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MBC Group

Middle-Eastern media conglomerate From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

MBC Group
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Not to be confused with MBC Media Group, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation and NBC.

MBC Group (Arabic: مجموعة إم بي سي, romanized: Majmūʿat ʾIm Bī Sī), formerly known as Middle East Broadcasting Center (مركز تلفزيون الشرق الأوسط, Markaz Tilifizyūn al-Sharq al-ʾAwsaṭ), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Riyadh region. MBC Group was Launched in London in 1991 by Saudi businessman Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim, who serves as its current Chairman,[3] the company moved its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 and to Riyadh in 2022.[4] It is majority owned by the Saudi government-operated Public Investment Fund.[5][6][1]

Quick facts Native name, Formerly ...

MBC Group operates over 19 free-to-air satellite TV channels, and a video-on-demand service (Shahid). MBC 1 was the first broadcaster to provide a satellite-based, free-to-air 24-hour television broadcasting network across the Arab world. The Group's current chairman is Sam Barnett.[7] Barnett returned as MBC Group CEO in December 2020 after a one-year departure.[8] MBC's television arm broadcasts via Eutelsat, Arabsat and Nilesat satellites. MBC has more than 2,000 staff.

In recent years MBC has been hit with major rounds of financial cuts, leading to 150 layoffs and major production cuts. These cuts were driven in part due to advertising not covering production costs and the failure to acquire exclusive rights to the Saudi league.[9] As of 2011 MBC reported 165 million viewers.[10]

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History

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MBC Group was founded in London in 1991, with the launch of MBC 1 as the first private Arabic satellite channel, before expanding to Dubai in 2002.[11] In 2022, the group undertook a major relocation to Riyadh, marking a new phase of development and expansion.[11] Under its umbrella, the group encompasses Shahid, the world's largest Arabic original content platform,[12] in addition to more than 19 television and radio channels; MBC Studios, producing high-quality film and drama in partnership with international distributors;[13] the MBC Academy, which trains and graduates young Saudi talent in media and publishing;[14] MBC Talent Agency, which nurtures Saudi and Arab talent;[15] and a global network of social media platforms that ranks among the top 10 globally, achieving 9th place worldwide in terms of video content views on social media in April 2022.

It maintains international partnerships with regional and global partnerships with major local and regional telecommunications companies[16] and production studios in Hollywood and the UK. The group has launched and continues to launch pioneering projects and partnerships in diverse sustainable and vital sectors such as video games, digital currencies and NFTs.[17][18][19]

In 2023, the Group recorded significant revenue growth across all its income-generating businesses. The Group's total revenue in fiscal year 2023 increased by 6.2% to reach SAR 3.7 billion, and net profit increased by 44.8% year-on-year to reach SAR 69 million.[20] As of 2023, 60% of the MBC group was owned by Istedamah Holding Company (a subsidiary of the Saudi government's Ministry of Finance[5]), with the rest belonging to its founder Waleed bin Ibrahim Al Ibrahim.[5][21]

On November 30, 2023, the company announced its plans to list on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul), revealing the price range for its initial public offering (IPO) between SAR 23 and SAR 25 per share.[22] The offering consisted of a primary offering of 33,250,000 new ordinary shares, representing 10% of the company's share capital post-listing. This IPO attracted massive orders totaling SAR 54.5 billion, according to HSBC Saudi Arabia's announcement on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) website on December 12, 2023.[23] The IPO raised SAR 831 million.[24] This move marked a significant step in the company's financial strategy and opened up new avenues for investment and growth.[25]

MBC Group's growth (MBC) to achieve its maximum targets of 30% in its trading strategies on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) on January 8, 2024.[26][27] On January 25, 2024, the group had achieved a 134% increase since its listing in Saudi Arabia.[28] These financial and operational results represented a significant increase for 2024, with total revenues reaching approximately SAR 4.2 billion, a 13.1% year-on-year increase, and net profit increasing by 515.2% to SAR 426.1 million.[29][30]

In September 2025, MBC Group aimed to make the Public Investment Fund (PIF) one of the group's most significant innovations, following the investment in the Istedamah Holding Company, which supported a 54% stake with a defense value of SAR 7.469 billion, equivalent to SAR 41.60 per share.[6] The initiative was implemented through a non-financial subscription agreement between the Fund and Istedamah Holding Company in November 2024.[1]

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TV channels and services

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All MBC channels are free-to-air except for the HD channels and MBC Plus Variety and MBC Plus eLife. They are available on OSN, STC TV and my-HD satellite service. They are all Pay-TV service providers in the Middle East.

