Finyal Media

Finyal Media is a pioneering Arabic podcast network, producing on-demand audio content for Arabs across MENA. Our mission is produce content that helps young people re-connect with the Arab world through stories that are authentic, relevant and timeless.

Our unique fictional storytelling podcasts are blazing a trail and resonating with Arabs across MENA – we have already reached over 6 million downloads, with five #1 hits on the Apple Podcasts charts and engagement rates of over 95%. Our audience grew at 25% month-on-month in 2020 without any expenditure on marketing our shows. We currently have around 460k downloads per month from around 175k unique users.

Young Arabs today typically feel unrepresented by mainstream Arabic media and feel they deserve better narratives than the ones they are currently served. Catering mostly to an older demographic, most Arabic TV and radio series do not feel relevant or authentic to Generation Z. Around the world, younger generations have turned to podcasts as a means to consume engaging, authentic content at a time when they don’t have access to their screens. In the Arab world where we have a population of over 400 million people, there are barely 400 podcasts available today in the Arabic language. With penetration barely scraping 10% across MENA, it has potential to reach as high, if not higher than the US’ current benchmark of 60% in a region where we have some of the highest rates of online content consumption in the world. This is the market we are looking to serve and is expected to reach 58 million monthly listeners or $490 million in revenue by 2025.

Our unique approach to podcast creation for the Arab world is based on our collective sense of nostalgia for the rich history and culture of our region, combined with our need for content that feels relatable and relevant in today’s world. By taking classic Arabic stories such as 1001 Nights, Juha, Sindbad or Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and adapting them for a modern audience, we have seen a huge appetite from young Arab listeners. We apply our unique scriptwriting capabilities from our pool of young writers to the existing stories, create intricate soundscapes that bring the stories to life and then release them on popular digital platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anghami and many more.

Prior to Finyal Media’s launch, most young Arabs were consuming Western podcasts – BBC, CNN, Joe Rogan or the like – because there was such a lack of compelling Arabic content. There were a few existing podcast networks in the market who had created their own niches (mostly focused on journalism or documentaries) - but we have redefined what it means to create a podcast by really bringing our unique twist and creating fictional stories which have resonated with listeners far more than other genres of content in the region.

Unique scriptwriting capabilities
Unmatched production team
Stories created by young people and by the region, for the region
Extremely high engagement (95%+ on most shows)

We create IP that we can then monetize through advertising, licensing deals and most recently a subscription channel.

30% content
30% marketing
15% tech
15% staff
10% other

Participated in Sheraa accelerator 2020
Participated in Womentum accelerator 2020

Winners of SEF pitch competition 2019
Second place in UN Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit pitch competition 2019
Second place in Womentum/Standard Chartered pitch competition 2020