News

Riyadh Developers Reveal New 45,000-Seat Murabba Stadium

The ambitious project, projected to be completed by 2032, will transform the Saudi capital’s downtown.

Published

2 years ago

July 17, 2024

Nour Nasir

riyadh developers reveal new 45,000 seat murabba stadium

Saudi Press Agency

The New Murabba Development Company — part of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) — has revealed its ambitious plans for a new state-of-the-art stadium for Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.

With a capacity exceeding 45,000 spectators, the Murabba Stadium will transform the city’s landscape and become an international hub for sports, entertainment and culture.

riyadh murabba stadium 1

Michael Dyke, Al Murabba CEO, underscored the stadium’s significance, explaining, “This new stadium embodies Riyadh’s evolution into a vibrant global hub. It underscores our commitment to developing world-class infrastructure that showcases Saudi Arabia’s ongoing transformation”.

The massive architectural project, earmarked for completion by the end of 2032, will be far more than a simple sports and event venue. Its innovative structure, inspired by the multi-layered, scaly bark of the acacia tree, represents the coming together of Saudi tradition and modern innovation. This design philosophy is part of an overriding vision for a completely new square in Riyadh’s downtown area.

riyadh murabba stadium 2

The Murabba Stadium is designed to provide an unrivaled experience for sports fans and event goers, with multi-purpose configurations that allow concerts, gaming tournaments, exhibitions, and educational gatherings to be hosted.

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The building is expected to play a vital role in boosting Riyadh’s tourist and consumer economy, and designers hope that the development will also help to further the Kingdom’s ambitious development goals and Vision 2030 strategy.

With its breathtaking design and multifunctional event-hosting capabilities, the Murabba Stadium is set to become an iconic Riyadh landmark, epitomizing the capital city’s aspirations and Saudi Arabia’s dynamic future as it diversifies away from an oil-based economy.

News

Samsung And Spotify Offer Free Premium Deal In MENA

Nearly seven in ten streams in the region come from 18-to-34-year-olds — the audience Samsung is hoping to entice into its ecosystem.

Published

7 days ago

August 7, 2026

Nour Nasir

Samsung

Samsung has announced a partnership with Spotify spanning the Middle East, North Africa, and Türkiye, bundling Spotify Premium with select devices across its ecosystem. The headline offer — up to four months of Premium for free — is a first for the region.

Customers in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Türkiye who buy any OLED or 98-inch television, or any Galaxy S or Z series mobile device, get four months of Spotify Premium. The offer, tiered by market and device, is available at retail and on Samsung.com, and redeemed through the Samsung Promotion and Samsung Members apps.

For Samsung, the strategy is less about free music than about lock-in. The Korean tech giant’s pitch is continuity: a track starts on a Galaxy smartphone through Galaxy Buds on the commute, moves to a Samsung TV and soundbar in the living room, and stays controllable from a Galaxy Watch. The more seamlessly music travels between those devices, the harder it becomes to swap any one of them for a rival’s.

“Technology should bring people closer to the things they love, and few things connect people the way music does,” said Omar Saheb, Regional VP of Marketing and Online Business at Samsung Electronics MENA. The partnership, he added, gives customers “a genuine reason to choose Samsung for the experience, not only the product”.

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For subscribers, Premium brings the usual package: ad-free listening, offline downloads, richer audio quality on Galaxy Buds and Samsung sound devices, and Jam, which lets friends build a shared queue.

“At Spotify, we are always working to make every listening moment feel more personal, meaningful, and worth it,” said Rami Jamal, Head of Partnerships at Spotify for South Asia, Middle East, and Africa.

The demographics go a long way to explaining the strategy. Across MENA, Türkiye, and Pakistan, nearly seven in ten Spotify streams come from listeners aged 18 to 34, according to the company — precisely the audience Samsung wants inside its hardware ecosystem before buying habits harden.