Technology & IT | Wednesday 1 April, 2015 12:47 am |

Online TV entertainment in Saudi Arabia moves to the next level with an unprecedented campaign by GO, an online TV service by OSN, and LG, the world leader in consumer electronics.

GO and LG are launching a SmartTV awareness campaign that will enable Saudi residents to watch all their preferred online TV content on LG’s OLED, Ultra-HD and LED Smart TVs. Customers of LG’s Smart TVs will also have the unbeatable opportunity to enjoy three months free access to GO, a contract-free online TV service that offers thousands of hours of entertainment.

While LG is a market leader in the SmartTV segment in the Kingdom already, OSN launched GO last year to a strong response from Saudi customers for accessing its extensive content on PCs, Macs and smartphones. The new partnership means all of GO’s online content can be now enjoyed seamlessly on LG’s Smart TVs.

The campaign complements the strong SmartTV penetration in the Kingdom, estimated to reach 65% by 2016, and caters to the tremendous demand for online TV content in the Kingdom.

Emad Morcos, Senior Vice President, Media Partners at OSN, said: “The partnership with LG brings two unparalleled value propositions to Saudi customers – the best in Smart TV technology with the region’s award-winning and fastest growing online TV service, GO. Saudi Arabia today ranks as the region’s number one in online video consumption, and we are taking the experience to a whole new level by offering high quality TV content which can be watched back-to-back at the viewer’s convenience.”

Deuk Soo Ahn, President of LG Saudi Arabia, said: “LG has been the market leader in innovating the Smart TV. The center of our innovation has always been our customers. That is why LG believes the Smart TV’s should not be complicated. Our purpose is to ‘make TV simple again.’ First, LG invented the ‘Magic Remote” so that customers could use the remote like a computer mouse. Also, LG webOS is the operating system which is similar to a computer’s operating system so that customers can learn how to use it by themselves.

“Our partnership with GO brings remarkable added value with our customers benefiting from high-quality TV content that they can watch with ultra-high definition clarity on our Smart TVs. The high quality broadband penetration in the Kingdom will ensure seamless online streaming of GO on our Smart TVs for a truly exceptional online TV experience.”

The two-year partnership between GO and LG is the largest-of-its-kind in the Kingdom for SmartTV and online TV services. It is aligned to research trends from the Kingdom that customers tend to watch video on Smart TVs for a longer period, led by the quality and convenience that SmartTV viewing offers.

Market reports estimate that in 2014, of the 1.7 million TV sets sold in the Kingdom, 20% were Smart TVs. This is however set for a jumpstart with the new campaign that reflects the aspirations of tech-savvy Saudi customers.

GO, offered for free for three months to LG’s 47” and larger Smart TV customers, will open doors to Hollywood blockbusters, critically-acclaimed Arabic productions, award-winning TV series and popular kids content, contract and commitment-free.

After the free three-month period, customers can enjoy the service uninterrupted for only US$10 per month. GO is compatible with all Internet providers, and available on fixed, wifi, 3G, and 4G mobile broadband across 22 countries in the MENA region. Subscribers can also take advantage of dual-device screening, where two different shows can be streamed on separate devices simultaneously.

Among the line-up of sensational family super-hits available on Go are: Shrek 4ever After and How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda and Spiderman as well as the smash-hit series Breaking Bad and Al Ishq Al Aswad, highlighting the diverse choice of premium content available for subscribers.