myTV is an

Arab American Arab Americans ( or ) are Americans who trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants from the Arabic-speaking countries. In the United States census, Arabs are racially classified as White Americans which is defined as "A person ha ...

provider of Arabic live channels and

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand, using over-the-top technology.

History

myTV, an

over-the-top content An over-the-top media service (also known as over-the-top television, or simply OTT) is a digital distribution service of video and audio delivered directly to viewers via the public Internet, rather than through an over-the-air, cable, satel ...

service provider with offices in Lebanon and the U.S., was founded on the June 15, 2011 by Lebanese expatriates living in the US. The concept was originally developed by SNA Corp. a leading provider of Digital Online Content services for multinational media companies. MyTV provides Arabic-language Live TV Channels and Video on Demand (VOD) everywhere in the Americas as well as Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The myTV service helps expatriates and people-on-the-move feel closer to their homeland, by giving them access to the channels they love, and the TV shows, movies or music videos they miss, straight to their living room television set or mobile device. In response to the demand for quality television in Arabic, myTV secured exclusive deals with the most popular channels such as LBC America and Rotana.

Launch

myTV launched its services through an online campaign themed "Messages from Home" that began on January 30, 2012. The videos, composed of genuine messages gathered from

Lebanese people The Lebanese people ( / Romanization of Arabic, ALA-LC: ', ) are the people inhabiting or originating from Lebanon. The term may also include those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains prior to the creation of the mod ...

across the country to their relatives abroad, were posted on

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

and

Pinterest Pinterest is an American social media service for publishing and discovery of information in the form of digital Bulletin board, pinboards. This includes recipes, home, style, motivation, and inspiration on the Internet using image sharing. Pint ...

; these social platforms made up the bulk of online tools used during the campaign.

Recognition

In March 2013, Communicate Levant, the

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

-based

sibling A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the other person. A male sibling is a brother, and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised ...

of market-leading Communicate magazine, one of the region's leading

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

and media resource, voted myTV as the number one startup for 2013.

Features

Live Channels

Channels currently available on myTV include * LBC America * LBC America Drama * LBC America News * Al Sumaria * Rotana Khalijiah * Rotana Masriya * Al Jadeed * Fann * Safwa * Roya TV * Arab Woman TV * Al-Resalah *

Iqraa Iqraa TV also spelt IQRA TV ( ' "read") is a satellite and internet television channel owned by Saleh Abdullah Kamel's Arab Media Corporation. It was founded in 1998. The channel promotes itself as a "Muslim family's safe haven", presenti ...

* Taha TV * Iqraa Europe * Iqraa America * Iqraa Asia and Australia *

Rotana Cinema Rotana Cinema () is a Saudi Arabian free-to-air satellite television channel owned by Rotana Group Rotana Media Group, commonly known as Rotana (), is a Saudi Arabian entertainment company. It is primarily owned by Saudi prince Al Waleed b ...

* Cinema 1 * Cinema 2 *

Rotana Aflam Rotana Media Group, commonly known as Rotana (), is a Saudi Arabian entertainment company. It is primarily owned by Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal through Kingdom Holding Company. The media conglomerate includes a film production company ( ...

* Rotana Classic * Al Yawm * Al Mousalsalat * Rusiya Al-Yawm *

Sky News Arabia Sky News Arabia (stylized as Sky News ; ) is an Arabic 24-hour rolling news channel broadcast mainly operated in the Middle East and North Africa. It is a joint venture between UK-based Sky Group and the UAE-based International Media Investment ...

BBC Arabic BBC Arabic () consisted of the Modern Standard Arabic, Literary Arabic language radio station which was run by the BBC World Service, as well as the BBC Arabic Television, BBC's satellite TV channel, and the website that serves as a Literary Ar ...

* ONTV * Rotana Music *

Rotana Clip Rotana Media Group, commonly known as Rotana (), is a Saudi Arabian entertainment company. It is primarily owned by Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal through Kingdom Holding Company. The media conglomerate includes a film production company ( ...

* Music Now * Karameesh

Video on Demand

myTV has an extensive

Video on Demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films Digital distribution, digitally on request. These multimedia are accessed without a traditional video playback device and a typica ...

library, consisting of Arabic movies, Arabic TV series, documentaries, cartoons and short films consisting of popular titles, such as the following: * A collection of

Youssef Chahine Youssef Chahine ( ; 25 January 1926 – 27 July 2008) was an Egyptian film director. He was active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death. He directed twelve films included in a list of Top 100 Egyptian films published by ...

films. * Lebanese classic TV series, such as '' Insa Hmoumak'' and '' El Denieh hek'', as well as

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serv ...

s by Lebanese singer

Fairuz Nouhad Wadie Haddad (, ; born November 20, 1934 or November 21, 1935), known as Fairuz (, ), is a Lebanese singer. She is widely considered an iconic vocalist and one of the most celebrated singers in the history of the Arab world. She is pop ...

