Wikipedia

OSN#OSN+

OSN
Company typePrivate
Industry
Predecessor
Founded12 July 2009; 15 years ago (2009-07-12) in Dubai, UAE
Area served
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
Key people
Products
Services
  • OSN+
  • OSN TV
OwnerPanther Media Group
Websitewww.osn.com

OSN (Orbit Showtime Network) is a media and entertainment company based in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with its headquarters in Dubai. The company was formed in 2009 through the merger of Orbit Communications Company and Showtime Arabia.[1] OSN offers both a direct-broadcast satellite service, known as OSN TV, and a video streaming service, OSN+.

The company is owned and operated by Panther Media Group, a holding company registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). Its primary shareholders are the KIPCO (Kuwait Projects Company) and the Saudi Arabian-based Mawarid Group.[2]

History

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OSN was established in 2009 by the merger of two of the region's largest pay-TV operators: Showtime Arabia and Orbit Communications Company.[3]

OSN announced in November 2023 that it would merge its streaming service, OSN+, with Anghami Inc., the leading music and entertainment streaming platform in the MENA region.[4] The transaction, which was completed in April 2024, resulted in OSN Group becoming the majority shareholder in Anghami with a 55.45% stake.[4] The deal valued OSN+ at $365 million and Anghami at $139 million.[5] 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.[6]

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.[7]

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.[8]

Services

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OSN+

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OSN+ logo

The company's first direct-to-consumer streaming platform was launched in August 2017 under the name Wavo.[9]

OSN+ is a subscription streaming service that launched under its current name in March 2022.[10]

In January 2022, OSN renewed its exclusive licensing agreement with HBO, ensuring it remains the sole regional carrier for HBO's programming.[11] During the same period, it expanded its partnership with NBCUniversal to add content from the Peacock streaming service and Sky Studios.[10] OSN also has deals with Endeavor Content and All3Media to license premium series.[12]

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.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Orbit, Showtime Arabia merge to form new pay-TV firm". Reuters. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2025. Showtime Arabia and Orbit have merged to create a new company that will offer 70 exclusive channels with new movies, sports and series, the firms said in an emailed statement on Sunday.
  2. ^ "About Us - OSN". OSN. Retrieved 29 June 2025. The company is owned and operated by Panther Media Group, registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and has two shareholders, KIPCO and the Mawarid Group Limited.
  3. ^ "More deals likely to follow OSN+ and Anghami merger". AGBI. 27 November 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "OSN+ completes acquisition of majority stake in Anghami". Wamda. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  5. ^ "MENA streaming giants OSN+ and Anghami complete merger". Screen Daily. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  6. ^ "OSN+ Secures Majority Stake in Anghami, Expanding Music Streaming Portfolio". Rasmal. 3 April 2024. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  7. ^ "Warner Bros Discovery buys minority stake in OSN Streaming". Broadband TV News. 24 March 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  8. ^ "OSN Brings on Magnite to Power "Advanced TV", Addressable Advertising Across Set-Top-Box (STB) Linear and On Demand Inventory". Magnite. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  9. ^ "OSN launches TV streaming service WAVO". Arab News. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b "OSN Group announces the launch of OSN+". Communicate Online. 15 March 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  11. ^ "OSN extends HBO contract". Broadband TV News. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  12. ^ "OSN and All3Media International ink new content deal". BroadcastPro ME. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  13. ^ Vivarelli, Nick (20 April 2022). "'Suits' Gets Arabic Adaptation With All-Star Cast From Egypt (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
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