MBC Media Solution's First-Ever TV Attention Study Redefines What Audiences Really Watch

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MBC Media Solutions (MMS) hosted the second edition of its flagship event, Powering Growth with Data 2.0, unveiling for the first time the results of its TV Attention Study conducted in partnership with Amplified, the global leader in attention measurement, and supported by the Advertising Business Group (ABG).

The event gathered senior marketers, agencies, and data experts to explore how attention—the human currency of engagement—is reshaping media effectiveness and business outcomes across the MENA region.

At the heart of the session was the first-ever TV Attention Study in MENA, covering the Saudi market. Conducted by Amplified, a global leader in attention measurement, and supported by the Advertising Business Group (ABG)—the UAE-based, advertiser-led organization advocating for transparent, responsible, and sustainable marketing practices across MENA— the study tracked 29,000 viewing sessions across 300 Saudi households on MBC Group’s linear platforms between March and July 2025.  

The results were striking reveals the study: 65% of ads on MBC Network channels were actively viewed, delivering 1.8 times more active attention than the global TV benchmark.  

Even more telling, MBC’s platforms generated four times more active attention than scrollable social platforms in the Middle East—and five times more globally. 

This means attention levels are held strong across all dayparts, reflecting the impact of MBC’s quality content and its link to advertising engagement.

Opening the event, Nadim Samara, Chief Commercial Officer at MMS, framed the study as part of a broader data journey: “This is the second milestone in our data evolution—built on openness, collaboration, and global standards with local relevance,” he said.
Samara emphasized MMS’s mission to turn complex data into actionable insight, adding that the partnership with Amplified “brings global attention science into regional practice to help advertisers move from numbers to impact.”

Delivering the keynote, Andy Brown, Strategic Advisor and Chair of the CIMM Attention Group, pointed to a global shift toward attention-based metrics. “For years, we’ve leaned on viewability and time-in-view, but what’s served isn’t always seen,” he remarked. “MMS’s leadership in attention measurement is helping align investment with real audience engagement.”

Presenting the study, Mathieu Yarak, Head of Data at MMS, and Bec Brooks, Head of Operations at Amplified, highlighted how this research redefines what effectiveness looks like.

Yarak described the findings as a pivotal moment in MMS’s transparency-driven data agenda: “This study proves that our platforms deliver not just reach, but real attention,” he said. “By expanding our measurement portfolio to include next-generation metrics, we’re giving the industry a more meaningful understanding of what truly drives effectiveness.”

Brooks added that quantifying audience behavior in real conditions is a breakthrough for the region: “For the first time, we’re capturing how people in this market actually watch and respond to ads. MMS’s openness sets a new standard for regional transparency and positions MENA firmly on the global attention map.”

The event concluded with a high-level panel discussion, Turning Attention into Action – From Data to Business Impact, featuring Amine Sadik, Marketing Operations Director at Procter & Gamble Arabian Peninsula & Levant and Chairman of the ABG; Bec Brooks of Amplified; Alan Azar, Regional Managing Director at Choreograph (WPP); and Andy Brown.

Sadik underscored how collaboration across advertisers and agencies can raise accountability and drive smarter growth: “By putting attention at the center of the conversation, we’re moving from exposure to true engagement,” he said. “It’s initiatives like this that help our industry evolve with greater clarity, transparency, and shared purpose.”

Adding an agency perspective, Alan Azar highlighted attention as a game-changer for planning and investment: “We’re entering an era where attention shapes how we evaluate and optimize media,” he said. “Not all exposures are created equal—and now, we can quantify that. When we connect attention to business outcomes, we plan smarter and invest better.”

Launched by MMS in 2025, Powering Growth with Data is an ongoing thought-leadership platform designed to advance dialogue around open-source data, measurement, and media innovation. Through research partnerships and pioneering studies like this one, MMS continues to raise the bar for data transparency and effectiveness across the region.

For those less familiar, MBC Media Solutions (MMS) is the commercial arm of MBC Group, created in partnership with Saudi Media Company in 2020. Representing MBC’s entire portfolio—including Shahid, the world’s leading Arabic streaming platform—MMS also manages ad sales for Al Arabiya News Network, Saudi Sports Company (SSC), and Samsung Ads, and serves as the official TikTok reseller in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

As attention becomes the new currency of effectiveness, MMS’s study offers new depth to the region’s understanding of “media that works.

Photo caption from Left to right:

Andy Brown, Strategic advisor and Chair of CIMM Attention group; Bec Brooks, Head of Operations at Amplified; Alan Azar,, Regional Managing Director at Choreograph (WPP); Amine Sadik, Marketing Operations Director at Procter & Gamble Arabic Peninsula & Levant and Chairman of ABG and Mathieu Yarak Head of Data at MMS.