At the end of Ramadan, the Middle East edition of Cosmopolitan—one of the best-selling women's magazines—documented how the newly released hit show Sharia Al-Asha (Al-Asha Street) had gone viral on TikTok for its scenes depicting romantic men, beautiful women, and fierce jealousy. Ramadan is considered the biggest time of the year for television, as countless new dramas are released across the region that define the biggest hits of the year. However, unlike the traditional Egyptian-made Ramadan hits, this production was Saudi-made in every way, from the cast to the setting and plot. Adapted from the novel Love Stories on al-Asha Street, it depicts a coming-of-age story set in Riyadh in the 70s, with the characters experiencing romantic and familial challenges alongside the modernization of Saudi society.
Al-Asha Street would go on to become one of the most watched television series during Ramadan, dominating the rankings of the Arabic streaming service Shahid. The show, however, is but a single street in a larger city: Saudi Arabia's television industry has seen a renaissance within the past decade, with Saudi shows increasingly dominating regional airwaves and attracting viewers. This renaissance is driven in part by the Kingdom's desire to reshape its Islamist identity and become more nationalist. Historically, countries across the world have used entertainment as a way to build national identity and promote culture and soft power, with America's Hollywood being the most famous example. Similarly, Saudi television has come into the forefront as a vehicle to promote Saudi culture and build what commentators describe as a national consciousness due to Vision 2030's need to reshape Saudi society. This need has driven Saudi Arabia to invest in quality programming that showcases Saudi culture, resulting in the likes of Al-Asha Street captivating regional audiences despite Saudi shows historically drawing little attention. Thus, although unnoticed by many in the West, many Arab commentators have written on how this renaissance has resulted in Saudi television shows growing in quality and popularity.
The newly constructed MBC Group headquarters in Riyadh.
However, even as Egyptian productions historically dominated airwaves, it was the Saudis who owned them: the Kingdom is home to the MBC Group (officially the Middle Eastern Broadcasting Center), which is the largest media group in the MENA region. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund holds a 54% stake in the MBC Group, which operates both pan-Arab radio stations and numerous pan-Arab satellite channels ranging from the news station Al Arabiya to local channels in Egypt and Iraq and even a Bollywood channel. However, MBC's most innovative and game-changing product has been Shahid VIP, the streaming service that represents Saudi Arabia's answer to Netflix. As of 2019, Shahid dominated 85% of the VOD market in the MENA region, cementing itself as a competitor unrivaled by even the global giant Netflix. The region's young population and growing digital infrastructure have led observers to project that the VOD market in the MENA region will reach $8.4 billion by 2029, meaning that Saudi Arabia is well equipped to take advantage of this emerging demand.
While this television renaissance shows strong economic and cultural potential, it has not come without its challenges: the same year Al-Asha Street was going viral on Tiktok, Muawiya—another Saudi-produced show—was banned in Shiite-majority Iraq and Iran for depicting a controversial figure in Islamic history, with even some Sunni authorities in the region expressing concern. This was despite the fact that the show's writer publicly declared that Muawiya was not trying to push any sectarian debates and instead wanted to present Islamic history and lessons to the present generation. The Muawiya controversy shows why cultural understanding and religious considerations are important for anyone looking at the MENA region, a consumer market where even giants like Saudi Arabia's MBC with the best of intentions can run into roadblocks over taboo topics.
Jackie Chan at the 2022 Red Sea International Film Festival.
Challenges notwithstanding, Saudi Arabia's entertainment investments have not spared the box office: within less than a decade, it has gone from a 35-year cinema ban to setting up a $100 million Saudi film fund and hosting the Red Sea International Film Festival in 2021, the first ever annual film festival in the Kingdom. With PwC estimating that the domestic box office market could reach $950 million by 2030, global cinema operators like AMC, IMAX, and VOX have all rushed to get in on this emerging market. With this much upside, there is little room for doubt as to why the Saudi government has identity film as yet another potential method of diversifying its traditional oil-based economy.
While the Saudi box office market has experienced slow growth, many Saudis today are optimistic about the future of Saudi cinema, with works like Hobal and Unidentified telling local stories in a fresh reprise from traditional Hollywood or Egyptian-made films. Overall, from cinema to VOD and Ramadan programming, Saudi Arabia is experiencing a renaissance in the entertainment industry that is worth taking note. In addition to the emergence of a lucrative and massive consumer market, this renaissance demonstrates the remarkable transformation in Saudi society and identity, serving as a microcosm of how the Kingdom is opening up while also promoting and retaining its culture.