Almost everyone has a news app on their smartphone to be connected to their surroundings and always up to date on what’s happening. In UAE, Khaleej Times is one of the most popular English News channels that broadcast news in the UAE and GCC regions. Khaleej Times has also shifted into a digitalized medium and made a global face by offering Khalij News Online platforms.
In UAE, where staying connected to global affairs and trends is crucial, Khaleej Times online platforms play a vital role in providing the Khaleej Times app for mobile devices. In fact, there are a million users who download this app every month, and it has an average issue readership of 1.03 million and reaches 4.5 million browsers each month through Khaleejtimes.com.
You can see the increasing demand for News apps in the UAE’s landscape. However, a news app is not just a spend of money; you can create a great monetization strategy to double your return on investment. If you want to learn how to build an app like Khaleej Times that brings a lot of users and money, read this article till the end. We will asist you in building the News App and provide a ballpark figure so that you can make up your mind about profitability.
Categories of News App
News apps generally fall into two main categories: News Aggregator Apps and News Resource Apps. These categories serve distinct purposes and cater to different user preferences.
News Aggregator Apps
News aggregator apps collect and curate news content from various sources and present it in a unified format. They use algorithms and user preferences to personalize the news feed. Moreover, aggregator apps pull news articles, headlines, and multimedia content from a wide range of publishers and news websites.
In addition, users can often customize their news feed based on their interests, topics, or preferred sources. The app learns from user interactions to refine content recommendations.
Examples: Flipboard, Feedly, Google News.
News Resource Apps
News resource apps are platforms created by individual news organizations or publishers to provide users with direct access to their content. In addition, these apps primarily feature content produced by the specific news organization. They may include articles, videos, as well as multimedia content created by their own journalists and reporters.
News resource apps are associated with a particular news outlet, and users typically access content directly from the source. Moreover, users get in-depth coverage of news stories from a single source, which may include exclusive interviews, investigative reporting, and editorial content.
Examples: BBC News, CNN, The New York Times app.
While News Aggregator Apps offer a diverse range of news from multiple sources with a personalized touch, News Resource Apps provide a more in-depth and branded experience, allowing users to engage specifically with the content produced by a particular news organization. Users may choose one or the other based on their preferences for content diversity, personalization, or loyalty to specific news outlets.
Cost Of Building News App Like Khaleej Times
Building a news app like Khaleej Times can range in cost between $15,000 and $70,000+, depending on several factors:
Features
Basic features: Login/registration, user profile, news feed, search, push notifications, basic filtering – Estimated cost: $15,000 – $25,000.
Advanced features: Offline reading, personalized recommendations, multi-media support (video, audio), social media integration, comments, interactive quizzes – Estimated cost: $30,000 – $50,000.
Premium features: Live streaming, subscription model, real-time analytics, AI-powered personalization, AR/VR integration – Estimated cost: $50,000+.
Development Team
Location: Developers in Eastern Europe or Asia may be cheaper than those in Western Europe or the US.
Experience and skill: Hiring experienced developers will generally cost more but can save time and money in the long run.
Team size: A larger team can complete the project faster but will also be more expensive.
Other factors
Technology stack: The choice of programming languages and frameworks can affect the cost.
Third-party APIs: Integrating with third-party services like content management systems or push notification platforms can add to the cost.
Submitting your app to the App Store and Google Play Store incurs fees.
Here’s a rough breakdown of estimated costs for some key features of Khaleej Times:
| Feature | Estimated Cost | Time |
| Login/Registration | $2,000 – $3,500 | 2 – 3 weeks |
| User profile | $2,500 – $4,000 | 3 – 4 weeks |
| News feed | $3,000 – $5,000 | 4 – 5 weeks |
| Search | $2,200 – $3,800 | 2 – 3 weeks |
| Push notifications | $3,000 – $4,500 | 3 – 4 weeks |
| Offline reading | $2,800 – $4,200 | 3 – 4 weeks |
| All media types (video, audio) | $3,500 – $5,000 | 4 – 5 weeks |
Tips for reducing costs
- Start with a minimum viable product (MVP) with basic features and add more features later based on user feedback.
- Consider outsourcing development to a team in a lower-cost region.
- Use open-source software and libraries whenever possible.
- Partner with other news organizations to share content and resources.
- Ultimately, the best way to get an accurate estimate is to consult with several app development companies who can provide you with a tailored quote based on your specific requirements.
Wrapping Up
The Khaleej Times app has engaging features and user-friendly interfaces, making it worth having an app on mobile phones. In UAE, mobile applications provide ease in their busy lives. Whether the app is for News, grocery, or cab booking, every app has worth in the realm of UAE. If you want to launch your app and earn more than you ever before, MMC Global is the solution for all your requirements. From designing to development and implementing to building monetization strategy, we can help you overcome all the challenges. Let’s start building your app with professional mobile app developers.
