LONDON: MBC Group’s streaming platform Shahid on Wednesday launched a new digital channel to boost the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. The new digital channel, Imagine, will be available as an add-on service within the Shahid VIP and VIP Sports packages. Meanwhile, users who have a subscription to Shahid’s Ultimate package will automatically gain access to Imagine after the channel’s launch. A collaboration between Shahid and the Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the new channel will specialize in broadcasting concerts, artistic shows, entertainment programs and sporting events. It will also broadcast livestreams of events and concerts from Riyadh Season and Jeddah Season, as well as offer recordings of past shows. According to the streaming platform’s website, to watch livestreams or replays of sports content such as the Saudi Pro League, AFC, Fight Sports, F1 and Extreme E, users can add Imagine as an add-on to their existing Sports package. In June, Emirates partnered with Shahid to offer premium content exclusively on its in-flight entertainment system, ice. The partnership meants ice is the only third-party channel to offer access to Shahid Originals, aside from the streaming service’s own platform. Shahid has also expanded beyond Saudi Arabia and the UAE into new markets, including Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Iraq and Palestine. In August, the platform expanded its distribution through special bundles with telecom partners including Stc KSA, Zain KSA, Zain Kuwait, Stc Bahrain, Vodafone Egypt, Ooredoo Qatar, Asiacell Iraq and Omantel.