The rising business of video streaming in Mena

Allagui, Ilhem and Bekele, Abenezer The rising business of video streaming in Mena. Journal of Creative Industries and Cultural Studies – JOCIS, 2024, vol. 10, pp. 88-118. [Journal article (Paginated)]

[thumbnail of Scientific article]
Preview
 Text (Scientific article)
JOCIS_10_Miolo_88-118.pdf - Published version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (391kB) | Preview

English abstract

This study examines how the video streaming business is developing in the Arab region. It delineates the video streaming ecosystem and discusse”s the opportunities for video streamers, local and global, to operate and grow in the Arabian market. Similarly, the study discusses video streamers’ challenges in a complex and changing media environment. Using computer-aided analysis software (QSR NVIVO 12), the research analyzes semi-structured interviews with streaming services’ top executives operating in MENA. It found that video streamers capitalize on the sizeable Arab market to grow, the way broadcasters developed the pan-Arab market in the 1990s. Localizing content, developing talent, investing in marketing and analytics, building partnerships, and diversifying memberships and payment models are essential factors in growing the streaming business. Similarly, infrastructure limitations, political context, and underdeveloped markets in the region hinder the sustainability of the streaming business.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Video streaming; OTT streaming; streaming business; Middle East; video streaming in the Arab region.
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BJ. Communication
L. Information technology and library technology > LC. Internet, including WWW.
Depositing user: Dr. Nicoleta-Roxana Dinu
Date deposited: 15 Sep 2024 07:04
Last modified: 15 Sep 2024 07:04
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/46036

References

Allagui, I. (2019). Advertising in MENA goes digital. Routledge.

Allagui, I. (2020). Business promotions under COVID-19. Arabadonline.

https://www.arabadonline.com/en/details/advertising/-Business-promotionsunder-Covid-19-A-perspective-from-Qatar-by-Ilhem-Allagui

Allagui, I. (2022). “Ass’hab wela A3az,” a hiccup or new directions for streaming

services in MENA? Raseef22. Retrieved September 23, 2022, from https://

raseef22.net/article/1086437-ashab-wala-aaz-a-hiccup-or-new-directions-forstreaming-services-in-mena

Allam, R., & Chan-Olmsted, S. (2020). The development of video streaming

industry in Egypt: examining its market environment and business model.

Journal of Media Business Studies, 18(4), 285–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/165

22354.2020.1853436

Arsenault, A. H., & Castells, M. (2008). The structure and dynamics of global

multi-media business networks. International Journal of Communication, 2, 43.

Ayish, M. (2021). Visual storytelling in Arab virtual public spheres. Middle

East Journal of Culture and Communication, 14(1-2), 206–224. https://doi.

org/10.1163/18739865-01401005

Banerjee, A., Rappoport, P. N., & Alleman, J. (2014). Forecasting video

cord-cutting: The bypass of traditional pay television. In J. Allemann, A. M. P.

Ni-Shuilleabhain, & P. N. Rappoport (Eds.), Demand for Communications Services–

Insights and Perspectives (pp.59-82). Springer, Boston, MA.

Belgium-based media company Proshot will launch Filmpot streaming.

Arabian Business. (2021). Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://www.arabianbusiness.com/industries/media/463454-belgium-based-media-companyproshot-will-launch-filmpot-in-middle-east

Bennett, J., & Strange, N. (2008). The BBC’s second-shift aesthetics: Interactive

television, multi-platform projects, and public service content for a digital era. Media

International Australia, 126(1), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878x0812600112

Bentley, F., Silverman, M., & Bica, M. (2019, June 5-7). Exploring online video

watching behaviors [Conference Proceedings]. 2019 ACM International Conference

on Interactive Experiences for TV and Online Video. Salford (Manchester), United

Kingdom (pp. 108-117). https://doi.org/10.1145/3317697.3323355

Berg, M. (2023). Turkish drama serials. The importance and influence of a

globally popular television phenomenon. University of Exeter Press.

Cha, J. (2013). Predictors of television and online video platform use: A

coexistence model of old and new video platforms. Telematics and Informatics,

30(4), 296–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2013.01.001

Chroufa, M. and Chtourou, N. (2023). Financial development threshold

effect on wealth inequality-economic growth nexus: Evidence from MENA economies. The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, 28, e00324. https://doi.

org/10.1016/j.jeca.2023.e00324.

