. Quickplay is a two-time winner of the Google Cloud Industry Solution Partner of the Year Award for Media & Entertainment. For more information, visit https://quickplay.com/.

stc group is an engine of digital transformation in the region, offering advanced solutions and driving the digitisation process. The group offers landline and fixed infrastructure, mobile and data services, and broadband & cloud computing services. www.stc.com.sa

SOURCE Quickplay