Streaming-first audiences, shortform storytelling, remote production and global distribution are reshaping the sports media landscape in the Middle East and North Africa. With deep local partnerships and decades of international experience, IMG’s studios business is helping the region’s rightsholders seize the opportunity.
A shifting media landscape
The Gulf and the wider region are transforming how sport is produced, distributed and consumed. Audiences across the Middle East are no longer bound by the traditional broadcast model. Fans are streaming matches on OTT platforms such as Shahid or Starzplay, tuning into watch-alongs on WatchAlong+ and catching highlights on TikTok.
This audience shift is forcing rightsholders, broadcasters and producers to think differently about every piece of content they create. And it’s where IMG, along with its studios business, is playing a decisive role.
Short form as a front-row seat
For younger audiences, 90 minutes of football or a multi-hour esports stream often isn’t the entry point. Instead, it’s a 15-second highlight or a snappy reel shared on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok. These formats are rapidly changing how sport is consumed and produced.
IMG has been quick to apply lessons from its global portfolio to the region, drawing on experience producing content for the Premier League and MLS. By building workflows that allow near-instant clipping and multi-language packaging, IMG helps rightsholders generate content that fits the habits of the region's social-first fanbase. For partners, it means their product doesn’t just exist as live moments but lives on across platforms where audiences spend their time.
Remote production, local impact
Another defining trend is the move towards remote production. Around the world, centralised operations are cutting costs and relying on remote production services. This means fewer trucks, facilities and people on site and technology that sends content back to a central hub, increasing efficiency and ensuring consistency across events. Rightsholders in the Middle East and North Africa are now embracing this approach, assisted by major partnerships such as IMG’s five-year deal with the Saudi Pro League and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
IMG’s approach to remote production, as proven with other globally resonant leagues, enables multiple matches to be produced on the same day, with unified graphics, centralised quality control and seamless storytelling. The goal is to be able to provide this service in Saudi Arabia.
Importantly, IMG’s model is not just about technology; it’s about people. Partnering with Riyadh-based Alamiya Media, IMG has committed to training and developing Saudi production talent. Local crews now work side by side with international experts on major fixtures, building the skills base that will power the region’s broadcast future at a time when the kingdom is diversifying its economy as part of Vision 2030.
Expanding the region’s reach
Producing great content is one piece of the puzzle. Making sure it reaches fans worldwide is another area where IMG plays a crucial role.
In 2025, the Saudi Pro League renewed its international media rights deal with IMG for another four years, and last season the league was broadcast in more than 184 countries across 43 platforms, including ESPN in Africa, DAZN in Europe, Fox Sports in the Americas and Globo in Brazil. For the SPL, production and distribution work hand in hand and result in a premium on-screen product complemented by global availability.
The same principle applies to other regional properties IMG supports. At the Saudi Cup, the world’s most valuable horse race, IMG produces the world feed and supporting programming such as The Golden Hour, a culturally oriented magazine show, carried by more than 30 broadcasters in 170 territories. Meanwhile, through its long-term partnership with the Arab Gulf Cup Football Federation, IMG manages global media rights and sponsorship, helping the tournament and its organisers secure new partners and audiences well beyond the region.
New formats for new audiences
Perhaps the boldest example of innovation is the Esports World Cup (EWC) in Riyadh. Here, IMG partnered with the EWC Foundation to create and produce EWC Spotlight, a two-hour live studio show blending match highlights, celebrity guests and explainer content aimed at mainstream audiences.
With AR graphics, drone shots and roaming cameras in a custom-built Boulevard City studio, the production was designed to feel as dynamic as the tournament action itself. And by packaging esports in a way that appeals to core fans as well as newcomers, IMG demonstrated how regional events can become global entertainment moments.
Global lessons, local execution
What makes IMG’s role unique is the way it translates global experience into local value. IMG’s studios business has produced for the Premier League for two decades, covering 180-plus territories; modernised coverage for the English Football League across 72 clubs; built bilingual coverage for Major League Soccer’s Season Pass on Apple; and delivered an award-winning UEFA Champions League show for CBS.
These experiences provide the playbook for what’s now happening in MENA: scalable production, multi-language feeds, and premium social storytelling that’s turned around fast. With presence in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh and active partnerships across Saudi Arabia, IMG is embedding that expertise locally while developing the region’s own capabilities.
The road ahead
For the UAE and its neighbours, the direction is clear. Audiences are digital, their attention is fragmented and the expectation for quality is higher than ever. To compete, rightsholders need content that is consistent, versatile, globally relevant and locally resonant.
IMG’s strategy in the Middle East and North Africa is built to solve that exact equation: global craft plus local capability. By investing in technology, distribution and, crucially, talent, IMG is helping ensure the region’s productions are world-leading.
As the region’s sports calendar continues to grow, so will its role on the world stage. And if recent partnerships are any indication, IMG will remain at the heart of that journey, bridging audiences, cultures and platforms to tell MENA’s sporting stories to the world.
