DUBAI: People in the Middle East spend close to 58 million more hours on Facebook during Ramadan and watch more YouTube videos during Ramadan, the holy month for Muslims.
“Consumption and time spent on our platforms do indeed increase,” said Ramez Shehadi, Facebook’s managing director for Mideast and North Africa.
People stay up a lot more at night during Ramadan and have more downtime — especially before iftar, the evening meal that breaks the daylong fast, and the “suhoor,” when people gather to eat before another day of fasting. Many also work shorter hours during the day.
All that translates to 5 percent more time spent on Facebook’s platforms, or what is nearly 58 million more hours, Shehadi said. There are almost 2 million hours of additional time spent daily on Facebook in the Mideast during Ramadan.
Ramadan is also the peak season for advertising in the region, as TV dramas and soap operas get a 151% increase in viewership on YouTube during the holy month, according to Google.
“Our revenue is a function of people’s engagement,” Shehadi said. “The more that they engage on our platforms, the more that advertisers want to be able to reach those that are engaging. That’s what drives our revenue.”
Google does not disclose total watch time for YouTube during Ramadan, but says that in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, for example, viewing of sports videos jumps by 22%, travel videos by 30%, and action games, simulation and video games by 10-20% during the holy month.
People also spend 27% more time watching religious content on YouTube in Ramadan. Google says this year’s top trending search queries during the first week of Ramadan in Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia included a surprising mix of Game of Thrones, prayer times, Ramadan TV shows, movie timings, and English Premier League results. (Agencies)
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