Elaph.com
Elaph.com was launched in 2001 by Elaph Publishing as an independent online media hub providing Arabic readers with free access to independent news for the first time. The philosophy of the founder was to provide independent, trustworthy and on trend content that was free from regional censorship and offered liberal viewpoints, therefore, London was chosen as the main office of Elaph.
Elaph also publishes text, video and audio content across social media platforms and has amassed a significant presence of loyal followers.
The editorial strategy and content is still managed by founder and Editor-in-Chief Othman Al Omeir and Deputy Editor-in-Chief Samar Abdul Malak with journalists based in MENA, Europe and the US providing global perspective.
In its first 10 years, Elaph became the most widely read Arabic daily, as certified by The Audit Bureau of Circulation of 1.8 million visitors.
The Opportunity
Like publishing companies around the world Elaph is evolving the business model from purely advertising and sponsorship to be a data business based on creating and curating communities of readers to whom we provide a range of paid-for content through subscriptions and/or a membership product offerings. Paid for content is a relatively new concept in the Middle East but this model has been successfully achieved by the Financial Times in Europe and the leadership team believe it can be replicated in different regions.
Partnerships specific to the Middle East will be established to offer readers incentives and product discounts linked to advertising and content as well as access to privileged events and content that will require subscription-based access as a means of incentivising the migration towards paid for content.
