According to a Dataxis survey conducted in Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Samsung and LG together account for 46% of TV sets in Saudi Arabia and 49% in Egypt. The concentration is even sharper at the premium income tier, among Saudi households earning annually above 360,000 SAR (~USD 96,000), their combined share reaches 60%, and 68% among Egyptian households earning annually above 360,000 EGP (~USD 7,200). These are the households with the highest subscription propensity and lowest churn. In a regional SVOD market that Dataxis values at USD 1.2 billion in 2025 and projects to reach USD 2.0 billion by 2030, reaching them efficiently is what OTT platform economics depend on. The survey findings reflect a broader regional reality. Dataxis estimates Samsung held 9.9 million connected smart TVs in the region in Q4 2025 and LG 6.6 million, both growing steadily year on year. TCL ranks third at 2.0 million, up from 1.6 million in Q4 2024. The same Dataxis survey finds that in both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, around 35% of connected TV users access content through the built-in TV interface, already ahead of the set-top box in Egypt at 27%, and neck and neck in Saudi Arabia at 35%. OTT platforms are responding with concrete deals. WATCH IT, which reached 1.3 million subscribers in Q4 2025, secured home screen placement on LG webOS across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan, backed by a six-month free subscription on selected models. e& UAE took the model further, bundling a Samsung Smart TV with streaming subscriptions into a single monthly plan at AED 109 (~USD 30) over 24 months, spreading the hardware cost while integrating content into one commercial relationship. Beyond distribution partnerships, OEM platforms are also building their own audiences directly. TCL Channel grew 61% year-on-year, including around 400,000 monthly active users in Saudi Arabia alone, after rebuilding its lineup around Arabic content from Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, and Rotana. Over 16 million Samsung and LG screens, concentrated among higher-income households, with the built-in interface as the dominant access point and a SVOD market on track to nearly double by 2030, the TV manufacturer is more than ever the gateway to MENA’s audiences.
