Egyptian TV soaps fail to stay afloat
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During a recent taping of her program, Rotana talk-show host Hala Serhal tried in vain to diffuse a raucous debate among her guests, all well-known Egyptian and Syrian actors, directors, producers and scriptwriters. “Let us be professional and admit that Egyptian television drama is deteriorating,” she said, smiling at her guests, as if asking them to agree. But in the cacophony that followed, the Egyptians struggled to out shout one another as the Syrian guests looked on, coyly.
Serhal, a prominent Egyptian journalist and one-time screenwriter herself, faulted the lack of realistic content, save for Hour El Ein, a drama series that featured the rise of terrorism and extremism in the Arab World.
Meanwhile, veteran scriptwriter Mostapha Moharam blamed the “new wave of ignorant people in TV”; writers and directors, “interfering in the market with no experience or education.” The result, he said, was a gross surplus of content: “We are producing around 40 to 50 series a year and we actually don’t need more than 20.”
 Surprisingly (or not), there are few signs of alarm among key Egyptian officials involved in cinema and television production who readily admit they have lost touch with the industry. They point out that Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU), the state organ supervising most productions, has not changed any of its policies since 1973, including archaic financial restrictions. Hussein Jawhari, director of Production, Economic Sector of ERTU claims its policies limit the selling price for a one-hour long production to the equivalent of $2,000; a figure that barely covers the cost of actors’ fees.
“The wages television stars are asking have increased considerably; Layla Elwi’s wage for example, is between one to two million Egyptian pounds ($170, 000 to $270,000) for a series,” he says.
Jawhari further admits that producers are forced to invest a substantial share of their budgets in celebrities instead of actual content, largely because of pressure from advertisers. “The star is a major factor in marketing the work,” he explained.
Dr. Hussein Amin, a member of the ERTU Board of Directors, bemoans the union’s failure to adapt to modern requirements. “A major challenge for the production of television series is the policy and guidelines of ERTU, and the restrictions on free expression,” he says. Amin blames the union’s lack of organization and “typical bureaucratic reluctance to change the status quo” for its failures.
He also agrees with much of the criticism leveled at ERTU: a lack of good scripts, an oversupply of production, the emergence of new, unprofessional crews and the problem of “stars monopolizing the television series.”
Other challenges include the absence of modern technology, as well as a dearth of specialized schools in lighting, sound and other technical requirements. And the list goes on. Amin also cites cronyism in addition to “a decrease in artistic taste and visuals in terms of graphics, decor and outside sceneries is also a challenging factor.”
But there seemed to be a ray of hope in 1997 with the inauguration of The Egyptian Media City, a vast studio in the outskirts of Cairo. Today, it produces 30 percent of ERTU dramas, according to Jawhari. However, there remains a failure to attract home Egyptian talent operating in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
Dubai TV for example has signed exclusive contracts with famous actors like Yehia Al Fakharani, Layla Elwi and Youssra, whom according to Jawhari, attract the wide segments of advertisements in the market.
Another challenge facing the Egyptian industry is competition from new genres coming mostly from Syria and more recently the Gulf. Reacting to the challenge, in 2002 the then Egyptian Minister of Information Safwat Al Sherif proposed adding a movie star to each Ramadan series, and increasing production budgets by 45 percent. The move allowed them to recuperate some of their lost ground. Jawhari sees Arab competition, especially from Syria, as beneficial in the long run.
Jihad Fakhreddine, research manager for the Pan Arab Research Center (Parc), admits that “Egyptian drama ran out of steam towards the late 1990s when Syrian productions took over the Ramadan scene.”
The data from Parc, which regularly fields regional audience surveys, suggests that “Egyptian television series have been witnessing a steeper decline in viewership over the last two years. The last series that capped the highest viewership was Nour Al Sharif’s Haj Mutwalli, three years ago.”
However, he points out, “Syrian drama production has also consumed itself. My feeling is that unless Syrian and Egyptian productions make significant improvements in 2006, the next round will be won by the Gulf.”
If Fakhreddine’s predictions are correct, the road ahead may be more complicated for both Syrians and Egyptians. “What is evident is that all will have a difficult time. Too many TV channels with the bulk of the viewership going to the Saudi TV, where (Gulf-produced) comedies, such as Tash Matash has captured the highest ratings by far.”
The Syrians in Hala Serhal’s talk show may then need to start worrying as well.
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