5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
What are UAE audiences watching? Top streaming platforms reveal surprising viewing habits
What do Korean survival thrillers, Spanish heist dramas, and Indian celebrity interviews have in common? In the UAE, they're all competing for screen time in living rooms, bedrooms, and smartphones. The modern streaming experience has transformed passive viewing into a global discovery tour and UAE audiences are among the most adventurous travelers.
Global platforms like Netflix and Disney+ are seeing a massive shift in what people watch, how they watch, and more interestingly, in what language. With a multicultural population, high internet penetration, and a young, digitally savvy demographic, the UAE offers a snapshot of how global content is consumed and celebrated across the MENA region.
The Netflix Effect
Once considered a disruptor, Netflix is now one of the world's leading entertainment platforms, available in over 190 countries and 50 languages. In MENA, its influence goes far beyond delivering Hollywood hits. The platform has played a key role in breaking down cultural silos by exposing viewers to diverse languages, genres, and storytelling styles.
A Netflix report, which captures 99 percent of all viewing in the first half of 2025, shows that people watched a lot of Netflix — over 95 billion hours — spanning a wide range of genres and languages.
Of those, more than one-third of all Netflix viewing globally came from non-English language titles, and and 10 of the 25 most-watched series in the first half of the year were non-English.
For instance, Squid Game, the South Korean hit series, drew 231 million views across all three seasons in the first half of the year. Its final season became our third most-watched program of the half, reaching 72 million views in just four days.
Other titles like Money Heist (Spain), Dark (Germany), and Lupin (France) not only topped global charts but also became part of MENA's mainstream pop culture, despite releasing in previous years.
But the region is also a contributor; Arabic originals like Al Rawabi School for Girls, The Exchange, and Finding Ola didn't just find success in the Middle East, they reached the global Top 10, trending even in non-Arabic speaking countries.
Meanwhile, Netflix's recent Arabic reality hit Love Is Blind, Habibi made waves both regionally and internationally, landing in the global Top 10 across 12 countries outside MENA. It even caught the attention of Kim Kardashian, who praised the show in a video she shared on social media, saying, "We're obsessed."
On average, Netflix users in the region watch content from six different genres per month, ranging from horror and drama to family-friendly animation, comedy, and even live sports entertainment like WWE.
The Disney+ perspective
It's not just Netflix riding this wave. Disney+ has also noted changing viewing patterns across the Middle East, pointing out how preferences shift from one country to another.
'In the Middle East, we're seeing a significant rise in demand for internationally produced content,' says Tamim Fares, Director of Disney+ Middle East. 'And, interestingly, the type of content varies by country.'
Take Saudi Arabia, for instance. According to Fares, Korean and Turkish content has seen a sharp rise in popularity over the past two years — and not just among younger viewers. 'It's across genders and age groups,' he adds. A recent Turkish original on the platform, Reminder, became an overnight hit, dominating the charts and igniting conversations across social media.
But in the UAE, the story is different.
'Indian Originals on Disney+, such as Koffee with Karan and Aarya, have similar watch times as content from Hollywood,' Fares explains. While the large South Asian population in the UAE plays a role, what's noteworthy is the growing interest from non-Indian audiences. 'We see steady engagement from Arab viewers who watch with Arabic subtitles.'
This multilingual engagement also speaks to a deep-rooted cultural familiarity with dubbed content. 'Families across the Gulf grew up watching beloved classics like The Lion King dubbed in Egyptian Arabic,' Fares says. 'So today, a Hollywood animation in that dub still draws huge regional audiences.'
In our previous report in June, in which we asked UAE residences what they're watching this summer, shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty, Buccaneers, and Ginny & Georgia remained top favourites.
For platforms that get the balance right — quality content, local language, and effective marketing — origin no longer matters. 'When content, language, marketing, and promotion align with local expectations,' Fares says, 'origins fade and stories travel.'
The global success of shows like Love Is Blind, Habibi, or the regional virality of Reminder and Koffee With Karan, is proof of just that.
