E-vison to launch consolidated OTT streaming services in UAE soon, says Zahra

UAE residents will be able to access all of their favourite OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms offering film and TV content on a single consolidated service, without the need to subscribe to each OTT separately.

E-vision, a subsidiary of the e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group, will launch the consolidated OTT streaming services next year, a senior executive told the Emirates News Agency.

Subscription fatigue

"Subscription fatigue of customers” (compulsion to subscribe to several streaming services at a time) has prompted the E-vision to launch a consolidated service, said Zahra Zayat, Chief Commercial Officer of E-vision.

In an interview with WAM at the Global Media Congress in Abu Dhabi, she explained that such a consolidation can technically be done overnight, but there is huge resistance from international OTT players in the market.

“They do not want to be next to their competitors, especially weaker ones. From our side, we want our customers get direct access to them (all OTT services together). Sometimes customers can access them through their mobile phone numbers. So, we have found a way to do it,” Zayat revealed.

One-stop shop

“It is an opportunity to create a clear winner in the market, aggregating all streaming services under one umbrella as a one-stop shop,” she emphasised.

Asked the practicability of such a solution, given the resistance from the OTT players, she said, “once you start onboarding some platforms, others will fear to remain standalone.”

Asked the potential number of OTTs in e-vision’s upcoming consolidated service, she said, “We are actually open to everyone. Because we have a fragmented customer base in terms of language and taste. So, we truly want everyone,” stressed the executive.

Discussion on media investment

She was a speaker at a panel discussion titled “Outlining media investment trends and how they will affect media landscape,” at the Global Media Congress (GMC), which was moderated by Asif Ismail, a Washington-based journalist, producer and publisher.

The first edition of the GMC was opened on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi under the patronage of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.

The conference-cum-exhibition event is organised by ADNEC Group in partnership with WAM.

The three-day Congress, taking place under the theme “Shaping the Future of the Media Industry,” sees participation from more than 1,200 media sector pioneers, specialists, and influencers from six continents in the globe, with more than 30 debates and workshops featuring more than 162 globally renowned speakers.