Dubai, 7 September 2023 – MBC Media Solutions (MMS), the commercial arm of MBC Group—the largest and leading media company in the Middle East and North Africa— announced its partnership with Viaccess-Orca & Equativ to empower the monetization of Shahid, MBC GROUP’s streaming platform.

Shahid is the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform offering its 15 million monthly unique viewers globally a wide range of premium content and entertainment across all genres, to cater to every taste out there. The streaming platform offers brands the opportunity to reach millions of Arabs from all over the world across AVOD (advertising video-on-demand) & SVOD (subscription-based video-on-demand).  

As part of the partnership, Viaccess-Orca and Equativ will have access to Shahid’s AVOD inventory outside of GCC & Egypt countries by connecting brands with audiences through its premium content. 

Integrating Equativ’s global network will enable global demand from North American and European regions to access Shahid’s reach outside of the GCC & Egypt market, offering them a premium ad experience that is highly visible and brand safe across various devices: connected TV, mobile, desktop and tablet. 

This partnership will also cement Equativ’s position as a leading force in this specialized advertising landscape, as it will cater to the surging demand for seamless access to a reservoir of top-tier inventory and facilitate advertisers in effectively pinpointing their desired Arabic-speaking audiences on a global scale.

Commenting on the partnership, Céline Gauthier-Darnis, EVP MENAT APAC at Equativ, stated: “As a global organization, we are committed to providing advertising services across the world. With a focus on APAC/MENAT, we want to ensure those services are also expanding to the Arab diaspora in America and Europe. By working with partners such as MMS and Viaccess-Orca, we can continue to provide customized content in various languages to cater to this diverse audience, while utilizing our proprietary technology to help ensure precise contextual targeting in the appropriate language in order to  drive strong performance and maximize return on investment for our customers.” 

Nadim Samara, Chief Operating Officer at MMS, said: “We are thrilled to announce our strategic partnership with Equativ through Viaccess-Orca. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to connect brands with audiences through premium content. By joining forces with Viaccess-Orca and Equativ, and leveraging the latter’s cutting-edge technology, we are paving the way for brands and clients to access Shahid’s engaged viewers from all corners of the world.”

Sammer Elia, Sales & Business Development Director for MENA at Viaccess-Orca, said: “With targeted TV advertising our objective is to enable content providers to personalize viewers’ experience and thereby drive higher user engagement. Our partnership between two experienced technology providers such as Equativ and VO results in an easy, fast, and secure way to address the targeted TV advertising market and generate revenues.”

About Equativ

Equativ is a leading independent ad tech platform built to serve the interests of both advertisers and publishers. Equativ provides brand and privacy-safe solutions that empower its clients to achieve maximum impact, while respecting the rights of consumers, and combines client expertise and engineering excellence to serve the interests of both the supply-side and demand-side with equal professionalism and technical sophistication.

Headquartered in Paris and New York, Equativ operates globally with a team of 600 employees in 16 offices. Equativ offers the market its own independent ad server, SSP, buyer tools, and media services to fulfill the promise of advertising technology.

For more info, visit www.equativ.com

About MBC Media Solutions (MMS)

MMS is an in-house commercial advertising and sales unit launched in 2020 in partnership between MBC GROUP and Saudi Media Company. 

MMS offers data-driven integrated media solutions across television, radio, digital and OTT platforms, keeping MBC GROUP at the forefront of the media industry— enabling brands and clients to connect with their audiences through premium content that drives growth through data, technology and talent.

For more info, visit www.mms.net  

About “Shahid”

“Shahid” is the first subscription-based video-on-demand (SVOD) & advertising-based video-on-demand platform (AVOD) in the Arab world. Today, it has become the leading Arab broadcasting platform in the world with qualitative content directed to all Arab families, and the home of original one of its kind Arab productions. Under it are “Shahid Originals” and “Shahid Premieres”, in addition to the latest Arab films recently coming from theaters, in parallel with a live broadcast of a group of Arab, regional and international TV channels that are most watched in HD quality. 

For more info, visit www.shahid.net  

About Viaccess-Orca

Viaccess-Orca (VO) is a leading provider of data-driven, end-to-end solutions that empower TV operators and service providers to deliver, secure, and monetize viewing experiences on every screen. From enabling AI-powered personalized TV and targeted advertising to offering robust security and anti-piracy services, VO is continually evolving to meet changing viewer preferences and industry needs.  

Deployed by over 100 customers worldwide to power advanced video services for millions of subscribers, VO’s cloud-native solutions allow easy integration with any ecosystem and quick time to market for new features and top-notch technologies. 

A subsidiary of the Orange Group, VO has decades of award-winning expertise in securing both video content and digital assets across the connected Industry 4.0. 

For more info, visit www.viaccess-orca.com