MBC’s ‘Selfie’ most talked about Ramadan show

POPULAR: Lead actor, Naser Al-Qasabi, center, in a scene from ‘Selfie.’

JEDDAH: Each year during Ramadan a huge surge in TV viewership, particularly, for Arabic dramas, is observed. However, according to Meltwater, a global media intelligence firm, an analysis of social media reactions around popular MBC TV channel’s Ramadan programs, show that people in Arab countries were more engaged with Arab entertainment and reality shows during Ramadan 2016, according to Al-Bawaba.

An analysis of the comments on Twitter and Facebook between June 6 to July 8, using Meltwater social media monitoring and analysis tools, reveal that the most talked about MBC show during this Ramadan was ‘Selfie’, a sketch comedy show that tackles controversial issues. ‘Selfie’, received 57 percent of mentions on social media.
’Al Sadma’, or the Shock, a prank show that uses shock therapy to examine human behavior in certain situations, was the second most talked about show generating 27 percent of social buzz.
In the third place is Egyptian prankster Ramez Galal’s ‘Ramez Plays with Fire’ show, that features several celebrities including Steven Segal, receiving 16 percent of mentions in comparison to other MBC Ramadan programs.
“Selfie is a picture of our society. It’s holding a mirror up to our problems, events and domestic issues,” Aws Al-Sharqi, the show’s director told CNN this month. “It captures the history, the present, our sad and happy moments. It also captures our problems and our flaws. That’s why it’s called Selfie.”
Each of the 30 episodes brought a different issue into the open like never before, tackling subjects that include the refugee crisis, extremism, gender inequality and sectarianism.
“Every Ramadan, there is a sharp increase in TV viewership,” says Zubair Timol, Area Director for India, Middle East & Africa at Meltwater.
“With the help of Meltwater tools we can analyze the sentiments, demographics, and social media conversations about shows on popular TV channels to understand their consumer reach and engagement. This gives brand and marketing managers solid information to make intelligent decisions regarding advertising and promotional campaigns for their brands.”
The highest amount of conversations about the MBC shows took place on Twitter (73 percent) followed by Facebook at (24.09 percent).