Tuned Global and Twist Music Extend Their Partnership
Tuned Global has announced a three-year extension of its partnership with the telecommunications company e& to support its digital entertainment platform, Twist Music. This collaboration will allow Tuned Global to enhance the streaming service as it broadens its reach from Egypt into the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
As a technology platform, Tuned Global supplies the necessary infrastructure to create scalable music experiences. This includes tools for catalog ingestion, rights management, streaming APIs, and analytics, all tailored to enhance user interaction with the service.
Launched in 2022, Twist Music has already garnered over 3 million downloads. It is part of e&’s digital entertainment division, which ranks among the largest telecom operators in the Middle East and North Africa. The platform features a diverse catalog that includes offerings from major labels, independent artists like Believe, and various local labels. Users can enjoy premium features such as offline listening, podcasts, broadcast radio, and AI-driven recommendations, with more innovations planned for the future.
Ahmed Yehia, CEO of Fintech & Digital Lifestyle at e& Egypt, emphasized that this renewed partnership will enhance the platform’s ability to blend international music with local favorites, providing a superior experience for customers.
Tuned Global views this partnership as a key example of its strategy to collaborate with telecom operators. The company has also established partnerships with various operators globally, including in Greenland, the United States, and Thailand.
Con Raso, Managing Director of Tuned Global, expressed pride in supporting Twist Music’s growth. He noted that their technology enables platforms to focus on user experience while Tuned Global manages the underlying infrastructure.
The partnership comes at a time when the MENA region is experiencing rapid growth in the recorded music market, with recent data showing a 22.8% year-over-year increase in recorded music revenues attributed primarily to streaming, which now accounts for 99.5% of the total.
Despite this impressive growth, Raso indicated that the market is still developing. He pointed out that while a significant portion of consumption remains free or video-based, telecom companies are uniquely positioned to drive the transition to paid streaming. This is particularly relevant in emerging markets like Egypt, where payment systems are still evolving.
In more developed areas like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, the focus shifts to reducing customer friction through features such as instant activation and bundled services. Raso noted that music is increasingly becoming a central element of telecom strategies, helping to engage and retain customers.
As the landscape evolves, operators are seeking greater control over their music offerings, moving beyond basic bundling to potentially co-owning the music experience. Raso highlighted that successful collaborations between telcos and music services could lead to a sustainable increase in paid subscriptions.
Looking forward, Raso anticipates that a significant share of new paid streaming subscriptions in MENA will be driven by operator-led models. He believes that by integrating music into broader digital lifestyle packages and focusing on local content, telcos can enhance user engagement and drive long-term growth.
Tuned Global’s collaboration with Twist Music exemplifies the potential for telcos to leverage music as a key component of their service offerings, establishing a strong connection with consumers and enhancing their overall digital content ecosystems. For more information about Tuned Global’s services, you can visit their official website.
This partnership and the growing trend of telco-bundled streaming highlight the importance of localized music content in building a robust and sustainable paid streaming market in the region, making it a pivotal moment for the music industry in MENA.