Arabic TV in the UK at a glance
- Official apps in the UK store
- Al Jazeera and Al Jazeera 360 (Al Jazeera Network), MBC Shahid (MBC Group), Dubai+ (Dubai Media Incorporated)
- TV licence
- Needed in the UK to watch any channel live, including Arabic channels
- Sport
- Rights are sold by country; Middle East sports channels are rarely licensed for the UK
- Player tip
- Choose a player with proper right-to-left Arabic text support
- Time difference
- Gulf states 2 to 4 hours ahead of the UK; Egypt usually 2; Morocco 0 to 1
App listings checked on the UK App Store in September 2026. A listing doesn’t guarantee that every programme or live channel is available in the UK.
Legal ways to watch Arabic TV in the UK
Official broadcaster apps
Several major Arabic-language broadcasters publish apps that are listed on the UK App Store:
| App | Publisher | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Al Jazeera | Al Jazeera Network | The network’s Arabic news app |
| Al Jazeera 360 | Al Jazeera Network | The network’s streaming platform: documentaries, films and programmes, plus live Al Jazeera channels |
| MBC Shahid | MBC Group | MBC’s streaming service for Arabic series, films and shows, with free and paid tiers |
| Dubai+ | Dubai Media Incorporated | Dubai Media’s streaming platform: Arabic originals, series, films and live events |
These are the broadcasters’ own services, so they’re the safest place to start. Each decides what it can show in the UK, and some programmes or live channels may be unavailable here. Check the details inside the app, and whether there’s a free tier, before subscribing.
Check the publisher, every time
App stores carry many apps named after Arabic channels or famous piracy brands that aren’t published by any broadcaster. Before installing, check that the publisher shown on the listing is the broadcaster itself. An app offering hundreds of Arabic channels, films and live sport free, from an individual developer, is not a licensed service.
Sport
Football and other sports rights are sold country by country. Channels licensed to show a competition in the Middle East and North Africa are usually not licensed for the UK, where a different broadcaster holds the rights. Services that offer Arab sports channels in the UK for a few pounds are almost always unlicensed.
You still need a UK TV licence
According to TV Licensing, you need a UK licence to watch or record live TV on any channel, including channels broadcast or streamed from outside the UK, on any device. On-demand viewing (other than BBC iPlayer) doesn’t need one. See IPTV and the TV licence.
Setting up Arabic channels in an IPTV player
Arabic text and right-to-left display
Arabic is written right to left with joined letters. Modern players and TV operating systems handle it well, but older apps and some cheap boxes don’t. Signs of a problem:
- channel names or guide entries shown as boxes or question marks (missing fonts or a text encoding problem);
- letters not joined, or words in the wrong order (no right-to-left support).
Updating the app, or trying another player, usually fixes it. If only one playlist is affected, its file may be saved in the wrong encoding; see editing an M3U playlist.
Guide times across the Arab world
Arabic channels come from many time zones. If your guide shows programmes at the wrong times, compare with the channel’s home time:
| Where the channel is based | Ahead of the UK |
|---|---|
| Morocco | 0 or 1 hour, depending on the season |
| Egypt | Usually 2 hours |
| Lebanon, Jordan, Syria | 2 hours (Jordan and Syria: 2 or 3) |
| Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq | 2 hours (UK summer) or 3 (UK winter) |
| UAE, Oman | 3 hours (UK summer) or 4 (UK winter) |
Our EPG offset calculator turns the difference into a player setting, and EPG not loading covers empty guides.
Audio tracks and subtitles
Some films and series carry both Arabic dubbing and the original language, or Arabic subtitles. Switch audio and subtitle tracks from the player’s playback menu. If a channel plays without sound, see no sound on IPTV.
Before you pay for Arabic channels
- Start with the broadcasters’ own apps, many of which have free content.
- Check who you’re paying, with a business name, terms and a refund policy.
- Treat “all Arabic channels plus all sports” for a few pounds as a warning sign. See is IPTV legal?.
More language guides: Turkish TV in the UK, Pakistani TV in the UK and all languages.