How Anghami Became the Arab World's Streaming Leader

Anghami, founded in 2011 by Lebanese entrepreneurs Eddy Maroun and Elie Habib, rose from a ski-trip frustration to become the Arab world’s leading music streaming service. The app reached one million registered users within four months of its launch and added another million three months later after a partnership with MBC Group. By its fifth year it had 30 million listeners, 75% of them in the Arab region. In 2022 Anghami became the first Arab tech company to list on Nasdaq via a Special Purpose Acquisition Company merger with Vistas Media Acquisition Company, valuing the company at between $220 million and $230 million; at that time it employed roughly 180 people. Today the platform claims a catalog of more than 100 million songs and podcasts and reported about 120 million registered users in 2023.

“The idea is that everywhere you go, you’ll find your music,” the founders said when launching the service in 2011 — a motto that underpinned Anghami’s technical choices and commercial strategy.

Rapid growth built on regional needs and strategic partnerships

Anghami launched as a mobile-first app designed for the Middle East and North Africa, addressing limited and unreliable internet connectivity by offering offline downloads. Early deals with major Arabic and international labels helped it amass a large licensed catalog at a time when piracy dominated the region. Critical distribution and visibility came through partnerships: a featured placement on Arab Idol via MBC Group accelerated user adoption, and a 2013 partnership with Facebook further broadened reach.

Commercially, Anghami leaned heavily on telecom bundling. More than 20 carriers bundle the app with their data plans, reducing friction for users and subsidizing subscriptions. A standalone premium subscription is priced at $4.99 per month for unlimited downloads and ad-free listening; bundled offers can be cheaper — for example, Lebanon’s most popular carrier, Alfa, charges $3.99 per month for Anghami’s premium service. The company reports that roughly 70% of revenue comes from paid subscriptions, primarily through telecom partnerships, while advertising accounts for the remainder.

• 2011: Company founded by Eddy Maroun and Elie Habib.
• 2012: Mobile-only app launched; 1 million users in four months.
• 2013: Partnership with Facebook; 30 million listeners within five years.
• 2021: Relocated headquarters to Abu Dhabi’s Hub71 after funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office.
• 2022: Nasdaq listing via SPAC with Vistas Media Acquisition Company; valuation $220–230 million.
• 2023: Reported c.120 million registered users and catalog exceeding 100 million audio items.

Outlook and challenges

Despite its regional dominance, Anghami’s trajectory reflects broader economic and geopolitical pressures. The company cites Lebanon’s 2019 financial collapse as a factor in relocating its headquarters to Abu Dhabi in 2021 after receiving funding from the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and moving into the Hub71 technology center, while continuing to hire Lebanese talent. Users like Ali say the service is now integral to daily life: “Anghami is part of my day-to-day life,” he told reporters, listing commutes, workouts and family time as common listening moments. Other contributors to Anghami’s resilience include continued telecom partnerships and an expanding audio offering that now includes podcasts, audiobooks and meditation services — assets the company will likely lean on as it seeks to grow paying users and diversify revenue in an increasingly competitive global streaming market.