Shahid: Netflix of the Arab World
By: Nevin Girgis / Arab America Contributing Writer
Application Features
Because they are not available on popular streaming services, Arabs strive constantly to find their favorite TV series and movies. Luckily, now there are streaming services that offer similar features as Netflix and Hulu that specialize in Arab entertainment. This is not to say that Netflix and other streaming services don’t offer Arab shows and movies, nevertheless, it is limited. Resultantly, Shahid is born. A streaming service that offers all things Arab entertainment. The word ‘Shahid’ means ‘to witness’. Similar to Netflix Originals, Shahid releases its own Shahid Originals. The Originals are shows and movies that are exclusively found on Shahid. In addition to Arab shows, Shahid offers Turkish series dubbed in Arabic for viewers to enjoy.
Shahid offers 3 main packages for monthly purchases: VIP, VIP Sport, and Ultimate. During Ramadan, discounts are offered on the packages. For example, instead of $11.50 monthly, VIP was around $5 monthly. If purchased during Ramadan, that price would remain until the user ends the subscription.
One of Shahid’s most admired features is the daily release of episodes for special Ramadan series. The Arab world is known for the number of series that drop during the month of Ramadan, with a new episode every day. Traditionally, viewers wait for a specific time of the day on a specific channel to not miss the daily episode of their desired series they are keeping up with during Ramadan. Shahid has transformed that routine, the series are divided and episodes drop in real-time as they would on television. Evidently, live television is also one of the features offered under all of the packages for those who don’t know what to watch or prefer a certain channel.
Popular Series
1. Al Thaman (The Price)
A 2023 Lebanese drama following the life of a single mother, Sarah, attempting to raise enough funds for a transplant to treat her son’s cancer. Sarah asks her new manager if he could give her an advance on her paychecks for $200,000 without telling him what it is for. To her surprise, he agrees under the condition that she spends one night with him. The drama and their relationship unravel following the exposure of her son and his condition.
2. Mawdou aaili (Family Matters)
A Shahid Original that has enamored thousands of homes that have viewed it. This is a 2 season comedic Egyptian series about a father, Ibrahim, who did not know he had a daughter for over 20 years but is forced to become her legal guardian after her maternal grandmother passes. The captivating detail about this series is that Ibrahim is not introduced to her as her father but as the family lawyer. Family Matters is a magnetic series that pulls on viewers’ heart strings as the father and daughter reconnect while she gets to know the rest of the family, with a possible love story.
3. Yali Çapkini (Fareed)
One of Shahid’s most viewed Turkish series is Fareed, aka Yali Çapkini. This series is dubbed for viewers to understand in Arabic. The main character ‘Fareed’ is known as ‘The Golden Boy’, he does as he pleases and has become reckless because of this. To teach him a lesson, his grandparents force him to marry a girl from his rural home town. As this series unfolds, we see Fareed and his new wife go from completely hating one another to finding what they like about their situation.
All around the Arab World
Shahid is used by millions of Arabs from all over the Arab world. It is a solution for a problem they’ve encountered for years. From Egyptian shows to Syrian dramas to Turkish soap operas. To have all their favorite old and newly released Arab entertainment readily available is groundbreaking.
Check out Arab America’s blog here!
