The change in viewing habits come as many will stay awake in the earlier hours of the morning for suhoor — when Muslims eat their last meal of the day before fasting. The YouGov survey was conducted between April 2017 and 2018 in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, with respondents aged 18 and above.

Netflix’s peak audience in the Middle East shifts to between 2am and 5am during the Islamic holy month, with viewers spending up to three extra hours a day watching TV shows or films. Over 30 days this equates to 90 extra hours of TV – equivalent to about 60 movies or 180 30-minute shows. Netflix is releasing new content this Ramadan including The Rain, Forgive us our Debts, Sarah’s Notebook, The 100 and The Walk.

In Saudi Arabia, half of those who took part claimed to go to sleep at 5am during Ramadan, after dawn prayers. In contract, 19% of UAE residents went to bed at 11pm. On average, among those polled in Saudi, UAE and Egypt, 35% said they retired to bed at 5am during Ramadan.

With around 53% of respondents watching between two to three hours of TV with friends and family each day during Ramadan, the most watched TV genre is comedy, followed by family drama and history. In Saudi Arabia, action and thrillers are particularly popular.