Augustus Media – October Newsletter

This tribute brings together everything we stand for: media, thought leadership, content and business growth. Stay connected with Augustus Media’s powerhouse brands: Lovin Dubai, Lovin Saudi, Smashi, and ODEUM.

Dive into our latest content highlights, standout campaigns and key commercial updates.

Hear from the CEO

Publishing Isn’t Dying - It’s Evolving Into the Future of Media

There’s a lot of noise about the decline of publishers and the so-called “death of media.” And yes, legacy outlets have struggled to adapt. But publishing itself isn’t dying, it’s transforming. The new generation of publishers has carved out highly engaged, loyal audiences across platforms, whether it’s a social-first brand with millions of followers, a podcast with a cult community, or a newsletter people genuinely look forward to reading each week. These modern publishers might not have the fame of traditional mastheads, but they have something far more valuable: real attention and trust. For brands, this means rethinking media strategy not just chasing reach or impressions, but partnering with publishers who can tell your story with depth and credibility. Social media, podcasts, and newsletters have become the new front pages of culture, and the publishers who own these spaces are building the next generation of major media brands. It’s time to see them for what they truly are: powerful storytellers and strategic partners who can shape how people think, feel, and connect with your brand.

Richard Fitzgerald
CEO & Founder

📱 All Things Content

It’s been a month of strong audience growth and standout moments across all platforms. Saudi National Day coverage drove exceptional engagement, with the majority of posts surpassing 10K+ views, and Lovin Riyadh’s fireworks Reel crossing 1.2M organic views.

This celebration became one of our strongest cultural moments of the year, showing the power of community-driven storytelling. Regionally, Lovin Bahrain hit 37,404 followers and 2M+ impressions, while on TikTok in KSA the audience grew +45% MoM and followers doubled to 40K+. We also launched the daily Smashi Sports Podcast (Arabic), reaching 69K views. On Twitter/X, engagement spiked +60% thanks to real-time sports coverage.

Video content continued to thrive, with the FIFA legacy video crossing 500K views, while overall growth included 2.5M Instagram views, 10M+ Facebook views, and 1.5M TikTok views. Alongside this, we delivered 10 professional shoots and community-focused stories and Reels that strengthened audience interaction across platforms.

Saima Iqbal
Senior Content Director

👀 Tap Into Business Performance

We rolled out major campaigns across the region this month.

In Dubai, highlights included Samsung’s multi-market PR stunt, Air Arabia’s Super Sale, Keeta’s regional deal, the iPhone 17 launch with Share VIP Suite, du 5G, UNTOLD Dubai, L’Oréal Jamal, SharkNinja GCC, adidas, and Galaxy Chocolate, alongside a 7UP brand takeover across Lovin Saudi & Riyadh.

In Saudi Arabia, we partnered with MINI, PepsiCo, Holsten, BYD, Hyundai, Shahid, Indrive, Max Fashion, and PFL, while in Qatar, we secured our first automotive client. Cairo continued to make an impact with collaborations for Juhayna, e&, Al Maseaf Ras El Hakima, Vodafone V7, Talabat, Amazon, Pepsi, McDonald’s, MV, Al Manfaz, and Opel, building momentum across key industries and markets.

Kastro Beaini
Senior Commercial Director

👀 Lovin Cities

Lovin Beirut made waves with an exclusive interview featuring Fadi AlShamsi on the LB Show, reaching 1.2M+ on Instagram and gaining 1K+ subscribers on YouTube, alongside viral posts that boosted engagement. In Amman, Lovin secured a sponsored post with Netflix that reached 500K on Instagram, while

Lovin Palestine drove strong community impact with daily posts averaging 2K likes, a 15K+ follower increase, features in Lovin Malta, and regular celebrity follows and reposts. Lovin Kuwait achieved an impressive 14M reach on Instagram, secured two sponsored projects, and gained 5K+ new followers, while Lovin Doha completed eight shoots, added three sponsored posts, and delivered 2M+ Instagram reach, 4K+ new followers, and 400K+ interactions.

On the audio front, podcasts remained a daily staple for Amman, Bahrain, Beirut, and Doha, with Palestine, Kuwait, and Muscat shifting to daily episodes powered by AI—totaling 222 episodes across cities and reaching 1.1M views. Viral content across platforms included standout posts with 13K likes/200K+ views, 3.9K likes/3M+ views, and 9.2K likes/1M+ views. On the publishing side, the team consistently produced 1–3 AI articles daily, bringing the total to 292 published articles so far. Expanding reach further, Lovin also kick-started Lovin Kabul and Lovin Istanbul, opened up collaborations with new cities, and rolled out story battles across all markets, driving higher engagement.