Starzplay retains pole position for SVOD in MENA
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Rebecca Hawkes
| 02 July 2019

Video streaming service Starzplay has maintained leadership, in terms of subscriber numbers, of the regional subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The Dubai-based service accounts for a 29% share the market’s subscriptions in 2018, according to a new study by IHS Markit. It is also ranked joint leader with global SVOD giant Netflix for subscription revenues, each with a 32% share, followed by another local player, Shahid Plus from MBC, with 15%.

“Starz Play kept its leading position from 2017 on the back securing the largest number of deals in the region, diversifying its packaging and pricing to reflect the tastes of every local market, and crafting an offering comprising attractive Western, Asian, and Arabic content,” said IHS Markit in its Pay TV & Online Video Report - MENA - 2019.

Flexible payment options in a region where credit and debit card penetration remains low is also key to the company’s success, said IHS Markit.

“Our performance underlines the success of our strategy which has been threefold with a focus on content, the user experience and range of convenient payment options that are tailored to local market needs. It’s been a remarkable journey since our inception five years ago, and we look forward to continuing to drive value in 2019 and beyond as we link up with regional telecoms operators and brands in the entertainment space to help us remain one step ahead,” said Maaz Sheikh, CEO and co-founder at Starzplay.

The region’s largest market, Saudi Arabia, will continue to be a major focus for the company in terms of both subscription and revenue growth, he added. Starzplay already has an established partnership with the kingdom’s major telco STC. It has also joined forces with telco Etisalat in MENA’s second largest digital market, the UAE, for over-the-top (OTT) carriage, along with 20 more telcos across the region.

“Moving forward we will continue to focus on acquiring locally relevant and popular TV shows and movies,” said Sheikh.

As well as its key SVOD rivals Netflix and Shahid Plus, Starzplay faces competition from icflix, beIN Connect, OSN’s Wavo, PCCW’s Viu, iflix and Amazon Prime Video.