JumpTV Signs Strategic Partnership With Maktoob.com-One of the Arab World's Largest Internet Portals
October 3, 2006
DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(CCNMatthews - October 03, 2006) - JumpTV (AIM: JTV) (TSX: JTV) (www.jumptv.com), the world's leading broadcaster of ethnic television over the Internet, has signed an agreement with Maktoob.com, one of the leading Arabic-language portals with over 4.5 million subscribers, to carry all of JumpTV's channels on a subscription basis.
The agreement will allow Maktoob.com users access to all of JumpTV's 220+ channels, with a promotional focus on the company's 37 current Arabic-language channels, including Aljazeera, Future TV, Dubai TV, Mehwar Channel and 2M.
"Partnering with Maktoob.com is in line with our strategy of building the largest and highest quality Internet-television experience on the market. Since our launch, we have developed one of the best Middle Eastern television offerings in the world, with channel partnerships from nearly every country in the Arab world. This partnership with Maktoob.com opens a new platform for us to market the JumpTV experience, increase our subscriber base and further build our brand by tapping into the millions of subscribers already part of the Maktoob community," said Kaleil Isaza, president and chief executive officer of JumpTV International.
Maktoob.com offers Arabic/English email service, search capabilities, blogs, chat rooms and several other Internet services and products. The company is a market leader in the Middle East and North Africa region providing service to more than one-quarter of the Internet users in this area of the world.
"Maktoob was looking for a new offering that could differentiate us from the other portals in the Middle East. Partnering with JumpTV will provide our users with a unique Internet experience. Watching television online will allow for our members to keep abreast of developments region-wide in a way that is new, exciting and cost-effective. This venture with JumpTV helps cement Maktoob's leadership position by proving to our current and future users that we are committed to offering the best Internet-based services available," stated Ahmed Nassef, General Manager of Maktoob.com and Vice-President of the Maktoob Group.
Amir Hegazi, JumpTV's general manager of the Middle East and North Africa group, commented, "In addition to the 4.5 million registered users, Maktoob.com receives almost 2 million unique visitors a month. This rapidly expanding audience will vastly increase JumpTV's exposure throughout this region and amongst Arabic-speaking communities across the globe."
JumpTV's streamed content will be presented through the Maktoob portal as part of a broadband content offering, which is slated to launch by the end of 2006. JumpTV channels will be made available to all Maktoob customers on a subscription basis.
About Maktoob.com
Maktoob.com was founded in the year 2000 as the world's first free Arabic/English Web-based Email service, offering users the ability to receive and compose Email in either language, regardless of the operating system. Maktoob.com has since grown to become the leading Arab portal offering a full-range of communications tools and quality content offerings. Maktoob.com is the flagship of the Maktoob Group of companies, a network that includes the region's leading auctions marketplace, souq.com; the Middle East's electronic payment solution, CashU.com; The region's first Arabic search engine, Araby.com; and several other websites.