Anghami inks deal with Sling TV Arabic

The Arabic channel is a division of Sling TV, a leading American news and entertainment network providing content from 27 countries in more than 20 languages. Anghami is the largest Arab-facing music streaming platform globally.

The deal is expected to give subscribers the “ultimate Arabic entertainment experience,” a statement reads. The partnership will offer each service’s subscribers access to extended free trials and bespoke packages on paid and premium content.

Sling Arabic subscribers can now access an extensive catalogue boasting millions of Arabic songs through a three-month free trial, while Anghami Plus subscribers can redeem a one-month free trial of Sling International’s Al Ostoura pack, which offers more than 130 premium Arabic TV channels as well as Shahid VIP, a leading Arabic subscription video on demand service.

“We are constantly looking at ways to provide the best content available to our Sling Arabic customers,” Sling TV international vice-president Liz Riemersma said. “Our partnership with Anghami allows us to provide the best Arabic music streaming experience to our customers, and adds tremendous value to our offering as well.”

Anghami chief operating officer Mary Ghobrial said: “Our goal is to bring Arabic Music and content to Arabs around the world. Our users want to stay connected and Anghami offers that with its Arabic content and product features.”

Anghami CEO Eddy Maroun said: “As we launch Anghami on Nasdaq, we celebrate with our users offering them this special promotion with Sling TV.”

The move adds to the platform’s ambitious plan to grow its business across the 450 million Arabic-speaking population and into new markets outside the Middle East, including its recent launch in the US. The music streaming platform’s listing on Nasdaq forms part of a merger deal with US publicly traded special purpose acquisition firm Vistas Media Acquisition Company, which values the platform at about $230m.

In August last year, the United Arab Emirates-based music streaming app announced a new business venture called Lab, a project that will see music studios launched in several major cities across the globe including Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Beirut, Doha, London, New York and Los Angeles.

Founded by Maroun and Elie Habib in 2012, Anghami boasts about 70 million registered users and more than 57 million Arabic and international songs generating approximately 10 billion streams a year. The company claims its revenue has grown 80% over the past three years and predicts a further five-fold increase in the coming three years.