Al Arabiya

Main article: Al Arabiya

Al Arabiya is an international news channel launched in 2003, which broadcasts across the MENA region.

The headquarters of Al Arabiya channel moved entirely to Riyadh, between 2024 and 2025, along with its technical and editorial staff and its presenters, where it broadcasts its live and recorded programs today from Riyadh.[31][32][33] Mamdouh Al-Muhaini serves as the channel's general manager.[34]

Al Hadath

Main article: Al Hadath

Al Hadath is a Saudi news channel that began broadcasting on January 1, 2012.[35] It is a subsidiary Al Arabiya. Originally launched to provide coverage of the Arab revolutions, support the Syrian revolution, and feature journalistic coverage, romantic dialogues, and documentaries similar to those of Al-Arabiya.[36] Observers see that it comes in the context of competition with Al Jazeera, especially after Al Arabiya’s success in covering the Syrian civil war and some other events of the Arab Spring.[37]

The headquarters of Al Hadath channel moved entirely to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, between 2024 and 2025, along with its technical and editorial staff and its presenters, where it broadcasts its live and recorded programs today from Riyadh, along with Al Arabiya channel.[38][39]

MBC 1

Main article: MBC 1 (Middle East and North Africa)

Launched in 1991 and was headquartered in London, UK as the first independent free-to-air Pan-Arab channel broadcasting 24/7, MBC 1 is the leading channel in MENA region for family entertainment.

It broadcasts foreign singing talent shows dubbed into Arabic, such as Arab Idol and The Voice: Ahla Sawt, where MBC 1 began filming a new season of both programs in August, with the new season of The Voice scheduled to air in October 2025.[40] It also airs talent shows like Arabs Got Talent[41] and The X Factor, as well as the entertainment program ET bel Arabi, which covers all the latest news about art and celebrities in the Arab world and beyond.[42] The channel also broadcasts some matches of the Saudi Professional League.[43] Currently, it is dubbing and broadcasting films into Arabic, including dubbed Indian and foreign films.[44]

MBC 2

Main article: MBC 2 (Middle East and North Africa)

The first free-to-air movie channel in the Arab world, MBC 2 offers a 24-hour non-stop stream of Hollywood movies, from blockbusters to classics and international films. Films are censored for violence and sensual/sexual scenes to comply with Islamic laws and mores.

MBC 3

Main article: MBC 3

MBC 3 is a children's entertainment channel which delivers a programming mix of children's education and entertainment for Arab kids aged between three and thirteen. MBC3 also airs a locally produced reality show for kids, Eish Safari, which recruits young Arab kids and sets them on a month-long trip of mental and physical challenges. Recently, the channel produced a new game show called "Graduate in a Day", similar in concept to "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" for children and their parents.

MBC 4

Main article: MBC 4

MBC 4 is aimed primarily at Middle Eastern women and offers a broad mixture of K-Dramas, US and UK shows, comedy and drama series, films, as well as gameshows, movies, magazines, plus news and current affairs programming, in addition to Korean, K-Dramas, Indian, Turkish, Pakistani and Mexican dramas dubbed into Arabic. MBC4 airs English music and is the first international CHR station. MBC4 delivers contemporary Western tunes.

MBC 5

A channel dedicated to family entertainment which was launched on 21 September 2019. Targeting Moroccan and Egyptian viewers specifically.[45]

MBC Action

Main article: MBC Action

A channel that targets young Arab males. It delivers Western series, movies, action reality shows as well as Japanese anime and sports programs. Some of its prime time shows include The Mentalist, The Vampire Diaries, Fringe, Supernatural, Power Rangers, V, WWE and True Blood. The channel recently which is a weekly "magazine" format show about cars, similar to Top Gear, which they also broadcast the British and American versions of the BBC's Top Gear.

