The partnership aims to bridge the gap between offline and online by providing access to exclusive concerts via Anghami’s live video streaming capabilities.
Music streaming platform Anghami has acquired Dubai-based live events and concert company Spotlight Events.
Spotlight Events was set up in 2005 and has offices in Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco. It covers the GCC, Lower Gulf region and North Africa.
The partnership will make Spotlight the live events arm of Abu Dhabi’s Anghami, which will use virtual and augmented reality to stream content to a bigger audience
While Spotlight Events will provide a stage for artists to perform and reach their audiences offline, Anghami’s technology will bridge the gap between the offline and online worlds by providing access to exclusive concerts through its live video streaming capabilities and creating immersive experiences through AR and VR. The strategic partnership will enable Anghami to unlock opportunities between artists and brands, enriching music fans’ experiences with exclusive access to private concerts, VIP lounges, meet and greets and backstage access, in addition to attending concerts either offline or streamed through their devices. Traditional and virtual concerts will be accessible either through tickets or sponsored by brands.
Commenting on the acquisition, Eddy Maroun, Co-founder and CEO of Anghami, said: “Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform that meets our goal of building our own unique category that no other provider can compete with. This partnership will allow us to deliver unique experiences to our users while giving artists a stage to perform and reach their fans physically and virtually. Spotlight and Anghami Lab are among a number of initiatives we plan to develop as new business extensions to accelerate our growth and improve our margins while widening the gap with our competitors. Maher has built a great business on solid economics and has proven that live concerts and events are a scalable and profitable business.”
Spotlight Events has recently confirmed its programme of upcoming concerts and events in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Paris, Cairo and Riyadh, including Beat the Heat, a seven-concert festival organised in collaboration with the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing – Dubai (DTCM). Also in Abu Dhabi, six concerts are planned for the rest of the year, to be announced at a later date. Spotlight will be responsible for executing all Anghami events, including Amr Diab Live.
Maher Khawkhaji, Founder and CEO of Spotlight added: “Anghami is the largest music platform in the MENA region with an incredible number of users and a unique network of partnerships that, once connected to Spotlight, will open doors to amazing opportunities. Our offline expertise, complemented by Anghami’s reach, data and technical capabilities, is the perfect recipe for success. We look forward to being part of this dynamic team and unleashing the incredible potential to bring the best to music fans, artists and brands and take entertainment to the next level.”
