Dubai: With more viewing options becoming available, subscribers in the UAE might get to call the shots on what they are willing to pay for their favourite movies and TV shows.

As has been happening in the US, broadcasters — including online ones — will become more flexible in creating the right sort of packages and with subscription rates to match to ensure their viewers like what they get. No longer are the options carved up between just the ‘basic’ and ‘premium’.

The chances are that if broadcasters don’t, viewers will be shopping around for the next viewing option. And in the blink of an eye …

For the pay-TV network OSN, the present offers an opportunity to stay ahead of the game. And in a marketplace where they had been pioneers in satellite-based content delivery.

“The growth of digital platforms are no doubt shifting the game … but OSN has been consistently redefining our growth model,” said David Butorac, Chief Executive Officer, OSN. “I believe that it is important to integrate the potential of digital into our existing framework to provide additional value for our subscribers.

“OSN Play was in fact the region’s first online TV service and we have several hundred thousand consumers already using their devices to access content anytime, anywhere both on OSN Play and GO.

“Internet-based content delivery is here to stay … but for pay-TV operators, the challenge is to ensure that across the board — both home and digital TV — we stay relevant.”

According to Hoshi Siganporia of tbi Advertising, “The fact that web TV is ‘on-demand’ gives the viewer the freedom to watch their favourite shows or movies on any platform without committing to a single piece of hardware. Web TV allows you to not only access the latest content, but also a full library of older content.”

 

The players and their packages

OSN’s monthly subscriptions are currently set at Dh110.72 a month for an entry-level ‘family’ package and which goes up to Dh477.75 for a ‘Platinum Plus HD’. Its on-the-go service, OSN Play, is available to all its generic subscribers.

If Netflix were to launch direct services in the UAE, of paramount interest would be to see what sort of subscription pricing band it would have. In the US, new subscribers are paying $8.99 a month for a single-screen viewing, while the premium one is $11.99, allowing up to four screens.

Starz Play charges Dh30 a month for its content delivery and with no ads airing on them. This is why the building up a sizeable subscriber base is vital to make its business model click. It is projecting subscriber numbers of 40,000-50,000 by year-end.

The icflix charges are set at $7.99 a month, but longer subscription periods of 180 to 360 says are discounted.

The eLife ON service featuring more than 190 TV channels is available for a monthly Dh30.