Middle East and Africa video markets produced 62.5 billion dollars in revenue. A 3.2 percent average annual GDP growth forecast supports rising entertainment spending. Mobile broadband subscriptions and streaming platforms shape consumption across the region.
Key Takeaways
- 3.2% average annual GDP growth forecast for the Middle East (2024–2028), supporting expanding consumer and entertainment spend
- $62.5 billion Middle East & Africa video market revenue (2023), reflecting the scale of regional screen entertainment
- Middle East & Africa had 89.6 million mobile broadband subscriptions (2022), enabling mobile video consumption
- Egypt had 85.9 million mobile connections in 2023 (ITU estimate), underpinning high mobile entertainment reach
- 78% of consumers in the Middle East & North Africa region reported using smartphones to watch videos (2022), supporting mobile-first entertainment behavior
- 62% of surveyed users in the UAE reported consuming entertainment via streaming platforms at least once per week (2022)
- Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program (NTP) targets 100% digital government services by 2025, accelerating digital distribution infrastructure for entertainment business operations
- 200+ film industry professionals supported through the Abu Dhabi Film Festival Talent Campus initiatives in 2023 (as stated in festival impact reporting)
- Egypt’s Film Industry Institute/Academy graduated 3,000+ students since 2016 (cumulative enrollment figure from institute materials), building local film talent for regional entertainment
- $100 million minimum capital requirement for a media company licensing tier in Saudi Arabia (as set by relevant regulatory/licensing frameworks for media activity)
- The weighted average cost of capital for media/telecom in the region averaged 8.2% in 2022 (corporate finance benchmarking published by a regional bank/consulting)
- The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 produced 3.7 billion unique viewers (as estimated by FIFA), with substantial consumption across MENA via broadcaster and digital platforms
- Qatar 2022’s final match reached 130 million viewers in the Middle East & Africa region (as stated in FIFA’s viewing report breakdown)
- SVoD churn in the GCC averaged 3.6% per month in 2023 (industry subscription analytics reported by a media intelligence vendor)
- Egypt had 28.6 million Facebook users in 2023, supporting social media-driven entertainment discovery and marketing effectiveness in the region’s largest audience market
With strong digital growth and mobile reach, MENA entertainment spend is booming and streaming leads weekly viewing.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
3.2% average annual GDP growth forecast for the Middle East (2024–2028), supporting expanding consumer and entertainment spend
02
$62.5 billion Middle East & Africa video market revenue (2023), reflecting the scale of regional screen entertainment
03
Middle East & Africa had 89.6 million mobile broadband subscriptions (2022), enabling mobile video consumption
04
Turkey generated $6.1 billion in film and TV production output in 2022 (latest available), demonstrating regional competition and production-scale dynamics that affect MENA co-productions
05
Netflix reported 260+ million paid memberships worldwide in Q1 2024, supporting global platform scale that underpins large-scale programming reach into MENA
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Middle East’s market size outlook looks strong as a 3.2% average annual GDP growth forecast for 2024 to 2028 and 89.6 million mobile broadband subscriptions in 2022 point to rising entertainment spend supported by the already sizable $62.5 billion video market revenue in 2023.
02 · Category
User Adoption5 stats
01
Egypt had 85.9 million mobile connections in 2023 (ITU estimate), underpinning high mobile entertainment reach
02
78% of consumers in the Middle East & North Africa region reported using smartphones to watch videos (2022), supporting mobile-first entertainment behavior
03
62% of surveyed users in the UAE reported consuming entertainment via streaming platforms at least once per week (2022)
04
3.3 billion hours of content watched on Netflix across MENA in 2023 (includes Middle East & North Africa region reporting as referenced by Netflix’s quarterly communications through third-party analytics summaries)
05
UAE had 9.1 million social media users in 2023 (DataReportal compiled from ITU/UN/other sources), supporting influencer and creator-led entertainment
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
The User Adoption picture in the Middle East is clearly mobile and streaming led, with 85.9 million mobile connections in Egypt and 78% of MENA consumers using smartphones for video watching in 2022, while weekly streaming remains mainstream in the UAE at 62% and Netflix alone drove 3.3 billion hours watched in 2023.
