A new streaming app in Egypt has sparked controversy among fans of TV series, who are bemoaning that they will now have to pay to watch what they had been watching free online for years.

The privately owned United Media Services Group, which produces TV series and owns several TV channels, launched WATCHiT, Egypt’s homegrown answer to Netflix, on May 1, just before Ramadan which falls this year May 5-June 4. Its Synergy Films affiliate produced 15 of the 26 television series broadcast during Ramadan, the peak viewing season of the year. United Media Services also owns most Egyptian satellite channel networks, including Al-Hayat and ON E, and the lion’s share of the Capital Broadcasting Center (CBC) channels, and it recently acquired D Media Group, which owns the popular TV channel DMC. 

In the past, Egyptians who missed a series on TV had watched the reruns for free, either through TV channels on YouTube or on pirate sites. Since the launch of WATCHiT, however, most series are no longer available through free digital platforms after their original streaming.

Tamer Mursi, CEO of the United Media Services, issued a May 4 statement on what's behind WATCHiT. Local media quoted the statement as saying, “Most of the global content producers have for some time aimed at protecting the intellectual property rights of content. The content is therefore not available on free platforms in the high quality required by modern viewers. However, it might be available on specialized digital platforms.” It also stated, “The new platform will seek lots of media rights in different areas to entertain viewers.”