WATCH IT Standard with Ads: the 1st Ad-supported SVOD in MENA
The Streaming Lab - MENA #24
WATCH IT launched last month the first Ad-supported SVOD tier in the MENA region.
In this week’s edition, we’ll review this new package in terms of pricing, Advertising, Content and features available.
If you are in Dubai on November 8th, don’t miss the BroadcastProME Summit & Awards. My project ottpro.io is shortlisted in the “MENA Trendsetter of the year” category! Fingers crossed 🤞
WATCH IT new pricing strategy
WATCH IT now offers 12 packages: 6 monthly plans and 6 yearly plans. I’m sharing below all the prices available, together with the special offers:
Premium - No Ads
1 screen
Special offer: 4.99 USD/month - 49.99 USD/year
Initial price: 7 USD/month - 84 USD/year
2 screens
Special offer: 7.99 USD/month - 79.99 USD/year
Initial price: 10 USD/month - 120 USD/year
3 screens
Special offer: 10.99 USD/month - 109.99 USD/year
Initial price: 13 USD/month - 156 USD/year
Standard - With Ads
1 screen
Special offer: 2.99 USD/month - 29.99 USD/year
Initial price: 4 USD/month - 48 USD/year
2 screens
Special offer: 4.99 USD/month - 49.99 USD/year
Initial price: 7 USD/month - 84 USD/year
3 screens
Special offer: 7.49 USD/month - 74.99 USD/year
Initial price: 9 USD/month - 108 USD/year
The main difference comes from the number of concurrent screens available. Users can watch on 1 device or more simultaneously, based on their subscription plan: 1 device, 2 devices or 3 devices.
As you can see in the chart below, WATCH IT entry-level Ad-supported plan “Standard - with Ads - 1 screen” is now one of the most affordable subscription plan in MENA, at the same level than some niche services:
WATCH IT Advertising strategy
Here are the main parameters I could get for now:
Ad formats
WATCH IT only implemented In-stream pre-roll Ads. I expect to see mid-rolls before the end of the year.
Content
I saw Ads on most of the content on the platform: movies, TV Shows, Theatre and TV Programs. There seems to be some limitations on Kids content.
Ad frequency
I only noticed 1 pre-roll of 20-30 seconds per title. I assume WATCH IT will increase the number of Ads per hour soon. I don’t think there is any frequency capping for now.
Video quality
Users can watch content with a quality up to 1080p on both Premium - No Ads & Standard - With Ads plans. The features available look also the same.
Devices
According to the FAQ, users can log onto their account from a maximum of 15 devices.
Profiles
Users can create a maximum of 3 adult profiles and 2 kids profiles, no matter the plan they select.
Examples of Ads
After spending several hours on the platform, I watched a little bit less than 10 different ads.
Here are some examples of brands that advertise on WATCH IT: Sanofi, Egypt Food, Total Energies, etc.
That’s all for today, a first review of WATCH IT Ad-supported plans.
See you next week in real life at BroadcasproME Summit in Dubai. In the meantime, enjoy Al Maktab, the First Arabic adaptation from BBC and MBC of the British comedy series The Office, available now on Shahid.
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