The Arab world's first YouTube-certified network - built from a Jordanian animation collective into a pan-Arab creator network.
In the mid-2000s, a handful of illustrators in Amman kept running into the same complaint: there was almost nothing worth watching online in Arabic. Instead of waiting for a broadcaster to fix it, they started drawing.
Kharabeesh - the word means "scribbles" or "doodles" in Arabic - began around 2005 as an art-house collective and launched its content in earnest by 2008. Co-founder and VP of content Wael Attili wanted a channel that could reach Arab youth directly, without the gatekeeping of traditional television. The early work was satirical animation: short, sharp cartoons distributed straight to Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. When the Arab Spring arrived, those videos - lampooning regional leaders - found audiences well beyond the region, with some translated for foreign television.
That early instinct - go where the audience already is, and speak their language - became the company's operating system. Over the following decade Kharabeesh moved from cartoons to video production, then to social entertainment and comedy, and finally into the role it holds today: a multi-platform, multi-channel network that curates, produces and monetizes Arabic content across the Middle East and North Africa. In 2014 it became the first YouTube-certified multi-channel network in MENA, and crossed a billion YouTube views the same year.
At its core, Kharabeesh describes itself simply: "a modern media company curating and producing dynamic content bil 3arabi" - in Arabic. It does two things at once. It produces original and branded content in-house, from animation and comedy to music and short films. And it operates as a multi-channel network (MCN), partnering with independent creators to handle channel management, distribution and monetization at scale.
That dual role solves a specific problem. Talented Arab creators had audiences but lacked the infrastructure to grow and earn from them; advertisers wanted to reach Arab youth but struggled to do it credibly. Kharabeesh sits in the middle - curating talent, collaborating on content, and celebrating regional voices while giving brands a trusted route to the audience. Its network spans creators from The Saudi Reporters to MoVlogs, organized across seven genres.
YouTube-certified network that manages channels, distribution and monetization for Arabic creators across the region.
In-house animation, comedy, music and short films - including the satirical cartoons the company was born on.
Content-marketing and branded collaborations that help advertisers reach Arab youth credibly and at scale.
Curation, collaboration and support services that help regional creators grow their audiences and revenue.
iOS and Android apps that bring the network's Arabic content directly to viewers on their phones.
Ad revenue and creator revenue-sharing across YouTube and social platforms underpin the business.
We draw inspiration from our personal, everyday experiences - using them to power our sketches. It's about creativity rather than profit.
A snapshot of the network's reported reach across platforms. Figures are company-reported and approximate.
Plenty of media companies chase every platform and every language. Kharabeesh made two narrowing bets early and stuck with them: one language, Arabic, and one route to market, the open social platforms rather than traditional broadcast. That focus is what let a small Amman studio build the region's first YouTube-certified network before most incumbents had a digital strategy at all.
It sits alongside a small set of regional peers - Diwan Videos, UTURN Entertainment and Telfaz11 among them - competing for the attention of Arabic-speaking youth against both legacy broadcasters and the platforms' own native creator programs. Kharabeesh's edge is its head start and its dual identity as both producer and network: it makes content and it grows other people's, which few competitors do at the same scale.
Founders sense a gap in Arabic online content and form an animation collective in Amman.
Satirical animated videos go out via Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
Political cartoons go viral and gain international recognition and translation.
Becomes the first YouTube-certified MCN in MENA and passes one billion views.
Round led by Wamda Capital, with Endeavor Catalyst and Dash.
Reports ~138 channels, ~44M subscribers and 13B+ lifetime views across seven genres.
The creative force behind the channel; wanted to reach Arab youth directly.
Chief Executive Officer, based in Dubai.
Helped build the content channel and business.
Part of the original founding team.
Part of the founding team.
Led by Wamda Capital, with Endeavor Catalyst Fund and Dash. Backed the push to grow Arabic web content.
The official channel - animation, comedy and original shows.
Entrepreneur of the Week interview with the co-founder.
Wamda TV feature on the animation house.
A pan-Arab digital media company and YouTube multi-channel network that produces and curates Arabic-language content across comedy, animation, gaming, social and more.
Around 2005 in Amman, Jordan, launching its content by 2008, and later expanding with a presence in Dubai.
Five co-founders: Wael Attili, Mohammed Asfour, Wafa Nabulsi, Firas Al Otaibi and Shaher Al Otaibi.
A $5 million Series B in 2016, led by Wamda Capital with Endeavor Catalyst and Dash.
Company-reported figures put it around 138 channels, 44 million subscribers, 180 million monthly views and over 13 billion lifetime views.
Sources: Wikipedia, Crunchbase, Wamda, Forbes, Entrepreneur ME, TradeArabia, company website. Audience figures are company-reported and approximate.