Watching Ramadan Drama and Egyptians’ Preference for Video Streaming Services Over Traditional Television: A Survey Study

Abstract

Every year throughout the holy month of Ramadan, Egyptians regularly watch television dramas. Viewership reaches its peak during Ramadan, and as a result, Ramadan drama is considered to have a great cultural and social impact on Egyptian society. Moreover, during Ramadan, video streaming services become more popular in Egypt and achieve greater success in terms of subscription rates. Therefore, this study focused on investigating the reasons why Egyptians prefer video streaming services over traditional television to watch Ramadan dramas and the impact of such services on their watching behaviors. An online questionnaire survey was circulated to a sample of Egyptian people, and 563 participants of different ages and backgrounds participated in the survey. The critical evaluation of the collected data showed how significantly the Egyptian people are affected by Ramadan drama and the extent to which it is an important part of their lives. The data also highlight that video streaming services offer many advantages over traditional television. Likewise, the study provided valuable insights into the changes occurring in Egyptians’ viewing behaviors. It was concluded that Egyptian viewers prefer video streaming services over traditional television when watching Ramadan dramas for many reasons.