The STARZPLAY Original will be available for MENA viewers from February 11

STARZPLAY, the leading subscription video on demand (SVOD) service in the MENA region, partners with Discovery to present its ‘Original’, ‘Say Yes to the Dress Arabia,’ available to stream exclusively on the platform from February 11, 2022, with two episodes released each week.

‘Say Yes To The Dress Arabia’, a STARZPLAY Original is coming to the Middle East for the first time.  It gives brides from the region a once-in-lifetime opportunity to feature on the show and find their perfect wedding dress. 

The Arabian edition is the 25th local spin-off of the popular series featuring 20 brides from various cultural backgrounds, ranging in age from 23 to 50, all in search for their dream wedding dress.

Shot at the Hazar Haute Couture in Dubai - the largest wedding dress producer in the Gulf region - the bridal boutique houses an unrivalled collection of one-of-one bridal dresses, that perfectly accommodated the bridal budgets ranging from $615 to $14,000.

‘Say Yes to the Dress Arabia’ beautifully captures the emotional journeys of brides-to-be, bundled with the show’s trademark fun family drama, as each loved one holds their own opinion on the dress. Hosted by renowned Lebanese celebrity stylist, Khalil Zein, an expert and in-demand stylist in the Arab world, Khalil has dressed many celebrities from across the region, including Haifa Wehbe, Rahma Riad, Nancy Ajram, Maya Diab, and Nadine Nassib Njeim, to name a few.

A virtual event to mark the show’s launch was held by STARZPLAY and Discovery. Joining several of the brides in the event were host Khalil Zein, Khaled Benchouche, SVP of Programming & Acquisitions, STARZPLAY and Anouska Widdess, Senior Director of TLC & Channel Operations, Discovery Communications.

Say Yes to The Dress Arabia Host Khalil Zein, said: “It is an honour to be part of a show with such an iconic legacy and it brings me great pride to be part its first regional appearance. The process of helping the brides, from a plethora of different backgrounds, was a fruitful challenge. I am very excited for the viewers to watch what we worked so hard to put together and I am sure they will enjoy every bit of it as much as we did.  Thank you to the STARZPLAY and Discovery teams for giving me this wonderful opportunity.”

Khaled Benchouche, SVP of Programming & Acquisitions, STARZPLAY, said: “The addition of ‘Say Yes to the Dress Arabia’ to our content portfolio reflects STARZPLAY’s commitment to bring quality content to our local audience. ‘Say Yes to the Dress Arabia’ showcases a diverse roster of brides with many different backgrounds and stories, which will indeed resonate with our viewers. The series underlines STARZPLAY’s focus on delivering world-class homegrown content with regional relevance, and we are proud to add it to our library of STARZPLAY Original shows.”

Anouska Widdess, Senior Director of TLC & Channel Operations, Discovery Communications, added: “TLC’s Say Yes to The Dress is one of Discovery’s most beloved global franchises, having gained a cult following worldwide. We are proud to be partnering with STARZPLAY to finally bring the region its own edition, especially since MENA is famous for having some of the most glamorous weddings and brides. We trust regional viewers will enjoy the diversity of dresses, personalities and culture the show has to offer.” 

discovery+, the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service from Discovery, Inc., signed an exclusive deal with STARZPLAY in July 2021 to bring ‘Say Yes to The Dress Arabia’ to the region. Fans of ‘Say Yes to The Dress’ can already enjoy plenty of seasons of this popular series on the discovery+ add-on channel on STARZPLAY. 

ENDS  

Social Tags: @starzplayarabia Instagram, @starzplay Facebook, @STARZPlayArabia Twitter and @discoveryplus Instagram, @discoveryplus Twitter

About STARZPLAY: 

STARZPLAY (www.starzplay.com) is a subscription video on demand service that streams Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, the same-time-as-the-US series – plus dedicated kids’ entertainment and Arabic content – to 20 countries across MENA and Pakistan. 

The service carries thousands of premium titles including exclusive STARZPLAY original content such as Baghdad Central, STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen as well as premium content with add-ons such as discovery+, UFC Arabia, BluTV, Premier Sports, AD Sports, PowerPlay and Majid TV.” 

STARZPLAY has secured tie ups with a host of leading, global studios including MGM, 20th Century Studios, Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery and Fox International Channels. 

STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) and State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) are the lead investors along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Capital Partners and Delta Partners. In early 2021, STARZPLAY secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. 

Reaching over 1.8 million subscribers, STARZPLAY allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback. 

For media enquiries:  

ASDA’A BCW | Arab Youth Survey 

Srishti Soni | Sabrin Al-Aloul 

+97150 6473920 | +97150 2193819 

srishti.soni@bcw-global.com | sabrin.alaloul@bcw-global.com 

About Discovery:

Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as discovery+, Food Network Kitchen and MotorTrend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media; a landmark natural history and factual content partnership with the BBC; and a strategic alliance with PGA TOUR to create the international home of golf. Discovery’s portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, Science Channel, and the multi-platform JV with Chip and Joanna Gaines, Magnolia Network, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit corporate.discovery.com and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.

For media enquiries:
M&C Saatchi
Discovery@mcsaatchi.com