Shahid VIP forecast to overtake Netflix’s MENA market share

Dubai Bling (Source: Netflix)

Netflix is forecast to lose its market leadership to Shahid VIP in MENA n the next five years, according to a report from Digital TV Research.

There will be 26 million SVOD subscriptions across 13 Arabic countries by 2029, up from 14 million in 2023, said the research’s firm’s recent Middle East and North Africa OTT TV and Video Forecasts report.

Dubai Bling streamer Netflix had 3.8 million subscribers by end-2023, followed by Thanaweyat Al Naseem service Shahid VIP with 3.5 million and StarzPlay with 3 million.

Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research, said: “As some of the US-based platforms lower their global rollout and local content commitments, the Arabic players will thrive.”