Middle East and Africa (MEA) Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) Market Trends by Region, Country, Competitive Landscape and Forecast

Middle East and Africa (MEA) Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) Market Report Overview

SVoD market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) is experiencing healthy growth in terms of revenue and subscriptions. This strong growth is supported by increasing investment in content as SVoD players add live sports programs, localized content, and international series to their portfolios as well as market densification as telcos increasingly interact with the SVoD market to offer multiplay offerings to their subscribers.

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) SVoD market research report provides an executive-level overview of the subscription video on demand (SVoD) market, developments, and strategies in AME. This report highlights the main growth drivers in the AME SVoD market, gives an overview of the regional trends for SVoD players, deep dives into the latest developments in the region, and provides an overview and set of recommendations on the positioning and future growth strategies that different stakeholders can adopt.

The report analyzes the key themes and direction of the AME SVoD market. It gives SVoD players and telcos insights into how to navigate the increasingly fragmented SVoD market and identify growth opportunities. The report reviews the strategies adopted by SVoD players and telcos in the market, supported by four market studies. The report further comments on the future of the SVoD market as it continues to grow rapidly.

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Middle East and Africa (MEA) SVoD Market Dynamics

SVoD platforms are taking precedence over conventional Pay-TV accounts mainly due to its multi-tiered pricing plans and a strong mix of local and regional content options available to subscribers. Furthermore, Several SVoD players are adopting live sports programming, usually a major pay-TV asset, and developing their local and original content portfolios. For instance, Starzplay launched Starzplay Sports in August 2022, which will compile the best and most well-liked live sporting events onto a single platform. Similarly, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and beIN Media Group signed a long-term agreement in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to broadcast all AFC competitions across 17 MENA nations and non-exclusive rights in six MENA countries for the 2025-2028 and 2029-2032 seasons.

Pay-TV household penetration is growing at a higher rate in countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Israel, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia, supported by fast-growing per capita income levels, improving fixed broadband infrastructure, lower price sensitivity, and lower levels of piracy in these countries. The increasing fixed and mobile broadband penetration in MEA, over continued fiber and 4G/5G network rollouts, will encourage SVoD and pay-TV (particularly IPTV) uptake. Increased adoption of telco multiplay packages inclusive of IPTV and SVoD services, as well as more segmented pay-TV packages catering to mass market customers, will also support growth. For instance, Disney+ and DStv collaborated in South Africa to offer exclusive contract packages and discounted bundles to DStv subscribers, bringing all entertainment requirements under one roof.

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Middle East and Africa (MEA) SVoD Market Trends

Some of the top trends influencing the SVoD market in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) are smartphone-only plans, strategic partnerships, exclusive sports rights, localized content production, and telcos & PayTV providers expanding Pay-TV to SVOD.

Localized Content Production: Local content, originals, and sports broadcasts are of key importance for SVoD players in AME. Content is the king in SVoD market, with SVoD adoption in AME being driven heavily by localized content. To succeed and gain ground on local players that already own local content, international players such as Netflix have opened local studios, bought the rights to local content, or partnered with local players. Additionally, global blockbusters and vast premium exclusive content libraries are crucial to a strong SVoD portfolio. OSN in Saudi Arabia inked a multi-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery in March 2023 and with Disney+ in 2021 for exclusive content rights. Acquiring rights to stream exclusive sporting events has also become a key tactic for SVoD players and demonstrates a shift in the market from pay-TV platforms, which traditionally held exclusive sports rights.

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Middle East and Africa (MEA) SVoD Market Segmentation by Countries

The key countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) SVoD market are the Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and South Africa. Saudi Arabia and Turkey are the largest SVoD markets in AME in terms of revenue and subscriptions. The SVoD market in South Africa is expected to increase at the fastest CAGR in the AME region. Investments by SVoD service providers in producing local content, and the availability of affordable mobile-only plans, is driving demand for SVoD services in the country.

Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia also has relatively high SVoD penetration, supported by strong fixed and mobile connectivity as well as high spending capacity of a large section of population. As with other markets, SVoD platforms appeal is heavily dependent on strength of the content libraries. Arabic originals are essential in such a market. with high demand for locally-produced content.

Turkey: SVoD service adoption in Turkey continues to grow, with Netflix and BluTV leading the market, by subscription share. Turkey’s SVoD market is led by the global SVoD platform, Netflix, which held 40% of the total subscriptions in the market in 2022. The Turkish SVoD market growth will be driven by the increasing adoption of SVoD services, supported by strong fixed broadband penetration of households. Strong focus of SVoD players on strengthening their content libraries with a mix of original, international, and local content will further lead to increased adoption of SVoD services in Turkey.

South Africa: Showmax is the leading SVoD platform in South Africa. Since 2019, company has been offering lower-cost mobile-only plans targeting mobile users as a pronounced share of the country’s population continues to rely on mobile communication as their primary way to access internet. This strategy has also been adopted by Netflix and Amazon, which released their mobile-only plans in June 2021 and October 2022, respectively.

SVoD Unique Household Penetration in Middle East and Africa (MEA), 2022 Vs. 2027

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Scope

It provides an in-depth analysis of the following –

• Section 1 Regional Market Trends and Competitive Dynamics in MEA: this section provides context through a discussion of the pay-TV market in MEA and identifies the main trends and developments in the MEA SVoD market.
• Section 2: SVoD Subscription and Revenue Trends in MEA: this section dives deeper into the dynamics of the SVoD market in MEA with supporting graphs of market trends.
• Section 3: Select Country Reviews: this section examines four SVoD markets, the key players, the key strategies, the market demands, and the future growth trends of the markets.
• Section 4: Key Takeaways and Recommendations: this section provides a summary of key takeaways and recommendations for SVoD stakeholders and a summary of expected market opportunities and growth directions.

Key Highlights

• The SVoD market is rapidly growing across major MEA markets.
• Mobile-only plans and tiered pricing have been effective in driving SVoD adoption in the MEA.
• Sports content is a strong differentiator in the SVoD market which allows SVoD providers to further expand their subscriber base.

Reasons to Buy

• The report offers a comprehensive assessment of the drivers and trends in the SVoD market in MEA.
• The report describes the strategies and investments that SVoD players are taking to remain competitive in an increasingly fragmented market, especially in relation to content.
• The report provides an overview of the current strategies pursued by SVoD players and telcos as well as future growth opportunities.
• The report will help SVoD platforms, media companies, telecom executives, governments, and investors craft adapted strategies and policies to seize the opportunities offered by the growing SVoD market in MEA.