Introduction
In the Middle East, Ramadan is more than a religious observance—it’s also prime time for digital entertainment. Streaming platforms across UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt see massive spikes in viewership, especially for Arabic content. But what powers this annual spike?
The answer: data-driven predictions using web scraping, historical trend analysis, and audience sentiment monitoring. OTT Scrape empowers MENA-region platforms to harness seasonal viewership trends and optimize Arabic content strategy before and during Ramadan.
Why Ramadan Viewership Is Unique
Ramadan Streaming Habits:
- Post-Iftar bingeing becomes routine
- Preference for shorter episodes, family content, and religious series
- Word-of-mouth and social media drive content virality
- Arabic originals outperform global titles during the month
For platforms like Shahid, Watch It, Netflix MENA, and OSN+, these seasonal behaviors provide an opportunity—if properly predicted.
What Kind of Data Streaming Platforms Use
To optimize content for Ramadan, platforms analyze:
- Top-performing shows from previous Ramadans
- Social media and YouTube comments sentiment
- Search interest in Arabic dramas & religious content
- Competitor trending lists from platforms like Shahid & Netflix MENA
How OTT Scrape Supports Arabic Content Intelligence
We enable platforms to scrape and analyze real-time and historical data across:
Arabic Content Ranking Pages:
- Trending dramas during Ramadan
- Viewer reviews, likes, and watch counts
Social Sentiment Sources:
- YouTube and Twitter comment scraping (Arabic + local dialects)
- Forums and blogs discussing Ramadan episodes
Seasonality Trendlines:
- Viewership spikes by hour, day, and week of Ramadan
Sample Scraped Data Snapshot
| Date | Platform | Title | Country | Genre | Comments | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-27 | Shahid | El Harsha El Sab’a | Egypt | Drama | 1,234 | 8.7 |
| 2025-03-28 | Watch It | Al Thaman | Saudi | Family | 987 | 9.1 |
| 2025-03-29 | Netflix ME | Finding Ola (S2) | UAE | Comedy-Drama | 760 | 7.8 |
Key Arabic Content Trends OTT Scrape Tracks
Most-Watched Genres During Ramadan:
- Drama & Melodrama (family sagas)
- Religion-themed shows (historical Islamic series)
- Ramadan sitcoms (comedic relief after fasting)
Time-of-Day Insights:
- Engagement peaks post-Iftar (8:30 PM – 12 AM)
- Weekend surges in binge-worthy serials
Viewer Sentiment:
- Sudden dips in sentiment signal slow pacing or plot criticism
- Positive reviews often highlight relatability, family values, and dialogue
Use Cases for OTT Platforms in the MENA Region
1. Content Scheduling & Release Planning
By scraping competitor release dates and success patterns, platforms can time original releases for maximum Ramadan traction.
2. Ad Spend Optimization
Historical performance data can guide prime ad slots, especially between Maghrib and midnight.
3. Arabic Subtitle/Audio Localization
Platforms offering dubbed international content can track user response to Arabic voiceovers/subs.
4. Creator Partnerships & Influencer Picks
Monitor what creators/influencers are endorsing or reacting to across YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.
Country Focus: Ramadan Viewership Patterns
SA Saudi Arabia
- Heavy demand for religious talk shows, Bedouin dramas, and comedies
- Shahid originals dominate prime-time slots
- Celebrity-driven Ramadan ads also affect watch trends
AE UAE
- Cosmopolitan viewership: mix of Arabic originals and global content with Arabic dubs
- Netflix’s regional titles like “Finding Ola” do well here
EG Egypt
- Daily soap-style Ramadan shows (“musalsalat”)
- Twitter sentiment plays a major role in show buzz
- Platforms like Watch It prioritize day-after-view drops
Technology Behind OTT Scrape’s Ramadan Intelligence
- Arabic Content Scraping: Python (Scrapy + BeautifulSoup), Puppeteer for dynamic elements
- Sentiment Analysis: NLP pipelines trained on Arabic text and dialects
- Geo-Crawlers: Proxy rotation for UAE, Egypt, and KSA
- Real-Time Dashboards: Google Data Studio + AWS pipeline for live updates
Case Study: Forecasting Ramadan Hits for a UAE Streaming Platform
Client: Mid-sized OTT startup in the UAE
Goal: Predict top-viewed Arabic shows for Ramadan 2025
Our Process:
- Scraped past 3 years of Ramadan show rankings on Shahid, Watch It, and Netflix MENA
- Mined over 10,000 YouTube and Twitter Arabic reviews from UAE viewers
- Mapped actor popularity, genre sentiment, and social trends
Outcome:
- Identified 6 “high-probability” hit shows
- Boosted viewership by 31% YoY during Ramadan
- Enabled smarter ad spends and featured content slots
Visualization: Genre Trends Over Ramadan Weeks
| Genre | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥 |
| Religion | 🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Comedy | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 |
| Thriller | 🔥 | 🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥🔥 | 🔥🔥 |
Compliance and Cultural Sensitivity
OTT Scrape ensures that:
- We respect religious and regional cultural norms during content analysis
- Scraping operations follow robots.txt and platform-specific restrictions
- All data is anonymized and used solely for business intelligence
Final Thoughts
Ramadan may come once a year, but the planning begins months in advance. For streaming platforms in the Middle East, understanding seasonal viewer behavior through data is no longer optional—it’s a competitive edge.
With OTT Scrape, platforms in UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt can scrape, analyze, and act on Arabic content trends to deliver relevant, resonant, and high-performing Ramadan content.
Want to Access Historical & Live Ramadan Viewership Data?
Connect with OTT Scrape today and unlock actionable Arabic content intelligence before next Ramadan.