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STARZPLAY is Redefining Streaming in the Middle-East

STARZPLAY is a subscription video-on-demand service that streams a diverse library of Hollywood blockbusters, exclusive TV series, Arabic and Turkish content, and live premium sports (like Serie A and cricket), primarily catering to audiences across the Middle East and North Africa.

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This episode details STARZPLAY’s hybrid AVOD+SVOD model, strategic content partnerships, and its position as the “home of cricket” in the MENA region. Head of Content Partnerships & Sports Sunil Joy explains how E&’s entertainment arm is navigating a market of 200 nationalities, piracy challenges, and global streaming giants — through bundling, telco distribution, and deep regional partnerships.

We are trying to de-risk ourselves with more partnerships than direct licensing — the risk with extensive licensing models is much higher and it could usually be a hit and miss.

~ Sunil Joy, SVP Partnerships & Head of Sports at STARZPLAY

Podcast Chapters

Time	Topic
01:20	Introduction and the Evolution from Telco to “Techco”
05:11	The Hybrid Business Model: SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD
07:08	Catering to 200 Nationalities in the MENA Region
10:29	Geographical Reach and B2B Technology Services
22:56	“The Home of Cricket” and Sports Acquisition Strategy
31:38	Strategic Bundling and Telco Partnerships
42:16	Shifting from Direct Licensing to Content Partnerships
54:26	The Influence of YouTube and the Creator Economy
59:27	2026 Outlook: Consolidation and Coexistence

Key Takeaways:

STARZPLAY completed its full merger with parent company E& (formerly Etisalat) in Q4 2025, creating a unified entertainment and telco ecosystem across 38 countries.
The MENA region averages 2.5–3 OTT subscriptions per person, with UAE and KSA leading at 3+, making it a multi-subscription market ripe for aggregators.
STARZPLAY is the self-described “home of cricket” in the region, using sports as the primary customer acquisition driver and entertainment content for retention.
The platform’s hybrid AVOD+SVOD+TVOD model directly counters piracy — the biggest competitive threat — by offering free premium content as a top-of-funnel strategy.
Strategic content partnerships (Hilal Play, Jiostar, Abu Dhabi Media, UFC, PFL) are favored over direct licensing to de-risk content investment and drive co-marketing.

We are the home of cricket, the home of Jiostar, the home of Abu Dhabi Media — that’s the partnership model.

~ Sunil Joy, SVP Partnerships & Head of Sports at STARZPLAY

Sound Bites:

“We call ourselves the home of cricket.”
“The cost of acquisition is what makes or breaks a platform.”
“Piracy is our biggest competitor, not Netflix or Amazon.”
“200 nationalities — basically every country in the world is represented in Dubai.”
“We are trying to de-risk ourselves with more partnerships than direct licensing.”

Key Learnings from the Episode

Sports creates acquisition spikes; entertainment partnerships are the retention mechanism between events.
Telco bundling with operators like STC, Ooredoo, Zain, Mobily, and E& is the core distribution and acquisition strategy.
The South Asian diaspora — particularly Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Urdu speakers — is the largest underserved segment in the region, representing a low-hanging fruit for Starzplay.
Windowing strategy is dynamic: in 2025, half of IPL was outside the paywall; in 2026, the entire IPL moved behind it, based on consumer behavior data.
FAST channels are seen as supplementary, not core — the market arrived at FAST late given the strong free-to-air heritage and on-demand behavior shift.

Why Partner With STARZPLAY?

Access a platform reaching a highly diverse audience of 200+ nationalities across the UAE and the wider MENA region.
Leverage STARZPLAY’s extensive telco distribution network across STC, Ooredoo, Zain, Mobily, and E& for immediate subscriber reach.
Benefit from a co-marketing model where both parties share responsibility for audience development and content promotion.
Gain day-and-date release capability for South Asian, Turkish, Arabic, or international content — with spillover marketing momentum from source markets.
Tap into a platform with established sports audiences (cricket, UFC, PFL, Serie A, rugby) seeking complementary entertainment content.

STARZPLAY: 200 Nationalities, One Home for Entertainment

STARZPLAY is the entertainment arm of E& (formerly Etisalat), one of the world’s largest telcos with ~250 million subscribers across 38 countries. Originally launched as one of the first OTT services in the MENA region, STARZPLAY completed its full merger with E& in Q4 2025 to become a unified entity. The platform serves approximately 3 million subscribers across the MENA region, operating a hybrid AVOD + SVOD + TVOD model. It positions itself as the home of cricket, UFC, PFL, Serie A, and rugby in the region, while also aggregating premium content partnerships with Hilal Play (Turkish), Jiostar (Indian), and Abu Dhabi Media (Arabic). Beyond D2C streaming, STARZPLAY also operates as a B2B technology provider, powering OTT services in markets including India, Pakistan, and Central Europe.