Turning The Spotlight on Arabic Entertainment: Inside Heba Korayem's Mission to Popularize Arabic Content

Turning The Spotlight on Arabic Entertainment

Inside Heba Korayem's Mission to Popularize Arabic Content

By Entrepreneur Middle East Staff | Nov 3, 2025

The Arabic entertainment industry has transformed significantly over the last decade, evolving from a local market into a promising global investment frontier. The Middle East media and entertainment sector is currently valued at $44 billion, producing numerous high-quality series and films every year, spanning drama, film, and various other genres.

With an audience of over 450 million Arabic speakers, the market size is unmatched by most other language groups. However, despite having more than 420 million native Arabic speakers worldwide, Arabic only accounts for 3% of all online content. This disparity between audience size and digital content availability reveals a large untapped opportunity for investors.

Insights from Heba Korayem

Heba Korayem, an Arabic media investment consultant and founder of CoProduction Salon, highlights the growing recognition among global investors of Arabic films' potential and their ability to reach international audiences.

She points out that although opportunities are expanding, several challenges still prevent Arabic content from reaching its full global potential. Korayem emphasizes the need for improved information exchange, strategic planning, and stronger collaboration among investors, creators, and distributors.

"Arabic entertainment needs broader coverage. Its stories, talents, and creativity deserve far more visibility," Korayem states.

Summary

Arabic entertainment is growing rapidly, yet unlocking its full global potential requires addressing strategic and collaborative challenges within the industry.

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Entrepreneur — 2025-11-05