MBC Group, the media and entertainment conglomerate in the MENA region, has announced its H1 financial results ended June 30th 2025, reporting revenues of SAR 3 billion (€0.69bn), up 37. per cent YoY, supported by solid growth across all business segments. Net profit for the six-month period was SAR 335.4 million in H1 2025, a 41.1 per cent YoY increase with net profit margin expanding 0.3 percentage points to 11.1 per cent.

On a quarterly basis, revenues were up 2.5 per cent YoY in Q2 2025 to SAR 987.9 million, while net profit declined 38.3 per cent YoY on account of higher advertising revenues in the same quarter last year during which Ramadan coincided with the first 10 days of the quarter, whereas in 2025 Ramadan fell entirely within the first quarter of the year. Additionally, heightened geopolitical volatility impacted overall market sentiment and advertiser revenue.

Mike Sneesby, Chief Executive Officer of MBC GROUP, commented: “Our first-half results demonstrate the strength and resilience of MBC Group’s diversified business model. We delivered solid revenue growth across our core segments, supported by premium content, digital scale, and disciplined execution. Our advertising performance continues to benefit from the Group’s geographically diversified footprint which has helped us to mitigate the impact of geopolitical volatility. Our Broadcast & Technical Services segment also remains a strategic revenue contributor, underpinned by a healthy pipeline and a strong track record of delivering on high-impact projects across the Kingdom. Meanwhile Shahid continues to deliver strong top and bottom-line momentum, supported by a clear content strategy and sustained growth across SVoD and AVoD with growing platform engagement.“

The BOCA segment continued to anchor Group performance in H1, with revenues rising 29.6 per cent year-on-year to SAR 1,737.8 million, and net profit advancing 23.7 per cent to SAR 314.1 million. Growth during the period was broad-based across advertising, content distribution and large-scale media services. TV revenues rose 13.3 per cent year-on-year to SAR 863.4 million, reflecting continued advertiser demand across MBC’s free-to-air platforms. Broadcast & Technical Services revenues climbed 52.7 per cent to SAR 740 million.. In Q2, BOCA recorded revenues of SAR 532.4 million compared to SAR 565.7 million in Q2 2024. The 5.9 per cent year-on-year decline reflects the timing of Ramadan, which fell entirely in Q1 2025 versus spanning into Q2 the previous year, impacting peak seasonal advertising revenues.

Shahid, MBC GR’s OroupT platform, recorded a 25 per cent year-on-year increase in revenues in H1, reaching SAR 696.8 million compared to SAR 557.3 million in H1 2024. SVoD revenues grew 24.4 per cent to SAR 540.3 million, supported by the newly implemented password-sharing policy, which limits account usage to a single IP address unless upgraded to a premium tier. AVoD revenues also delivered solid growth in H1, particularly during the Ramadan peak in Q1, while other revenues increased by 66.1 per cent to SAR 11.9 million, reflecting new monetisation streams. Shahid reported a net profit of SAR 2.7 million for the period, reversing a net loss of SAR 23.2 million in the first half of 2024. This profit was primarily driven by seasonal strength in Q1, and full-year breakeven is still targeted for 2027. In Q2, SHAHID generated revenues of SAR 305.4 million, up 17.9 per cent YoY. SVoD continued to lead growth, while AVoD performance moderated due to the absence of Ramadan advertising in the current quarter versus the prior year. The platform reported a narrowed net loss of SAR 10.6 million in Q2, down from SAR 16.7 million in Q2 2024, supported by operational efficiencies and a stronger subscription base.

The Media & Entertainment Initiatives (M&E) segment continued to deliver strong growth in H1 2025, with revenues almost doubling year-on-year to SAR 597.2 million, compared to SAR 301.8 million in the same period last year, while net profit nearly tripled to SAR 18.6 million, up from SAR 6.9 million in H1 2024.

Content remained a key performance driver across both Shahid and linear platforms in H1 2025. Ommi, the Saudi-Turkish adaptation drama following the success of Khareef Al Qalb, captivated audiences across platforms, securing the #1 spot on MBC and driving strong viewer engagement. Similarly, Aser, a pan-Arab drama thriller, continued to build momentum, leading its time slot on MBC1 and emerging as a standout success across both broadcast and streaming platforms. Share’ Al A’sha (pictured), a social drama series set in KSA which aired during Ramadan, also solidified its status as one of the most celebrated Saudi productions of the year, earning nine major awards at the Al Dana Drama Awards 2025. 

As of the end of Q2 2025, MBC’s content pipeline consisted of over 150 projects, with more than 90 per cent of them slated for production in Saudi Arabia. 

Commenting on the Group’s outlook, Sneesby added: “As we continue to expand our footprint across the region, our strategic focus remains unchanged: invest in scalable, high-impact content, grow our digital platforms, and lead the evolution of Arab media. We have best-in-class capabilities across production, broadcasting, and streaming, and we will continue to apply commercial discipline in evaluating opportunities, pursuing only those that align with our long-term strategic objectives and return thresholds.”

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Categories: Articles, Broadcast, Business, Results, VOD

Tags: MBC Group, MENA, Shahid