MENA

Updated December 2022

Market brief

The Middle East and Northern Africa, or what Kraidy and Khahil (2009) categorize as “the Arab World” is obviously of a different scale than the national markets considered here. However, the geographic, cultural, and linguistic features that led to MENA functioning as coherent satellite market have carried over into streaming. The MENA region also is comparable in scale to the US and Europe with population around 300 million.

Although satellite channels were widely prevalent before streaming, such channels prioritized ad-funding. In April 2021, only 8 percent of viewers in the region were subscribed to pay-TV services.

Ampere data from September 2020 for the MENA market showed Netflix and StarzPlay closely matched with about 24/22 percent of the pay streaming market and 1.8 and 1.6 million subscribers respectively. Shahid and Prime Video each counted about 20 percent share with 1.475 million, and AppleTV+ not far behind with 15 percent share and 1.25 million subscribers. Notably, Viu, with roughly 600,000 subscribers had twice the reach of regional OSN 300,000 (elsewhere, OSN was cited at 700,000 subs by Nov 2020). US-based services have been less aggressive in the region and instead made their titles available through agreements with services based in the region. In addition to being a market targeted by non-US-based Viu, Zee Entertainment has offered a bespoke version of its Indian content in the market called Weyyak.

The major domestic services then are Shahid VIP and OSN (Orbit Showtime Network). Saudi Telecom (majority owned by the Saudi government) also offers a service, Jawwy, but it appears strongly niche and mostly a value add to the company’s fixed internet and mobile service. beIN Sports is also a major service in and beyond the market. As a sport reliant service, beIN Sports MENA provides access to linear channels.

Shahid VIP is a multinational hybrid streaming platform focused on the MENA region.

The service is owned by the Saudi Government through a holding company, the media conglomerate MBC Group, which operates Shahid as well as Arab television channels, including the first free-to-air satellite channel launched in the Middle East and the first 24-hour satellite news channel in the Arab world. Both regional services emerged from legacy multichannel providers, though Shahid, which leads, from free-to-air, and OSN from pay service.

Shahid specialises in Arabic content for Arab regions and diasporas and produces substantial in-house Arabic content. Shahid is available in 23 global markets, mainly across MENA, as well as the US, Canada, and Australia. Shahid was launched as a catch-up service for owner MBC Group’s television channels and also secured Disney titles in 2020. In 2020, Shahid rebranded its subscription tier as “Shahid VIP,” maintaining the Shahid branding for the free tier of the service.

The OSN service was developed by a direct-broadcast satellite company that was formed in 2009 through the merger of Bahrain-based Pay TV network Orbit and Kuwait-based Showtime Arabia and owned by Panther Media Group Ltd. The OSN satellite service introduced pay-TV in a mostly free-to-air market and hails its distinction as delivering premium content that spans Western, Arabic, and Turkish titles. It is available in Algeria, Bahrain, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Palestinian Territory, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, South Sudan, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.

OSN has partnerships with Paramount, Warner Media, Sony, Discovery, MGM, and Lionsgate and offers Arabic originals. It rebranded as OSN+ in March 2022.

Notably, non-US-based, multi-territory services such as Viu and Weyyak (Zee) are launching independent services in the region rather than partnering. The viability of these services likely owes to aspects of cultural proximity. Weyyak relies on its library of Indian content but also invests in Arabic originals and acquisitions. Viu features considerable Korean drama and offers a SAVOD model and daily as well as monthly pricing in MENA, which also varies from $2/month in Egypt to $5 in the GCC, in response to the region’s limited uptake of pay services historically.