Facebook hours increase during Ramadan

The Middle East has experienced a 58 million hour surge in Facebook use during the holy month of Ramadan.  

The swelling consumption is attributed to the fact that people in the Middle East tend to have more free time in Ramadan because the working hours are less as the majority of the working force is fasting.  

People stay up for longer hours during Ramadan because of Suhur which is the meal consumed early before dawn by Muslims.

“A combination of these factors result in a 5 percent increase in the time spent on Facebook”, said Facebook's managing director for Mideast and North Africa.   

According to Google, the most searched words have been Ramadan movies, TV dramas and soap operas with 151% increase in viewership on YouTube.

For Facebook, which also owns Instagram, and Google, which owns YouTube, Ramadan is also the peak season for advertising in the region.  

"Our revenue is a function of people's engagement," Facebook's managing director said, adding that, "The more that they engage on our platforms, the more that advertisers want to be able to reach those that are engaging. That's what drives our revenue." 

MM/MM