The month of Ramadan is an expected date for the Moroccan viewer, to discover new artistic and dramatic creativity.

It is the time for public and private channels to present their packages of programs, as the productions compete in an open audiovisual scene.

Despite the wave of anger and criticism that is renewed every Ramadan with the start of public channels to display their programs, some Moroccan shows have succeeded in attracting users of digital platforms and achieving high viewing rates.

Between a critic and a supporter .. Will the new Moroccan drama productions succeed in reconciling the audience?

"Moroccan"

The channels display a variety of shows, between comedies, dramas, variety programs and entertainment, including new dramas and new parts of series that have known success in previous seasons.

The Moroccan TV shows during Ramadan 2021 saw a momentum in national products.

The general manager of the second channel, Salim Al-Sheikh, said in previous statements that the share of national productions in the channel’s schedule for Ramadan 2021 exceeds 88%, which provides Moroccan viewers with a variety of entertainment programs.

He said that, in addition to the usual programs, the viewer follows more than 12 new dramatic programs, which are original series, comedies and comic programs.

For its part, Moroccan Channel One announced that it provided exceptional and 100% Moroccan programming for all family members, and made sure to present a diverse network of exceptional programs to satisfy all tastes.

Regarding the direction of the channels to local productions, art critic Abdullah Al-Sheikh says that the national cultural product develops the sense of belonging and contributes to the development of a common artistic, cultural and entertainment sense.

In an interview with Al-Jazeera Net, the Sheikh added that local productions allow a group of pioneers to come into contact with the younger generation, and achieve reconciliation with the cultural field in its entertainment dimension.

High viewership

The average Moroccan audience watched television during the first week of Ramadan, 4 hours and 58 minutes, every day, an increase of more than an hour compared to the week before the month of fasting.

The hidden camera program "My Walk In It", presented by Channel Two, topped the list of most-watched programs, as one of its episodes followed, during the first week of Ramadan, 10.9 million viewers.

The series "Banat Al-Assas" came first in the list of most watched on Channel One, with 7.26 million viewers.

Abdullah Al-Sheikh explained that the channels pumped new blood into their arteries, which was reflected in the dramatic production and the interaction of viewers with it.

The Sheikh believes that Moroccan productions have won the quantitative bet and have not reached the qualitative bet yet, while the viewership rates are likely to be supported by peak times and nightly closures.

Drama glamor of hope

Several drama shows, including the series "Banat Al-Assas", "Bab Al-Bahr" and "Salef Sorra", were followed by the Moroccan public, and attracted the attention of critics, superior to the comedy shows that were described as repetition and insignificant

Moroccan drama is gaining increasing interest, and developing at a slow pace, 90% of it is produced by official channels and executed by production companies.

Abdullah Al-Sheikh considers that Moroccan dramas contribute to marketing the tourism and cultural tributaries, including those who have traveled in the beautiful heritage time, indicating that the directors have benefited from dramatic productions such as Egyptian and Syrian dramas.

The Sheikh pointed out that production in Morocco is in a foundational stage, as it is a production in the process of emergence with strengths and weaknesses, so the first must be strengthened and the second corrected, and he noted that there are indications that Moroccan production meets the conditions for future maturity.

Criticism Syndrome

Calling public-channel shows triviality has become a constant every Ramadan.

Despite what is presented every year again in local drama and comedy shows, it remains unconvincing to a large segment of followers, and the shows are accused of repetition in content and faces, and are described as superficial, sometimes depreciating, and weak scenarios and content.

Abdallah Al-Sheikh believes that the viewer is not a homogeneous unit or a single taste, and that there are productions that have succeeded in meeting the needs and tastes of the Moroccan and Arab viewers, and have achieved some kind of reconciliation between the audience and local television.