YouTube has helped fund around 100 new channels on its platform, and 25 attract more than 2 million views per week as of February, according to the most recent data provided by the company.īut the restrictions on Saudi society, where morality police patrol public spaces to enforce approved modes of behavior, has created a uniquely captive audience for web-based news and entertainment, media experts say. The Internet’s challenge to traditional media is not unique to Saudi Arabia. ![]() ![]() “The public wants to watch what makes them laugh.” “These kinds of shows are useful and entertaining, and because they are made by young people, they are close to the heart,” said Maram Gaily, 16, a student in Riyadh.Īddressing serious social issues through humor made it easier to reach the audience, she said. The secret of UTURN’s success is simple, but in a Saudi context, rather revolutionary: give the audience what it wants. “Eysh Elly” is a lighthearted weekly review of Arab online videos.Īs of mid-September, UTURN had 286 million views on YouTube and 8 million followers on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, most of them Saudis, said Abdullah Mando, 27, who set up the company in 2010 with two university friends. “3al6ayer”, or “On the Fly”, is a Saudi version of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”. The programs of Jeddah-based UTURN, from drama to reality shows, are typical. A visitor is seen at the You Tube stand during the annual MIPCOM television programme market in Cannes, southeastern France, October 3, 2011.
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