If 2026 is going to be the year media and entertainment truly bend to the audience, John-Paul McKerlie, VP of Marketing and Sales at Tod MENA, a beIN Media Group platform, believes the MENA region is the testing ground. From football fans in Cairo to tech-savvy viewers in Dubai, the story isn’t just about broadcasting—it’s about making every moment feel personal, immediate, and unmissable.
When Technology Meets Human Desire
“The internet is everywhere,” John-Paul says, “but sophisticated e-commerce isn’t. That creates a unique challenge for media and advertising businesses: how do you monetize passion when the systems around you aren’t ready?”
For Tod, the answer is simple: build revenue around engagement, not just subscriptions. That could mean ad-supported highlights, premium access, or hybrid models, but always designed to keep the viewer at the center.
“Advertising-driven subscriptions aren’t just a local play; even global players entering MENA will need to think this way,” he notes, underscoring the scale of the opportunity.
Personalized Viewing: Your Game, Your Way
Forget one-size-fits-all. John-Paul predicts a world where every fan experiences the same game differently:
“You could have your own commentary, your favorite language, even a subtle bias toward your team. Every viewer sees the match as if they were in the stadium, tailored to them alone.”
Multi-angle cameras, AI-driven highlights, and real-time customization aren’t science fiction; they’re happening now, from F1 to football pitches. The result: a viewing experience that feels alive, personal, and endlessly shareable.
Growth on the Ground
Tod’s strategy is rooted in both scale and nuance. The Gulf, particularly the UAE, offers a mature payment infrastructure. Egypt brings sheer volume, and the French-speaking North African markets—Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco—are ripe for growth. John-Paul sees untapped passion for football and sports as the perfect bridge to build audiences and advertisers simultaneously.
“We’ve grown from the GCC outward, and the interest in North Africa is massive. The opportunity is enormous,” he says.
Advertising That Feels Human
Tod’s edge isn’t just content; it’s engagement. Highlights posted within 30 minutes of a match generate 15–30 million views, and viewers aren’t passive. They are watching, clicking, interacting—a marketer’s dream.
“Our engagement isn’t ‘background noise.’ When our audience watches, they’re fully there. That makes advertising more effective, CPMs higher, and targeting smarter,” John-Paul explains.
Beyond classic ads, Tod is exploring sponsored commentary, ambassador-led streams, and contextual brand integration, blurring the line between content and commerce in ways that feel natural, not intrusive.
Gamification as Insight
Gamification isn’t just a gimmick; it’s a way to understand your audience in real time. Trivia competitions, interactive polls, and fantasy-style features give Tod insight into fans’ favorite teams, players, and even predicted outcomes, feeding AI-driven recommendations and smarter ad targeting.
“Gaming helps us know who you are. That’s more valuable than just getting you to open the app,” John-Paul says.
It’s a marriage of data and human behavior that positions Tod as both a broadcaster and a platform for engagement, insight, and monetization.
The Scale of Opportunity
Sports dominate attention across MENA: 46–60 percent of individuals are actively engaged, and 70 percent of households have at least one sports fan. That’s tens of millions of viewers weekly, and John-Paul sees every one as an opportunity for brands.
“Premium sports content captures the highest CPMs because engagement is huge. Understanding your audience and connecting them to advertising, which is where the next 12–18 months will be critical,” he says.
Takeaways for Marketers
Personalization is the new currency: Content that adapts to the viewer in real time drives loyalty and engagement.
Engagement over reach: Active, high-quality attention outperforms sheer audience size.
Local nuance matters: Payments, language, and culture shape strategy and opportunity.
Gamification is insight: Interactive experiences aren’t just fun—they reveal what your audience cares about.
Content exclusivity rules: Rights ownership remains the ultimate differentiator in MENA sports.
John-Paul’s vision for Tod is bold but human: media isn’t just about screens; it’s about people. And the more you understand, personalize, and engage them, the more opportunities open for advertisers, platforms, and fans alike.
“If every viewer can feel the game is theirs alone, that’s when the magic happens. And that’s what we’re building toward.”
