UAE-based Starzplay is one of the biggest players in on-demand video in the region, competing with Netflix and MBC-owned Shahid
on-demand entertainment
Latest in on-demand entertainment
AB In Focus
Netflix rival Starzplay’s Maaz Sheikh on the UAE’s home-grown success stories
Dubbed the Emirates’ rival to Netflix, the UAE streaming service has signed a deal with E-vision from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based conglomerate, to acquire a majority stake – 57 percent – based on a post-money valuation of $420 million. The CEO and co-founder Maaz Sheikh sits down with Arabian Business
AMC Entertainment
Video: Will people go back to movie theatres after the pandemic?
More and more movies once destined for the big screen are going on-demand while theatres are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what will and will not change about movie-going because of Covid-19.
Apple
Gallery: Apple unveils games, video streaming, credit card and news services
Apple added gaming to its suite of new video, news, and credit card services, introducing the subscription programme just days after Google unveiled a cloud-based gaming plan.
Apple
Apple to roll out new streaming video, gaming services in the UAE this year
No plans to launch the new credit card and news subscription services in the UAE yet
Anghami
Anghami to ramp up podcasts in MENA region
ITP Media Group publications Arabian Business, Time Out and Harper’s Bazaar has been announced as audio content partners
Amazon Prime
Changing viewing habits makes OSN pay-TV a tough sell
Competition from the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other services have crashed the value of Dubai-based OSN
Dubai
OSN shareholder KIPCO hires bankers to sell 60% stake
Dubai-based OSN, which provides satellite encrypted pay television services to 24 countries in the MENA region, represents KIPCO’s entire media operating segment
Dubai
Why streaming is the future of TV in the Middle East
Starz Play’s Maaz Sheikh wants to produce an original Arabic series that brings the region’s cultural tales to global audience
Netflix
Video: The Netflix mantra: Shock, awe, amaze … and monetise?
Uninhibited by rising debt, Netflix is riding a tsunami of content from multiple regions in its push to stream to the world. By doing so it is introducing an audience of more than 125 million, growing at roughly six percent per quarter, to a literal world of content.
Netflix
The Netflix mantra: Shock, awe, amaze and monetise
Uninhibited by rising debt, Netflix is riding a tsunami of content in its push to stream to the world
Netflix
Netflix releases first Indian series as battle with Amazon Prime heats up
Analysts say Sacred Games – the gritty underworld thriller – sets a new benchmark for Indian-produced internet shows as providers seek to capitalise on the country’s burgeoning number of smartphone users
Netflix
What is the secret to Netflix’s phenomenal growth?
In an exclusive interview, Netflix founder Reed Hastings tells CEO Middle East that the secret to his company’s success is simply “having great shows”
Amazon Prime
Video: Where does the growth of streaming leave traditional broadcasters?
In response to the entry of international players such as Netflix and Amazon Prime into the local market, OSN has launched its own on demand services, Play, Go and Wavo, adding to the digital offerings by the likes of Icflix and StarzPlay.
augmented reality
The future of content in the Middle East
Mark Weeks, MD of EMEA of Akamai Technologies, looks at how technology will be enhancing our consumption
broadcast
The future of content in the Middle East region
As the rise of mobile, digital and streaming impacts the creation, delivery and consumption of content, we ask local broadcasters how they’re confronting the challenges of this new era
broadcast
Opinion: finding ways to deal with the changing way content is consumed
Consumers have a vast array of content options, leaving providers with the task of creating coherent and sustainable business models