BUSINESS

A year of unmatched growth for Intigral

Whilst most global economic sectors took a heavy blow in 2020 resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of industries were fortunate to witness growth surpassing forecasts and expectations. One such industry was the global OTT industry that has grown 21%, growing from $85B in 2019 to $103B in 2020. OTT (over-the-top) applications are services delivered over the existing Internet infrastructure. The tremendous growth of this industry has predominantly resulted from stay-at-home orders instituted by Governments around the world which drove the masses away from travel and outdoor leisure towards readily accessible entertainment options enjoyable from the safety and comfort of their home. In MENA, one of the world’s centers of digital growth, the VOD (Video-on-Demand) market is projected to grow three-fold to over 11 million OTT subscriptions and a turnover of $1.2B by 2025. Saudi Arabia’s video OTT market in particular is projected to add $0.5B revenues by 2025, owing to advanced connectivity infrastructures and Vision 2030 which places digital transformation at the heart of its progress and economic diversification strategy. Intigral, the leading Saudi homegrown video OTT provider and subsidiary of stc, seized the year with its flagship offering, Jawwy TV, and pursued an ambitious strategy underscored with pioneering initiatives, valuable offerings, and expansion endeavors that increased the prominence of the platform even further. Jawwy TV more than doubled its user base in 2020, hitting a million downloads between January and December. It accomplished a 65% increase in new subscribers, and saw an 88% surge in viewership levels compared to the previous year. Jawwy TV, which boasts a plethora of viewing opportunities, offering 190+ live free to air and encrypted TV channels, an on-demand catalogue comprising over 25,000 movies and series, and an unmatched lineup of partnerships with numerous acclaimed networks, goes beyond curation and streaming to being a producer of outstanding original content. Among its most recent productions, Jawwy TV released “Bel Sa’a” in February, an original comedy-thriller series. For Ramadan, it contracted with top regional production companies to produce “Yamam”, “Hawas”, “Itijah Khate'e”, and “Bent w Walad”. In summer, it launched its original Saudi comedy series ”FBI”, while in September, it unveiled the original series “Darine”, and in October, introduced its first life