Media mogul Salman Iqbal unveiled ARY Plus, Pakistan’s first home‑grown OTT platform aimed at taking on Netflix and Indian streaming giants.
The announcement, made at a press conference in Karachi, positions ARY Plus as a subscription‑based service that will aggregate a wide array of Pakistani dramas, serials, reality shows and original productions under one digital roof. Iqbal emphasized that the platform will leverage ARY Digital’s extensive content library while also commissioning new titles to meet the growing demand for locally resonant storytelling on-demand.
Industry insiders view the move as a strategic effort to keep Pakistani viewers engaged with home‑made programming rather than turning to foreign services. By channeling subscription fees and advertising spend back into the domestic creative sector, ARY Plus could provide a much‑needed boost to writers, directors, and production houses that have traditionally relied on broadcast television for revenue.
The launch comes at a time when South Asian media conglomerates are increasingly investing in indigenous technology to curb the outflow of viewership and earnings to overseas platforms. Analysts predict that if ARY Plus can deliver a compelling mix of legacy hits and fresh, high‑quality content, it could carve out a sizable niche in a market where internet penetration is rising rapidly and consumer appetite for streaming is at an all‑time high.