Colbjørnsen, T., Hui, A., & Solstad, B. (2022). What do you pay for all you

can eat? Pricing practices and strategies in streaming media services. Journal

of Media Business Studies, 19(3), 147-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/16522354.2

021.1949568

Cunningham, S. and Craig, D. (2016). Online Entertainment: A New Wave of

Media Globalization? Introduction. The International Journal of Communication,

10. 5409-5425. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/5725.

Dennis, E. E., Martin, J. D., & Hassan, F. (2019). Media use in the Middle East,

2018: A seven-nation survey. Northwestern University in Qatar. Retrieved

from www.mideastmedia.org/survey/2019

Doyle, G. (2010). From television to multi-platform. Convergence: The

International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 16(4), 431–

449. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856510375145

Dwyer, T., Shim, Y., Lee, H., & Hutchinson, J. (2018). Comparing digital

media industries in South Korea and Australia: The case of Netflix take-up.

International Journal of Communication, 12-20. https://ijoc.org/index.php/

ijoc/article/view/8563/2500

Fagerjord, A., & Kueng, L. (2019). Mapping the core actors and flows in

streaming video services: What Netflix can tell us about these new media

networks. Journal of Media Business Studies, 16(3), 166–181. https://doi.org/1

0.1080/16522354.2019.1684717

Frade, J. L., Oliveira, J. H., & Giraldi, J. de. (2021). Advertising in streaming

video: An integrative literature review and research agenda. Telecommunications

Policy, 45(9), Article 102186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102186

Ganuza, J. J., & Viecens, M. F. (2013). Exclusive contents and Next Generation

Networks. Information Economics and Policy, 25(3), 154–170. https://doi.

org/10.1016/j.infoecopol.2012.10.001

GCC Video to Reach US$2.1 Billion By 2026. Media Partners Asia. (2022,

February 6). Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://media-partners-asia.

com/GCC_2021/PR.pdf

Gimpel, G. (2015). The future of video platforms: Key questions shaping

the TV and video industry. International Journal on Media Management,

17(1), 25–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/14241277.2015.1014039

Joshi, H. (2015). Digital media: Rise of on-demand content. Deloitte. Retrieved

from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/in/Documents/

technology-media-telecommunications/in-tmt-rise-of-on-demand-content.pdf

Kenney, M., & Zysman, J. (2015). Choosing a future in the platform economy:

The implications and consequences of digital platforms. In Kauffman Foundation New Entrepreneurial Growth Conference (pp. 156– 160). Retrieved September

23, 2022, from http://www.brie.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/

PlatformEconomy2DistributeJune21.pdf

Khalil, J. F. (2020). Television in the Arab region: History, structure, and

transformations. In J. Wasko and E.R. Meehan (Eds.), A Companion to Television,

439-458. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119269465.ch22

Khalil, J. F. (2016). The business push and audience pull in Arab entertainment

television. International Journal of Communication, 10, 3632-3646.

Khalil, J. and Zayani, M. (2022). Digitality and music streaming in the Middle

East: Anghami and the burgeoning startup culture. International Journal of

Communication, 16. 1532-1550

Khoury, M. (2005). Origins and patterns in the discourse of new Arab

cinema. Arab studies quarterly, 27(1&2), 1–20.

Kim, Y. J. (2015). Impact of OTT service on the content creation, distribution,

and consumption. Studies of broadcasting culture, 27(1), 75–102.

Kim, J., Kim, S., & Nam, C. (2016). Competitive dynamics in the Korean video

platform market: Traditional pay-TV platforms vs. OTT platforms. Telematics

and Informatics, 33(2), 711–721. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2015.06.014

Kim, M. S., Kim, E., Hwang, S. Y., Kim, J., & Kim, S. (2017). Willingness to

pay for over-the-top services in China and Korea. Telecommunications Policy,

41(3), 197–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2016.12.011

Kim, S., Baek, H., & Kim, D. H. (2021). OTT and live streaming services:

Past, present, and future. Telecommunications Policy, 45(9), Article 102244.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2021.102244

Kung, L. (2017). Strategic management in the media: Theory to practice. Sage.

Lee, C., Kim, J. H., & Lee, D. (2017a). Intra-industry innovation, spillovers,

and industry evolution: Evidence from the Korean ICT industry. Telematics

and Informatics, 34(8), 1503–1513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2017.06.013

Lee, D., Lee, S., & Kim, J. (2017b). Analysis on the evolution and innovation of

online game industry using meta-frontier analysis. Asian Journal of Technology

Innovation, 25(1), 158–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/19761597.2017.1302555

Lim, S., & Lee, Y. J. (2013). N screen service users’ motivations for use and

dissatisfying factors. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 13(3),

99–108. https://doi.org/10.5392/jkca.2013.13.03.099

Lobato, R., & Lotz, A. D. (2020). Imagining global video: The challenge of

Netflix. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 59(3), 132-136.

