OSN

History

OSN was established in 2009 by the merger of two of the region's largest pay-TV operators: Showtime Arabia and Orbit Communications Company.

OSN announced in November 2023 that it would merge its streaming service, OSN+, with Anghami Inc. The transaction, which was completed in April 2024, resulted in OSN Group becoming the majority shareholder in Anghami with a 55.45% stake. The deal valued OSN+ at $365 million and Anghami at $139 million. Elie Habib, a co-founder of Anghami, was appointed as the CEO of the combined entity. The merger created a comprehensive entertainment platform with over 120 million registered users, combining OSN+'s library of 18,000 hours of video content with Anghami's catalog of over 100 million songs and podcasts.

On 24 March 2025, Warner Bros. Discovery made a minority investment in OSN's subsidiary, OSN Streaming Ltd. This deepened the long-standing content partnership between the two companies, where OSN serves as the exclusive regional distributor for HBO and other WBD content.

In May 2025, OSN partnered with the advertising technology company Magnite to launch addressable advertising across its satellite and video-on-demand services. This allows for targeted ads to be delivered to OSN's set-top boxes, a first for the company and a significant development in the region's television advertising market.

Services

OSN+

The company's first direct-to-consumer streaming platform was launched in August 2017 under the name Wavo.

OSN+ is a subscription streaming service that launched under its current name in March 2022.

In January 2022, OSN renewed its exclusive licensing agreement with HBO, ensuring it remains the sole regional carrier for HBO's programming. During the same period, it expanded its partnership with NBCUniversal to add content from the Peacock streaming service and Sky Studios. OSN also has deals with Endeavor Content and All3Media to license premium series.

In addition to licensed international content, the service develops original Arabic-language productions under the "OSN Originals" banner, including an adaptation of the US series Suits.

References

References

1. (12 July 2009). "Orbit, Showtime Arabia merge to form new pay-TV firm". Reuters.
2. "About Us - OSN".
3. (27 November 2023). "More deals likely to follow OSN+ and Anghami merger".
4. (2 April 2024). "OSN+ completes acquisition of majority stake in Anghami".
5. (3 April 2024). "MENA streaming giants OSN+ and Anghami complete merger".
6. (3 April 2024). "OSN+ Secures Majority Stake in Anghami, Expanding Music Streaming Portfolio".
7. (24 March 2025). "Warner Bros Discovery buys minority stake in OSN Streaming".
8. (12 May 2025). "OSN Brings on Magnite to Power “Advanced TV”, Addressable Advertising Across Set-Top-Box (STB) Linear and On Demand Inventory".
9. (23 August 2017). "OSN launches TV streaming service WAVO".
10. (15 March 2022). "OSN Group announces the launch of OSN+".
11. (13 January 2022). "OSN extends HBO contract".
12. (7 March 2022). "OSN and All3Media International ink new content deal".
13. Vivarelli, Nick. (2022-04-20). "'Suits' Gets Arabic Adaptation With All-Star Cast From Egypt (EXCLUSIVE)".