“Trade isn’t just ethical or economic,” Andrews added. “It’s also about reliability, privacy and personal security.”
Abid Kataya, digital content manager at SMEX, a Beirut-based digital rights organization that focuses on Internet policy in the Middle East and North Africa, says piracy in the region is less a result of culture than structural barriers.
“I see that piracy in MENA is not a cultural choice; rather, it has multiple layers,” Kataya told Wired Middle East.
“At first, when the Internet spread throughout the region, as in many other regions, people thought that everything on it was free,” Kataya says. “That impression was based on the nature of Web 1.0 and 2.0, and how the Internet was presented to people.”
Today, he says, structural barriers still drive many users to illegal platforms. “Consumers started watching online on unofficial streaming platforms for a number of reasons: lack of local platforms, inability to pay, bypassing censorship and of course watching for free or at reduced prices.”
Access to payment also remains an important factor. “Needless to say, many people are unbanked, don’t have bank accounts, don’t have access to online payments, or don’t trust paying with their cards and have a general mistrust of online payments,” Kataya adds.
Algerian students also share external hard drives full of television series, while streaming passwords in Lebanon are often shared among households. In Egypt, major Telegram channels distribute content in a variety of genres, including Korean dramas, classic Arab films and underground music.
“We’ve grown up solving problems online,” says Meera. “When something gets blocked, you find a way around it. It’s a basic human instinct.”
Adoption of streaming platforms
Andrews says StarzPlay has tried to remove some of the payment barriers that limit streaming adoption in the region. “StarzPlay recognized early on that payment friction was a regional barrier to adoption,” he says. “That’s why we invested in flexible subscription models and alternative payment methods, including telecom-led billing options that facilitate access to different markets.”
At the same time, international media companies are working together to combat piracy. Unity for creativity and fun (ACE), a coalition of film studios, television networks and streaming platforms that targets illegal distribution of film, television and sports content. Its members include global companies such as Netflix, as well as regional players such as OSN Group, which operates the OSN+ streaming service in the Middle East and North Africa.
Kataya noted that legitimate streaming platforms are still proliferating across the region. “The user base of official streaming platforms is growing in the region,” he says. “For example, Shahid, the Saudi platform, is expanding and Netflix has dedicated packages for the region.”
“Other players, such as StarzPlay and local platforms in Egypt, are also finding their niche,” Kataya adds. “Social media also plays a huge role, especially when a film is widely discussed or controversial.”
Andrews says piracy poses legal and security risks. “Rather than just ‘free streaming,’ piracy exposes users to malware and insecure payment channels,” he says. “It also undermines investment in local content by depriving creators of income and reducing jobs.”
But the structural barriers described by consumers across the region persist. For many viewers in North Africa and the Levant, the challenge isn’t choosing between piracy and legality—it’s whether legitimate access exists at all.