Yango Play, the entertainment arm of tech company Yango, is betting on locally relevant content and multi-format entertainment to compete with global streaming giants in the Middle East, according to Chief Executive Roman Shimansky.
In an interview with the Arabian Business podcast AB Majlis, Shimansky revealed that Yango Play is experiencing “tremendous growth” across GCC countries and Egypt just one year after launching in the region.
“We want to make the local content and stories as best as we can, to bring the higher production value, to just make the product really tailored,” Shimansky said. “This is something that none of the global players would be able to do just by investing so much into being locally relevant and caring about every single country in the region.”
The platform differentiates itself by offering seamless transitions between music, video, and gaming experiences within a single subscription service. Drama and comedy genres currently drive the highest engagement on the platform.
Shimansky announced that Yango Play will launch on PlayStation, expanding its device availability beyond mobile and smart TV platforms. The company is also experimenting with gamification features following successful trials during Ramadan.
Looking ahead, Yango Play aims to position itself as a platform for nurturing young creative talent in the region. “I strongly feel that there is a big gap overall into how the streaming platforms and overall production caters to the new generations, millennials, Gen Zs,” Shimansky explained.
The company uses both AI-driven personalisation and human curation to tailor content recommendations by country, recognising distinct preferences across the region while developing original productions intended to appeal to wider regional audiences.
Yango Play’s strategy comes as Middle Eastern countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have increased investment in local film and creative industries as part of economic diversification efforts.
The data-driven subscription economy
Shimansky, who holds a master’s degree in computer science and information technology, brings a unique blend of analytical thinking and creative passion to Yango Play’s operations. This duality is reflected in the platform’s sophisticated approach to measuring success.
“I’m the number one fan of metrics in our whole office,” Shimansky told AB Majlis. “We’re experimenting with complex metrics, like projecting two different versions of the future, one where we had a particular title and another where we didn’t, to measure how a show impacts retention.”
This analytical approach extends to content development, where Shimansky believes data can enhance creativity rather than restrict it. “With content creators and producers, giving them insights allows them to produce content that better connects with the audience. The creativity is the essential part, but data insights can help make it slightly better.”
Genre classifications are also evolving beyond traditional categories. “For recent couple of years, genres have evolved into more complex descriptions. It’s more about the hashtags you can associate with certain types of titles,” he explained, adding that Yango Play’s approach to genre is increasingly focused on experimentation and mixing different elements.
As the subscription economy continues to expand, with consumers subscribing to multiple services rather than owning content, Yango Play is positioning itself at the intersection of technology and entertainment – a space Shimansky believes will define the future of media consumption in the Middle East.
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