The new launch from Fanar Productions, which is being aired on Sama Dubai, was rated the second most watched programme in the first two weeks of Ramadan, according to IPSOS, after Ramez Taht Al Sefer on MBC 1.
Dubai-based animation house Fanar Production, which has had great success with its Ramadan programme Shaabiat Alcartoon in previous years, has found equal success with its 2018 debut, Zone 0. The new launch was rated as the second most watched programme in the first two weeks of Ramadan, according to IPSOS, after Ramez Taht Al Sefer, which has been broadcast on MBC 1.
Zone 0 is an animated production that discusses social issues and is aimed at the 17+ age group. The title of the programme refers to a small city in the Arab world that no one has ever heard of. As part of their efforts to raise the profile of their city and attract tourists, the residents of Zone 0 decide to host celebrities at the only four-star hotel they have. The rest of the story emerges from the comic events that follow. The 15-minute show, which is being broadcast on Sama Dubai, has been received well by Arab audiences.
The production house is not sure whether it will produce a second season of Zone O next year but has confirmed that Shaabiat Alcartoon, which was broadcast on Sama Dubai, every Ramadan from 2006 to 2017, will return to the small screen next year.
We have had a contract with Sama Dubai that has run for years and Shaabiat Alcartoon has done well on the channel, Fatme Kayed, Business Development Director of Fanar Productions told BroadcastPro ME.
But we took a break from Shaabiat Alcartoon and introduced Zone 0 this year because we wanted to do something different. The former is a comedy while the latter is more of a thriller. We are running 15 episodes of 15-minutes each and repeating them after 15 days. The programme is exclusively broadcast on Sama Dubai every week and other Dubai Media Inc. online platforms and their YouTube channels. We are very proud of what we have achieved, she commented, adding that the production house has produced many top-rated Arabic animations including Mansoor and Meaw, which have been showcased on a number of local channels including Sama Dubai, Dubai TV and Abu Dhabi TV.
MBC1, Sama Dubai and Dubai TV are said to have carried the top five programmes this Ramadan, according to IPSOS, with Ramez Taht Al Sefer, Awad A bban Aan Jadd and Al Rawi securing first, third and fourth place respectively. Al Rawi on Dubai TV was rated fifth most popular.
