CAIRO — Egyptians’ hearts and minds are focused on TV screens during Ramadan, as TV shows have a booming viewing market during the holy month. For many years, Ramadan has witnessed intense competition between drama producers to broadcast their productions on more than one channel and at a prime time — immediately after the evening iftar meal, when the audience is at its largest.

But the market for drama in Egypt over the course of the current Ramadan season differs from previous years in that it has witnessed a noticeable decline in the number of series produced. The number of series broadcast on satellite channels in Egypt has declined by almost half, so that 20 series have aired this year as compared with previous years that have seen upwards of 35.

Mohamed Fawzy, a well-known Egyptian producer who has made several series during previous Ramadans, including famous shows such as “Ibn El Arandaly,” “Enaab Man” and “Al-Dali,” told Al-Monitor that the desire to produce dramas has waned. He attributed it to the economic situation generally, which has drained many TV channels of their liquidity, and the drop in demand for advertising, upon which the entire industry depends. Moreover, producers have begun to think twice before initiating more than one series at a time, he noted.

Fawzy added that there are Egyptian channels that have yet to pay their producers’ fees from last year. This has led to a decline in the supply of series available to air on Egyptian channels, as well as a growing reluctance among producers to air their series on those channels.