Jordan News Agency (Petra)

What Jordan News Agency (Petra) does

Jordan News Agency (Petra), officially وكالة الأنباء الأردنية, is the sole and official state news agency of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, established in 1965 and headquartered in Amman. The agency operates as a government-owned entity under a Board of Directors chaired by Nabeel Ghaithan, with Fayrouz Mubaideen serving as Director General. Petra's primary function is the production and distribution of verified news content to media organizations, government ministries, and the general public, both domestically and to international partners. Its core product portfolio includes a daily Arabic news bulletin (approximately 100 items per day, with a 50-item variant), photo/video/infographic services, a digital news archive containing over 1 million articles, a digital photographic archive of 110,000 images, SMS breaking news alerts, and professional training programs through the Petra Training Center (founded 2005).

The agency's technology infrastructure is built around a multi-channel digital distribution platform: the official website petra.gov.jo, native iOS and Android applications, and active presence on Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp, and the Nabd platform. It maintains a network of professional correspondents across all Jordanian governorates, providing comprehensive geographic coverage. In 2024, the agency broadcast 4,318 news articles and 1,564 photographs, delivered 68 training opportunities, and accumulated 233,648 combined social media followers. The agency does not maintain a public API or developer documentation.

Petra's revenue model combines direct government appropriation, as a state entity, with subscription-based recurring revenue from media organizations purchasing daily news bulletins (100 or 50 news per day), one-time licensing fees for photo and video content, and subscription-based SMS breaking news alerts to individual consumers. Pricing is not publicly disclosed. The agency serves three primary customer segments: media organizations and journalists (enterprise), government ministries and public sector institutions (government), and general public subscribers (SMB/consumer). Strategic partnerships include academic institutions for training programs and international training centers for capacity building. No acquisitions, funding rounds, or commercial subsidiaries are documented.

Name

Jordan News Agency (Petra)

Legal name

Jordan News Agency (Petra) / وكالة الأنباء الأردنية

Website

https://petra.gov.jo

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Jordan News Agency (Petra) is the sole official state news agency of Jordan, founded in 1965, providing daily Arabic news bulletins, photo/video services, and a digital archive to media organizations, government ministries, and the general public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

News Wire Services

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

SIC

Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)

akta.pro primary industry

News Agencies & Wire Services (General & Specialized) (MPAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Data Journalism & News Intelligence Publishers (Indexes, Election/Market Data) (MPAJADAK)

Keywords

• News wire services
• Daily news bulletins
• Photo archive licensing
• Media distribution platform
• Government press releases

Headquarters

HQ city

Amman

HQ country

Jordan

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. News Subscription Services: Daily news bulletins in Arabic distributed to subscribers at different coverage levels (100 news daily or 50 news daily)
2. Photo and Video Licensing: Sale and licensing of photographs, videos, and infographics to media outlets and other customers
3. SMS News Alerts: Premium text messaging service for breaking news alerts to subscribers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Jordan News Agency (Petra) is Jordan's official state-owned news wire service, producing and distributing Daily News Bulletins in Arabic (approximately 100 items per day, or a 50-item reduced tier) to subscribing media organizations. It also produces photo, video, and infographic news content; provides breaking-news SMS alerts; maintains a digital news archive of more than 1 million items and a photographic archive of 110,000 images; delivers video news and podcast content; and runs professional training programs through the Petra Training Center.

