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SRMG Acquires 51% Stake in Leading Podcast Platform Thmanyah

The Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) announced the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah.
The Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) announced the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah.
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SRMG Acquires 51% Stake in Leading Podcast Platform Thmanyah

The Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) announced the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah.
The Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) announced the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah.

The Saudi Research & Media Group (SRMG) announced Wednesday the acquisition of a 51% controlling stake in Arabic podcast platform Thmanyah, one of the leading podcast platforms and documentary producers in the Middle East and North Africa region.

SRMG’s acquisition of Thmanyah is part of the Group’s new digital-first, multi-platform approach and commitment to delivering original, unique and exclusive content to consumers through new digital and social platforms.

SRMG will leverage its global network and reach to support Thmanyah’s growth ambitions into new genres and geographies, while benefiting from Thmanyah’s creative and production capabilities to enhance brand equity across its titles.

Founded in Saudi Arabia in 2016, Thmanyah is a leading producer of Arabic podcasts and documentaries. Its many highly rated podcasts include “Fnjan”, an Arabic talk show with more than 1.6 million average monthly listeners, as well as “Swalif Business”, “Socrates”, and “Things That Changed Us”.

Its podcasts and documentaries have been recognized with seven awards across the MENA region, including two consecutive awards from the Saudi Ministry of Media. On “Socrates,” Thmanyah has documented three years of progress on Vision 2030 objectives, featuring more than 50 leaders from the Saudi public sphere.

Thmanyah is also a leading documentary producer in Saudi Arabia, with more than 90 documentaries and short films with more than 15 million viewers. The documentaries cover a broad range of topics including popular videos on Malcolm X, Edward Said, and the kidnapping of a Saudi Counsel in Iran.

Jomana Al-Rashid, CEO of SRMG, said: “By acquiring one of the leading Arabic podcast platforms and documentary producers, we are reinforcing our commitment to providing our audiences with original, exclusive and premium content through new digital platforms. The global podcast market is expected to grow in value to around $3.9 billion in the next two years, enabling forward-thinking and creative platforms to capture new audiences and capitalize on monetization opportunities, such as advertising revenues.”

“With its award-winning podcasts and documentaries, Thmanyah presents an exciting opportunity for us to explore new ideas and openings in this space. We look forward to welcoming the Thmanyah team on board and working with them to help grow the business into new genres and geographies.”

Abdulrahman Abumalih, CEO of Thmanyah, said: “We are delighted to be joining SRMG, a leading source of news, information and lifestyle content for people in the MENA region and around the world. In the five years since Thmanyah was founded, we have grown steadily with a clear focus on delivering quality content to the region’s expanding digital audiences through our podcasts and documentaries.”

“We will continue growing and will use this investment to create more content and tap into new audiences. I look forward to working with SRMG to produce an even stronger platform that combines our strengths and SRMG’s wide reach to benefit our listeners, viewers and advertisers.”

SRMG’s new strategy focuses on expanding its current portfolio, digital offerings and global reach, unlocking international commercial opportunities in fast-growing regional markets and worldwide. It is worth noting that SRMG owns more than 30 major media outlets including Asharq Al-Awsat, Arab News, and Asharq Business with Bloomberg, and has a combined monthly reach of 165 million.

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Varieties

Warm Clothing, Hot Pot and Even Ice Cream Bars Feature at China’s Ice Capital

Visitors tour by the ice structures during the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP)
Visitors tour by the ice structures during the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP)
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Warm Clothing, Hot Pot and Even Ice Cream Bars Feature at China’s Ice Capital

Visitors tour by the ice structures during the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP)
Visitors tour by the ice structures during the Harbin Ice and Snow World in Harbin, China's Heilongjiang province on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025. (AP)

Faced with temperatures dipping to -30 Celsius (-22 Fahrenheit), visitors to China's wintertime resort city of Harbin often make a beeline for stalls selling padded clothing to augment their wardrobes.

Oddly perhaps for some, frozen ice cream bars are also considered a key part of the visit.

Each winter, the industrial city in China's northeast turns into a magnet for those from China's balmier regions wanting to experience the extreme cold and take in the sculptures built from ice blocks carved from the Songhua River, which freezes from late October to late March.

“I searched for tips on the internet and am now wearing knitted wool pants and the thickest sweater possible,” said Jin Yiting, who was visiting with her parents from the financial hub of Shanghai, where a light jacket is usually sufficient winter garb.

Jin Yanlong runs a stall selling winter hats, gloves and boots in the park. He said that most of his customers are tourists from southern China who underestimate the frigid weather in Harbin.

“Some of the tourists wear ‘too thin.’ They come here immediately from the airport. They would find us to buy warm trousers padded with cotton,” Jin said.

Despite the freezing weather, some curious tourists are brave enough to taste the cold itself. Zhuang Chang and his friend enjoyed their Madie’er ice cream bars while strolling on a commercial street whose architecture reflects the Russian influence on the city. The brand was established in 1900s by a Russian company and has steadily grown in popularity among tourists.

“It’s cold, but my heart is warm,” Zhuang said. He also compared the humid cold months of his hometown in Zhejiang province, where “people would be frozen to the core when being hit by wind.”

“But here only my hands and face feel cold,” Zhuang said.

For those seeking a warmer alternative, there are hot drinks and steaming hot pot, a kind of stew mixing meat, vegetables, tofu and other favorites.

Restaurant owner Chi Xuewen claims to own the world's largest hot pot, where 18 individual pots featuring a variety of flavors circle the giant bowl.

“Eating anything in a hot pot makes people warm,” Chi said.

Li Long’s restaurant uses wood both to cook the food and warm the air in the ice block structure.

“The pot also radiates heat,” Li said. “Once the pot cover is lifted, customers see the hot food. In one word, it just feels hot.”

Prolonged cold has left local residents with few options for fresh vegetables, so frozen food has become an alternative. Frozen tofu left outside overnight becomes porous and is particularly good at soaking up soup and flavor, local resident Liu Xiaohui said.