MBC Media Solutions and Snap Inc. partner to bring MBC content to Snapchat

Snapchat users across the region will now have access to flagship daily shows and exclusives from MBC Group channels and Al Arabiya. (Supplied)
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Updated 10 March 2022
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MBC Media Solutions and Snap Inc. partner to bring MBC content to Snapchat

  • Ramadan shows ‘Studio 22’ and ‘Ramez,’ exclusive content from ‘Sabah El Kheir Ya Arab’ and daily news from Al Arabiya among consumer viewing options

DUBAI: MBC Media Solutions, the commercial arm of MBC Group, has announced a new partnership with Snap Inc. to bring more exclusive MBC content to Snapchat.

Last year, MBC Group saw massive success and growth on Snapchat, leading to the decision to partner with the platform.

“After more than doubling our audience on Snapchat and further increasing the time spent on our shows on Snapchat in the past year, we look forward to developing this partnership further,” said Nadim Samara, chief operating officer of MMS.

He added: “Our reach on Snapchat opens new opportunities to further extend our consumers’ viewing options. Throughout Ramadan and the rest of the year, we look forward to bringing new entertainment choices to audiences wherever they are.”

As part of the new deal, Snapchat users across the region will now have access to popular MBC shows, including flagship daily shows and exclusives from MBC Group channels and Al Arabiya.

Content that will be aired on Snapchat includes flagship Ramadan shows such as “Studio 22” and “Ramez,” exclusive content from the morning daily program “Sabah El Kheir Ya Arab” and daily news content from Al Arabiya.

Under the terms of the agreement, both MMS and Snapchat own the sales rights to sell the flagship and daily MBC Group shows to brands.

“We are delighted with the growing partnership with MMS to bring our Snapchatters some of the greatest shows from the region, as well as exclusive content during the year and Ramadan,” said Sarah Abu Zahra, head of media partnerships and programming in MENA at Snap Inc.

The inclusion of MBC Group’s Ramadan content on Snapchat will further fuel the group’s numbers, “considering that users spent 33 percent more time enjoying Ramadan shows on Snapchat in 2021 than the previous year,” she added.

Snapchat now has 75 million unique users, growing 33 percent year over year. In Saudi Arabia, the platform has a monthly addressable reach of over 20 million unique users.


Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport

Updated 20 February 2026
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Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport

DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.

Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.

“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.

However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.

Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.

The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.

The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”

They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.

“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”

Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.

After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.

The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.

In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”

Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”

Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me?  You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”

Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.