Middle East EPGs set to evolve

TV service operators in the Middle East are recognising the importance of EPGs with the region’s telcos leading the way, according to meta data aggregator, Babeleye.

“We looked at the exponential growth in the number of channels in the region and we could see that the viewers were getting a little lost,” said Hamid Ouddane, founder of Babeleye.

“The quality of electronic programming guides (EPGs) in the region is improving and we are witnessing a lot of this movement in this area from the telcos. As their TV services have only begun recently they are using newer technology. This automatically gives them an advantage in developing EPGs that are far superior to some of the alternatives in the market,” explained Ouddane.

According to Ouddane a number of TV platforms in the Middle East have moved their EPG operations into their marketing departments in recognition of the effect that a clear and functional EPG can have on sales.

“The Middle East has previously considered the EPG to offer added value but it should actually be considered part of the central service,” claimed Ouddane.

“A good EPG can reduce churn but it must be able to inform the user and also make content discovery easier via personalisation and cross-channel, cross-platform recommendations.”
 

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