News

Two Abu Dhabi Companies Acquire StarzPlay Arabia

E-Vision and Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ have bought a 57% portion of video streaming service StarzPlay Arabia.

Published

2 years ago

October 19, 2022

two abu dhabi companies acquire starzplay arabia

A consortium led by telecoms operator e& has completed a deal to acquire a majority share in the video streaming service StarzPlay Arabia.

The deal has meant that E-Vision, the entertainment arm of e&, along with Abu Dhabi holding company ADQ, now owns 57% of the MENA region’s fastest-growing video streaming service. After filing on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) on Tuesday, e& issued a statement, which read:

“This acquisition is in line with e&’s strategy to scale up the entertainment segment of e& life consumer digital vertical by accelerating E-Vision’s development on the video streaming segment, and significantly enhances StarzPlay Arabia’s positioning across the entire MENA region,” says e&.

The acquisition follows an initial announcement back in March that a deal would be taking place. Starz and parent company Lionsgate will maintain commercial agreements for content licensing.

Netflix, Shahid VIP, and the UAE-based StarzPlay Arabia currently control two-thirds of the MENA region’s over-the-top services (OTT) market, with StarzPlay controlling 20%.

Also Read: How To Watch Arabic Channels In USA, Canada & Australia

The recent deal, which values StarzPlay at $420 million, will inject up to $130 million into the platform for new content acquisition and original programming from around the region, as well as Italy’s Serie A, AFC (Asian Football Confederation) games, UFC and Asia Cup cricket matches.

The video streaming service expects annual revenue to climb by 40% from the previous year, with subscribers increasing by 20% to 2.1 million.

StarzPlay aims to reach profitability by the second quarter of 2024, and for e&, the collaboration will allow custom content options for customers, who will be able to utilize 5G download speeds to watch content on the go, with future plans for immersive VR experiences and augmented reality-based shows.

News

Will Upcoming Changes Turn Instagram Into A TikTok Clone?

Updates are rolling out for the grid layout and Reels length, while new editing tools clearly imitate those of the rival Chinese platform.

Published

3 hours ago

January 24, 2025

Nour Nasir

Instagram

Instagram recently faced backlash for swapping its iconic square grid for rectangles, disrupting the aesthetic of thousands of carefully curated profiles. However, the Meta-owned platform isn’t stopping there, after announcing more incoming TikTok-like changes designed to give users greater control over their profiles.

“We launched a new tall grid on profiles this week and I got a lot of feedback, both positive and quite negative,” Instagram head Adam Mosseri shared in an Instagram caption on Monday. “The goal is a simpler, cleaner place that maintains, and even increases, creator control”.

Here are some of the details about further changes we can expect:

Customizable Grids: Users will soon be able to tweak how their posts appear on the grid, including adjusting image crops and reordering posts entirely.
Direct-To-Grid Posts: A new option will allow users to post directly to their profile grid without automatically adding it to their main feed.
Highlights Relocation: Instagram’s Highlights feature will move from above the grid into a dedicated tab, while also becoming part of the profile grid itself.
Longer Reels: Reels are getting a significant upgrade, with the maximum video length jumping from 90 seconds to 3 minutes.

The updates are part of Instagram’s ongoing effort to compete with TikTok, which narrowly avoided a US ban following a 75-day delay granted by President Donald Trump. With the Chinese video platform’s future remaining uncertain, Instagram seems eager to capture disillusioned users by offering features that feel increasingly similar to those of its rival.

Also Read: How To Find & Cancel Pending Instagram Requests

In fact, Instagram’s recent changes go beyond just the app’s layout: On Sunday, parent company Meta launched the standalone Edits app, a clear imitation of TikTok’s popular video-editing tool, CapCut. Additionally, Meta has been enticing creators with cash bonuses to encourage them to post their videos on Instagram and Facebook.

It’s clear Instagram is shifting its strategy to appeal to the short-form video crowd. Whether these changes will win over users or continue to spark discontent remains to be seen.