MBC most viewed channel during first days of Ramadan

These findings were recently published by regional market research companies who studied television viewing habits in the Kingdom during the first few days of the holy month.

The most popular show on all channels was MBC's "Tash Ma Tash" which came first with over 50% of Saudi viewers tuning in after Iftar. MBC programming also won the top six rated shows during the measured period and accounted for 11 out of the top 20 programmes.

Ramadan traditionally sees regional satellite and terrestrial television stations battling fiercely for viewers, as many Arab families spend much of their evening time following their favorite drama, comedy and game shows.

"Ramadan represents annual crunch time, it really puts each channel's insight into its viewers' tastes to the test," said Mohammed.Al-Mulhem, MBC Group Director of Marketing, PR and Commercial. "We're very happy with the success our programs have achieved so far, it only reinforces our confidence in our market and viewer insights and comes as further proof of our audiences trust in our brand."

Advertising also causes increased pressure on TV stations to offer the best they have during Ramadan, since advertisers all inflate their media buying budgets for this month. This caused market research companies to issue daily ratings updates rather than the consolidated monthly report which is the norm for the rest of the year.

"We made sure that this years offering be especially targeted towards family viewing, which has become a traditional Ramadan consumer behavior pattern," added Al-Mulhem. "These are really fantastic results, and we're glad that they have all been reached and agreed on by professional and unbiased research companies using scientific and objective methodologies."