SMC & STARZPLAY Form StrategicAlliance to Monetize Sports and Original Content    

Dubai, UAE – July18, 2024

SMC is proud to announce a strategic multi-year collaboration with STARZPLAY - one of the leading streaming services in the MENA region, designed to monetize its premium sports and original content regionally. Under this agreement, SMC will utilize its extensive commercial network, particularly in the rapidly growing Saudi market, to secure sponsorship and advertising packages for a diverse array of rights, including UFC, Serie A, Rugby, and forthcoming STARZPLAY originals.

This partnership exemplifies the synergistic strengths of both organizations as SMC's vast commercial expertise seamlessly aligns with STARZPLAY's diverse portfolio of sports and entertainment rights.

Commenting on this partnership, Chief Executive Officer of SMC Mr. Khalid Alkhudair said, “Starzplay has a variety of global assets and content that majority of those living in the region enjoy, this helps us open a door to advertisers to target a new demographic. We are very proud of this agreement and look forward to the beginning of many things to come.”

Danny Bates, Chief Operating Officer of STARZPLAY who was equally excited about this partnership said, “SMC has deep experience, resources and market knowledge to monetize premium sports rights in MENA region.  With ever expending sports rights portfolio of STARZPLAY, there is immense potential for our two organizations to work together for market and business development.”

In recent years, SMC has strategically acquired top-tier events and organizations rights, captivating MENA audiences with compelling content. This collaboration aims to unlock the full commercial potential of these assets, reinforcing SMC's position as a premier entertainment platform in the region.

About SMC:

SMC is a diversified company headquartered in Riyadh, KSA, with global reach since2018. At SMC, we are committed to connecting brands with audiences by delivering effective campaigns. Your stories will reach beyond through utilizing innovative digital media and marketing solutions across various platforms in the MENA region, and to the globe. Your partner and trusted advisor.

About STARZPLAY

Ranked consistently among the region’s top three subscription video-on-demand services, STARZPLAY (www.starzplay.com)streams an extensive variety of premium content, covering Hollywood movies, exclusive shows, Arabic content, documentaries, same-time-as-the-US series –plus live sports and dedicated kids’ entertainment – to 19 countries across MENA and Pakistan.

STARZPLAY has thousands of premium titles, including exclusive STARZPLAY Originals such as Kaboos, Harley, Million Dollar Listing UAE, Baghdad Central, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, STARZ original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus and The White Queen as well as STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie), cricket, rugby, UFC, boxing, golf, basketball and more.

STARZPLAY has secured tie-ups with a host of leading, global studios including Lionsgate, MGM, SHOWTIME, Paramount+, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery and Sony Studios along with regional producers such as UMS, Eagle Films and Falcon. Users can stream the discovery+ library or catch the latest Arabic series and movies from WATCH IT at no extra cost.

With the STARZPLAY Store, users can buy or rent direct-from-cinema movie releases and watch on their own terms, whilst STARZPLAY Fantasy Sports, the first free-to-play Web 3.0 fantasy sports game in MENA, gives users a new dimension to watching live matches on STARZPLAY Sports with real-time predictions and prizes.

Until 2022, STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lions gate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) was the lead investor along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Investors and Delta Partners. In early 2021, STARZPLAY Arabia secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi based Ruya Partners. In 2022, E-Vision, from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company acquired a majority equity stake of circa 57% in the company.   

Reaching over to 2.9 million subscribers, STARZPLAY Arabia allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs and game consoles, and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on more than three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.

Social Tags:

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