STARZPLAY Partners TPAY for Mobile payments
In an exciting collaboration, STARZPLAY, one of the region's top three subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services, has announced a strategic partnership with TPAY, the leading payments provider in the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META). With this partnership, customers will be able to make their subscription payments using their mobile phone numbers, to access STARZPLAY’s premium sports and entertainment content.
With an initial focus on expanding its presence in the MENA region, TPAY will enable STARZPLAY to accept subscription payments from 9 million viewers via Direct Carrier Billing (DCB). The partnership will commence with Orange Tunisia, followed by Sudatel Sudan and Chinguitel Mauritania, with plans to expand across more countries in the region.
Işık Uman, TPAY Group CEO, commented: "Partnering with STARZPLAY strengthens our position as the region's preferred payment processing partner of choice for merchants, especially those in the streaming vertical and beyond. We are proud to have built a platform that can eliminate all the complexity of cross-border settlement. We also provide faster payment cycles, compliance, and risk management, allowing our partners to remain focused on growing their business in the region."
Raghida Abou-Fadel, Senior VP of Sales & Business Development at STARZPLAY, said: "We are excited to announce our partnership with TPAY which will enable us to instantly deliver our premium content to all entertainment and sports fans across the MENA region. By teaming up with TPAY, we can ensure a seamless and secure payment experience for our customers while continuing to expand our footprint in the region."
The Middle East Media and Entertainment industry is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.4% during the forecast period, 2023-2028. The market size is predicted to grow from USD 39,05 billion in 2023 to USD 61,2 billion by 2028. The industry has been one of the first business sectors to steer digital disruption, and its transformation is far from over. STARZPLAY will continue to strengthen the industry with a focus on expanding its presence in the region by diversifying its offerings to include premium sports coverage (football, basketball, boxing, and more).
About TPAY
TPAY is the leader in payments in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey (META). TPAY provides a full-service, end-to-end solution that makes it easy for merchants - to access and accept payments from consumers in more than 30 countries in the region.
TPAY’s technology is used by regional digital merchants and international brands including Google, Huawei, MBC, Tencent, Anghami, Marvel, beIN, and others, to access and accept payments from consumers across the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa.
TPAY is headquartered in the UAE and its services are currently used by over 28 million monthly active users. The company shareholders include Helios Investment Partners, the leading Africa-focused private investment firm, and A15, the Middle East’s leading tech-focused VC fund.
About STARZPLAY:
Ranked consistently among the region’s top three subscription video-on-demand services, STARZPLAY Arabia (www.starzplay.com) streams an extensive variety of premium content covering Hollywood movies, TV shows, documentaries, and same-time-as-the-US series – plus live sports, dedicated kids’ entertainment, and Arabic content – to 19 countries across MENA and Pakistan.
STARZPLAY has thousands of prime titles including exclusive STARZPLAY Arabia original content such as Kaboos, Say Yes to the Dress Arabia, Baghdad Central, STARZ Original content such as Power, Outlander, Spartacus, and The White Queen, as well as a range of content with add-ons such as AD Sports, Premier Sports (Rugby), NBA League Pass, and STARZPLAY Sports, the dedicated sports package covering football (Italian Serie A and Dutch Eredivisie leagues), wrestling (All Elite Wrestling), cricket, UFC Arabia, boxing, basketball, and more.
STARZPLAY Arabia has secured tie-ups with a host of leading, global studios, including Lionsgate, MGM, Warner Bros, Universal, Discovery, and Sony Studios along with regional producers such as UMS, Eagle Films, and Falcon. Until 2022, STARZ (www.starz.com), a Lionsgate company (NYSE: LGF.A, LGF.B) was the lead investor along with media and technology investment firms including SEQ Investors and Delta Partners.
In early 2021, STARZPLAY Arabia secured its first independent financing in the region of US$25 million (approx. AED 92 million) from Abu Dhabi-based Ruya Partners. In 2022, E-Vision, from e& and ADQ, an Abu Dhabi-based investment and holding company acquired a majority equity stake of around 57% in the company.
Reaching over 2.9 million subscribers, STARZPLAY Arabia allows subscribers to watch its full HD and 4K content via most internet-enabled devices, smart TVs, and game consoles and is widely available on regional IPTV services. Its iOS and Android apps – installed on over three million devices – also allow downloads for offline playback.