News

Anghami Acquires Spotlight Events To Expand Its Footprint

If everything goes according to plan, the acquisition should help Anghami further increase its growing revenue, which reached $35.5 million in 2021.

Published

2 years ago

July 7, 2022

David Morelo

anghami acquires spotlight events to expand its footprint

UAE-based Anghami, the first music-streaming platform in the MENA region, has recently announced the acquisition of Dubai-based Spotlight Events, a live events and concert company.

The acquisition is supposed to help Anghami expand its footprint in the music and entertainment ecosystem by bridging the gap between online and offline entertainment.

Eddy Maroun

“Our vision is to expand from music streaming to a fully integrated entertainment platform that meets our goal of building our unique category that no other provider can compete with,” explained Eddy Maroun, Co-founder and CEO of Anghami.

Maher Khawkhaji, Founder and CEO of Spotlight, believes that Anghami’s reach, data, and technical capabilities will allow Spotlight Events to bring the best to music fans, artists, and brands.

In addition to promoting upcoming concerts and making it easy for users to purchase tickets through Spotlight Events, Anghami will also take advantage of its live video streaming capabilities to deliver concerts as immersive virtual reality experiences.

If everything goes according to plan, the acquisition should help Anghami further increase its growing revenue, which reached $35.5 million in 2021, with the overall gross margin reaching 25.5 percent.

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“Maher has built a great business on solid economics and has proven that live concerts and events are a scalable and profitable business,” said Maroun.

Earlier this year, Anghami became the first Arab tech company to be listed on NASDAQ New York via a merger with Vistas Media Acquisition Company Inc., a publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company. The music-streaming platform is traded under the symbol “ANGH.”

Just like most other tech companies, Anghami is currently not doing well on the stock market. Right now, shares of Anghami are being traded for around $4.30 a piece, a significant decline from the all-time high of $28.88 back in February.

News

Samsung Smart Glasses Teased For January, Software Reveal Imminent

According to Korean sources, the new wearable will launch alongside the Galaxy S25, with the accompanying software platform unveiled this December.

Published

1 day ago

December 4, 2024

Nour Nasir

samsung smart glasses teased for january software reveal imminent

Samsung appears poised to introduce its highly anticipated smart glasses in January 2025, alongside the launch of the Galaxy S25. According to sources in Korea, the company will first reveal the accompanying software platform later this month.

As per a report from Yonhap News, Samsung’s unveiling strategy for the smart glasses echoes its approach with the Galaxy Ring earlier this year. The January showcase won’t constitute a full product launch but will likely feature teaser visuals at the Galaxy S25 event. A more detailed rollout could follow in subsequent months.

Just in: Samsung is set to unveil a prototype of its augmented reality (AR) glasses, currently in development, during the Galaxy S25 Unpacked event early next year, likely in the form of videos or images.

Additionally, prior to revealing the prototype, Samsung plans to introduce…

— Jukanlosreve (@Jukanlosreve) December 3, 2024

The Galaxy Ring, for example, debuted in January via a short presentation during Samsung’s Unpacked event. The full product unveiling came later at MWC in February, and the final release followed in July. Samsung seems to be adopting a similar phased approach with its smart glasses, which are expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2025.

A Collaborative Software Effort

Samsung’s partnership with Google has played a key role in developing the smart glasses’ software. This collaboration was first announced in February 2023, with the device set to run on an Android-based platform. In July, the companies reiterated their plans to deliver an extended reality (XR) platform by the end of the year. The software specifics for the XR device are expected to be unveiled before the end of December.

Reports suggest that the smart glasses will resemble Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses in functionality. They won’t include a display but will weigh approximately 50 grams, emphasizing a lightweight, user-friendly design.

Feature Set And Compatibility

The glasses are rumored to integrate Google’s Gemini technology, alongside features like gesture recognition and potential payment capabilities. Samsung aims to create a seamless user experience by integrating the glasses with its broader Galaxy ecosystem, starting with the Galaxy S25, slated for release on January 22.