Online Video Revenues To Grow Over 22% Annually Until 2021: EY

Digital consumption in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is growing at one of the fastest paces in the world, driven by a large population, fast-improving mobile connectivity and a flood of new streaming platforms in the market.

That’s the top line from an EY report commissioned by the Dubai World Trade Centre published ahead of CABSAT 2018.

EY compiled its regional analysis, ‘Videonomics’, which pinpoints the growth in online revenues contributing to the current state of the digital market for MENA.

Ahmed Reda
Ahmed Reda

”Digital share of the video revenue pie is projected to rise from 9.6% in 2017 to 17.3% by 2021. Furthermore, teenagers and young adults, who make up the majority in the region, are entering the workforce and becoming paying consumers adding a significant boost to media spends. To capture a piece of this growth, content creators would be well served to focus on relevant genres for this youth audience, which may include sports, premium action or coming-of-age films,” said Ahmed Reda, MENA Telecommunications, Media and Technology Leader at EY.

Among the reasons, the report cites the large percentage of youths in the region, particularly those entering the workforce, as a catalyst for the growth.

“Digital video revenues and viewership are set to grow to by at least 22% annually till 2021 in the MENA region. To ride this new wave, content creators will need to focus on multi language offerings, partnerships across the video value chain, analytics and customer centricity,” added Nripendra Singh, Director, Media and Entertainment, EY Africa, India and the Middle East.

More than 13,000 regional and international industry are expected to attend CABSAT this year will have access to the exhibition floor, offering opportunities to test, use and experience the latest equipment in the broadcast, satellite communication, content delivery and electronic media industries, as well as explore the latest industry-tailored features lead by top experts in their sectors.

Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Events & Exhibitions Management, DWTC said, “Content producers and distributors have had to react to the influx of young adults entering the workforce, adapting to meet the needs of a new generation of consumer that now has purchasing power. This has given rise to new and different genres, the introduction of new platforms for streaming and a demand for service providers to deliver better and more reliable packages. It’s the companies’ ability to adapt to these changing demands that have contributed to the growth of this sector in the region.”

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