How to watch your favorite UAE shows while travelling

TEXT LINKS Artificial Intelligence The Green Ecostore Web Design E-Marketing advertisement info advertisement info

The UAE is a nation of telly addicts. And that is official. 

Recent surveys have shown that the UAE has one of the highest percentages of television viewers anywhere in the world. It showed that an astonishing 86% of people there admit to watching telly at least once a day. To put that figure in perspective, in the USA it is 75%, while in the UK it is 80%. 

If you focus in on certain demographics, the figures are even more remarkable. 89% of women tune in once a day, while 93% of those aged 45-65 do as well. There is a slight variation by location, with 91% of Abu Dhabi residents watching, 86$ in Sharjah, and a more modest 81% in Dubai. 

UAE’s most popular shows:

So what on earth are all these people watching? It will come as little surprise to learn that it is the talent shows which are drawing the biggest audience. In that regard, the UAE is on a par with the rest of the world. 

Arabs Got Talent, The Voice and Arab Idol are the top three shows in the UAE. All three are relatively recent additions to the schedules and have managed to ride the wave of reality TV which arrived in the UAE rather later than some other places. 

Other extremely popular shows are more established favourites such as Shabayet Al Carton and Freej. Sport is also a big hit, and whilst international sporting events draw big audiences, so to do local ones such as the UAE's victory over Iraq in the Gulf Cup.

How we watch TV in the UAE:

While viewing trends in the UAE remain broadly in line with those in the rest of the world, the means by which people are tuning in is still a little behind the curve. By some distance, the majority of people are still tuning into conventional TV schedules on conventional TVs to enjoy their shows.

Elsewhere in the world, the big growth in TV viewing has primarily been seen online. But that’s not to say that this means online viewing is not gaining a foothold in the UAE market. 

“Online media has made significant inroads into the daily lives of people,” said Steve Hamilton-Clark, chief executive of TNS Mena. “The amount of time spent on online media is more than double the time spent on traditional media. However, media consumption habit changes during various parts of the day make targeted messaging possible for marketers.”

Watching Your Favourite UAE Shows When Travelling

But while online viewing is still establishing itself in the domestic market, it is an increasingly popular means of viewing entertainment when people are travelling. 
Travel is a fact of life for many people, particularly in such a dynamic and international economy as the UAE’s. Many people travel both for work and pleasure. But how can they keep in touch with their favourite shows whilst overseas?

Missing an episode means you miss out on the drama, because the outcome will be all over the news and social media, and the next episode will most likely move the drama on still further. It can also be socially difficult, as many of us like to chat about what is happening in our favourite shows.

So it is lucky that there is a simple online tool which means you can either watch live streaming from your favourite channels or download content safely and easily. It is known as a VPN.

How to Watch Your Favourite UAE Shows When Travelling with a VPN:
Watching your favourite UAE show when travelling has never been easier thanks to a simple tool known as a VPN.

A VPN is a primarily a privacy tool, which allows internet users to connect to the web via an encrypted connection and an external server. This has the dual benefit of hiding your identity from the sites you visit and securing all of your online data too, 
But there are also other benefits, and one of these is the ability to evade geo-blocking technologies. 

When you are abroad, you will find that those UAE channels or streaming services that stream content online are likely to only allow users based in the UAE to view them. This, of course, is no use for you at all.

But with a VPN, you can connect via a server located in the UAE. This changes your IP Address to one which the site you are visiting thinks is in the UAE. And this means it will allow you to watch the content.

It is a really simple process that can be used to view UAE content from anywhere in the world, as well as overseas content when you are back in the UAE.

VPNs cost just a few dollars a month, which is a pretty small price to play for keeping abreast of your favourite show and saving face when you friends start to tell you what happened. 

SO whether you like reality TV, talent shows, sports, dramas, or all of these, a VPN means you can stay in touch with what's happening from wherever you are in the world 

View More Features