iQIYI, China’s leading online entertainment service, signed a collaboration agreement with evision, the media and entertainment arm of e&, a state-owned telecommunications company in the UAE, on Friday.

The strategic partnership looks to distribute popular Chinese dramas, animation and movies to Middle East and North Africa (MENA) viewers through STARZ ON, evision’s free streaming service, empowering it to become the go-to destination for captivating Chinese entertainment in the MENA region, according to iQIYI.

Headquartered in Dubai, evision stands as the largest industry player in the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAP) region, with more than five million users, including flagship entertainment services such as STARZ ON, STARZPLAY, eLife TV, Switch TV, Misr TV, Mobily TV, and SHOQ TV.

Yang Xianghua, iQIYI’s senior vice-president, said, “This partnership marks a milestone for iQIYI’s global presence. By bringing premium Chinese content to MENA audiences, we believe this collaboration with evision will resonate deeply and create new, diverse business opportunities.”

“We are excited to deliver a superior viewing experience to evision’s users while expanding the reach of Chinese content,” he added.