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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.
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
- E& merger creates a telco-entertainment hybrid across 38 countries: STARZPLAY completed its full merger with E& in Q4 2025. The combined entity brings 250 million telecom subscribers into the same ecosystem as the streaming platform, giving STARZPLAY a distribution advantage no standalone OTT service can match in the region.
- MENA viewers hold 2.5-3 OTT subscriptions on average: UAE and KSA lead at 3+. This is a multi-subscription market where aggregators and bundlers have a structural advantage over single-service platforms.
- Cricket drives acquisition, entertainment drives retention: STARZPLAY positions itself as the “home of cricket” in MENA, using live sports to spike new signups. Between sporting events, entertainment content partnerships keep subscribers active. The IPL moved entirely behind the paywall in 2026 based on consumer behavior data from the prior season.
- Piracy, not Netflix, is the primary competitor: Joy frames piracy as the biggest threat to every MENA platform. STARZPLAY counters it with a free AVOD tier that makes premium content accessible without pushing users to illegal sources.
- Content partnerships over direct licensing to reduce risk: Rather than licensing large content libraries directly, STARZPLAY partners with content owners (Hilal Play for Turkish content, Jiostar for Indian content, Abu Dhabi Media for Arabic content) in co-marketing arrangements where both sides share audience development costs.
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?
- Reach 200+ nationalities across MENA through a single platform: STARZPLAY operates across the UAE and the wider Middle East and North Africa, serving one of the most internationally diverse viewer bases of any streaming platform globally.
- Built-in telco distribution across STC, Ooredoo, Zain, Mobily, and E&: STARZPLAY’s bundling agreements with the region’s major mobile operators provide immediate subscriber access without the customer acquisition cost of standalone marketing.
- Co-marketing model shares audience development costs: Both STARZPLAY and content partners invest in promotion, reducing the financial risk of launching new content in the region compared to a pure licensing deal.
- Day-and-date release capability for international content: South Asian, Turkish, Arabic, and other international titles can launch simultaneously with their source-market premiere, capturing the diaspora audience before piracy can undercut demand.
- Established sports audiences seeking complementary entertainment: Cricket, UFC, PFL, Serie A, and rugby audiences are already on the platform. Content partners gain access to an engaged, paying subscriber base looking for programming between live events.
About 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How does STARZPLAY acquire content for the MENA region?
A: STARZPLAY acquires content through strategic partnerships rather than extensive direct licensing. The platform works with content partners like Hilal Play (Turkish), Jiostar (Indian), and Abu Dhabi Media (Arabic) through co-marketing arrangements where both parties share audience development costs and promotional responsibilities.
2. What sports does STARZPLAY stream in the Middle East?
STARZPLAY positions itself as the “home of cricket” in MENA and also carries UFC, PFL, Serie A, and rugby. The platform uses live sports as its primary subscriber acquisition driver, with entertainment content serving as the retention mechanism between sporting events.
3. How does STARZPLAY’s telco bundling model work?
STARZPLAY is bundled with major MENA mobile operators including STC, Ooredoo, Zain, Mobily, and its parent company E& (formerly Etisalat). Subscribers can add STARZPLAY to their mobile plans, reducing the platform’s acquisition costs and providing a frictionless sign-up path for viewers.
Highlights from this Episode…
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