BBC First will exclusively launch in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) from 1 February.
BBC Worldwide’s premium drama channel will be aired by OSN, and will include two hours of award-winning primetime shows with Arabic subtitles.
The channel will launch with series such as Sherlock and Luther, alongside the BBC’s new adaptation of War and Peace (pictured). EastEnders will be brought to OSN viewers soon after its UK broadcast.
As part of BBC Worldwide’s global strategy, the channel will replace the BBC Entertainment channel and increase their investment in content and key titles introduced with Arabic subtitles.
Emad Marcos, senior vice president of media partners and digital at OSN, said, “The addition of BBC First builds on our commitment to bring exclusive content for our subscribers and underlines the exceptional portfolio of programming that we offer to our subscribers in 2016.
“This is the first of several exciting new premium additions to OSN, which will be announced in the first quarter of this year, and reaffirms the fact that we are the number one destination for premium content in the region.
“We work with the very best channel partners to bring the very best content.”
