Starz to Roll Out OTT Service in the Middle East

BEVERLY HILLS: Starz Play Arabia, a direct-to-consumer SVOD service developed for the MENA region, is debuting tomorrow in 17 countries.

Starz Play Arabia was developed in conjunction with the Parsifal Entertainment Group for select markets in the Middle East and North Africa. It marks the first time that Starz has extended its flagship brand in a service outside of the U.S. Starz Play Arabia will deliver a range of original series alongside movies, TV shows and kids' content from other partners. Original series include Black Sails, Power, Survivor's Remorse, The White Queen and more.

Maaz Sheikh is the lead executive of Starz Play Arabia and serves as its president and COO.

"Starz is very pleased with the launch of the world-class Starz Play Arabia partnership in the Middle East and North Africa. This is the first time a Starz-branded service has been launched outside of the United States,” said Chris Albrecht, Starz's CEO. “Taking the Starz brand to these markets with the latest video distribution technology represents an innovative opportunity to grow the Starz business. Starz Play Arabia has a strong content foundation in place anchored by the growing worldwide portfolio of Starz Original series programming and leveraged with a smart mix of other premier licensed product through our relationships within the industry.”

Sheikh commented, “Starz Play Arabia has a unique opportunity to fill a market need and offer the growing internet-savvy population of the region the best in TV and movie content, at an affordable price point, and with high-value convenience and control. We have aggregated a compelling collection of great original programming including Starz original series and movie content from around the world. Our content will be presented in a culturally sensitive way and will be a showcase technologically, with a strong consumer-value proposition.”

“We are very pleased with the prospects of Starz entering the MENA markets. Starz Play Arabia is a compelling business opportunity to sell a high-quality Starz Play service direct-to-consumers and, potentially, through incumbent video and telecommunications infrastructure providers as a must-have premium add-on,” added John Penney, the chief strategy officer for Starz. “Starz will continue to be aggressive and innovative in leveraging its original programming portfolio to identify and establish new, global revenue growth opportunities for the company.”

Peter Ekelund, the owner of Parsifal Entertainment Group, commented, "I am very delighted to be partnering with Starz. We have assembled a strong Starz Play Arabia management team with local expertise that is ready to tap into the significant growth potential in these markets."