OSN moves to take Anghami private in MENA streaming push

Mohammed Kamal

Last updated 1-07-2026

3 min

OSN has offered to take Anghami private and delist it.

The deal would fold the music platform into OSN’s wider entertainment business.

It signals regional media groups are seeking scale and tighter integration.

Private ownership gives OSN room to combine products, audiences and content libraries.

The move highlights a maturing MENA tech scene and rising consolidation.

OSN, the Dubai-based media and entertainment company, has put forward a deal to take Anghami private, in a move that could reshape a small but important corner of the MENA digital media scene. If it goes through, OSN would acquire full ownership of Anghami, the region’s best-known music streaming platform, with the company set to be delisted from the stock exchange and folded in as a wholly owned subsidiary.

It is a notable step, and not only because Anghami has long been one of the most recognisable tech names to come out of the Arab world. The proposed transaction points to something bigger: regional media players are no longer happy to stay in their own lane. OSN appears to be betting that bringing Anghami’s music service together with its own video and entertainment business could create a broader streaming offer for audiences across the Middle East and North Africa.

That said, this is also part of a wider trend that has been gathering pace for a while. Across the region, bigger media groups are looking at startups and digital platforms not just as nice add-ons, but as strategic pieces in a much larger puzzle. And believe it or not, for founders and startup watchers around MENA, this kind of tie-up often says as much about the market maturing as it does about one company buying another.

At Arageek, readers will know we keep a close eye on moments like this because they tend to tell the real story of where the ecosystem is heading. I still remember the early chatter, years ago, around whether homegrown digital platforms could build enough scale to stand shoulder to shoulder with global names. Now, seeing a company like Anghami become central to a serious consolidation play feels a bit like proof that the region’s tech story is no longer a long shot.

OSN’s interest in taking Anghami off the public market also suggests it wants more room to integrate the business without the usual faff that comes with a listed company structure. Private ownership can make that process quicker, especially when the aim is to combine products, audiences and content libraries into one more complete entertainment ecosystem. On the flip side, delisting also closes a chapter for one of the region’s most visible consumer tech firms.

I reckon this move is spot on from a strategic point of view, even if I’m not a fan of seeing standout startup names disappear from public markets too quickly. Still, the logic is hard to miss. In a region where users increasingly expect one app, one subscription, and one smooth digital experience, companies that can bundle music, video and premium content may end up with a real edge.

For the wider Arab startup scene, the proposed deal is another reminder that exits and consolidation are becoming more common, and maybe more neccessary, as competition heats up. Well… I mean, building a standalone platform is one thing; defending it in a crowded market is another. If completed, the acquisition would mark a significant merger between a regional media heavyweight and a homegrown tech platform, underlining how entertainment in MENA is being rebuilt around scale, ecosystems and tighter integration.

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