Why Warner Bros. Discovery Invested in OSN+?
WBD skipped D2C in MENA and chose to partner with a local streamer
Hey streamers 👋
Happy Eid to everyone, hope you are having a great break.
This week, I want to talk about the biggest streaming news in MENA: Warner Bros. Discovery is now a minority investor in OSN Streaming, with a $57 million deal.
Why is Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming service, still not available in the region?
And why did they choose OSN as a key partner?
Let’s try to find some answers.
Today’s program
WBD and their global streaming strategy
Why MENA is different
So What?
And… Action!
WBD and their global streaming strategy
I recently posted a short video about Warner Bros. Discovery & OSN. From now on, I’ll share one short video every week, each covering a story in the streaming world.
👉 Subscribe to my YouTube channel to watch it first.
Last summer, I wrote about Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s main streaming service. At the time, they had just expanded to 25 countries in Europe, launching in France on June 11th.
Let’s take a quick look at Max’s global rollout:
Max first launched as HBO Max in the US in May 2020.
A revamped version, Max, was introduced in the US in May 2023.
Expansion began in Latin America in June 2021.
Europe followed in October 2021, with the upgraded Max experience rolling out to the first European countries in May 2024 (including Iberia, the Nordics, and Central & Eastern Europe).
On June 11th, Max launched in France, Poland, Monaco, and the Netherlands.
By July 1st, they completed their European rollout with Belgium.
In November 2024, Max launched in several Asian markets: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
And just yesterday, on March 31st, Max launched in Australia.
What’s next?
Turkey is up next, with a launch planned for April 15.
In 2026, Max will finally arrive in Germany, Italy, the UK, and Ireland.
WBD is also testing bundles. In the US, Max is now offered with Disney+ and Hulu. In France, I just heard about a surprising bundles with Le Monde and Télérama. (More on that in the next edition of Marion Ranchet’s
)Let’s not forget Discovery+, WBD’s second direct-to-consumer service focused on factual and documentary-style content from brands like Discovery, CNN, A&E Networks, NBCUniversal, and ABS-CBN Studios. In the US, Discovery+ remains a standalone service with a loyal subscriber base. But internationally, WBD is gradually merging Discovery+ into Max.
In Australia, where Max just launched, Discovery+ is bundled with the platform. The same approach is expected in the UK in 2026.
But in MENA, things are done a little differently. Let me show you how 👇
Why MENA is different
Max and Discovery+ are still not available in the MENA region. However, Warner Bros. Discovery content has been available here for years.
In 2022, HBO, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, signed an exclusive distribution deal with OSN+. This brought premium series like House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, Succession, and The Last of Us (with a new season coming this month!) to MENA audiences.
But to better understand this new deal, it’s important to know who is OSN Group.
Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) is a Dubai-based satellite TV and streaming company serving the MENA region. The group operates across 3 key businesses:
OSNtv is a hybrid Pay TV service combining live satellite channels and streaming through a 4K Android box, including 40+ premium OSN channels, 1,000+ free-to-air channels and access to OSN+.
OSN+ is a subscription-based streaming service launched in 2017 as Wavo, rebranded to OSN Streaming in 2020, and finally to OSN+ in 2022.
Anghami is one of the leading music streaming platforms in MENA, now under the OSN Group umbrella.
So, what’s the deal?
The announcement highlights 2 major points:
Warner Bros. Discovery is becoming a minority shareholder in OSN Streaming Ltd.
WBD reportedly acquired a 30% stake for $57 million. But what’s interesting to me is that this deal is with OSN Streaming, not the entire OSN Group. That means it likely covers OSN+ and Anghami, although this hasn’t been officially confirmed.
A strategic content partnership focused on locally crafted productions
It makes sense for a Hollywood studio and a local streaming platform to collaborate on content. But the phrase “locally crafted” is key here. We can expect original series produced in the region, for the region, with potential for international distribution (via Warner Bros. Discovery platforms? ;)
Although the transaction is still being finalized and subject to regulatory approvals, we’re already seeing the effects of this partnership: Just last week, Discovery+ content started appearing on OSN+, and this could be just the beginning.
So What?
The real question is: why did Warner Bros. Discovery choose not to go direct-to-consumer (D2C) in MENA?
At first look, it seems like everyone else has: Netflix launched in 2016, Prime Video in 2019, Disney+ in 2022, and even Samsung TV Plus arrived in 2024.
But the reality is more complex.
Yes, Netflix is well established in the region. But for others like Disney+ and Prime Video, things have been more challenging.
Why? Because launching a streaming service in MENA is expensive, and success doesn't come from brand recognition alone.
Local platforms have been in the game for years. They understand their audiences. They invest in the right content. They play smart with distribution. And most importantly, they offer a mix of paid and free models, adjusting pricing based on each country.
A one-size-fits-all strategy doesn’t work here anymore. It’s 2025, a hyper-local approach is a must.
So, is $57 million cheaper than launching their own platform? Maybe.
But here’s what’s really smart: WBD isn’t starting from scratch. They’ve been working with OSN for years. They already know how WBD and HBO content performs in the region.
To me, this investment is a signal that they have entered Phase 2 of their partnership:
Phase 1 was about exclusive distribution.
Phase 2 is about creating content for the region.
And if you combine OSN’s distribution power and local expertise with WBD’s creative strength and global content engine. Then yes, this investment makes a lot of sense.
Wishing everyone a great Eid with your family! See you online next Monday. In the meantime, enjoy On The Roam on OSN+. An eight-part cinematic docu-series following Jason Momoa as he travels the country chasing art, adventure, and friendship through the lens of craftsmanship.
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