DUBAI: Global real-life entertainment provider Discovery Inc. has announced a partnership with regional streaming platform StarzPlay to launch its streaming service Discovery+ in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

The new platform will be available as an add-on service on StarzPlay in the region, and will feature all global content including original productions and new launches.

The announcement comes in the same week as the launch of Discovery+ in other global markets, including the US and Europe.

At the virtual launch, Maaz Sheikh, CEO and co-founder of StarzPlay, said internal research showed a gap in the market with regard to reality and non-fiction content on the platform, especially in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

The streaming company aims to bridge this gap through Discovery+ content, which features shows such as “Shark Week”, “MythBusters”, “NASA’s Unexplained Files” and “Say Yes to the Dress.” It will also feature the BBC’s natural history library, including Planet Earth and Blue Planet.

Among the initial line-up of exclusive originals are “The Impossible Row”, “Amy Schumer Learns to Cook (Uncensored)” and “JonBenet Ramsey: What Really Happened?,” with more to come in the next few weeks.

Discovery+ will also feature the full range of shows from Arabic food channel Fatafeat, making this the first time that its full-length TV shows are available outside the broadcast channel.

Kasia Kieli, president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Discovery Inc., said: “The launch of Discovery+ across MENA represents a major step toward adding 18 additional countries and territories to the global expansion of the platform, giving customers options to access the content that they love and have come to expect from Discovery.”

StarzPlay aims to develop more such content partnerships to drive further growth in terms of both subscribers and revenue.

Danny Bates, co-founder and chief communications officer of StarzPlay, said: “Hopefully we can announce some very exciting announcements in the near future — products that, much the same as Discovery+, complement our core service and bring more choice and more global brands to our consumers.”