Expanded Riyadh operation brings Asharq and Thmanyah services together on a resilient on-premises Pebble platform.
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, is extending its relationship with Asharq, the pan-Arabian broadcaster which is part of the Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG). The latest developments include moving all Asharq channels from Dubai to KAFD in Riyadh, adding the high-profile Asharq Culture channel, and bringing Thmanyah channels 1-3 onto Pebble playout to support live events.
Asharq launched its first service, Bloomberg Asharq, using Pebble playout systems in 2020, when it built its first IP ST 2110-based playout centre in Dubai, subsequently adding more services. As part of its latest expansion, Asharq has now consolidated its playout operations in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Riyadh facility accommodates Bloomberg Asharq News, Asharq Discovery, Asharq Documentary and the recently launched Asharq Culture Channel. Last year, Thmanyah, also part of the SRMG group and a sister company to Asharq, won the rights to the Saudi Premier League and asked Asharq to provide the facilities for its sports channels.
The performance of Pebble Automation and Integrated Channel at Asharq UAE over the last few years led to the decision to use the Pebble platform for Thmanyah channels 1-3. The three sports services went on air on 13 August 2026 and are designed to support the demands of live events.
“Thmanyah taking over the rights to Saudi Premier League football called for even more precise performance from our central control facilities,” said Omran Abdullah, VP Engineering IT and Technology SRMG News at Asharq. “We needed complete operational control to be able to react to the unpredictable nature of sport, together with instant response from the system.
“Pebble has been a strong partner since 2019, keeping our systems up to date with the latest developments and delivering excellent performance,” Abdullah said. “That experience gave us confidence as we moved the Asharq operation to Riyadh and added the three Thmanyah sports channels to the platform.”
“This is a very important project for Pebble,” said Samir Isbaih, VP Sales – Middle East and APAC at Pebble. “Asharq has deployed Pebble’s enterprise solution on-premises at its Riyadh facility, bringing its established channel line-up together with the three Thmanyah sports services. Particularly for premium live sports, the intuitive, responsive and resilient nature of our proven platform delivers against the dynamic and complex requirements of sports channels. Key capabilities include originating digital and terrestrial outputs from the same playlist, with content and ad replacement; advanced functionality including SCTE, DVB subtitles, XAVC support, HDR and SDR; minimal video encoding delay throughout the Pebble software transmission chain; a cost-effective CAPEX offering; native ST 2110 I/O, with support for SDI and NDI on the same server as required; and superior N+N+N redundancy.
“We are delighted to be able to extend our partnership and play our part in Asharq’s continuing growth and success.”
