Icflix, the Dubai-based VOD platform founded by chairman Fadi Mehio and CEO Carlos Tibi in 2012 is upping its commitment to the Moroccan market, by signing production deals with leading Moroccan filmmakers.
The platform has also announced that it is prepping the first Arabic production about the Islamic State – “Come Back” – which will be shot in English, French and Arabic, lensing in Belgium, Turkey, France and multiple Middle Eastern countries, to be released in the early summer 2016.
Icflix currently vies neck and neck with Starz as the leading VOD platform in the 370 million Middle East-North Africa (MENA) market, that has a young and highly wired demographic.
As competition grows in the market, including the announced entry of Netflix in 2016, Icflix is reinforcing its commitment to co-producing original content.
Creation of a single VOD platform across the MENA market is particularly attractive to producers of Arabic content, since to date they have been frustrated by a highly fragmented market.
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In addition to its headquarters in the UAE, Icflix has offices in Morocco, Egypt and the Czech Republic and is currently available in Egypt, Morocco, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia. Icflix offers Hollywood, Bollywood, and Arabic content (which it terms Jazwood).
Its first Arabic productions were acquired in 2014, including the Egyptian productions “HIV” and “Al Makida” that were released in October 2014.
In Morocco, Icflix has an exclusive strategic partnership with Maroc Telecom, operating as their video-on-demand arm and has launched a major advertising campaign, expecting to attract 1 million customers by the end of 2016.
One of the first co-production deals inked in Morocco is Noureddine Lakhmari’s upcoming feature, “Burn Out”.
“Icflix will give me access to other countries in the Arab world,” confides Lakhmari. “This new development will give us much greater creative freedom and will make Arab filmmakers better known throughout the region.”
The platform is also acquiring completed films, such as Jerome Cohen Olivar’s dramedy “The Midnight Orchestra,” about a Jewish businessman and a Muslim taxi driver, which bowed in Moroccan theaters this November.
“Icflix are wonderful people,” beams Cohen Olivar. “I was very pleasantly surprised, I think they will make a major difference to Moroccan cinema.”
On the occasion of the 15th Marrakech Int’l Film Festival, Icflix provided Variety with an exclusive interview, specifying their plans to up their investments in Moroccan productions and to “put Moroccan Cinema on the map.”
When did you start broadcasting in Morocco?
We have always had a presence in Morocco since the launch of the service two years ago. Morocco has always been considered as one of ICFLIX’s main markets. Icflix also has local presence with an office where we concentrate highly on marketing and advertising.
Is Icflix in Morocco distinct from Icflix in other territories in which you operate – how does this work?
We provide the same service across the board, however, we are conscious of the language barrier in the North African region, and have made sure that our content is subtitled/dubbed on a constant basis to appeal to the local preference and demands.
How important is local programming for your offer?
There is a constant demand for local content. With Icflix venturing into original productions in Morocco we want to ensure that we cater to the needs of the local market and provide filmmakers a platform and opportunity to express their art and creativity and allow them to grow and exist in the market.
What deals have you already signed with local talent?
We have original productions planned in partnership with the Moroccan Cinema Center. We are currently co-producing “Burn Out” with Noureddine Lakhmari, which will be final installment of the trilogy following “Casanegra” and “Zero”. There will be the “Famila” TV show as well as the movie, “Come Back”, which will be the first movie to tackle the Daesh problem and its ramifications on the Arab community living both abroad and in MENA. The movie will be filmed in Belgium, Turkey, France and multiple Middle Eastern countries and will be one of the largest Arabic productions to hit the cinemas early summer worldwide. The movie will be available in English, French and Arabic leveraging cast from Europe and Middle East. Icflix will also introduce and provide a platform to new and upcoming talent.
Who are your main competitors in Morocco?
There are no competitors since we are the only SVOD streaming service in Morocco. ICFLIX is a complementary service that sits alongside traditional pay-tv. We are not here to take away anyone’s business, we’re simply here to provide an affordable form of entertainment on people’s time rather than allowing viewers to be dictated what they should watch, and so we’re giving flexibility to the user.
What are your forecasts in terms of subscribers and churn?
We are planning to reach 1M subscribers before the end of 2016.
What are your views on Moroccan cinema (in particular) and Moroccan TV fiction?
Moroccan movies address issues without delving boldly into them. Movies will talk about issues but make sure they don’t offend. Homegrown cinema has certainly made its mark since the 1990s, which gave rise to a new generation of filmmakers.
Morocco has a very small number of cinemas (31 cinemas for 30 million people). Do you see this as a problem for icflix?
“Burn Out” will actually be Icflix’s first of many cinematic productions planned for Morocco, with aims to encourage Moroccan cinema to showcase content that represents the country at major international festivals as well as showcasing those productions on the Icflix platform, making them accessible to the Arab communities around the world. Our plan is to put Moroccan Cinema on the map.
How important is your Morocco operation in terms of Icflix’s overall strategy for the Arab-speaking market, what synergies exist?
Icflix has an exclusive strategic partnership in place with Maroc Telecom by becoming their video-on-demand arm for them and for Icflix to be able to leverage their infrastructure for billing purposes. This also gives Maroc Telecom another opportunity to increase the ARPU for data consumption and make legal streaming available to a wide audience.
