Pan-Arab newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat, an SRMG media brand, has relaunched after undergoing a transformation. As a part of the relaunch, the newspaper will focus on a digital-first approach while enhancing both its print and digital offerings. With its revamped platforms, integrated technology, and new look, Asharq Al-Awsat aims to increase accessibility and readership among new generations.
Asharq Al-Awsat’s new digital enhancements include an optimised website, an interactive mobile app, a podcast channel, daily curated newsletters, refreshed social media channels, and updates across all audience touchpoints. With these enhancements, Asharq Al-Awsat’s content aims to be fully accessible across all channels, including TV programs on Asharq Business with Bloomberg and other SRMG platforms.
Commenting on the relaunch, Jomana R. Al-Rashid, CEO of SRMG, said: “Since its creation, Asharq Al-Awsat has been widely recognised as the leading newspaper from the Arab world. No other Arab newspaper has been able to match the quality and depth of its reporting. It should come as no surprise that the newspaper has maintained a strong and loyal readership. This revamp is yet another example of Asharq Al-Awsat driving innovation. We are bolstering editorial content and improving its delivery through leveraging data and new platforms. We are attracting and developing young, emerging journalists to deliver the quality reporting that Asharq Al-Awsat is known for. And we are enhancing its accessibility to ensure new generation of readers have access to premium, original content.”
Ghassan Charbel, Editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat, said, “Our digital transformation ensures that we attract a new generation of readers who want to access our content in different ways and through different platforms. Capitalising on our extensive experience, we will invest in producing even more distinctive, innovative, and high-quality content, keeping pace with the evolving patterns of information consumption. Adopting a digital first approach will grow our readership.”
Launched in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat is the first Pan-Arab newspaper, that aims to cater to Arabs all over the world. The newspaper has covered major events in the history including the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Camp David Summit and subsequent treaties, the Iranian Revolution, the Lebanese Civil War, the Iraq-Iran War, the first Gulf War, the 2003 Iraq invasion and the tumultuous Arab Spring.
SRMG, the largest integrated media group from the MENA region, is creating new, integrated cross-platform experiences for the newspapers audiences. Asharq Al-Awsat’s content will also be accessible on Asharq News platforms for the first time. This move comes as a part of SRMG’s broader transformation strategy which considers collaboration across brands to important to expand the syndication of quality content, ensuring that global audiences always have access to the news at anytime and anywhere.
