The X Factor, XSeer Al Najah (2006)

Name: The X Factor, XSeer Al Najah
Released: 2006

Country: Arab world

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How it feels

The X Factor Arabia is a reality talent competition where judges mentor teams of singers and compete for the title. It aired across 22 Arabic-speaking countries and gave the winner a record deal with a major production company.

competitiveaudience-directedformulaicenergetictenseaspirationalglitzyfast-paced

What happens

The X Factor Arabia, originally aired on March 26, 2006, with the title XSeer Al Najah (meaning Elixir or Essence of Success) is the Arab version of The X Factor. The Arabic-language version of the program also created by Simon Cowell has a similar format to the British version, in that there are judges who each have a team of contestants to mentor and compete with each other for the X Factor title. The 14-episode first series was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries. In its debut, it was known as being one of the most watched programs on television and was produced and supported by Rotana, one of the largest production companies in the Arab World. The winner of XSeer Al Najah earned a chance to sign with Rotana. However, with the continuing success of the rival pan-Arab series Star Academy on Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation (LBC), XSeer All Najah lost most of its pan-Arab appeal and was discontinued after season 2. In 2012, the Egyptian TV channel CBC announced that The X Factor Arabia would return in 2013 with four judges: Elissa, Carole Samaha, Wael Kfoury, and Hussain Al Jasmi. Despite its revamped format, The X Factor Arabia struggled against its rival show MBC's Arab Idol which aired at the same time slot as The X Factor. In 2014, MBC brought the rights for the show from CBC, revamped its format and started producing season four. Only Elissa as a judge and Bassel Alzaro as a host were retained from season three during MBC's restructure of the show. The judges on MBC The X Factor are Ragheb Alama, Elissa and Donia Samir Ghanem. The first episode aired on 14 March 2015 on MBC1 and MBC Masr. In 2023, Dubai Media (Dubai TV) acquired the rights to produce and broadcast The X Factor in the Arab world. The 2023 panel featured Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alama, Egyptian singer Angham, and Kuwaiti singer Abdallah Al Rowaished. The inaugural season on Dubai TV concluded in January 2024, with Haneen Elshater announced as the winner. The second season premiered on November 3, 2024. The grand finale took place on January 12, 2025. The show was produced by Mformedia in partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism as part of the "DSF Nights" events. The panel featued two new judges - Rahma Riad and Fayez Al Saeed, along with returning judge Ragheb Alama. The title was won by Abdul Rahim Al-Halabi, a Syrian contestant who first gained fame as a child on The Voice Kids. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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