Did you know that 5.03 billion people use the internet globally? 

That is close to 63.1 percent of the global population. 

A recent Statistica report from May 2022 suggests that by 2027, the expected number of SVOD subscriptions would reach nearly 1.7 billion! 

The Muslim entertainment industry is projected to expand tremendously. Muslims spending on media and recreation was USD$231 billion in 2021, and it is forecasted to grow by 7.5% by 2025.

Two billion global Muslims deserve high-quality content that showcases the many aspects of being Muslim while encouraging us to be unapologetic about our own identities and lived realities. 

Bitsmedia Laying The Foundation 

Before deep diving into Qalbox, a new and fresh Muslim streaming platform, let’s rewind to 2010 first.

In 2010 an application was created with a simple goal: to create utility functions that would help Muslims keep track of important aspects of faith in their daily lives; Islam is more than just a religion – it is a way of life. 

With intention came the execution. The Muslim Pro app has evolved with the users offering more Muslim lifestyle content, including the recent addition of moving into the streaming space with Qalbox. A reflection of Bitsmedia’s founding ambition is to develop Muslim Pro as a comprehensive lifestyle app that all Muslims, wherever they are, could call it their digital home. 

Over the past decade, the Muslim Pro app has been downloaded over 100 million times on the Google Play Store! 

With Qalbox, we hope to truly capture the diverse global Muslim community and bring them to the forefront through the entertainment medium. And, that is why our slogan is ‘Explore Our World’ – there is so much to be discovered and experienced. 

Evolution of the Muslim Pro App from 2013 – 2022

Qalbox And Muslim Pro

We had a soft launch of Qalbox with 72 titles (180+ streaming hours) within the Muslim Pro app in July 2022 for Muslim Pro users. Alhamdulillah, our subscribers and the content library have continued to grow.

Qalbox originals are lined up for production and development in the coming months leading up to the official launch before the end of 2022. It is an opportunity to support the entertainment industry by providing an avenue for budding Muslim filmmakers to showcase their talents and work. InshaAllah. 

We are one of the few brands and companies that have a bundled subscription where global Muslim (and non-Muslim) communities are able to access more than one service with just one subscription. In this case, access to both Muslim Pro and Qalbox.

Streaming Qalbox Within Muslim Pro

We get digitally savvy and continue using digital services and products on the daily. As such, it created the need to make space (and later applaud) for the people who write, modify, and test codes that allow computer software and applications to function efficiently.

Programming a streaming video service within an application has been a gigantic feat. A team of two programming engineers handled the Muslim Pro app until 2017. By the time the conception and development of Qalbox began, the team had grown to 12 programmers. 

From applying DRM (Digital Rights Management) to make sure all licensed contents are accessible for our users, learning to encode all videos into different formats and resolutions to support adaptive streaming, and developing a web application for the very first time in 12 years and using front-end microservices for Qalbox, the process was one of sheer hard work and dedication working around the clock as the teams created strategies and most of the processes were developed in-house.

(Psst! If you think someone you know or even yourself fits the job description and is able to add value, explore career opportunities with us!)

Our programmers day in and out developed codes that would allow the web, iOS, and Android applications to access Qalbox. The app uses mainly JavaScript, Kotlin, Swift, and Java languages. Cloud systems like GCP, Firebase, AWS, Aspera, StackPath, Elasticsearch, and others have been integrated while developing Qalbox. 

Simultaneously, the backend architecture was being planned in a manner to support multiple subscriptions for Qalbox and Muslim Pro on up to 5 devices; while being consistent with the UI/UX design across different platforms supporting millions of users daily.

Trust And Technology

We work with OneTrust – a global Consent Management Platform (CMP) to ensure all our platforms comply with data protection laws. Our systems are built on Firebase that has built-in security against network attacks. For Android, we work with DexGuard – an industry-standard tool for encrypting applications to prevent attacks or tampering.

The humbling fact of helping millions of users practice their faith daily is an achievement. And developing Qalbox, where we are the very first platform to integrate Muslim entertainment into one digital home for Muslims to have a seamless experience is another monumental pride for us.

Where you are in your spiritual journey, you have the option to enjoy a wide range of content that is not just limited to entertainment but includes faith-based content, such as Quranic recitations and supplications.

Our audience has always been the Muslim community but non-Muslims are always welcome to explore our world!

New users enjoy a 7-day free trial which includes access to all features of the Muslim Pro app ad-free! Claim your free trial today!