Mobile internet has become a defining opportunity for an age that believes in data driven advertising. In the year ahead, the trends are even more pronounced. According to the report, PwC Middle East’s ‘Beyond Digital; Middle East and Africa’ (MEA), mobile internet subscribers in the Middle East and Africa are expected to grow at a CAGR of 21.9 percent in 2019. The report which takes a look at the rise of mobile internet also states that global smartphone connections are forecast to double from 1.92 billion in 2014 to 3.85 billion in 2019.
The report further predicts that in the MEA, entertainment and media spend will increase from USD 38.8 million in 2014 to USD 61.1 million in 2019. This is due to changing customer habits, where consumers want flexible, on-demand TV and film viewing across platforms, with OTT (over the top)/streaming reaching USD 19.2 billion globally by 2019.
In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is expected to have the highest film market revenue growth, albeit from a low base, at a CAGR of 18.5 percent from 2014-2019, driven by OTT/streaming and there is no cinema sector in the country.
Commenting on the launch, Philip Shepherd, PwC Middle East’s Entertainment and Media Partner said, “Customer habits are ever-evolving and changing all the time. With the availability of all digital resources at our fingertips, consumers will choose the most convenient, flexible and fastest methods to connect digitally.”