MBC Action exclusively broadcasts the top matches of the German Football League "Bundesliga" across the Middle East and North Africa for three consecutive seasons 2025/2026, 2026/2027, and 2027/2028.[46] The channel also airs select top matches from the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) for the same three consecutive seasons, exclusively for the Middle East and North Africa region.[47][48]

MBC Drama

Main article: MBC Drama (Middle East and North Africa)

One of the latest additions to the Group, which was officially launched on 27 November 2010. It is a family channel, with 24/7 Arabic drama series. The launch coincides with the Group's 20th anniversary, and marks their 10th channel launch. The channel runs a variety of different dramas: Egyptian, Syrian, Bedouin, Gulf and Kuwaiti dramas that are first runs and exclusive runs. MBC Drama is distinguished by the two additional repeats throughout the day, offering its viewers the choice of time, based on their various lifestyles and viewership trends. Do not confuse this channel with MBC's subscription-based channel MBC+ Drama.

MBC Masr Drama

An Egyptian drama channel launched of 20 February 2025.

MBC Max

Main article: MBC Max

The MBC Group's second 24-hour movie channel which caters to a younger audience. The channel airs Western, comedy, action, romance and drama movies as well as classic and offers a broad mixture of K-Dramas, US and UK shows, comedy and drama series, films, as well as gameshows, movies, magazines, plus news and current affairs programming, in addition to Korean, K-Dramas, Indian, Turkish, Pakistani and Mexican dramas dubbed into Arabic. MBC Max airs English music and is the first international CHR station. MBC Max delivers contemporary Western tunes.

MBC Bollywood

Main article: MBC Bollywood

MBC launched MBC Bollywood on 26 October 2013.[49] MBC Bollywood is MBC Group's 14th channel,[50] and it is aimed to air 24 hours of Hindi cinema, either subtitled in Arabic, targeting South Asian audiences, and Arab Bollywood enthusiasts.

MBC Persia

Main article: MBC Persia

This channel was launched on 9 July 2008 and provides Persian language contents. The channel is dedicated to Iranian viewers and screens films and programs around the world.

MBC Masr

Main article: MBC Masr

MBC launched MBC Masr on 9 November 2012, and it is a division of MBC studios situated in Egypt and targeting Egyptian viewers.

MBC Masr 2

Main article: MBC Masr 2

Formerly the two hours time-shifted service, but now it's a second channel for Egypt and has a different content than MBC Masr.

MBC Iraq

Main article: MBC Iraq

Launched in February 2019, MBC Iraq is a premium channel aimed at the entire Iraqi viewers. Programmes focus on localised, Iraqi productions in drama, comedy and socio-cultural premium entertainment shows.

MBC FM and Panorama FM

Thumb These radio stations are the MBC Group's Arabic radio stations in Saudi that broadcast music, talk shows, competitions and local coverage of events and news. MBC FM plays local and Gulf music while Panorama FM delivers Arabic tunes.

Wanasah

Main article: Wanasah

A 24-hour music channel that targets the Arab youth, mainly in Eastern Arabia. The channel offers music videos, concerts, music & lifestyle programs as well as series.

MBC.net

One of the Arabic entertainment web portals in the region with a mix of sports, entertainment, movies and music content, along with its user interactivity and social networking features.

Shahid

Main article: Shahid (streaming platform)

The first free "video on demand" service in the Arab region, with the biggest streaming library of Arabic content.[51] Shahid is the largest premium VOD service in the world outside of China, the US, and India.[52] Shahid offers a catalogue of MBC's own shows, as well as dubbed or subtitled foreign content. In January 2020, it was announced Shahid partnered with Disney and Fox to bring more than 3,000 hours of content, including Star Wars, Marvel, and such Disney classics as Frozen. The Service also announced 9 Arabic originals. Shahid's sports package via the Saudi Sports Company (SSC) channels, exclusively broadcasts to the Middle East and North Africa region the German Football League (Bundesliga), the Italian Football Cup, the South American Cup qualifiers for the 2025/2026 World Cup, and the African Cup of Nations qualifiers for the 2025/2026 World Cup.[53][54][55] The Sports Package also exclusively broadcast the 2025 Esports World Cup.[56]

MBC Hope

MBC Hope was launched in June 2013 to handle the consumer social relationship elements of MBC. This initiative launched campaigns such as "Syrians without an address" and "Stars on board". In 2017 MBC Hope was expanded to Egypt, with a goal to support female entrepreneurs.[9]

MBC+ Variety

It is a 24-hour entertainment channel that airs Western variety content. MBC+ Variety airs English music and is the first international CHR station. The channel is now exclusively on Arabsat, My-HD platform. MBC+ Variety delivers contemporary Western tunes.

