Orange Maroc to launch movies and series VOD service

Moroccan mobile operator Orange Maroc is to launch an Orange Films et Séries video-on-demand service after securing approval from the country’s regulator, the Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle (HACA).

Régis Deliere

Orange Maroc will make the VOD service available to pre- and post-paid mobile subscribers, according to local reports. The service will make films and series available in Arabic, French and English. According to Régis Deliere, head of consumer at Orange Maroc, the company could commission its own content in the future.

Orange has not yet revealed its content line-up or the price of subscriptions.

Deliere was quoted as saying that Orange Films et Séries would be available on multiple screens via the operator’s Orange et Moi app and that the aim was to make it a prominent part of the gateway to all Orange services.

The HACA authorised Orange Maroc’s holding company Medi Telecom to commercialise Orange Films et Séries in December for an initial period of three years.

Rival operator Maroc Telecom offers VOD services from Starz Play and Icflix, while the country’s number three player Inwi offers MBC’s Shahid Plus streaming service. Icflix has meanwhile taken the plunge into local production with Moroccan film Burn Out, directed by Noureddine Lakhmari, which was released theatrically last October.

Orange Maroc has about 13 million mobile subscribers in Morocco, making it the number two operators after Maroc Telecom. The company is 49% owned by Orange, with government investment group Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion and industrial group Finance Com holding 25.5% each.