INTELLIGENT BRANDS // Mobile Technology
The Egyptian market is one that grants
huge reach to any service or product;
with a population fast approaching
one hundred million with a majority
comprised of the young digital citizens.
This market is highly receptive and
promising to services like Viu.
While we learn from all the markets
we operate in, we treat every market
with the utmost attention to the target
audience, relevance and premium
offerings. In Egypt, we provide a line-up
that comprises Arabic, regional and
Bollywood-dubbed movies, along with
the most recent TV series, including
multiple simulcasts.
Sherif Dahan, Regional Director – OTT MEA at Vuclip
different from Algeria, Tunisia and
Morocco. The languages and genres
of content for each of those markets
is a major factor when considering
launching an OTT service. Internet and
smartphone penetration, quality and
speed of connections and Average
Revenue Per User (ARPU) levels are
not as high as other regions, yet scale
is incomparable.
Is digital TV in Egypt a viable
entertainment option?
Yes; however, there many factors
that come to play. With the young
population, below the age of 35,
constituting more than half of
the population, consumption of
content through digital media, be
it smartphones, desktops, laptops
and tablets, is exponential. Internet
penetration and fixed broadband
affordability are both experiencing an
upward trend.
The challenge lies in the economic
situation at the current stage in Egypt
after the devaluation of the Egyptian
pound, whereby the overall buying
power of the largely dominant middle
class has been majorly affected; making
access to smartphones and higher data
packs ever more challenging.
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How does Vuclip plan to scale in
Egypt and the Middle East?
VIU is already live in eight markets in
the Middle East; the full GCC as well as
Jordan and Egypt. In those markets,
consumers can access an extensive
premium library of movies, TV series,
TV shows, documentaries, select sports
shows and thousands of music videos.
For each of these categories, we strive
to be highly relevant to the regions and
countries we operate in.
In the Arabian Gulf, our library
includes Arabic, Indian, Filipino and
regional content across the mentioned
categories and hence the traction from
locals, expats, as well as major diasporas
like Indians and Filipinos, is very high.
We make sure to constantly update our
service with titles that are highly popular
as well as some ‘Day and Date’ runs of
shows like the line-up of Ramadan TV
series we had throughout the month
of June. Our app is already on the top
in the Google Play Store entertainment
category, reflecting the type of traction
we are getting in our markets.
What is the difference between
Egypt and rest of the world as
far as Vuclip’s market opportunity
is concerned?
We complement these with selected
TV shows from across the region
and prominent global producers and
distributors of sports, cooking, prank/
practical joke shows and documentaries,
which have proved to drive traction
among our audience in Egypt.
Egypt has a long cinematic history
that contributes to more than 90%
of the Middle East yearly production
of movies and TV shows. Hence, the
entertainment preference of the
Egyptian audience has to be taken
into consideration when formulating a
content offering strategy. In addition,
features like ‘download to watch later’ is
one that VIU offers, which has proved to
be highly appreciated by our Egyptian
user base. n
“VIU is already
live in eight
markets in the
Middle East.
We strive to be
highly relevant
to the regions
and countries
we operate in.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
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