MBC Loud FM

Launched in May 2023, MBC Loud FM airs English music and is the first international CHR station in the KSA. MBC Loud FM delivers contemporary Western tunes.[57]

MBC Studios

In 2018, MBC established its own production studio to produce film and television series targeting at Middle-Eastern audiences.[58] MBC Studios later expanded to work with Hollywood studios to produce English-language features.[59]

MBC Studios has established global partnerships with major international production studios in Hollywood And London to launch joint film and television projects, most notably the film Desert Warrior, a co-production between MBC Studios and JB Pictures.[60][61][62] The film stars Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sharlto Copley, Ghassan Massoud, Sami Bouajila, and Lamis Ammar, and is directed by Rupert Wyatt.[60][61] The screenplay was co-written by Rupert Wyatt, Erica Beeney, and David Self, and the film's main scenes were shot in the Saudi Arabian cities of NEOM and Tabuk with support from the NEOM Media Industries sector.[61][63] It is scheduled to have its Middle East and North Africa premiere at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah in 2025, following its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival in September 2025 in Switzerland.[60][64] The film Kandahar, starring Gerard Butler, was also filmed in Saudi Arabia.[65][66]

MBC Studios also produces Arabic works with international standards and broadcasts them globally, such as the crime drama series "Rashash" and "Rise of the Witches."[67] In Ramadan/April 2025, MBC 1 aired the series "Muawiya," produced by MBC Studios, which is considered one of the largest historical productions in Arabic drama.[68][69] In September of the same year, the Venice International Film Festival hosted the premiere of the film "The Voice of Hind Rajab," which was co-produced by MBC Studios alongside a number of major Hollywood and international studios, and was written and directed by the Tunisian Kaouther Ben Hania.[70][71][72]

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Criticism and controversies

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In 2007, MBC began airing its first Turkish soap opera dubbed into another language. Over the next few years these programs became a major success for MBC, with over 85 million viewing the finale of Gümüş.[73] In 2018, MBC moved to remove all Turkish programming from their channels, no official reason were given, though it was widely considered to be at the direction of the Saudi government, who had a frosty relationship with the government of Turkey at the time. The Turkish government criticised the decision.[74]

In 2017, a number of owners and board members of MBC were summoned to Riyadh where they were arrested, accused of corruption, and locked in the Ritz-Carlton. These moves came following years of the Saudi Crown Prince attempting to purchase the media company. After 83 days the company's chief owner Waleed al-Ibrahim was released.[75] A "senior MBC executive" was cited by Arabian Business stating that Waleed al-Ibrahim was found innocent of any wrongdoing.[76]

In 2019, MBC Masr came under scrutiny for its use of blackface in comedy programming. Popular Egyptian comedian Shaimaa Seif has done a number of programs on MBC using blackface and stereotypes for humor.[77]

In the days following Yahya Sinwar's death in October 2024, MBC aired a report labeling Sinwar, along with Hamas's Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, PMF's Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, and Iran's Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, as "faces of terrorism" who had been killed in the first quarter of the 21st century.[78][79] This report sparked outrage in certain circles. In Baghdad, supporters of Iran-backed armed groups stormed the channel's local offices, filming themselves as they vandalized equipment and destroyed computers.[78] Hours later, Iraqi regulators suspended the license of the Saudi-owned channel and began proceedings to terminate its operating rights in Iraq.[78][79] Shortly afterwards Algeria also suspended MBC's license to operate in the country, reportedly for "portrayal of the wars in a way that weakens the morale of Palestinian and Lebanese people".[6]

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Use of technology

In 2010, MBC Max provided the ability to watch English movies along with watching English movies (English voices) with or without Arabic subtitles.

In July 2011, MBC launched 7 of its channels in HD which includes MBC 1, MBC 2, MBC 3, MBC 4, MBC Action, MBC Max, and MBC Drama. These HD versions of these channels are encrypted using Conax while SD are FTA.

In 2017, Snapchat expanded its "Discover" feature to provide content from regional providers including MBC.[80]

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References

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