Lotz, A. D., & Sanson, K. (2022). Foreign Ownership of Production

Companies as a New Mechanism of Internationalizating Television: The Case

of Australian Scripted Television. Television & New Media, 23(7), 683–702.

https://doi.org/10.1177/15274764211027222

Mellor, N., Ayish, M., Dajani, N., and Rinnawi, K. (2011). Arab media.

Globalization and emerging media industries. Polity.

Nagaraj, S., Singh, S., & Yasa, V. R. (2021). Factors affecting consumers’

willingness to subscribe to over-the-top (OTT) video streaming services in

India. Technology in Society, 65, Article 101534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.

techsoc.2021.101534

Noam, E. M. (2019). Managing media and Digital Organizations. Cham:

Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71288-8

Papavassilopoulos, C., & Signorelli, M. (2021, June 4). Pay TV & Online Video

Report – 2021 – mena. Omdia. Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://omdia.

tech.informa.com/OM018112/Pay-TV--Online-Video-Report--2021--MENA

Picard, R. G., Davis, C. H., Papandrea, F., & Park, S. (2016). Platform

proliferation and its implications for domestic content policies. Telematics

and Informatics, 33(2), 683–692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2015.06.018

Popular video streaming services in the UAE for 2022. MyBayut. (n.d.).

Retrieved September 9, 2022, from https://www.bayut.com/mybayut/

top-video-streaming-services-uae/

QSR international. (No date). NVIVo 11 software. https://help-nv11.

qsrinternational.com/desktop/procedures/aggregate_nodes.htm

Roscoe, J. (2004). Multi-platform event television: Reconceptualizing

our relationship with television. The Communication Review, 7(4), 363–369.

https://doi.org/10.1080/10714420490886961

Sakr, N. (2020). Growing PSM organically: International initiatives to

support National Conversations in new contexts. Interactions: Studies in

Communication & Culture, 11(2), 269–275. https://doi.org/10.1386/iscc_00024_7

Sakr, N. (2023). Purposes and practices of Mena television: Components

of an ever-evolving medium. In J.F. Khalil, G. Khiabany, T. Guyaabess, and

B. Yessil (Eds.), The Handbook of Media and Culture in the Middle East. John

Wiley & Sons. (in press, page numbers forthcoming)

Saudi Vision 2030. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2022, from https://

www.vision2030.gov.sa/media/rc0b5oy1/saudi_vision203.pdf

Shon, M., Lee, D., & Kim, J. H. (2021). Are global over-the-top platforms

the destroyers of ecosystems or the catalysts of innovation? Telematics and

Informatics, 60, Article 101581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2021.101581

Tomás, J. P. (2022, July 28). 5G subscribers in mea region to

reach 263MN by 2026: Nokia. RCR Wireless News. Retrieved

September 10, 2022, from https://www.rcrwireless.com/20220728/

carriers/5g-subscribers-mea-region-reach-263-mn-2026-nokia

Wada, T., Ichikohji, T., & Ikuine, F. (2014). Platform paradox. Annals of

Business Administrative Science, 13(2), 91-103.

Wang C, Chou F. (2019). Audiences’ motives for watching live video

streaming. Contemporary Management Research, 15(4), 273-285. https://doi.

org/10.7903/cmr.20058

Warf, B. (2007). Oligopolization of global media and telecommunications

and its implications for democracy. Ethics, Place & Environment, 10(1), 89–105.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13668790601153465

Wayne, M. L. (2019). Global streaming platforms and national pay-television

markets: A case study of Netflix and multichannel providers in Israel. The

Communication Review, 23(1), 29–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/10714421.201

9.1696615

Wilk, V., Soutar, G.N., Harrigan, P. (2019). Tackling social media data

analysis. Qualitative Market Research, 22(2), 94-113. https://doi.org/10.1108/

QMR-01-2017-0021


Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item
Contact us
Send email Sponsors
Sponsor: AIMS Sponsor: D&P Sponsor: UniNa CAB Get connected
Facebook Facebook Twitter Twitter Linkedin LinkedIn RSS RSS