Mahatat

Mahatat is a Kuwait-based video-on-demand and streaming company focused on audiences in the Middle East and North Africa. The business was founded in the United States in 2009 under the names Twitvid, Inc. and later Telly, Inc., before adopting the Mahatat identity. It developed during an early period in the region’s online-video market, when broadband, smartphones, connected televisions, fragmented rights ownership, and widespread piracy were reshaping how audiences accessed films and television. The platform launched in 2012 with a social-discovery element that recommended videos based on what a visitor’s contacts were watching. Its broader proposition combined commercially licensed international entertainment with Arabic programming, Bollywood films, local productions, television series, exclusive originals, and Kuwaiti short films. Rather than operating solely as a catalogue of imported Hollywood content, Mahatat presented itself as a regional service capable of combining global studio material with programming relevant to Arab viewers. Mahatat’s stated geographic reach included the Gulf states, the Levant, North Africa, Iraq, and Yemen. It maintained a presence in Kuwait and Dubai, while its wider service footprint covered Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, and Yemen. The company was reported to have pursued both direct online viewing and distribution through consumer devices, particularly smartphones and smart televisions. Panasonic Smart TVs were cited as one route through which the service could reach households with preloaded access to Arabic and Hollywood films and television shows. The company pursued content partnerships with Sony Pictures Television, Miramax, Samsung Mobile, and independent rights holders. Reported licensed programming included series such as Breaking Bad and films including The Social Network and There Will Be Blood, while the overall catalogue was described as containing more than 1,000 television shows and films. In 2013, Mahatat acquired Sha-Sha, an Arab streaming service that had been described in the press as a regional equivalent of Netflix. The acquisition was intended to strengthen Mahatat’s Arabic-market position and expand its streaming offering. Mahatat also collaborated with Telfaz 11, a Saudi digital entertainment network, to provide selected programming to viewers before it became available on YouTube. This arrangement reflected the company’s effort to use online video as a first-window distribution channel rather than relying only on conventional television or open video platforms. The company’s move into original programming was represented by the 2015 co-production A Song in Her Eyes, starring Haya Abdul Salam and Fouwad Ali. The project marked an expansion from aggregation and licensing into locally oriented production. Mahatat was also reported to have raised a cumulative $20 million from investors including DFJ, Lumia Capital, and Azure Capital, with Cinemagics in Kuwait holding a majority stake and contributing a production-industry connection. Mahatat operated in a market that included icflix and other emerging over-the-top video services. Its development illustrates the early regional streaming model: secure international and local rights, make content accessible on mobile and connected-TV devices, build an Arabic catalogue, and gradually experiment with exclusive and original programming. Publicly available reference material does not establish the company’s present operating status, current ownership structure, active catalogue, or current website, so those details remain unconfirmed.

Mahatat originated as a United States-founded online-video company in 2009, initially operating under the names Twitvid, Inc. and Telly, Inc. It later developed a Kuwait-centered regional identity and became associated with video-on-demand distribution across the Middle East and North Africa. The company entered the market at a time when online video in the region was expanding but remained fragmented, with relatively limited investment, inconsistent rights availability, and piracy placing pressure on legitimate services. After its 2012 launch, Mahatat combined streaming access with social recommendations. Visitors could receive suggestions based on videos their social contacts had watched, reflecting an attempt to make discovery part of the product rather than simply presenting a static catalogue. The company targeted a broad regional footprint covering the Gulf, Levant, North Africa, Iraq, and Yemen, and maintained offices or local presence in Kuwait and Dubai. Its catalogue strategy combined international studio licensing and regional content. Mahatat reported agreements involving Sony Pictures Television, Miramax, Samsung Mobile, and independent content owners. The resulting offering included Hollywood films, television series, Bollywood titles, Arabic productions, exclusive content, and Kuwaiti short films. Reported examples of international programming included Breaking Bad, The Social Network, and There Will Be Blood. The company also pursued distribution through smartphones and smart televisions, with Panasonic Smart TVs cited as a platform on which the service was made available or preloaded for regional audiences. In 2013, Mahatat acquired Sha-Sha, an Arabic streaming service that had attracted comparisons with Netflix. The transaction gave Mahatat a stronger Arabic-content and audience proposition. Around the same period, it partnered with Telfaz 11, a Saudi internet-television network, to make selected programming available before release on YouTube. These initiatives show a strategy built around regional exclusivity, local partnerships, and differentiated digital windows. Mahatat’s financing and ownership were connected to the Kuwaiti production company Cinemagics. Public reference material reports cumulative funding of $20 million from investors including DFJ, Lumia Capital, and Azure Capital, with Cinemagics holding a majority stake. The company’s relationship with Cinemagics also supported its transition toward content production. That transition became visible in June 2015, when Mahatat and Cinemagics co-produced A Song in Her Eyes, featuring Haya Abdul Salam and Fouwad Ali. The project was identified as Mahatat’s first move toward original production and programming. It complemented the company’s earlier reliance on licensed studio and independent content and aligned with the broader streaming-industry shift toward exclusive and owned programming. Mahatat competed in an emerging regional OTT market that included icflix. Its business model sought to exploit the growth of connected devices and demand for Arabic-language entertainment while also using internationally recognizable films and series to attract viewers. Available reference material does not provide reliable information about later corporate developments, current executives, present ownership, current availability, or whether the service remains active. Accordingly, its current status is recorded as unknown.

