beIN MEDIA GROUP and Microsoft expand collaboration to accelerate cloud adoption and digital transformation

Global sports and entertainment broadcaster, beIN MEDIA GROUP and Microsoft have reinforced their commitment to transform the media sector and reinvent the broadcast experience by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that furthers their longstanding partnership.

The MoU was signed at beIN’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) HQ in Doha by Mohammad Al-Subaie, CEO of beIN MENA, and Lana Khalaf, Country General Manager, Microsoft Qatar, and witnessed by Samer Abu Ltaif, Corporate VP and President of Microsoft MEA and Israel Esteban, Chief Technology Officer, beIN Media Group.

The agreement will see beIN and Microsoft combine their expertise to develop creative products and solutions to offer unique fan engagement and experience services for the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM and beyond. Earlier this year, beIN partnered with Microsoft and other entities to trial the use of 5G capabilities to accelerate advances in cloud-based remote production for live sports. The learnings from the trials conducted during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021TM proved key to developing exciting new broadcasting capabilities.

Moreover, the MoU will see both companies explore innovative and agile solutions to promote operational excellence by leveraging the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics, as well as Microsoft’s extensive global partner ecosystem. The two will also work together to design a technology roadmap that utilizes the power of the cloud to contribute to beIN’s plans to achieve cost optimization, operational excellence, and adoption of the best practices across the IT landscape.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mohammad Al-Subaie, CEO of beIN MENA, said: “beIN has been an early adopter of advanced technologies that have enabled us to deepen fan and audience engagement with personalized, connected, and immersive experiences. As the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022TM, it is both an exciting and decisive time in our Company’s history and having the right partners is critical. With Microsoft as a leading technology partner and their state-of-the-art cloud platform in Azure, we are well positioned to accelerate innovative practices across our business and further deliver captivating ways to enjoy broadcast television.”

Samer Abu Ltaif Corporate VP and President Middle East & Africa at Microsoft commented: “We are a proud technology partner to beIN. Our trusted sustainable cloud technologies are helping the media industry reimagine the future of creativity, content, and technology, deepening fan and audience engagement through personalized and connected experiences. Technology is a catalyst for innovation, and we will continue to provide industry-specific solutions that combine deep industry expertise with the best of Microsoft’s engineering and delivery capabilities to accelerate the digital transformation journeys of our customers and partners, driving value at every step along the way.”

The Economist, in partnership with Microsoft, conducted a survey of the media and communications industry for its report The Transformation Imperative. According to the report, cloud computing comes out on top because of its role in creating strong foundations for transformation and scalability to distribute “huge volumes of rich content to vast audiences”.

This latest collaboration between beIN and Microsoft comes ahead of the launch of the Microsoft Cloud Datacenter Region in Qatar, which will deliver a comprehensive set of enterprise-grade cloud services for developers and businesses of all sizes to create new customer experiences, transform their business and operations and accelerate the pace of innovation. BCS Bureau