🇦🇪 Is Dubai+ The Next Local Streaming Champion in MENA?

From Awaan to Dubai+, Dubai Media doubles down on streaming | Streaming in Short – W05

Jan 30, 2026

⏱️ This week’s streaming news in MENA and around the world, in 5 min.

🇦🇪 Awaan is now Dubai+

👉 Dubai+ has launched in the UAE with more than 30,000 hours of family-friendly movies, TV series, live events, and sports.

📍 Dubai+ is a rebrand of Awaan, the former Dubai Media streaming service. The new version puts families first, with age ratings, parental controls, offline viewing, and more local and educational content.

💡 Dubai+ could be the future of streaming from MENA broadcasters: freemium, safe, and local content for families across the region.

📱 Dhar Mann enters microdramas with Fox and Holywater

👉 Dhar Mann Studios is moving into microdramas through a new multi-year deal with Fox Entertainment and Holywater. The studio will produce 40 vertical videos as an initial slate for the MyDrama app.

📍 The content will launch first on MyDrama, then be distributed globally by Fox. Dhar Mann keeps ownership and creative control, and can later share the content on his own YouTube and Instagram channels.

💡 Top creators, major studios, and dedicated apps are now working together to scale vertical series.

This Ramadan, Ipsos is preparing a dedicated guide to explain why viewing habits change during the holy month in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The report will help streaming platforms understand audience behavior, validate content strategies, and maximize impact during the most important viewing period of the year.

What insights will you get?

When and how people watch during Ramadan
How viewers discover content and choose a platform
What drives subscriptions and churn
Which content formats work best
How audiences react to advertising
Whether microdramas are gaining traction
Ramadan-specific viewer personas

Interested in the Ramadan 2026 Streaming Handbook?

Get in touch to receive full details on the scope, timeline, and pricing.

Get the full report details

📺 COL Group launches a large-scale microdrama production studio

What happened?

👉 COL Group has launched full operations at its Hengqin–Macau production studio, a facility built to support large-scale production of microdramas and short-form series.

Key details:

The studio covers 220,000 square meters, with 170,000 square meters dedicated to filming.
It includes 94 indoor and outdoor sets designed for fast, repeatable microdrama production.

Why it matters?

🎯 Dedicated studios show the market is shifting from small teams to factory-style production built for volume, speed, and scale.

🇪🇬 SHORTS: Shofha launches “Shofha Shorts” in MENA

Shofha has launched Shofha Shorts, new microdramas that are exclusive to the Shofha app.

Each story can be watched in under 2 hours and is built around twists, cliffhangers, and strong drama.

📈 SOCIAL: Viu MENA reaches 1M Subscribers on YouTube

Viu MENA has grown its YouTube channel from 20,000 to 1 million subscribers, reaching more than 406 million organic views.

The growth was driven by a clear content strategy, strong execution, and a focus on scalable formats, showing how YouTube is becoming a key distribution channel for streaming brands in MENA.

🎬 ORIGINALS: WATCH IT announces first international series made in Egypt

WATCH IT has announced its first international original series produced in Egypt.

The series will be filmed in Egypt with an international cast and creative team, and will stream globally on HBO, while Watch IT keeps exclusive rights in Egypt and across MENA.

⚡️ FAST: Creator channels surge across free TV

Creator-led channels on FAST platforms have more than doubled since 2024, as platforms accelerate efforts to reach Gen Z and younger audiences.

This growth shows FAST platforms are scaling distribution faster than content creation, using creator channels as a fast, low-risk way to refresh lineups.

✍️ CREATORS: Substack launches a TV app

Substack has launched a TV app on Apple TV and Google TV, allowing newsletter creators to share videos and livestreams directly with their subscribers on the big screen.

This move is showing how creator platforms are following audiences from phones to living rooms.

🇸🇦 RIYADH: Saudi Media Forum returns for its 5th edition

The Saudi Media Forum will take place in Riyadh from February 2 to 4, bringing together more than 300 media professionals across hundreds of panels and sessions.

The event will focus on the future of media, with global speakers and a Future of Media Exhibition highlighting new trends, innovation, and partnerships in the industry.narrative.

🇬🇧 LONDON: MIP London expands its focus on AI in 2026

MIP London will position AI as a core pillar of its 2026 edition, taking place from 22 to 24 February,

The program will include AI roundtables, keynotes, and panels focused on practical uses of AI in content creation, production, and monetization.

💸 Steal from Sotiris Nikias (Prime Video, 6 eps): A typical day at Lochmill Capital is upended when armed thieves burst in and force Zara and her best friend Luke to execute their demands. In the aftermath, conflicted detective Rhys races against time to find out who stole £4 billion pounds of people’s pensions and why.

🎩 14 years ago, Downton Abbey premiered in the UK. Created by Julian Fellowes, the series invited viewers into the lives of the Crawley family and their servants, offering a richly detailed look at class, tradition, and social change in early 20th-century Britain. Downton Abbey quickly became one of the most successful and widely loved British dramas of its generation.