Did Apple play favorites to offer more movies/music in the Middle East?

Apple is notorious for running eyeballs over every single app submission and holding a tight leash on the strict guidelines it sets to ensure that the App Store experience is always sleek and polished. It also prides itself on its efforts to guide and support developers so that they can minimize the chance of their apps being rejected. But this can only go so far. For instance, third-party app stores have no hope of ever seeing the light of day on the App Store, right? Guess again.

Enter the strange case of Wizzo, the third-party app store specifically tailored to casual games, which went live on the App Store just a few months back. The company behind it is regional broadcasting giant MBC Group, headquartered in Dubai. In the past, the company’s investment arm, MBC Ventures, has invested in the games industry with funds injected into studios like Falafel Games. But only in the middle of last year did it release its first attempt to enter the distribution chain directly with a marketplace tailored to mobile games.