MBC Group’s Shahid closed 2024 as the leading OTT platform in the MENA region (excluding Turkey and Israel), with nearly 5 million subscribers and a 26% year-on-year increase. This growth was driven by exclusive Arabic original productions and strategic investments in premium sports rights. Shahid maintained a clear lead over Netflix, which, according to Dataxis estimates, reached 3.7 million subscribers in the region, reflecting 21% year-on-year growth. Despite strong global momentum, Netflix had not yet introduced its long-anticipated ad-supported tier in MENA as of Q4 2024. Beyond Shahid and Netflix, only a few other platforms surpassed the one million subscriber mark. StarzPlay ended the year with approximately 1.6 million subscribers, despite a shrinking base, while Egypt’s Watch It reached an estimated 1.2 million, driven by strong domestic performance and the expansion of its ad-supported SVOD offering. Prime Video also crossed the one million threshold, while OSN+ remained just below. These platform-level shifts reflect a broader growth trend across the region. According to Dataxis forecasts, the number of OTT subscribers in MENA (excluding Turkey and Israel) is projected to grow from 18.2 million in 2024 to 33.9 million by 2029.
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