Middle Eastern streaming service Anghami is getting into live audio, with an innovative feature called ‘Live Radio’ that it has been testing in beta since last autumn.
Available within its Android and iOS apps, the feature lets people – artists and DJs, but also regular users – “talk alongside playing songs, playlists and podcasts” from Anghami’s catalogue.
The company is billing it as “a real-time version of a podcast experience” complete with the ability for listeners to message the host, post text comments and have side-chats.
Co-founder Elie Habib says this is not just bandwagon jumping. “In fact, ‘live radio rooms’ were part of our original business pitch in 2011, as we saw the opportunity for social audio features to take off,” said Habib in a statement.
The launch comes ahead of Anghami going public in the US via a Spac merger that will see the company listed on the Nasdaq New York exchange.