If you are Muslim, you may have listened to live prayers on your smartphone, tablet, Mac or PC sometime this month during Ramadan. The broadcasts are being provided by IT City, a technology company based in Saudi Arabia, and the streaming is provided by a company based in Victoria.
NetroMedia is expanding its presence in the Middle East, and its recent participation with IT City in streaming prayers for Ramadan this month is just part of that move.
Netromedia plans to open an office in Riyadh in about a month from now.
“That’s exciting for us,” said NetroMedia CEO Che Pinkerton. “We had planned this for a year, and obviously the Arab spring is a concern for us in terms of safety, so we’ve delayed it a bit. But we believe the time is right for that region.”
NetroMedia has been providing streaming technology for more than a decade. It provides streaming for radio, TV, mobile and live events.
“We’re like a large antenna for the Internet,” Pinkerton explained.
Netromedia has about 40 employees worldwide, with 13 based in Victoria and three in Vancouver.
Nelson Bennett
Twitter: nbennett_BIV