One of the top three subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services in the region, STARZPLAY, has announced an exciting partnership with TPAY, the top payment processor in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META).
With this partnership, customers will be able to pay for their subscriptions to STARZPLAY’s top sports and entertainment material using their cell phone numbers.
TPAY will enable STARZPLAY to accept subscription payments from 9 million viewers via Direct Carrier Billing (DCB), with an initial focus on growing its presence in the MENA region. The partnership will start with Orange Tunisia, then move on to Sudatel Sudan and Chinguitel Mauritania, with hopes of adding more countries in the region.
“Partnering with StarzPLAY strengthens our position as the region’s preferred payment processing partner, especially for merchants in the streaming vertical and beyond,” stated Işk Uman, CEO of TPAY Group. Settlement between countries is easier with our tool. Our speedier payment cycles, compliance, and risk management help our partners expand.
Raghida Abou-Fadel, Senior VP of Sales and Business Development at STARZPLAY, stated, “We are excited to announce our partnership with TPAY, which will allow us to instantly deliver our premium content to all entertainment and sports fans in the MENA region.” “By working with TPAY, we can give our customers a safe and easy way to pay while growing our regional business.”
The media and entertainment business in the Middle East is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% from 2023 to 2028. The amount is projected to grow from USD 39,05 billion in 2023 to USD 61,2 billion in 2028. The digital revolution started in this business, which is still changing.
STARZPLAY will help the industry grow by showing high-quality games like football, basketball, boxing, and more.
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About TPAY
TPAY is the best way to pay in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (META). TPAY is a full-service, end-to-end solution that makes it easy for merchants to reach customers in more than 30 countries in the area and accept payments from them.
Regional digital merchants and foreign brands like Google, Huawei, MBC, Tencent, Anghami, Marvel, beIN, and others use TPAY’s technology to reach customers in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa and accept payments from them.
The UAE is where TPAY is based, and more than 28 million people use its services every month. Helios Investment Partners, the top private investment firm focused on Africa, and A15, the top tech-focused VC fund in the Middle East, are both partners in the company.
About STARZPLAY
STARZPLAY Arabia consistently ranks among the top three regional subscription video-on-demand services. It transmits premium material, including Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, same-time-as-the-US series, live sports, kids’ entertainment, and Arabic content, to 19 MENA and Pakistani nations.
STARZPLAY has thousands of prime titles, including exclusive STARZPLAY Arabia original content like Kaboos, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, and Baghdad Central, STARZ Original content like Power, Outlander, Spartacus, and The White Queen, and a variety of add-ons like AD Sports, Premier Sports (Rugby), NBA League Pass, and STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie A and Dutch Eredivi
STARZPLAY Arabia has partnerships with Lionsgate, MGM, Warner Bros., Universal, Discovery, Sony, and local studios like UMS, Eagle Films, and Falcon. Until 2022, Lionsgate-owned STARZ (www.starz.com) was the principal investor. SEQ Investors and Delta Partners were big investors.
In early 2021, Abu Dhabi-based Ruya Partners provided STARZPLAY Arabia with its first independent financing of $25 million (92 million AED). E-Vision, consisting of e& and Abu Dhabi-based finance and holding group ADQ, bought 57% of the company in 2022.
STARZPLAY Arabia has more than 2.9 million subscribers. Smart TVs, game consoles, and other internet-connected devices can stream 4K and HD content. Regional IPTV services offer it. It’s more than three million iOS and Android apps that let you download music to play offline.