MENA Audience Measurement Contract for Fifty5Blue

Fifty5Blue - previously Kantar Media - has been selected by beIN MEDIA GROUP to design and run a unified audience measurement system across 24 markets in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The three-year contract will be serviced by a combination of return-path and streaming usage data.

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Fifty5Blue was known as Kantar Media until a rebrand announced in February, a year after the global insights group agreed the sale of the division to London-based alternative investment firm H.I.G. Capital, for around $1 billion.

beIN is an independent global media group, with a focus on sports & entertainment. The firm says its flagship sports network, beIN SPORTS, 'holds the single largest portfolio of sports rights of any global broadcaster', while ownership of film studio MIRAMAX gives it an extensive library of Hollywood blockbusters and a growing presence in series and movies production and distribution. The company's previous activities in the region include buying pay-tv operator Digiturk, in Türkiye, a decade ago, and launching a premium OTT service called TOD by beIN, across MENA and Türkiye, in 2022.

The combination of RPD from connected set-top boxes and usage data from beIN's streaming platform will give a single view of audiences across satellite television and OTT services. Fifty5Blue says its proprietary capping and modelling methods will help to produce reliable household-level insights across the complex region.

Data will be made available through audience analysis platform AdvantEdge, which in turn is operated by Fifty5Blue's dedicated software arm TechEdge. AdvantEdge will provide self-service access to viewing behaviour, content performance, audience profiles and trends.

Fifty5Blue's MD Business Development Stuart Wilkinson (pictured) comments: 'Viewing no longer fits neatly into separate television and streaming categories, so measurement cannot either. By connecting set-top-box and OTT data, this partnership will give beIN a clearer and more consistent understanding of audiences across the region. We are proud to bring together Fifty5Blue's audience measurement expertise and TechEdge's software capabilities to deliver a solution built for the scale and complexity of the MENA market.' Jad Chaaban, Manager of Corporate Sales at beIN MENA, welcomes in particular Fifty5Blue's 'understanding of the specific dynamics of individual markets' within the region, 'ensuring that the best global practices are adapted to local needs.'

Web site: www.fifty5blue.com .


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Stuart Wilkinson