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Arabic content gap in UAE grows as 80% of media kids consume is foreign, culture chief says
The gap represents an opportunity for Arabic-language content creators, from streaming platforms and social media to gaming and animation, said Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak
- PUBLISHED: Sun 20 Sept 2026, 1:51 PM UPDATED: Sun 20 Sept 2026, 2:00 PM
Arabic is spoken by around 430 million people worldwide, a figure expected to surpass 750 million by 2050. Yet children are still consuming most of their content in other languages, highlighting a significant gap in Arabic-language media and entertainment.
Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Culture and Tourism, said 80 per cent of the content consumed by children is currently in languages other than Arabic.
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Speaking at the Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries, Al Mubarak said the gap represents an opportunity for Arabic-language content creators, from streaming platforms and social media to gaming and animation.
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A huge untapped market
With the number of Arabic speakers continuing to grow, Al Mubarak said there is a large potential audience for creators who can produce content that reflects the language and culture of the region.
He suggested a 50-50 split between Arabic and other-language content as a starting benchmark across platforms.
“The world is changing, things come and go,” he said, adding that the shift in the balance of content should not be seen as a decline in the Arabic language itself.
Young creators urged to take the lead
Al Mubarak said much of the responsibility for closing the gap will fall on the region’s younger generation, describing them as a “strategic element” in shaping the future of Arabic. He encouraged young creators to explore new ways of bringing the language to audiences through podcasts, gaming, animation and social media.
He also pointed to South Korea’s global cultural influence as an example of how creative industries can take local-language content to international audiences.
Arabic creativity has the quality to make a similar global impact, he said, but achieving this will require greater coordination across the Arab world.
Al Mubarak called for a unified strategy to create more opportunities for young Arabic-language creators and help take their work to audiences beyond the region.
A call to invest
Al Mubarak warned that without action now, the language's presence risked further erosion, stressing that the investment needed was not only financial but intellectual.
He closed his remarks with a direct appeal to the audience of students and young creatives: "Create, create, create in Arabic, and in Abu Dhabi. We are ready to work with you day and night."
Al Mubarak's remarks came during the opening address of the Congress of Arabic and Creative Industries, held at Manarat Al Saadiyat in Abu Dhabi on September 20, 2026.
Emirati Journalist