03 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s National Transformation Program (NTP) targets 100% digital government services by 2025, accelerating digital distribution infrastructure for entertainment business operations
02
200+ film industry professionals supported through the Abu Dhabi Film Festival Talent Campus initiatives in 2023 (as stated in festival impact reporting)
03
Egypt’s Film Industry Institute/Academy graduated 3,000+ students since 2016 (cumulative enrollment figure from institute materials), building local film talent for regional entertainment
04
Israel’s MENA-adjacent theatrical box office growth was 23% YoY in 2023 (trade reporting on regional box office expansion; included for comparability within MENA entertainment markets)
05
Hollywood studio partnerships in the Middle East expanded to 12 co-production initiatives by 2023 (industry press compilation)
06
MENA is expected to become the fastest-growing global e-sports region by 2028 with a projected CAGR of 18% (latest available), reflecting rapid growth in competitive entertainment consumption
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across the Industry Trends landscape in the Middle East, rapid digitization and talent pipelines are scaling alongside new market momentum, from Saudi Arabia’s goal of 100% digital government services by 2025 to Egypt’s 3,000+ Film Industry Institute graduates since 2016 and MENA’s projected 18% e sports CAGR through 2028.
More related reading
04 · Category
Cost Analysis2 stats
01
$100 million minimum capital requirement for a media company licensing tier in Saudi Arabia (as set by relevant regulatory/licensing frameworks for media activity)
02
The weighted average cost of capital for media/telecom in the region averaged 8.2% in 2022 (corporate finance benchmarking published by a regional bank/consulting)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
For cost analysis in the Middle East entertainment industry, the $100 million minimum licensing capital requirement in Saudi Arabia and the region’s 8.2% weighted average cost of capital for media and telecom in 2022 together suggest that securing and financing media operations is both capital intensive and relatively expensive.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics4 stats
01
The FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 produced 3.7 billion unique viewers (as estimated by FIFA), with substantial consumption across MENA via broadcaster and digital platforms
02
Qatar 2022’s final match reached 130 million viewers in the Middle East & Africa region (as stated in FIFA’s viewing report breakdown)
03
SVoD churn in the GCC averaged 3.6% per month in 2023 (industry subscription analytics reported by a media intelligence vendor)
04
Average time spent watching TV in Saudi Arabia was 5 hours 7 minutes per day in 2023 (Nielsen audience measurement cited in trade press)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
The Performance Metrics data shows Middle East audiences are deeply engaged across formats, with Qatar 2022 drawing 3.7 billion unique viewers overall and 130 million watching the final in MENA and Africa, while GCC SVoD churn stays relatively low at 3.6% per month in 2023 and Saudi viewers spend an average of 5 hours 7 minutes of TV time daily, reinforcing strong ongoing consumption rather than short lived spikes.
06 · Category
Audience & Consumption2 stats
01
Egypt had 28.6 million Facebook users in 2023, supporting social media-driven entertainment discovery and marketing effectiveness in the region’s largest audience market
02
Meta’s family of apps reached 3.3 billion people globally in 2024 (latest available), supporting the scale of social entertainment discovery and creator monetization across MENA
Interpretation
Audience & Consumption Interpretation
With Egypt alone reaching 28.6 million Facebook users in 2023 alongside Meta’s family of apps hitting 3.3 billion people globally in 2024, the Audience and Consumption picture for Middle East entertainment is clearly being powered by massive social reach that is enabling discovery and monetization at scale.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Middle East Entertainment Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/middle-east-entertainment-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Middle East Entertainment Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/middle-east-entertainment-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Middle East Entertainment Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/middle-east-entertainment-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+4 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)