Are US & MENA Netflix Subscribers Watching the Same Content?
Examining the overlap in Netflix's Top 10 TV series across the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
Hey streamers 👋
Welcome to The Streaming Lab, a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals in the MENA region. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and receive it directly in your inbox every Monday.
Today’s program
Netflix's Top 10 Hits in KSA, UAE and Egypt
Tracking content overlap in 2024
Limitations of my analysis
And… Action!
This newsletter is sponsored by Roya Media Group, the largest privately owned media company in Jordan.
I’ve been following Roya Media Group for several years now, and I’m impressed how quickly they became a trusted and respected source of content in Jordan and all over the Middle East. Roya Media Group represents today several platforms, brands and companies, including Roya TV, Roya News, Roya Kids, Roya Waves, Roya Podcast, Roya Music, etc.
I can easily say their streaming platform Roya TV is driving the adoption of FAST in the region, with already 43 channels focused on many genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Cooking, Drama, Entertainment, Historical, Kids/Teens, Music, News, Podcast/Vodcast, Political, Religion, Sports, etc.
Do you want to know more about Roya TV and all the brands of Roya Media Group? Do you think you can bring value to their ecosystem with your content, Tech or Advertising? Just get in touch with them below 👇
Netflix's Top 10 Hits in KSA, UAE and Egypt
Let’s start with the Top 10 Netflix US from February 19th to 25th. Then, we’ll compare it with the leading series in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt.
Netflix Top 10 US
The Top 10 on Netflix in the US mainly features TV series from just two countries: 7 are from the US, and 3 are from the UK.
Netflix Top 10 KSA
If we look at the Netflix Top 10 in Saudi Arabia during the same week, it’s already very different: Of Saudi Arabia's Top 10, only 2 are shared with the US Top 10, leading to a minimal overlap of 20%. These shared titles are Avatar The Last Airbender: Season 1 (US) and One Day: Limited Series (UK).
What’s interesting is the 8 titles unique to Saudi Arabia's list: just 2 come from the US, with the others showcasing local & international preferences: 2 from Jordan, 2 from South Korea, 1 from Spain, and 1 from Japan.
Netflix Top 10 UAE
Let’s now have a look at the UAE, where the overlap is higher: 4 out of the top 10 titles, or 40%, are shared.
These shared titles include Avatar The Last Airbender: Season 1 (US), One Day: Limited Series (UK), Can I Tell You a Secret?: Limited Series (UK) and Love is Blind Season 6 (US).
As for the 6 titles not found in the US Top 10, their origins are diverse: 2 from Jordan, 2 additional ones from the US, 1 from South Korea, and 1 from Japan.
Netflix Top 10 Egypt
Concluding our initial analysis with Egypt: the overlap of 4 titles is identical to that of the UAE. The rest of the titles originate from the US (3), Jordan (2),and Japan (1).
Based on my initial findings, it's tempting to say that Netflix audiences in the Middle East and the US have different viewing preferences. The significant content overlap seen in both the UAE and Egypt might be due to the distinct demographics in the UAE and the recent launch of Netflix strong New Releases in Egypt.
Yet, this analysis could be improved: I expanded the study to cover not only 1 week but 8 weeks, from January 1st to February 25th, 2024.
If you are interested in the detailed Top 10 lists for each country, you can find them HERE.
Tracking content overlap in 2024
I decided to list all the titles that made it into the Netflix Top 10 in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt during the first 8 weeks of 2024, and then calculated the percentage of overlap with Netflix's Top 10 in the US for the same timeframe.
As you can see below, over 42% of the Top 10 titles in both KSA and the UAE matched those in the US Top 10. In Egypt, the overlap was even stronger, close to 46%.
My key takeaway from this analysis is the preference for local Arabic content among Netflix users in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt, despite the availability of American TV series. Local productions like AlRawabi School for Girls (Jordan), It's OK (Lebanon), and The Deep State (Kuwait) have made a significant impact into the Top 10 lists in these countries.
While only a few of these local series have reached the Global Top 10, I believe we'll see more of them achieving international success in the coming months/years.
It's also fascinating to see that content from India, South Korea or even Japan has made its way into the Top 10 in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt. This highlights the diverse audience demographics in these countries and their interest in content beyond North American or European offerings.
Limitations of my analysis
The degree of content overlap can be influenced by different parameters:
New releases schedules play a crucial role: when Netflix launches multiple high-profile TV series simultaneously, it significantly affects the Top 10 rankings. This was evident this year with the release of titles such as Avatar The Last Airbender, Griselda, and Fool Me Once.
Netflix also used to release fewer series from the MENA region compared to those from US, UK, Spain or South Korea. However, they have recently unveiled their lineup for 2024, and it looks promising. I shared the full slate on my article earlier this year:
Finally, the availability of content in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Egypt can also influence this analysis. Not all titles that appear on Netflix US or in the Top 10 are available in the MENA region.
Do you see other limitations? Just answer this email and let me know!
That’s all for today, the overlap in Netflix's Top 10 TV series across the US, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Egypt. If you enjoyed this breakdown, please consider sharing it with your friends and colleagues!
I hope everyone has a great week, see you online next Monday. Until then, enjoy The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live on STARZ ON. An epic love story of two people kept apart by an unstoppable power, trying to find each other.
The Streaming Lab is a weekly newsletter exploring the trends that matter to streaming professionals. If you are not already a subscriber, sign up and receive it directly in your inbox every Monday.
Read all the previous edition of The Streaming Lab here.
Interested in advertising with The Streaming Lab and reach a qualified audience in MENA? Email me.
Track the MENA streaming ecosystem and anticipate the future of the industry. Subscribe to TLS+