Executive Speaker Interview with Ali Ajouz, Media Consultant, Ajouz

What genres of TV programming typically perform well in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA)?

As far as the masses, it differs from region to region – for example, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries versus the Levant, and Egypt versus Franco North Africa. Having said that, and generally speaking, the biggest shows have been music and talent competition shows such as Star Academy, Superstar, Arab’s Got Talent, etc. These shows have attracted millions of viewers from all over the MENA region, as have the Arabic dubbed Turkish shows which have gained popularity beginning with the transmission of ‘Noor’.

During Ramadan, demand for programming changes to dramas and comedies. Most of the networks’ budgets are usually spent for the month of Ramadan.

Where is most Arabic television content produced?

There has been a boom and shift in the source of Arabic content. Whilst the bulk of Arabic productions (movies and series) continues to come from Egypt, the Egyptian share has dropped significantly in the last eight years, with Syria and Jordan growing their share fast.

• In 2000 Egypt produced over 85% of Arabic shows
• In 2006 Egypt dropped to 65%, Syria grew to 17% and Jordan to 16% (Booz Allen Hamilton)
• In 2011 production in Egypt and Syria was hurt by the political events, nevertheless, Syria grew to over 30% and Egypt probably dropped to less than 50%•

It’s important to note that the bulk of the Turkish dubbed shows are dubbed into the Syrian dialect of Arabic, mostly in Syria.

Roughly how much programming shown in the MENA region is imported?

The majority of free to air networks show locally produced content. However, MBC (MBC2, MBC Action, MBC MAX, MBC4), Dubai One, Fox Channels, a few other free to air networks, and pay-TV networks such as OSN, StarTV show international content.

Budgets spent on imported content range between an estimated $300 to $400 million a year, excluding sports.

Of course, all international sports are imported and budgets spent on sporting rights most certainly exceed $1 billion a year. The two major sports networks are Al Jazeera Sports (covering 80% of sporting activities) and ADM (Abu Dhabi Media) currently has the English Premier League rights.

In terms of performance of imported content, there aren’t any reliable ratings or statistics in this region. Any mention of stats claiming any success of any imported show is most likely a guess work at best. The only exceptions are clearly and without doubt the Arabic dubbed Turkish drama shows. Having said that, common sense and market feedback tell us that the MBC channels continue to fall in the top 10 channels.

How has the rise of Turkish soaps in the region affected the broadcasting landscape, and which are doing particularly well?

In my opinion, Turkish dramas filled a major creative and cultural gap in the broadcasting industry in MENA. Creative, because it offered an alternative and a challenge to the Egyptian dramas which had not really progressed much since the 80′s and Syrian dramas currently being produced.

Perhaps we can attribute the recent improved quality in local productions to the Turkish shows.

The cultural acceptance of Turkish shows is a result of the shared cultural values between Arabs and Turks. Turkey as a Muslim country, is considered an alternative model in terms of where the Arab world could be heading. In addition to the shared cultural values, Both Turks and Arabs look alike, whose stories, issues and challenges are more or less the same.

Another factor is, of course, the marketable values of Turkish actors (male and female) combined with their much improved acting skills vis-à-vis the Arab TV industry.

Of course, we shouldn’t ignore the quality of productions. Lighting, sets, studios, locations, improved filming all improve the picture quality. Today, the Turkish industry is more sophisticated than local productions.

Turkish series that did particularly well in the Arab world include Noor, Al Eshq Al Mamnou (Forbidden Love), EZEL, Wadi Al The’Ab (Valley of Wolves), Al Awrak Al Motasaketa, SILA, and Thaman Al Shuhra (Price of Fame).