. *

Umm Kulthum Umm Kulthum (; 31 December 1898 – 3 February 1975) was an Egyptians, Egyptian singer and film actress active from the 1920s to the 1970s. She was given the honorific title (). Immensely popular throughout the Middle East and beyond, Umm Kul ...

and

Abdel Halim Hafez Abdel Halim Ali Shabana (), commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez (, ) (21 June 1929 – 30 March 1977), was an Egyptian singer, actor, conductor, businessman, music teacher and film producer. Abdel Halim is considered to be one of the greatest ...

concerts. * Several works of the character Ghawwar el Tosheh (

Duraid Lahham Duraid Lahham (; in Roman transliteration, sometimes spelled "Durayd Lahham") is a leading Syrian comedian and director born 1934 in Damascus, Syria to a Syrian father and a Lebanese mother. He is famous for acting the role of "Ghawwar El Tosh ...

), such as Shaqaeq Al Noman, Day'et Tishrin, Hamam el Hana and Wein el Ghalat. * ''Al Shahroura'', the

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

TV series that tells the story of Lebanese singer

Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...

and explores her artistic and personal life. A biography acted out by pop star

Carole Samaha Carole Samaha (; born July 25, 1972) is a Lebanese-Egyptian singer, actress, and performer. She has released six studio albums. Samaha has a Master's degree in acting and directing, which she earned in 1999 from the Saint Joseph University of B ...

* ''As the Poet Said'', a film that takes on a poetic approach to the life of the late Palestinian poet

Mahmoud Darwish Mahmoud Darwish (; 13 March 1941 – 9 August 2008) was a Palestinians, Palestinian poet and author who was regarded as Palestine's national poet. In 1988 Darwish wrote the Palestinian Declaration of Independence, which was the formal declarat ...

. * Several historical series, telling the tales of

Antarah ibn Shaddad Antarah ibn Shaddad al-Absi (; 525–608 AD), also known as ʿAntar (), was a pre-Islamic Arabian poet and knight, famous for both his poetry and his adventurous life. His chief poem forms part of the '' Mu'allaqāt'', the collection of seven "h ...

and

Khalid ibn al-Walid Khalid ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi (; died 642) was a 7th-century Arabs, Arab military commander. He initially led campaigns against Muhammad on behalf of the Quraysh. He later became a Muslim and spent the remainder of his career ...

. * Foreign Arabic-dubbed series, such as ''

María la del Barrio ''María la del Barrio'' (Literal translation, Lit: ''Maria From the Hood''/English title: ''Humble Maria'') is a Mexican telenovela produced by Angelli Nesma Medina for Televisa in 1995. The series is a remake of ''Los ricos también lloran'' ...

'', starring

Thalía Ariadna Thalía Sodi Miranda (; born 26 August 1971), known mononymously as Thalía, is a Mexican singer, songwriter and actress. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Latin Pop", she is considered one of the most ...

and Rosalinda * A long list of

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

cartoons dubbed (Arabic voice over) in Arabic, including ''

Grendizer , also known as '' Grandizer'', ''Ufo Robot Grendizer Raids'', ''Goldrake'' and ''Goldorak'', is a Japanese manga and animated television series created by Go Nagai. The series is the third entry in the '' Mazinger'' series, later rel ...

'', '' Sally'' '' Captain Majid'' and ''

Calimero ''Calimero'' is an animated television series about a charming but hapless anthropomorphized chicken; the only black one in a family of yellow chickens. He wears half of his egg shell still on his head. Calimero originally appeared on the I ...

'' * A series of the interpretation of the

Quran The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...

by Sheikh Sha'arawi * A series of high-profile interviews with celebrities all over the world by renowned Lebanese host Ricardo Karam

Device support

As of 2013, myTV has become available on over 300 devices, which consist of set-top boxes, smart TVs and tablets. Some of the devices include: * Google TV devices

Set-top box A set-top box (STB), also known as a cable converter box, cable box, receiver, or simply box, and historically television decoder or a converter, is an information appliance device that generally contains a Tuner (radio)#Television, TV tuner inpu ...

es like Sony Internet Player TV as well as Android and

Samsung Samsung Group (; stylised as SΛMSUNG) is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational manufacturing Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in the Samsung Town office complex in Seoul. The group consists of numerous a ...

tablets. * Boxee Box set-top box *

Samsung Smart TV Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (SEC; stylized as SΛMSUNG; ) is a South Korean multinational major appliance and consumer electronics corporation founded on 13 January 1969 and headquartered in Yeongtong District, Suwon, South Korea. It is curr ...

* LG SMART TV (only 47G2 and 55G2 Models) * WD TV Live *

Netgear Netgear, Inc. (stylized as NETGEAR in all caps), is an American computer networking company based in San Jose, California, with offices in about 22 other countries. It produces networking hardware for consumers, businesses, and service provide ...

Neo TV 300

References

External links

* OTT {{DEFAULTSORT:myTV Mass media companies of the United Arab Emirates Direct broadcast satellite services Television technology Video on demand services Mass media companies established in 2011