Free for non-community members on Thursdays until end of Ramadan  

Dubai, UAE; April 24, 2018: OSN, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s leading entertainment network, is boosting its support for local content creators by opening its ASLI Studios 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until the end of Ramadan.

ASLI (meaning “the real deal”, “one-of-a-kind”, “original” in many languages), is a trailblazer on the MENA region’s short and medium-form content scene, acting as the first combined production, licensing, education and multifunctional workspace ecosystem for creatives to collaborate, produce and broadcast their work, digitally and globally.

This Ramadan, ASLI community members can work around-the-clock from the ASLI Studios in the heart of Dubai Media City, while non-members can access the same space for as little as AED80 for 24 hours inclusive of overnight lockers, recording equipment and editing software spread across six different areas of the creative playground:

  • The Music Room – an acoustically treated modular live room kitted out with guitars, a drum kit, a keyboard and a ukulele, with moveable melody-kitsch furniture that can be reconfigured for jams, rehearsals, and recordings.
  • The Shipping Container – a green screen room for tests and shoots with state-of-the-art equipment.  
  • Collab Booth – A semi-sound-proofed train carriage is available for those who enjoy recording podcasts, meeting new faces and all-night brainstorms about music, film, art and media.

 

  • The Living Room – An interchangeable vintage area which features ideal selfie-lighting and access to live-streaming technology and is suited for interviews, vlogs and fashion shoots.
  • The Middleground is for workstations featuring iMacs and software to plug in and edit, as well as a large floor space with a double-sided magnetic wall to brainstorm or storyboard.
  • The Creative Couch – ASLI’s educational arm for workshops on the business and practical elements of production, is a stage area for screenings, talks, complete with a projector screen, audio/visual unit and HD live streaming technology.

 

Access to ASLI Studios is free for ASLI community members (any content creators that work with ASLI in a production or licensing capacity). For non-members, as an introductory offer, OSN has developed affordable and flexible pricing to encourage use of the space, from AED80 for 24 hours, AED500 for 1 week or AED1,200 for 1 month. To hire individual spaces content creators can book via www.aslistudios.com.  As a special offer, on Thursday of every week during Ramadan, ASLI Studios will be offered to non-members for free between 9am to 6pm, subject to pre-booking and availability, by reserving a spot via www.aslistudios.com.  

Ismat Abidi, Media Lawyer at OSN & Founder and Executive Producer of ASLI, said: “The very nature of production or any creative project can’t always fit into a 9-6pm timeframe to be able to fulfil its storytelling potential. Every space in ASLI Studios was designed through the eyes and minds of a creative first, and we at OSN and ASLI understand the practical need of a 24-hour facility. There is no obligation to create content for any platform – we simply want people to come in to share and create stories. With initiatives such as the location fees waiver by the Dubai Film and TV Commission (DFTC) during the Year of Zayed, it’s a great time to be a content creator in Dubai.”

ASLI content (both licensed and produced) is opinion-shaping storytelling from the region, for a global audience. It is subtitled in both English and Arabic and available for free through WAVO, OSN’s online TV service, where it complements world-class content from studios such as HBO, Disney, Paramount and Discovery.

You can find out more about ASLI Studio’s design story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rcYqTJRykM

Join the conversation now with #IamASLI or on Instagram @ASLIstudios @ASLIcontent @ASLIproductions @mycreativecouch.

Be the first to hear about OSN news by following @OSNnewsME on Twitter

For further information, please contact:

Zahabia Motiwala Robert Tasker | Rania Moussly

Communications Director, OSN ASDA’A Burson-Marsteller

Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE Dubai Media City, Dubai, UAE

+971 (0) 367 7084 +971 (0) 4 450 7600

zahabia.motiwala@osn.com robert.tasker@bm.com | rania.moussly@bm.com  

About OSN:

OSN is the region’s leading entertainment network with the rights to broadcast into 24 countries across the MENA. The company is owned and operated by Panther Media Group, registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and has two shareholders, KIPCO and the Mawarid Group Limited.

OSN has a history of providing exceptional value for customers with its focus on exclusive and in-demand content, and innovative digital platforms for anywhere, anytime access.

With over 150 channels, OSN’s strength is its unbeatable range of exclusive programming led by its long-term partnerships with studio majors including Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, Fox, Paramount, MGM, Sony, DreamWorks and Warner Brothers.

65 HD channels mean OSN is the home for premium and nowhere-else content in Arabic, English, Filipino and South Asian languages. OSN broadcasts the latest content at the same minute as in the US, including popular series, blockbuster movies, and the best sports events. In addition, OSN also provides entertainment content for devices such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones via its OSN Play, online and mobile app entertainment platform, WAVO, offering movies, series and sports on the go.

OSN has been at the forefront of digital technology innovation in the Middle East introducing the first Digital Video Recorder HD, OSN Play, an online TV platform, an internet-enabled satellite receiver and recorder and OSN on Demand, the region’s first VOD service.

OSN also expanded its language services when it acquired Pehla Media & Entertainment, offering around forty channels in a variety of South Asian languages in the MENA region, with content such as Bollywood movies and cricket, including the ICC Cricket World Cup.

OSN’s ambition is to deliver entertainment everywhere for everyone, which is informed by the company’s three key pillars: A customer-first approach, unrivalled exclusive content and unbeatable value.