Enhanced Arab News Hajj app launched in partnership with Muslim World League

The Hajj App has a variety of functions. (Screengrab)
Updated 09 August 2019
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Enhanced Arab News Hajj app launched in partnership with Muslim World League

  • New features to serve pilgrims and keep them connected to loved ones
  • Smartphone app complements newspaper’s annual Hajj news coverage

RIYADH: Arab News has launched the 2019 version of its smartphone Hajj app for use this month during the annual Muslim pilgrimage season. 

The free app — available to download from Thursday via the App Store for iOS devices and Google Play for Android — has new and enhanced features, including live news updates and the signature “Hajj tracker,” which enables pilgrims to connect with their loved ones back home.  

The Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) will again be sponsoring the Hajj app. The partnership with MWL, which began 2 years ago, is part of the international Muslim body’s global outreach efforts to serve all Muslims.

The latest release of the app features several functions for use during the Hajj season, including safety features such as an emergency call number and list of embassies and important service providers during Hajj. 

Other features include a digital Qibla compass, a real-time currency converter and Qur’an prayer audio files.  

The app also features improvements to the hugely useful “pilgrim tracker” function. The feature, which is optional, allows users who activate it to share their location and follow loved ones in real time, around the clock. 

The Muslim World League commended the newspaper’s initiative of deploying technology in such an innovative and useful way for the public good. 

“We are happy to renew our partnership with Arab News and our support of this app, which reinforces our position as an umbrella body seeking to serve Muslims worldwide,” the MWL said.

Arab News is part of the regional publishing giant Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG). It has been the English newspaper of record for Saudi Arabia and the region for over 40 years.

More details about the app can be found at http://www.arabnews.com/node/1537716/saudi-arabia

It can be downloaded via: 

http://links.arabnews.com/hajjapp

 


Shahid, Disney+ and OSN+ launch exclusive streaming bundle across GCC

Updated 24 December 2025
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Shahid, Disney+ and OSN+ launch exclusive streaming bundle across GCC

  • Bundle available exclusively visa Shahid for $25 a month

RIYADH: In a landmark regional collaboration, Shahid, Disney+, and OSN+ have announced an exclusive streaming bundle that brings together world-class hits from the three platforms under a single subscription in a first-of-its-kind offer for audiences in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

The all-in-one entertainment package, available only through Shahid in the GCC for about $25 a month, grants subscribers full access to three leading platforms covering Hollywood blockbusters, Disney+’s expansive range of beloved films, animations and series, OSN+’s library of HBO originals and international hits, and Shahid’s Arabic premium content.

The bundle is designed to simplify subscription management with a unified payment model, allowing viewers to access all three apps at the price of two and offering a streamlined user experience. 

Natasha Matos-Hemingway, chief commercial and marketing officer at Shahid, said the partnership reflects a broader effort to expand digital entertainment offerings in the Middle East, catering to a growing audience seeking diversity, convenience and high-quality programming.

“We are proud to collaborate with OSN+ and Disney+ to offer an unmatched streaming experience to our subscribers,” she said. “With one subscription, one payment, and full access to premium content from all three platforms, we’re delivering unbeatable convenience, value and entertainment.”

With a growing demand for high-quality on-demand content, the bundle is expected to attract a wide range of users seeking comprehensive entertainment without juggling multiple subscriptions.

The move also signals increasing cooperation between global media giants and regional platforms, in a bid to meet the entertainment preferences of Arab audiences while expanding market reach.

Karl Holmes, SVP and general manager at Disney+ EMEA, said the collaboration will bring award-winning series like FX’s “Shogun” and favorites such as “Lilo & Stitch” into a unique bundle with Shahid’s regional hits including “Al Dariya.”

The agreement “reflects a shared ambition between Disney+ and Shahid to shape the future of entertainment in the Middle East,” said Holmes. “The Middle East is young, dynamic and fast-growing, and we’re delighted to give consumers a new and easy way to access extraordinary content at exceptional value.”

Choucri Khairallah, chief business officer at OSN+, said the partnership takes OSN+’s entertainment experience “to the next level.”

He added: “Today’s audiences expect more than great content; they seek seamless access, variety and exceptional value. This all-in-one bundle delivers exactly that.”