STARZPLAY, the subscription video on demand (SVOD) service, which reached the milestone of one million subscribers earlier this year, was highlighted by Dubai SME, one of the agencies of the Department of Economic Development (DED) in Dubai mandated to support and develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, and strengthen Dubai’s position as a hub for entrepreneurship, as an inspiring homegrown success story by a Dubai-based start-up.

Welcoming the Board of Directors and management team of STARZPLAY for a briefing session at Dubai SME, His Excellency Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO at Dubai SME, said the company’s success underlines the potential of growth offered by Dubai to drive global success stories.

“STARZPLAY’s growth from Dubai to the wider world reiterates the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, of providing a high-growth business environment that continues to enable businesses to flourish from the ‘desert’ of Dubai. With our focus on developing all sectors that contributes significantly to Dubai’s GDP, the remarkable performance of STARZPLAY is commendable as a competitive model for their magnificent peers in entertainment sector.”

A presentation on the organisation’s services was made to the Board of Directors and management team of STARZPLAY and the two teams discussed next steps in driving the growth of STARZPLAY.

Maaz Sheikh, CEO at STARZPLAY, said: “Our driving force is the dynamic growth platform that Dubai offers for home-grown companies to expand globally. As a Dubai-based start-up, we benefited from the vision and guidance of the leadership and the support of entities such as Dubai SME, which sets a clear roadmap for small and medium enterprises to grow and succeed. Achieving the one million subscriber milestone is a testament to the inroads that STARZPLAY has made in the highly competitive entertainment industry through our differentiated offering that meets the aspirations of the customers.”

Now available in 20 countries across the Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan, with more than 10,000 hours of content including premium movies, exclusive series, Bollywood movies as well as Arabic series, STARZPLAY has secured its place as the number one player in the MENA region in terms of online video subscriptions and online video revenues – with a leading market share of 24% and 31.53% respectively.

With SVOD revenues in the MENA region predicted to reach $2.13 billion by 2024, STARZPLAY is uniquely positioned to be grow its market leadership with several first-to-market shows lined up. As part of its 2019 growth strategy, STARZPLAY has made a multimillion-dollar investment in programming content in the first quarter of 2019, curating series and movies tailored to its demographically diverse, one-million-strong subscriber base across the region.