Dubai: For the first time ever, scores of Ramadan serials will be available on YouTube after they are shown on television screens on a daily basis, Google officials said on Wednesday.
YouTube, the biggest video sharing website and owned by the giant internet company, is going to dedicate a special channel, youtube.com/ramadan, to show more than 50 premium Ramadan shows the same day they are aired on TV.
Nearly 1,000 episodes will be aired on YouTube, said Alfonso de Gaetano, head of industry for the Gulf region, Google.
Users will benefit from the fact that “all the content will be available on one channel and, secondly, they will have the opportunity to watch any episode they missed watching”, he added in an interview with Gulf News.
The shows are provided by YouTube partners, including Rotana, Melody, CBS-Egypt and Promo-media.
Already, YouTube is “very successful” in the Middle East and North Africa region, with more than 167 million video viewers a day.
The figure is 112 per cent more than the number of users last October.
Saudi Arabia is one of the best countries in terms of number of video watchers. There are 90 million video viewers every day just in Saudi Arabia, De Gaetano said. One of the factors behind this high number is the fact that many youth have established their own “programmes” on YouTube.
Programmes
The project, which is the first of its kind, is a joint venture between YouTube and Unilever, the main sponsors of the hub. While viewers are watching Ramadan serials, Unilever food, beverage brand Lipton and Knorr will appear in the frame.
Users will be given the chance to comment on and share in the drama series.
Television companies compete during Ramadan to attract the highest number of viewers to the programmes they specially produce for this month.
