Serial telecoms and media entrepreneur David C. McCourt backs roll-out of world’s first breakthrough digital TV platform dedicated to underserved communities

03/06/2016 — NEW YORK & DUBLIN — (BUSINESS WIRE)

Today, ALTV.com, a new free streaming service that will bring more exciting and relevant video content to underserved areas of the world, has been launched by telecoms group Granahan McCourt Capital (GMC).

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ALTV is now the latest addition to GMC’s extensive history of connecting underserved regions across the globe. For over 30 years, the firm’s chairman and CEO, David McCourt, has been credited with disrupting markets to bring consumers fairer and more competitive products.

An Emmy award-winning TV producer, McCourt has produced the American children’s television series Reading Rainbow, as well as prime time documentaries with Angelina Jolie in Tanzania and Michael Douglas in Sierra Leone. He was also responsible for bringing the first competitive telephone and TV landscape to Mexico and built the first competitive telecom network in America with Corporate Communications Network, which was merged into MFS to create MFS/McCourt. MFS was later sold to WorldCom for $14.5 bn.

ALTV has now commenced in the Middle East and North Africa, with expansions soon planned for South America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Launching in these markets, ALTV is developing a wide-ranging network of creative talents in each region, filling a major gap in these markets by giving millions of younger viewers access to local, high-quality content that reflects their culture, interests and aspirations.

Blurring the lines between users and content creators, ALTV features a pulsating mix of lifestyle content covering consumer interests from comedy and music to beauty, travel, sport-related chat and gossip.

ALTV.com will become the number one channel for a growing audience that is increasingly shunning traditional television channels in favour of more relevant, locally-made content designed to be enjoyed via a smartphone.

By providing the most talented and responsive local programme originators with a sophisticated platform, it will compete with established online platforms as well as new rivals such as Netflix, all of which focus on re-packaging content made for US and European audiences, as opposed to local and original content.

ALTV.com is firmly at the forefront of audience engagement, allowing content and advertising to be tailored to target demographics. Its business model ensures ALTV.com content creators will for the first time be able to monetise their content creation, encouraging the new wave of digital entrepreneurs to build careers in developing high quality content.

In the coming weeks, an innovative social media campaign featuring star-name brand ambassadors will propel ALTV.com to the awareness of millions of viewers in the Middle East and North Africa who are hungry for something fresh, exciting and relevant to their values and experiences.

McCourt commented: “ALTV is solving the growing global challenge being faced in areas of the world that are currently underserved – connecting creative content developers to engaged audiences. It provides a platform to help train and empower talented individuals and gives them the ability to distribute their content to a huge audience.

“We are seeing a revolution in online entertainment. However, large areas around the globe remain underserved. As connectivity in these areas increases and spread of consumer technology continues, these countries and cities are seeking online content that is increasingly more relevant to them.

“By collaborating with the best and most creative presenters and producers in each region, nurturing talent through training, supplying facilities and supplying facilities and responding to what consumers want, ALTV understands the dramatic changes in media consumption that are taking place and offers younger, tech-savvy audiences more relevant, captivating content that reflects how they live.

“Our responsiveness and relevance, together with the creative brilliance of our contributors will make us number one for vibrant, must-see local content in every underserved area of the world.”

Visit www.altv.com

About Granahan McCourt:

Granahan McCourt Capital, LLC is a private investment firm focused on the technology, media and telecommunications industries.

For over 30 years, David C. McCourt, Chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt Capital, has been an innovator, entrepreneur, and business leader across the technology, media and telecommunications industries. He has founded or bought 20 companies in 9 countries, and is widely recognised as a transformational force in the telecommunications business.

In addition to receiving the ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ award from Ernst and Young LLP and the Harvard Business School Club of New York, he received the 2014 Award for Outstanding Alumni Entrepreneur from Georgetown University. McCourt was the first Resident Economist appointed by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism and is also an Emmy award-winning TV producer. The Economist has described him as having “impeccable credentials as a telecom revolutionary.”

For more information, visit: www.granahanmccourt.com.

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CONTACT:

The Dilenschneider Group
Orlando Camargo, 212-922-0900
ocamargo@dgi-nyc.com

KEYWORDS: United States,Europe,New York,Africa,Middle East,Ireland,

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Entertainment,Technology,Software,Audio/Video,Film & Motion Pictures,Mobile Entertainment,

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Prince Bandar Al Saud, David McCourt chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt, Omar Talib and Hollywood actor Omar Miller at the launch of ALTV (Photo: Business Wire)

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David McCourt chairman and CEO of Granahan McCourt with Hollywood actor Omar Miller at the launch of ALTV (Photo: Business Wire)