Discovery, StarzPlay take Dplay to MENA

Discovery’s Gold Rush

US factual giant Discovery has teamed up with StarzPlay, the streaming service of Lionsgate-owned network Starz, to take Discovery’s OTT platform Dplay to the MENA region.

StarzPlay’s subscribers in MENA will gain access to Dplay’s content, which will feature as a branded area on the StarzPlay platform, from the second quarter of 2020.

Dplay on StarzPlay will include content from Discovery’s portfolio of channels, with global franchises such as Shark Week, MythBusters, Gold Rush, Expedition Unknown, House Hunters International and Say Yes to the Dress.

Following a free trial period of up to a month, the monthly subscription will cost AED15 (US$4) in addition to existing subscription packages. StarzPlay subscribers will have the choice to subscribe to Dplay as an add-on package.

Discovery yesterday revealed it has launched an SVoD arm to Dplay in Japan, which debuted in the country as an AVoD service last year. It has also announced plans to launch an OTT service in India called Discovery Plus.

Discovery has previously struck partnerships to launch streaming services in Europe, including with pay TV outfit Cyfrowy Polsat in Poland and with ProSiebenSat.1 in Germany, where it set up Joyn.

It also agreed a 10-year deal with the BBC for the UK pubcaster’s library of natural history programming with a view to launching a global on-demand product.