There has been a significant growth in on-demand Arabic video online, with several sites vying for the title of the Middle East’s Hulu. We most recently told you aboutCinemoz, a site that will be launching in the final quarter of 2011, joining the long establishedIstikana,Shahid.netandShofha.
Dubai basedArabia.tvis the newest site offering free, legal on-demand content in Arabic. The site, with an entirely Arabic interface, has just launched and the listed TV shows hail from Egypt, Syria, the Gulf region, and other Middle Eastern countries.
The first episode of each TV show should be available, although we noticed a few of them don’t seem to be playing just yet.
What’s really cool about Arabia.tv is that the small content list consists of some of the latest shows which are premiering this month. In fact, if you head over to Arabia.tv now you can catch the first episode before anyone else does.
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It isn’t clear if the episodes will be available continuously or for a limited period of time, but we’re guessing the videos will continue to be available, since you can share them via email, embed them on your site, or share them via a number of social networks including Twitter, Facebook and Digg.
MBC’sShahid.nethas also also recently undergone a massive revamp and the new site is looking pretty slick. With a completely Arabic interface, Shahid users can keep up with their favourite TV shows that have been aired on the channel. The site provides viewers with a huge archive, giving them a chance to catch up on shows they might have missed.
Story byNancy Messieh
Lesotho-born and raised, Nancy Messieh, The Next Web’s Middle East Editor, is an Egyptian writer and photographer based in Cairo, Egypt. Fol(show all)Lesotho-born and raised, Nancy Messieh, The Next Web’s Middle East Editor, is an Egyptian writer and photographer based in Cairo, Egypt. Follow her onTwitter,her siteorGoogle+or get in touch at nancy@thenextweb.com
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