Shahid () is an Arabic content streaming platform, headquartered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The platform was launched in 2008 by MBC Group and rebranded in 2020. More than 27 million unique monthly users were reported by the end of Ramadan 2019, and it managed to capture a market share of 85% VOD viewership in the MENA.
The senior management of Shahid consists of Sam Barnett, MBC Group's CEO; and Dominic Farrell as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Shahid. The platform is available globally, including key markets of 23 countries of the MENA region, Australia, the UK, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain, the US and Canada.
Shahid Original series, lengthy window debuts, pre-theatrical movies, access to MBC's TV stations in real HD, as well as western entertainment, documentaries, and children's programming, are all included in the content offered by Shahid VIP. Additionally, Shahid VIP provides international material from affiliated TV networks.
History
Launch, revamp and rebranding
It was launched in 2008 titled MBC Shahid Online, a platform created to allow MBC users to view its TV programmes at their own convenience. The platform only had archives of the MBC's content and served as a ‘catch-up’ service for MBC's channels.
2009 – Launched Shahid.net
In 2009, MBC extended Shahid Online to Shahid.net – a free Video on Demand streaming platform (AVOD), which was made available in multiple regions. In July 2012, the Shahid app was launched and it reached the top slot on the App store for Middle East and North Africa in a week's time.
2014 – Introduced SVOD service
The premium subscription-based service ‘Shahid PLUS’ (now Shahid VIP) was launched in 2014, which provided users with a variant of the free video on demand (VOD) service. Thereby, allowing subscribers to view all the available content without the interruption of any advertisements.
In 2019, the platform provided the audiences outside the MENA region access to the regular MBC programmes. The first episode of all the shows was made available for free, while the rest of the episodes were available through the subscription service of Shahid PLUS. This resulted in 2x increase in unique users outside of the MENA region.
2020 – Revamp and rebranding - Shahid VIP, the premium subscription-based service
In 2020, Shahid VIP went through rebranding and technical advancement. The revamped Shahid was launched during a ceremony held at the Dubai Opera on January 15, 2020. The Burj Khalifa was lit up with the slogan ‘It’s our Time’ marking the launch of the rebranded platform.
The offerings of the platform in both the free (Shahid) and paid tier (Shahid VIP) were re-strategized. The paid tier was rebranded as ‘Shahid VIP’ and the platform increased the ease of viewing, speed, quality of streaming, improved discoverability of the relevant content by providing access through mobile phones and various large TV screens using Chromecast and AirPlay functionality; followed by the launch of its app on all major connected TV platforms — Smart TVs and streaming players. Additionally, the rebranding included new features such as the English interface for the platform and login functionality using mobile number or Apple ID. The video streaming service also transitioned to the cloud infrastructure. Shahid VIP launched its branded remote control button in October 2020.
Shahid VIP partnerships
Shahid VIP has established several strategic partnerships with various companies to enhance accessibility to its services. Notable collaborations include a partnership with Viva, the telecom operator in Kuwait, in 2015, which allowed subscribers to make payments through their mobile phones.
In 2018, Shahid VIP entered a partnership with Omantel, the telecom provider in Oman, granting its users access to Shahid PLUS subscription. Similarly, in 2020, a collaboration was formed with Vodafone Egypt, offering Vodafone subscribers access to Shahid VIP without additional costs. In Saudi Arabia, Shahid VIP content is made available through Saudi Telecom Company (STC) following their partnership in May 2020, with all STC users receiving a complimentary two-month subscription to Shahid VIP.