Netflix has signed an agreement with Dubai-based pay-TV OSN under which OSN subscribers will be able to access Netflix content across the Middle East and North Africa. A new OSN Box set-top service is to be launched towards the end of the second quarter via which Netflix content will be available. Netflix and Amazon together accounted for just 21 percent of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market in 2017, according to a report from research and analysis firm IHS Markit. “The future of the entertainment industry in the MENA region will be shaped by providers who offer value and choice at every turn,” commented OSN CEO Martin Stewart in a statement. Since launching in the Middle East in late 2016, the only original content in Arabic that Netflix has produced is a stand-up comedy special with Lebanese comedian and actor Adel Karam.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 18, 2018 11:48 UTC