Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) just selected Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) to build and run its end-to-end streaming backbone. This will cater for Dubai TV, Dubai Sports, and the rest of DMI’s channel portfolio.
That decision moves Dubai’s public broadcaster from legacy playout systems to a cloud-native, 24/7 managed streaming platform. The service handles everything from ingest and processing to channel origination, monetization, and multi-platform delivery.
What the agreement between Comcast and DMI actually is
Dubai Media Incorporated (the Government of Dubai’s official media body) chose Comcast Technology Solutions to deliver a full video management and streaming platform for its channels.
Comcast will provide its Comcast Media360 offering, led by the Cloud Video Platform (CVP). This is a 24/7 managed service that covers ingest, content processing, metadata/title management, channel origination/playout, and delivery to apps, platforms, FAST aggregators, and distribution partners.
Both companies say the new streaming experience will launch later in 2025; Dubai Media will reveal consumer details (pricing, apps, sign-up flow) nearer the launch.
Saleh Lootah, senior vice president of engineering and operations at Dubai Media, said:
“Dubai Media is committed to providing our viewers with the best possible informational and entertainment services, supported by the most advanced and proven technology.”
Bart Spriester, senior vice president and general manager of streaming, broadcast, & advertising for Comcast Technology Solutions, added:
“We’re honored to support DMI’s vision and excited to be part of this transformative new chapter for media in Dubai. Our core expertise is managing and alleviating the back-end technical complexity of video operations, so our customers can focus on the best ways to reach and engage their audiences.”
What Comcast Media360 and the Cloud Video Platform actually do
Comcast Media360 bundles several capabilities; the ones that matter most are as follows:
- Single point of ingest. Producers send raw files or live feeds to one platform. That reduces duplicated workflows and speeds turnaround for edits and publishing. Comcast advertises a single-ingest workflow for all content types.
- Content processing and metadata management. The platform normalizes formats, applies DRM, captions and metadata, and builds title catalogs so you can search, recommend and monetize properly.
- Managed channel origination / playout. Comcast offers managed origination for linear channels. This matters when a public broadcaster like Dubai TV needs reliable 24/7 playout for news or scheduled shows. The service handles fallback, redundancy, and the transition between live events and scheduled programming.
- Monetization and multi-destination delivery. The platform supports SVOD, AVOD, FAST and distribution to other platforms and aggregators. It integrates ad insertion and analytics so you can measure audience behavior and ad performance. Comcast positions Media360 as a bridge to MVPDs, FAST aggregators and social platforms.
All that means DMI can stop running dozens of separate, fragile systems and instead operate one cloud-native workflow with predictable SLAs and monitoring.
Comcast calls this a 24/7 managed service; DMI will offload a lot of operations to CTS under that model.
What you should expect as a viewer from the Comcast, Dubai Media deal
Here’s how this should affect what you watch and how you watch it, once the platform launches.
- Fewer blackouts and better live stability. Modern cloud origination plus CDN orchestration reduces stream failures during big events. If you attend a match night, you’ll notice fewer “stream unavailable” messages.
- Faster access to highlights and clips. Single-ingest workflows plus automated processing mean highlights can appear minutes after events end, not hours. That speeds up social sharing and makes DMI’s channels more competitive socially.
- More platform choices (likely). Comcast positions Media360 to feed apps, FAST, MVPDs and social. Expect DMI content on native DMI apps, FAST channels and possibly in third-party aggregator apps. Whether DMI charges or offers a free/ads hybrid will come later.
- Better personalization and recommendations. If DMI opts to use audience analytics and personalized UX, your app experience should get smarter about the shows, news and sports you like. That requires proper data privacy and consent — an area that regional regulators are watching closely.
The companies haven’t announced the consumer pricing model. The technology is in place; the user experience and business model will determine how you pay (if you pay at all).
Timeline and the next few public milestones
From what both companies said, here’s the roll-out you should watch for:
- Technical deployment and internal testing (now through late 2025). Comcast will integrate CVP, ingest DMI assets and run parallel tests. This phase ensures live playout stability and app integration.
- Soft launch or internal demos (late 2025, around IBC follow-ups). Expect demos at trade shows (CTS said it would showcase Media360 at IBC2025) and perhaps limited external previews for partners.
- Public consumer launch (still “later in 2025” as stated). Dubai Media will announce consumer apps, pricing, and device support shortly before going live. When they do, you’ll see clear instructions on where and how to subscribe or view.