MBC 1 (Middle East and North Africa)
| Broadcast area | Middle East and North Africa Europe United States Canada |
|---|---|
| Network | Middle East Broadcasting Center |
| Headquarters | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Arabic |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) 576i (SDTV) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | MBC Group |
| Sister channels | MBC 2 MBC 3 MBC 4 MBC 5 MBC Drama MBC Action MBC Max Al-Arabiya Wanasah AlHadath MBC+ Power MBC Variety HD MBC Bollywood SSC |
| History | |
| Launched | 18 September 1991 |
MBC 1 is a free-to-air pan-Arab general television channel. It is owned by the MBC company MBC Group. Satellite transmission started from London in September 1991, making MBC 1 the first independent Arabic satellite TV station, with an estimated audience of more than 130 million people around the world. In 2022 parent company MBC moved its headquarters to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
By the mid-2000s, MBC 1 cemented its position as the leading Arabic variety channel.
One of its most popular and controversial shows, and the one generating the highest advertising rates, is Kalam Nawaem ("Speech of the Soft"), a show led by several women that addresses women's issues and taboos, including terrorism, domestic violence, polygamy, divorce and women's suffrage.
MBC 1 has secured a deal to show 32 Indian movies after its initial broadcast of Jodhaa Akbar, which was a huge success and was appreciated by the public as well as the advertisers. This, however, ended up on MBC 1 and MBC Drama instead, due to tying in the Bollywood films as part of the dubbed films package so that these films can be watched by the Arab audience as well.
MBC 1 HD launched on 1 July 2011.
From 24 March to 22 June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, MBC 1 used an on-screen DOG depicting its logo encased inside a house.