For Muslims around the world, the holy month of Ramadan represents a month of spiritual and religious practices that draw them closer to God through praying and fasting. Family and friends come together in a daily celebration of this joyous month to break their fast and share stories and experiences.

Yet while the hunger for food ceases, another kind of hunger begins to develop. Bassam Al-Mallah, director of the Syrian series "Bab Al-Hara", told CNN, "TV has become something of a main course during Ramadan and it shares the importance of food, and sometimes overtakes it."

Middle East Online reports that around 60 television series have been prepared specifically for Ramadan and are being aired on over 400 channels. Most of these programs are quiz shows, talk shows, and biographical series. While adults and children alike wait patiently for the beginning of their favorite program, they would need to spend at least 60 hours a day watching TV to cover all the programs on offer, says the Middle East Online.

Television battles have started as networks and production companies compete to attract a record high number of viewers during Ramadan, reports CNN. A civil suit was raised between two local Tunisian stations over the broadcasting rights of "Bab Al-Hara". According to Magharebia, the local Algerian TV network had to reschedule the showtimes of its five channels in order to accommodate all its hit programs and ensure maximum viewer loyalty.

This "Ramadan ratings war" has left people confused in Tunisia as they are exposed to several local and Arabic satellite channels with overlapping schedules. Viewers are finding it hard to organize their time so they can watch their favorite programs while keeping a balance between their family life and work, reports Magharebia. Some of the Tunisian viewers felt obliged to change their evening plans to accommodate the shows, leading them to stay up late and subsequently affect their performance at work.

It is not surprising that with this increased number of viewers and demand for entertaining programs, Ramadan is regarded as "the most attractive month for advertisers," said television critic Adel Abbas to Middle East Online. He adds that in Egypt, 40% of the annual advertising budget is reserved for the month of Ramadan.

The price of ads could rise up to three times the normal rate during Ramadan according to a review by the Paris-based rating agency IPSOS, reported CNN. For example, a 30 second ad spot typically priced at $4,450 increased to $12,104 on the Saudi-owned network MBC1. TV channels see the high viewing rates as an opportunity to recover their revenues after the recent global recession, even if production was costly.

Despite the public popularity of Ramadan programming, some criticize the "commercialism" these programs have forced on the spiritual nature of the month, distracting people from their religious duties and productivity at work.

Abdel-Moneim Said from Al-Ahram Weekly stresses, "The real value of Ramadan and what people are making of it these days". He believes that Ramadan has become a month of entertainment and conspicuous spending. In contrast, others argue that audiences also have the option to watch religious programs, which are especially popular in the Arab world during Ramadan.

Ismail Kutkut, producer of the biopic "Ana Qalbi Dalily," which documents the life of the Egyptian singer Laila Mourad, told CNN that "part of the Ramadan tradition is to gather with friends and family and watch TV."

The number of television series and the number of viewers during Ramadan has continued to grow every year.