Bringing drama and delight to a dull evening, OSN beams out box-office hits to millions of fans in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and beyond.
Today’s viewer is spoilt for choice, so one failed payment can trigger a cancelled subscription – and that customer may never come back. Payment performance drives digital commerce; legitimate payments should go ahead without interruptions.
“Our partnership with Checkout.com showcases how strategic payment solutions drive value,” says Ali Harfouch, Head of Billing, Digital Payments and RA at OSN.
Beloved for its in-house productions and major network TV shows, OSN relies heavily on recurring transactions for happy viewers. Having partnered with Checkout.com since 2019, OSN knew it could rely on us to get ahead of Mastercard’s 2025 mandate for ecommerce payments in the Middle East.
Acceptance rates are of utmost importance. Up to 50% of subscriber churn is caused by a failed payment, so it’s vital that payments flow smoothly. Alarmingly, one in five consumers in MENA have experienced a payment decline online, despite having enough funds in their account. Such obstacles cause customers confusion – and OSN loses revenue.
Moreover, Mastercard set a firm January 2025 deadline for online merchants in MENA to tokenize online transactions. With these two great challenges ahead, OSN turned to Checkout.com for a way to maximize subscription success.
“We rely on Checkout.com not only for their expertise in seamless payments, but they also bring the latest innovations. Network Tokens have been essential for us, particularly in UAE, where efficient recurring payments are key,” shares Ali.
Deeply knowledgeable about recurring payments in the MENA region, Checkout.com had the right mix of regional expertise and product innovation to drive up payments performance for the media giant. Our payment experts have years of experience managing payment traffic for some of the largest streaming service providers in the industry.
Thanks to Checkout.com’s direct acquiring license in the United Arab Emirates, OSN accepts cost-efficient payments in the Middle East. Making use of Checkout.com’s gateway and Intelligent Acceptance, OSN pulls in greater revenue compared with non-optimized traffic.
Another win comes from Network Tokens, which ensure OSN is compliant with regional mandates, as well as delivering a better customer experience. Using this technology, payment credentials are updated at the point of payment request, keeping payment declines to a minimum – a win-win for OSN and its subscribers.
Payment experts at Checkout.com provide ongoing strategic guidance. Thanks to such advice, OSN has improved cost efficiency on retry management, avoiding unnecessary retries and associated fees.
OSN has seen an uplift of 20% in acceptance rate for tokenized transactions versus non-tokenized transactions. By introducing a smart tokenization strategy, we helped OSN achieve an increase of over $5.5M in processing volume. Overall, Checkout.com’s payment improvements powered a 3% overall acceptance rate uplift.
As well as bringing in more revenue, the improvement in payments performance has had a significant positive impact on OSN’s relationship with its customers. A greater proportion of successful ongoing payments has boosted customer satisfaction and loyalty.
“Together, we are redefining high-performance payments, setting the standard for
uninterrupted customer experiences,” says Ali. “With Checkout.com, OSN is ready for every season, every series, and every moment our customers rely on.”
If you’d like to find out how Checkout.com can work with you to improve your acceptance rates, then please get in touch with our team.
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