In recent years, the Indian subcontinent has emerged as one of the world’s largest markets for sports rights. The region, which encompasses Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, boasts an estimated combined population of close to 2 billion. With that in mind, it remains a high-potential territory for global sports properties.
Despite the obviously lucrative prospect of high sports viewership in the market, broadcasters in Pakistan, in particular, have long struggled to monetize the region’s sports fanbase for one key reason: piracy.
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Piracy, and by extension illegal streaming, has been widespread in Pakistan for years, prompted by a combination of the cost of many pay-TV and streaming packages and the lack of many elite global sports rights in the country, where properties and prospective rightsholders have failed to strike deals.
Begin, a UAE-based streaming startup, is aiming to change that.
Since entering the sports rights fold in 2024, the service has assembled a varied portfolio, taking a different tack from the many cricket-focused broadcasters by securing rights spanning soccer (England’s Premier League, Spain’s LaLiga, Saudi Arabia’s Pro League), women’s golf (LPGA Tour), and, most recently, boxing (Zuffa Boxing). Although it has since picked up cricket rights for the Pakistan Super League competition, those rights stand in concert with its wider offering (which also includes entertainment content), rather than above it, claims Begin.
The first event since the Zuffa Boxing deal, a headline heavyweight bout between Efe Ajagba and Charles Martin, took place on February 15. Ahead of that, Begin chief Jonathan Mark spoke to Sportcal to discuss the firm’s plan to combat piracy and its sports rights acquisition strategy.
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By GlobalDataPiracy is obviously something Begin wants to crack down on. How is that going since we last spoke, and how can you be supported better in the fight?
Mark: “It’s moving in the right direction, and we’re a lot more proactive than we were even a few months ago. We don’t treat piracy as a one-off takedown exercise; we treat it like an always-on operations problem: monitor, act, learn, repeat. We’re tracking infringements in real time, issuing takedowns faster, and tightening the legal and reporting workflows so enforcement is more consistent.
“Where support matters most is speed and coordination. When rights holders, platforms, and authorities are aligned, and there are clear escalation paths, piracy becomes harder to sustain. The other piece is predictability: faster responses to complaints, standardized evidence requirements, and stronger action against repeat offenders. Piracy won’t disappear, but you can absolutely make it expensive, inconvenient, and unreliable.”
Beyond shutting down piracy routes, how do you convert potential pirates into paying customers?
“You don’t ‘lecture’ pirates into paying. You outcompete piracy. The conversion happens when the legal option becomes easier than the illegal one.
“That means three things: accessibility, reliability, and pricing that feels fair for the market. A lot of piracy is actually frustration. People can’t find the content legally, or the experience is unstable, or they’re forced into bundles they don’t want. If we give fans a clean, fast, mobile-first product, with simple plans and consistent streams, piracy stops being worth the hassle.”
You’ve focused on rights such as football and golf. How valuable are non-cricket rights in Pakistan, and how do you expect these rights to mature in the coming years?
“Cricket will always be massive here, but non-cricket is where you can build defensible value. The cricket market is crowded, and when everyone is chasing the same inventory, the economics become brutal, and exclusivity becomes thin.
“Non-cricket rights give you room to create a category on the platform, communities that are underserved, content that’s in demand but not distributed properly, and fanbases that are growing fast, especially among younger audiences. Over the next few years, you’ll see these rights mature as fandom becomes more organized, viewing becomes more digital, and brands start following attention beyond cricket.
You’ve still acquired some cricket rights, including the Pakistan Super League. How important is it to maintain a presence in the flagship sport while building a varied offering?
“PSL is a valuable IP if you’re building a mainstream sports platform in Pakistan. It’s appointment viewing, it’s culturally native, and it drives scale in a way few properties can.
“But the bigger reason we like PSL is that it’s not just matches. It’s a content universe—stories, personalities, behind-the-scenes, team ecosystems that our audience can easily connect with. That lets us localize and deepen engagement beyond the live feed. It’s a flagship that brings audiences in, and then the rest of the offering keeps them there.”
You previously said Gen Z is your priority. Why is that, and what are you doing to win that segment?
“Gen Z isn’t just a demographic; they’re the distribution engine. If they adopt you, they don’t just subscribe; they influence household viewing, they drive word of mouth, and they set what’s “default” over the next decade.
“They’re also streaming-native, so the product expectations are higher: fast onboarding, mobile-first, frictionless discovery, and content that feels current. We’re building for that behavior—shorter formats where it makes sense, stronger discovery, and experiences that feel like they belong on a phone, not something copied from traditional TV.”
What feedback have you received from your partnered sports properties about broadcast coverage?
“The most common feedback is that we’re dependable. Partners care about two things: ‘Will the stream be stable?’ and ‘Will you deliver professionally on matchday?’ and that’s where we’ve built trust.
“We’ve had positive feedback on quality and responsiveness, and we’ve avoided the kind of recurring issues that normally create friction, missed windows, inconsistent coverage, or poor communication. We’ve still got an internal bar that keeps rising, but overall partners are happy because we operate like a serious broadcast partner, not just a platform.”
Looking forward, what rights and industries are you targeting in 2026?
“2026 is about widening the funnel and increasing depth. More categories, more reasons to open Begin every day, not just on matchdays.
“We’re actively building around micro-content, tennis, motorsports, and expanding football further. In parallel, we’re leaning into local entertainment—acquiring and co-producing formats that work well in Pakistan like reality shows, web series, and event-based programming.
“And a big piece of the strategy is independent creators. There’s a lot of quality local work that doesn’t have real monetization or distribution. If we can give indie creators a legitimate route to earn and grow, it becomes a win for creators, users, and the platform.”
