Tamasha Scores Big with Digital Streaming Rights for ICC Cricket Tournaments in 2024 and 2025

14 May 2024 15:02 CEST

Issuer

VEON LTD

Amsterdam and Islamabad, 14 May 2024: VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that Tamasha, its leading digital entertainment platform in Pakistan, has secured digital streaming rights for all major International Cricket Council’s (ICC) tournaments throughout 2024 and 2025.

Tamasha, Pakistan’s largest homegrown OTT platform with more than 60 million unique viewers over the past year, will digitally broadcast the highly anticipated ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, ICC Champions Trophy 2025, ICC Men’s Test Championship, and all Women ICC events on its Android and iOS apps and website.

“Cricket is a national passion in Pakistan, and we're delighted to bring the ICC tournaments digitally to fans across the country," says Aamer Ejaz, Chief Digital Officer at Jazz. "Our ambition is to engage with our customers for the entire 1,440 minutes that make up each day. Tamasha, Pakistan’s most user-friendly streaming platform which delivers exceptional content is a key part of that strategy. We'll ensure Pakistani fans don't miss a single moment of cricket's biggest events.”

This landmark deal builds on Tamasha's previous success in reaching and engaging cricket fans. During the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, the platform served over 21 million monthly active users, reaching the top spot on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. It also saw a surge in user engagement, peaking at 8.5 million daily active users during the tournament. “Tamasha” was the second most searched word in tech category in Pakistan as per Google’s “2023 Year in Search” report.

Fueled by this reach and engagement, leading brands in Pakistan are increasingly partnering with Tamasha for their advertising strategy. Tamasha has attracted over 50 international and local advertisers over the past year, positioning it as a top choice for brand partnerships in the country’s local OTT space. This shift also reflects the changing landscape of Pakistani viewership, as the audience is increasingly moving away from traditional TV and adopting digital streaming.

Launched by VEON Group's digital operator Jazz in November 2021, Tamasha is accessible to every mobile broadband user in Pakistan. Through its digital operators, VEON Group offers a variety of digital products and initiatives across entertainment, financial services, digital health and education. As of March 2024, VEON serves more than 110 million total monthly active users across its proprietary digital products and services such as Toffee, Tamasha, BeeTV, KyivstarTV, SIMOSA, myBL, JazzCash, Simply, Izi, BeeCloud and Helsi.

About Tamasha
Tamasha is the largest homegrown video streaming platform in Pakistan where users go to enjoy a wide range of on-demand content comprising of both foreign and local movies, dramas, web series, live TV channels, and widely popular Tamasha Originals. Tamasha can be downloaded via Google Play, the Apple App Store, or via Tamasha’s website.

About VEON
VEON is a digital operator that provides converged connectivity and digital services to nearly 160 million customers. Operating across six countries that are home to more than 7% of the world’s population, VEON is transforming lives through technology-driven services that empower individuals and drive economic growth. Headquartered in Amsterdam, VEON is listed on NASDAQ and Euronext. For more information visit: www.veon.com

Disclaimer
This release contains “forward-looking statements”, as the phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and include statements relating to, among other things, VEON’s digital products, commercial plans and business partnerships. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which VEON cannot predict with accuracy and some of which VEON might not even anticipate. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this release. VEON does not undertake to publicly update, except as required by U.S. federal securities laws, any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after such dates or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Contact Information

VEON
Hande Asik
Group Director of Communication
pr@veon.com

TUVA Partners
Julian Tanner
Julian.tanner@tuvapartners.com

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