The archive · Consumer Apps · Product decision · 2023–2026
JACO bets Arabic live video needs a homegrown app; Saudi top-20 grossing chart
Saudi live-stream and short-video app: 18M users, 450M+ SAR paid to 2.5M creators by Dec 2024, top-20 grossing Entertainment app in Saudi in 2026
JACO (Jaco Arabia)
What the business is
JACO (جاكو) is a Saudi live-streaming and short-video social app for Arabic-speaking users, mixing live Saudi football, music, talk shows and creator live rooms.
How it started
JACO launched around June 2023 as an Arabic-language social platform for live streaming and short video, with CEO Fahad Al-Shiddi betting that regional users and creators would choose a homegrown app. Its early content pillars — live Saudi football, music and talk shows — played to local demand that global platforms were not programming.
What happened
The company grew through creator payouts: by December 2024 JACO said creators had earned more than 450 million Saudi riyals in 18 months across 2.5 million creator accounts, and that the platform had 18 million users in MENA and 300 employees, mostly Saudi. At Riyadh's Influencers Forum it announced a 100M SAR creator-investment plan and regional offices in Egypt, the UAE and Kuwait.
How it ended up
Still scaling: in Similarweb's 2026-08-30 snapshot JACO was #18 among top-grossing Entertainment apps on Saudi Google Play.
Background
JACO (جاكو) is a Saudi live-streaming and short-video social app built for Arabic-speaking users, with live Saudi football, music, talk shows and creator live rooms. Launched around June 2023 under CEO Fahad Al-Shiddi, its bet was that Gulf users and creators would embrace a homegrown platform when global apps offered little Arabic live programming.
The company used creator payouts as its growth engine: by December 2024 it reported that creators had earned more than 450 million Saudi riyals in 18 months across 2.5 million creator accounts, with 18 million users across the Middle East and North Africa and 300 employees, mostly Saudi.
At Riyadh's Influencers Forum in December 2024, JACO announced a 100 million riyal creator-investment plan and said it would open regional offices in Egypt, the UAE and Kuwait, positioning itself as the fastest-growing Arab social app in the region.
As of late August 2026 the app remains on Saudi Arabia's charts: Similarweb's 2026-08-30 snapshot ranked it #18 among top-grossing Entertainment apps on Saudi Google Play.
What has to be true
- Localization: live Saudi football and Arabic entertainment that global platforms did not program.
- Creator payouts as a supply-side subsidy: 450M+ SAR in 18 months pulled in 2.5M creators.
- Being a Saudi homegrown platform brought local credibility and ecosystem support that foreign apps lacked.
- Chart durability: it held a top-20 grossing Entertainment position in Saudi Arabia into 2026.
What can be applied
A regional platform can win by localizing content — live Saudi football, Arabic creator rooms — and by paying creators early; supply-side spending seeded a creator economy global platforms neglected.
Aftermath
As of September 2026 JACO is live and scaling: Similarweb's August 30, 2026 snapshot put it at #18 among top-grossing Entertainment apps on Saudi Google Play. The company continues its regional push with offices planned for Egypt, the UAE and Kuwait.
Sources
- "جاكو" لـ "الاقتصادية": نخطط للتوسع وافتتاح 4 مكاتب إقليمية خلال 2025
- وزير الإعلام السعودي يطلق مبادرات بقيمة مليار ريال لدعم قطاع صناع التأثير
- Top Grossing Entertainment Apps Ranking in Saudi Arabia [August 30]
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