PROCONTENT
EXPLORING THE CONTENT ACQUISITION JOURNEY WITH STREAMERS
Content acquisition experts have a tough job ahead of them, between balancing budgets and securing a continuous stream of content that keeps their subscribers on the platform. At the MENA OTT Conference, we explored the content acquisition journey with popular MENA streamers to learn some of the tricks of the trade If the consumer is king, content is the kingdom. The panel on content acquisition convened virtually at the second annual MENA OTT Conference last month to discuss the ins and outs of this kingdom in the streaming world. The panel was moderated by Nick Grande, CEO of mena.tv; he was joined by Nadim Dada, VP of Content Acquisition, StarzPlay; Genevieve South, Director of VOD, Discovery Communications; and Luke Beermann, GM of Content, Intigral (STC). Incidentally, StarzPlay, Intigral and Discovery are all partners in MENA. StarzPlay and Intigral have a long-standing relationship, while Discovery+ entered the region in January 2021 via StarzPlay and struck a deal with Intigral’s Jawwy TV to host channels like Fatafeat in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Bahrain. After short introductions explaining their partnerships and office moves, the discussion moved to content strategies. South explained: “Discovery+ Originals are the first pillar of the D+ product. The next big
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component is our key franchises: familiar titles from our linear portfolios. We also have Arabic Original Fatafeat content that we use on Discovery+ in MENA. Finally, we host a huge library of content verticals and collections. Those are the four key elements.” “What we are seeing is that the same content is working in MENA as globally. Our biggest workhorse is 90 Day Fiancé, which is driving both engagement and subscriber acquisitions. In terms of genres, we see true crime as the biggest driver. Again, this is in line with what we are seeing globally.” She commented that the aim is to continue with this strategy. Discovery understands the value of local production within the OTT space and would like to introduce more locally produced titles that work well in other regions. “We recently commissioned Say Yes to the Dress Arabia in partnership with StarzPlay. Filming started in September, and it’s got all the credentials to be a standout hit. I can safely say this is the start of more local productions for us in the region.” This content transfer is not unilateral. Where more global
