 | |
Type of site | Private[1] |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Wood Green,London[1] |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| CEO | Navid Akhtar[2] |
| Key people | David Horne (CFO)[2] |
| URL | alchemiya.com |
| Registration | Required |
Alchemiya is astreaming service geared towardsMuslim audiences.[3] Based out of theUnited Kingdom, it offers content mainly in English:feature films,short films,documentaries along with its own produced content. Alchemiya has been dubbed the "Muslim Netflix".[4]
Alchemiya was founded in 2015 by Navid Akhtar and Ajmal Masroor. Akhtar had previously worked for 20 years in the UK broadcasting industry, including for theBBC andChannel 4.[2] Masroor is a London-basedimam,[5] who currently serves as the company's communication officer.[2]
The founders of Alchemiya were motivated by a desire to counter negative perceptions of Muslims. One complaint was that Netflix productions often depicted Muslims as terrorists.[6] Instead, Alchemiya intends to showcase the lifestyle and diversity of the world's 1.6 billion Muslims and the positive contributions of Islam.[6] The initiative was praised by Ibrahim Hooper andHamza Yusuf.[2]
In 2015, it started a funding campaign onCrowdcube, a Britishcrowdfunding website.[7] It offered only 2 per cent of equity, keeping 98% per cent for the founders, andnon-voting stock. Alchemiya managed to obtain 72 investors and raise 81 per cent of their goal.[7]
Alchemiya aims to capture the Muslim entertainment market. According toThe Global State of the Economy Report 2017/18 fromThomson Reuters, Muslims spent $198 billion on entertainment in 2016, a figure that is forecasted to reach $281 billion by 2022.[3]
Alchemiya has gone through three investment rounds; the first two garnered generated $282,000 in investment.[3]
Alchemiya offersvideo on demand service to 90 millionmobile phone users via carriers.[3] Carriers includeAxiata, which delivers its content inIndonesia,Bangladesh andMalaysia, andPakistan Telecommunication.[3] Alchemiya videos are also available viaAmazon Prime.[3]
The company has also launched an online journal,The Alchemist's Notebook, which produces articles that contextualize its content. Examples include articles on the Pakistani film industry or the Turkish drama sector.[8]
Alchemiya features a variety of content, mostly inEnglish.[9] Offerings includefeature films from the Middle East, short films and documentaries.[4] It also features lifestyle content, including shows on cooking and arts, and travelers guides.[3] In addition, some films shown are banned in their countries of origin; one example is a documentary on theBangladesh Liberation War.[10]
Alchemiya also produces its own content; one of its popular productions was the documentaryI Heart Quran.[11]
As of March 2021, the website currently had 650–700 pieces of content, with short-term plans of acquiring another 2,000 pieces.[9]
Alchemiya has subscribers in at least 40 countries,[11] but most are in theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom.[9] A 2016 survey indicated that about 10% of its subscribers were non-Muslim.[11][9] Alchemiya finds its audience throughsocial media advertising.[8]