Maaz Sheikh Height, Age, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Maaz Sheikh

• Ever since his childhood days, Maaz Sheikh has loved watching and playing cricket. He used to accompany his father and go to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to watch India versus Pakistan matches.

• In 1996, Maaz Sheikh started working as a corporate financier at the American telecommunications company named ‘Sprint Corporation’ in Kansas, USA, which was the fourth-largest mobile network operator in the United States.

• In 1997, Maaz started working as a consulting manager in the San Francisco Bay Area for the French multinational information technology (IT) services and consulting company named ‘Capgemini SE.’ The company later acquired the Ernst & Young Consulting company and was named ‘Cap Gemini Ernst & Young.’

• In 1999, Maaz Sheikh started working as a VPN Product Manager at the American telecommunications company named ‘XO Communications,’ in the San Francisco Bay Area.

• In 2001, Maaz Sheikh started working as the Vice President of the Sales and Marketing department of the ‘Virtela Communications,’ which is a Telecommunications, Manufacturing, and Cloud company.

• In 2005, he started working as the Vice President of the Worldwide Sales and Marketing department of an American supply chain management company named ‘JDA Software Group’ (now known as Blue Yonder Group, Inc.).

• In 2007, Maaz Sheikh moved to Dubai to expand his working portfolio. He started working as the Chief Sales and Operations Officer of the media and entertainment company named ‘OSN’ (Orbit Showtime Network), which is based in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with its headquarters in Dubai.

• In 2014, Maaz Sheikh, along with Danny Bates, Khaled Benchouche, and Karis Baggstrom, co-founded ‘Starz Play,’ which is a leading subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service across the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan.

• The company delivers a premium mix of Hollywood blockbusters, exclusive original productions, Arabic series, popular Turkish dramas, live sports, and family-friendly programming. Maaz also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the company ‘Starz Play.’

• As the CEO of the company, he plays a pivotal role in offering a wide variety of movies, TV shows, documentaries, and exclusive content to millions of subscribers.

• In 2014, Maaz Sheikh started StarzPlay to offer high-quality entertainment made for the varied tastes of people in the Middle East.

• By focusing on keeping customers happy, building smart partnerships, and adding local content, he made the platform a strong rival to global services like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

• In 2016, Maaz and his business partner secured $25m in debt financing to further strengthen their company’s geographic and customer reach.

• During the initial days of launching his company ‘Starz Play,’ Maaz Sheikh faced numerous challenges, including content licensing hurdles to technological constraints. However, his commitment to understanding and addressing these challenges got him success.

• In 2018, Maaz was included in the Dubai 100’s – ‘100 Influential People Helping Shape The Emirate.’

• In 2019, he was listed on the Gulf Cooperation Council’s 100 Inspiring Leaders list.

• In 2020, Maaz Sheikh made it possible for StarzPlay to show exclusive DC series like ‘Batwoman’ and ‘Doom Patrol,’ a first in the MENA region. These deals added exciting content to StarzPlay and helped bring in more subscribers to their website.

• Soon after, Maaz partnered with Lionsgate Play India, with an aim of providing end-to-end over-the-top (OTT) tech solutions.

• In 2022, Maaz strengthened StarzPlay’s place in the market by making a big contract deal with the telecommunication companies named ‘E-vision’ and ‘e&’ (previously Etisalat), who bought a 57% stake in the company. According to him, this was an important step in StarzPlay’s growth.

With evision (by e&) and ADQ taking a majority stake in @STARZPlayArabia, 2022 has been a transformative year for us! May the seeds we planted – in Arabic content, sports, and advertising – continue to bear fruit in 2023 and beyond. Wishing you all an amazing new year ahead. pic.twitter.com/z1oMlvVAmm

— Maaz Sheikh (@Maaz_STARZPLAY) December 29, 2022

• As per him, his strong background in telecommunications, technology, and digital services gave him a clear understanding of the entertainment industry, which he used wisely to help Starz Play grow quickly.

• Maaz Sheikh is also a passionate advocate for innovation and digital transformation in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s technology and media sectors.

• In 2024, Maaz Sheikh was ranked 64th on the Arabian Business’ 100 Inspiring Leaders list.

Kanica

I’m a passionate content writer with a flair for storytelling and a strong command of language. With experience in writing across various niches, from lifestyle and entertainment to professional biographies and brand narratives. I create engaging, well-researched content that connects with readers. My writing style balances clarity with creativity, and I enjoy crafting pieces that inform, inspire, and leave an impact.