- The move comes after E& and ADQ acquired a majority stake in StarzPlay in March
- The company’s entertainment streaming platform has 1.9m subs across its 19 MENA territories
StarzPlay, the Abu Dhabi-based subscription streaming service which was majority acquired by ADQ and E& from Lionsgate in March, has announced the launch of a new dedicated sports platform for the Middle East and North Afica (MENA) region.
For its first three years, StarzPlay Sports will be anchored by the media company’s coverage of Italian top-flight soccer’s Serie A, a contract it secured in partnership with Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) for a reported €75 million (US$76.5 million).
Via its two AD Sports Premium channels, the new streaming service will offer all of its annual 380 Serie A live matches with Arabic and English commentary, plus coverage of the Coppa Italia, as well as the Supercoppa Italiana.
StarzPlay Sports will also show live Dutch Eredivisie soccer, PGA Tour golf, boxing from Frank Warren’s Queensbury stable, as well as elite basketball from the EuroLeague and EuroCup. Seeking to tap into cricket’s local popularity, StarzPlay also has the rights to the Indian national team’s home matches and the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Twenty20 competition.
With the existing StarzPlay platform already accounting for more than 2.1 million subscribers across its 19 territories, the company hopes to make sports content into one of its core products. The new sports offering will also be made available through StarzPlay’s desktop and mobile platforms.
Danny Bates, StarzPlay chief commercial officer, said: “As the pioneer of SVOD in the region and since launching our first sports channel in 2021, building an exclusive portfolio of sports in the OTT space has been our strategic priority.
“Now, we are challenging the status quo of sports streaming with StarzPlay Sports, a platform like no other that will provide sports lovers more reasons to cheer. We are dedicated to ensuring the best sports entertainment is readily accessible to our subscribers. We leverage cutting-edge technology to bring users a seamless, high-quality experience and best industry low latency live streaming possible.”
SportsPro says..
Sports media in the MENA region is dominated by Qatar-based BeIN, but StarzPlay and its backers in Abu Dhabi clearly feel there is a gap in the market for a rival. Saudi Arabia, the most populous and powerful of the wealthy Middle Eastern states, does not have a major media offering and is still recovering from its state-backed piracy debacle.
However, for StarzPlay to break through it will need more premium properties. The good news is that BeIN ditched a number of those amid the BeoutQ affair, although the Qatari media company has perhaps the most important rights contract – the Premier League – sewn up until 2025.