• 2015

  First reported original co-production

  [1]Mahataten.wikipedia.org

  Mahatat and Cinemagics co-produced A Song in Her Eyes, marking the company’s move toward original programming.

• 2013

  Sha-Sha acquisition

  [1]Mahataten.wikipedia.org

  Mahatat acquired Sha-Sha to strengthen streaming distribution and Arabic-language content coverage.

• 2013

  Telfaz 11 partnership

  [1]Mahataten.wikipedia.org

  Mahatat partnered with Telfaz 11 on an online first-window model for Saudi digital programming.

• 2012

  Mahatat platform launches

  [1]Mahataten.wikipedia.org

  Mahatat launched a video-on-demand service featuring social recommendations and a regional streaming proposition.

• 2009

  Company founded

  [1]Mahataten.wikipedia.org

  The company was founded in the United States under an earlier corporate identity associated with Twitvid and Telly.

A regional over-the-top entertainment service combining Arabic and locally produced programming with Hollywood, Bollywood, and other international content across web, mobile, and connected-TV channels.

• Video streaming · 2012

  Mahatat video-on-demand platform

  Mahatat’s core digital service provided on-demand access to films, television series, locally produced programming, exclusive content, and short films. It used social recommendations to assist discovery and was designed for audiences across the Middle East and North Africa. The service was associated with web, smartphone, and connected-TV distribution.

• Arabic streaming service

  Sha-Sha

  Sha-Sha was an Arabic streaming service acquired by Mahatat in 2013. Its integration was intended to expand Mahatat’s reach among Arab audiences and strengthen the company’s regional catalogue and streaming proposition.

• Original film or television production · 2015

  A Song in Her Eyes

  A Song in Her Eyes was a co-production between Mahatat and Cinemagics released or announced in 2015. Starring Haya Abdul Salam and Fouwad Ali, it represented Mahatat’s first reported step toward original production and programming rather than purely licensed distribution.

• 2015

  Enter original programming through A Song in Her EyesProduct launch

  Background

  After building its service around licensed films, series, and independent content, Mahatat sought to develop locally relevant original programming.

  Action taken

  Mahatat co-produced A Song in Her Eyes with Cinemagics, starring Haya Abdul Salam and Fouwad Ali.

  Aftermath

  The production marked Mahatat’s reported first move toward original content and broadened its role from distributor toward producer.

  Source

• 2013

  Acquire Sha-Sha to expand Arabic streamingM&A

  Background

  Mahatat operated in a fragmented regional online-video market and sought a stronger Arabic-language audience and content position.

  Action taken

  The company acquired Sha-Sha, an Arabic streaming service, and incorporated the acquisition into its wider regional video strategy.

  Aftermath

  The acquisition strengthened Mahatat’s stated focus on streaming for Arab audiences, although later operating results and integration details are not established by the available source.

  Source

1. 1Mahataten.wikipedia.org