Showtime, a Middle East digital satellite pay-television network, has signed an agreement with Microsoft Middle East for a complete software infrastructure platform to automate business processes and build a stronger customer service infrastructure.
The network is also building on future plans that will include a range of technologies and devices based on Microsoft's .NET roadmap.
“With approximately 19 million television households through out the Middle East, catering to customers' requirements is the way forward. Consequently, a robust and intelligent Information Technology (IT) infrastructure has a whole range of advantages, all of which reflect directly on any company's bottom-line, especially in the areas of customer retention, churn management, up sell and cross sell opportunities, and ultimately, profit margins,” Abdullatif Almulla, country manager for Microsoft UAE, Oman and Yemen said.
To build its IT infrastructure, Showtime chose the Windows 2000 Server operating system with active directory infrastructure for its Virtual Private Network (VPN). Showtime has also deployed Microsoft SQL Server 2000 for database management, Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 for messaging, Visual Studio.Net for application development and Windows XP and Office XP for desktop productivity.
Showtime is a joint media venture between Viacom, the world's largest provider of entertainment services, and KIPCO-Kuwait Projects Company (Holding). Through its Media and Information Technology sector companies, KIPCO has a controlling interest in and operates among others: Global Direct Television, a regional distributor of digital entertainment services; ShowNet, a provider of high-speed internet via satellite; Watania, the national mobile telecommunications company in Kuwait. Showtime covers the Gulf Co-operation Council countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It also covers Yemen, Egypt and North Africa, including Morocco, and the Levant territories of Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine.
Showtime offers 25 premium channels of predominantly Western television entertainment - including four sports and four movie channels - for the entire family, plus ten CD audio channels. The network is also the first in the region to offer a ten channel Pay Per View service, called Home Cinema, and it is rolling out its interactive services under the SmartTV brand. Showtime offers more choice than any other network in the Middle East.
Founded in 1975, Microsoft an international leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. Microsoft opened its Dubai-based Middle East headquarters office in 1991, which now oversees operations in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) as well as Yemen and Pakistan, while Microsoft Egypt oversees operations in the East Mediterranean region. In the last 10 years, Microsoft has opened local offices in Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Pakistan and Oman. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
