Are We Ready to Stream Premium Sports on E-commerce Platforms?
A MENA case study: IPL 2024 on noon
Hey streamers 👋
Welcome to The Streaming Lab, a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in the MENA region. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and receive it directly in your inbox every Monday.
Today’s program
For the second year in a row, noon, the e-commerce platform operating in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, is streaming the Indian Premier League.
Understanding noon and IPL
Guide to Streaming IPL on noon
So What?
And… Action!
This newsletter is sponsored by Sandbox Group, the global digital entertainment and learning company
Last time I mentioned Sandbox on this newsletter, they were just entering the MENA market thanks to a partnership with the leading mobile game platform Tamatem. Since then, they partnered with stc tv and Jawwy TV to distribute fully localised educational kids shows through their “playkids learning” brand.
What’s next for Sandbox? They just expanded beyond educational apps with the launch of the PlayKids TV FAST channel, including about 20 hours of original programming from preschool SVOD Hopster, and licensed titles such as Talking Tom & Friends, Earth to Luna and The Hive.
Join the Sandbox team at CABSAT 2024 and discover how you can unleash the power of edutainment and grow ARPU, engagement, and customer loyalty through their suite of digital products.
Understanding noon and IPL
NOON
Launched in 2017 and based in Dubai, UAE, noon is an e-commerce platform operating across 3 countries: UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, with Saudi Arabia being its biggest market.
noon is now among the largest online retail platforms in the Middle East, offering a wide range of products including electronics, fashion apparel, home furnishings, and beauty products. Its now a popular choice for an increasing number of international merchants looking to expand in the MENA market.
Here are the main categories available on noon:
Electronics & Mobiles
Beauty & Fragrances
Home & Kitchen
Sports & Outdoors
Toys & Games
Baby Products
Health & Nutrition
Automotive
Tools & Home improvement
Pet Supplies
Office Supplies & Stationery
Music, Movies & TV Shows
Mahali
Indian Premier League (IPL)
The IPL is a professional Twenty20 cricket league in India, one of the most popular (and lucrative) sports leagues globally. It was founded by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2008.
The IPL features a number of city-based franchises, which are owned by a mix of corporate magnates and Bollywood celebrities. Teams in the IPL consist of a blend of Indian and international cricket stars.
Each team plays every other team twice, once at home and once away. This is followed by playoffs, including qualifiers, an elimination round, and the final to determine the champion.
The IPL is particularly known for its massive media coverage, which have helped it gain a huge fan base and attract significant attention in MENA & globally. It also plays a key role in the development of cricket, offering a platform where young Indian talent can play with international stars.
Guide to Streaming IPL on noon
There are different ways to access IPL 2024 on noon. From the Web homepage, you can’t miss the hero banner promoting the cricket event. It’s even more obvious on the iOS App with a dedicated “Watch Now!” button, sitting next to main tabs: Home, Categories, Account & Cart.
As soon as you access the noon IPL 2024 page or website (ipl.noon.com), you enter a totally different environment with a dark background.
The model is ad-supported SVOD, with a very low entry fees of 1 AED only. It will give users access to all IPL content during the tournament: 74 live matches, but also highlights and expert analysis on any devices - phone, tablet or laptop.
As you can see below, noon also created a dedicated studio to receive experts and analyze the games:
noon also implemented tournament statistics with the match schedule, latest score and team leaderboard:
One more thing: noon launched again this year its “Power Play” service, where users can predict cricket match results, score runs, win credits and share their results with their friends and family.
So What?
The IPL 2024 on noon presents an opportunity for local & international advertisers to reach a massive audience of MENA viewers across various devices, including phone, tablet or laptop.
Advertisers can capitalize on a diverse range of ad formats available on noon IPL 2024, including mid-roll and pre-roll video ads, web banners, but also sponsorship packages, allowing for highly engaging and interactive advertising experiences tailored to different viewer preferences.
If I had one comment, it would be that noon relies somewhat too much on its existing user base. It didn't appear that they promoted the availability of IPL 2024 on their ecosystem very actively, especially when compared to STARZ ON, the streaming service of e&/Etisalat that acquired both IPTV & digital rights for this tournament.
That’s all for today, the IPL 2024 available on noon e-commerce platform. If you enjoyed this breakdown, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues!
I hope everyone has a great week, see you online next Monday. Until then, enjoy the new FAST channel Are We There Yet on STARZ ON. The sitcom revolves around the Kingston-Person family facing the challenges of everyday life in a newly blended family and working to adapt to their new family dynamics.
The Streaming Lab is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in the MENA region. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and receive it directly in your inbox every Monday.
Read all the previous edition of The Streaming Lab here.
Interested in advertising with The Streaming Lab and reach a qualified audience in MENA? Email me.
Track the MENA streaming ecosystem and anticipate the future of the industry. Subscribe to TLS+