A Deep Dive Into stc tv "All-In-One Destination" Content Strategy
A Deep Dive Into stc tv "All-In-One Destination" Content Strategy
Is super aggregation the future of streaming in MENA?
Hey streamers 👋
Welcome to the 66th edition of The Streaming Lab, a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and join 1,700+ others who receive it directly in their inbox every Monday.
Today’s program:
The main content partners on stc tv
The advantages of stc tv “all-in-one destination” strategy
Is super aggregation the future of streaming in MENA?
And… Action!
The main content partners on stc tv
“stc tv” is the digital entertainment platform from stc Group, the major digital enabler in the region.
The streaming service is available in KSA, Bahrain and Kuwait, and includes more than 28,000 On-Demand movies & TV series, along local & international TV channels. Subscribers can access the platform on Smart TVs, Apple TV, Chromecast & AirPlay.
stc tv offers different types of subscription plans: stc tv Home via telco operator (set-top box) and stc tv subscription via the website or mobile Apps (iOS and Android).
Today, I’ll focus on stc tv super aggregation content strategy, starting with a list of their content partners:
STARZPLAY
The partnership with STARZPLAY includes a wide variety of movies and TV shows available for viewers, with content also coming from e-junior (a kids content offering from Etisalat) and the Egyptian platform Watch It.
e-junior (part of STARZPLAY)
Discovery+
There is an extensive selection of discovery+ originals available on stc tv, including many genres: adventure and exploration, lifestyle, automotive, documentaries, true crime, food, home, fatafeat (Arabic food), nature and animals, science and technology, and paranormal and unexplained.
WideKhaliji
Wide Khaliji is an Arabic-dedicated SVOD service, streaming a wide variety of Arabic blockbuster movies and TV series on stc tv coming from the best local GCC and regional pan-Arab production houses.
Watch It (part of STARZPLAY), Cartoon Network/Boomerang and UFC Arabia should be coming soon to stc tv.
Rotana, Roya TV and AD Sports channels are also available on the Live TV section.
All of this content is part of stc tv’s main subscription. In Saudi Arabia, stc tv is available for users to enjoy at no extra cost until the end of the year. After that users can choose from different packages according to their preferences. To give you a better idea, when users subscribe through the website in Saudi Arabia, they will be choosing between the 3 following plans:
Lite: 15 SAR
Classic: 25 SAR
Premium: 60 SAR
The main differences are the video quality, concurrent streams, devices per account and features (Watch offline, rewind content and TV casting). There are also 2 Add-ons available at an extra cost:
Shahid is available through stc mobile number subscription and through the residential internet bundles (Baity), and for Classic & Premium Tiers.
Fight Sports: With this add-on, you can watch combat sports from the world of boxing, kickboxing and MMA.
The advantages of stc tv “all-in-one destination” strategy
Do you know how many streaming services are available in the MENA region? More than 60 Arabic platforms, international services as well as global giants. Around half of these have a subscription model (SVOD).
This means end users would have to pay hundreds of dollars to subscribe to all of them…
Super aggregation seems like a good way for stc tv subscribers to reduce subscription fatigue and watch more content at no extra cost. This strategy offers many advantages:
Unified user experience: stc tv brings together content from various sources, offering subscribers more content without having to switch between multiple apps.
Enhanced content discovery: With a wide range of content available, stc tv subscribers are more likely to discover new shows and movies that they might not have otherwise encountered.
Limit competition: Partnering strategically on content can help regional MENA services maintain their competitive advantage against global giants and new international platforms.
Marketing synergies: Local streaming services can join forces and be more effective in promoting content to a wider audience, increasing visibility and user engagement.
A super aggregation strategy comes with challenges related to content licensing agreements, revenue sharing models or technical integration. Content partnerships would need careful planning and negotiation to ensure that they are mutually beneficial and that they serve the goals of both platforms involved.
Is super aggregation the future of streaming in MENA?
As the Media and Entertainment landscape continues to evolve in the Middle East & North Africa, the super aggregation strategy appears promising for SVOD streaming services.
Super aggregation is expected to also become more common in the MENA region with the increasing adoption of a business model that is trending in the US, Europe and all over the world: FAST (Free Ad Supported Streaming Television).
The objective of the content providers and their FAST channels is to generate a high volume of views to increase their RevShare on advertising. That’s why they will be happy to distribute their channels to many FAST platforms.
If you are interested in this topic, I track the evolution of FAST in MENA every month HERE.
That’s all for today, a deep dive into stc tv super aggregation strategy. If you enjoyed this breakdown, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues!
I hope everyone has a great week. Until next Monday, enjoy Ahsoka, the newest live action series from the Star Wars universe on Disney+ MENA. Former Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy.
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