Product overview

Jordan News Agency (Petra) is the official state news wire service of Jordan, established in 1965. It operates as a unified platform delivering news across multiple channels and formats. The core product portfolio consists of: the Daily News Bulletin providing approximately 100 news items daily in Arabic; Photo, Video, and Infographic services for multimedia coverage; a News Archive containing over 1 million items; a Digital Photographic Archive with 110,000 images; and an SMS Text Message Service for breaking news alerts. Additional offerings include a Podcast Platform featuring interviews with officials, Video News content, and Training Center Programs for journalism and media professionals. The agency covers all Jordanian governorates through a network of professional correspondents.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Daily News Bulletin (النشرة الإخبارية اليومية) Daily news bulletin in Arabic providing approximately 100 news items per day, with a reduced 50-item version, distributed to subscribing media organizations and other subscribers.
• Photos, Video, and Infographic Services Visual media content including news photographs, video coverage, and infographics produced for distribution to media outlets and other subscribers.
• News Archive (أرشيف الأخبار) Comprehensive searchable archive containing more than 1 million news items, available for research and reference and browsable by date and category.
• Digital Photographic Archive (أرشيف الصور الفوتوغرافية الرقمي) Digital archive containing 110,000 photographs documenting Jordanian events, figures, and historical moments, available as a searchable database.
• SMS Text Message Service (خدمة الرسائل النصية) Breaking-news alert service that delivers short, urgent news items to subscribers' mobile phones via SMS text messages.
• Petra Training Center Programs Professional journalism and media training programs offered by the Petra Training Center, including comprehensive journalism courses for public- and private-sector participants, established in 2005.
• Podcast Platform (منصة البودكاست) Digital audio content platform featuring podcast episodes including interviews with government officials and public figures.
• Video News (أخبار الفيديو) Video news coverage including a weekly news bulletin in sign language, event coverage, and documentary content distributed through the agency's video portal.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,318 news articles broadcast in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

• Educational InstitutionsmoderateStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Petra Training Center has partnerships with universities for field training requirements documentation and academic cooperation in journalism and media training programs.
• Training Center Partners (International)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerPetra Training Center cooperates with training centers domestically and internationally to implement training and qualification standards, offering professional development programs for media professionals.
• Public Sector EntitiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides comprehensive news services to government ministries and public sector institutions, serving as the official news source for official communications and press releases.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Tunis Afrique Presse (TAP): Tunisia's state news agency providing wire services in Arabic, French, and English to media clients across North Africa. Comparable to Petra in operating model, multi-language distribution, and government-backed monopoly position within its national market.
• Qatar News Agency (QNA): Qatar's official state news agency distributing news in Arabic and English to media organizations, government entities, and the public via digital platforms and correspondent network. Comparable as a Gulf-region national wire service with the same official-monopoly positioning as Petra.
• Emirates News Agency (WAM): UAE's official state news agency providing Arabic and English wire services with extensive photo and video distribution, social media presence, and government communication mandate. Closely mirrors Petra's structure, customer base, and government-owned monopoly status.
• Algerian Press Service (APS): Algeria's official state news agency operating as the primary national wire service with Arabic, French, and English distribution. Comparable to Petra as a North African state-owned news wire serving media, government, and public audiences.
• Saudi Press Agency (SPA): Saudi Arabia's official state news agency, operating under government ownership with multi-platform distribution (website, mobile apps, social media) and a comprehensive nationwide correspondent network. Directly comparable to Petra as a regional national news wire serving both media clients and government communications.
• Kuwait News Agency (KUNA): Kuwait's state-owned news agency offering multi-language wire services, photo distribution, and government communications. Highly comparable to Petra in mission, ownership, distribution channels, and primary customer base of media organizations and government entities.
• Bahrain News Agency (BNA): Bahrain's official state news agency providing news bulletins, photo services, and digital distribution to media and government clients. Comparable as a smaller regional national wire service operating under similar government ownership and statutory designation.

Broad incumbents

• Associated Press (AP): Global wire service offering text, photo, video, and data services to media clients worldwide. Comparable to Petra in core wire-service functionality, but operates at vastly larger international scale and serves global media clients with broader coverage remit.
• Agence France-Presse (AFP): French-based international wire service providing multi-language news, photo, video, and infographic distribution to global media clients. Comparable to Petra in core wire-service and visual content offerings, but with broader international reach and commercial client base.
• Reuters: World's largest international wire service providing news, photos, video, and data to media, financial, and government clients globally. Overlaps with Petra as a wire-service competitor for Jordan-related news, but operates at significantly larger international scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Petranews
• YouTubeyoutube.com/Petranews
• Facebookfacebook.com/Petranews
• Instagraminstagram.com/Petranews
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/petranews

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Jordan News Agency (Petra)