Media Investment is Saudi Arabia’s Next Step

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, within the framework of Vision 2030, seeks to attract media investment through its executive arm, the General Authority for Media Regulation.

Via its activities, it attracts talents and competencies in the sector, creating job opportunities that allow people to obtain a source of income by practising their passion.

Under the Kingdom’s media policy, the Authority strives to establish an infrastructure that can embrace individuals, institutions, and clients. The Authority is also in charge of organising the industry following a strategic vision that offers a clear picture of the working mechanisms of each employee or entity associated with the field.

The Authority’s Role in Media Oversight

One of the many activities that the Authority keeps an eye on is the media content. The goal is to improve the calibre of services offered in this context, making it rich and varied while also considering entertainment options. The Authority also keeps track of the most recent advancements in the industry on a regional and global scale, as well as market demands and Kingdom regulations.

This makes it possible for those in charge of the industry, those working in it, and those in charge of the sector to deal with a favourable investment climate that fosters media-related economic activity and draws in both foreign and domestic investments, helping to realise the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

Ever since its founding in 2012, the Authority has worked to integrate these goals into a plan of action, particularly after gaining legal independence and administrative autonomy, allowing the Minister of Media to chair its board of directors.

Under similar circumstances, the Authority’s Executive Vice President recently revealed its three-year plan through 36 initiatives at the Riyadh International Book Fair. In an event called “Organising Media in an Hour,” Hassan Al-Salmi went over this in detail. He talked about the phases that the Kingdom’s audiovisual media went through, the roles that the Authority played, and how its operational framework evolved to become more crucial to the media movement at the Kingdom level.

Furthermore, Al-Salmi examined the agenda for the next three years, which is packed with initiatives. The majority of these will be implemented in 2024—18 of the 36 initiatives will be implemented in the year; the remaining seven will be implemented in 2025; and the remaining eleven will be implemented in 2026.

Enhancing the Media Sector

The General Authority for Literature, Publishing, and Translation‘s international exhibition held at King Saud University in the business area witnessed a thorough definition of the mechanism for implementing initiatives. This included creating the regulatory framework required to ensure that the Authority can carry out its work effectively and creatively and providing the environment that allows it to exercise control most effectively given the media sector’s continued growth.

Modernising the copyright, printing, and intellectual property rights systems to a standard that will serve as a guide for those operating in the industry both inside and outside of Saudi Arabia is one of the goals of the Authority’s new strategy, which will invest in the media.

However, in addition to developing tools that ensure those in charge of the sector have control over the content published across the network, particularly on social media sites, the Authority will sponsor the right of access to information for those working in the media industry.

These tools will include access to periodic bulletins and reports that provide details about the Saudi Arabian media scene. Artificial intelligence technologies are part of the development to be compatible with the requirements and strategy set by the Authority, which will ensure consistency in the Saudi content provided across the network.

International Media Investment Regulation

In a related context, the Authority employs a multifaceted approach, offering a distinctive user experience that is attentive to every detail, particularly that which pertains to collaboration with the public. It also activates its oversight role by permitting the submission of complaints regarding the content released, as well as permitting inquiry and recommendation.

In this regard, the Authority implemented several media and analytical studies in addition to publishing legal bulletins, through which it was enthusiastic to cover the preceding issues and presented around 70 works.

Currently, the Authority’s activities include the granting of licences, totalling approximately twenty-four thousand licences, which are divided among professional licences for media professionals, licences to conduct social media advertisements, and licences for 200 platforms to offer podcasts inside Saudi Arabia.

Along with enforcing the implementation of the controls and providing oversight, the Authority also aims to educate and train those affected by the controls. To that end, 120 people attended workshops covering content controls in a variety of industries, including podcasts, films, and advertising.

Additionally, the Authority conducts workshops in collaboration with foreign organisations. Examples include the Internet Heroes workshop, which it conducted in partnership with Google and in which 400 trainees took part, and the workshop for electronic game developers, which occurred in collaboration with the Saudi-Japanese programme and in which 114 trainees participated.

To conclude, it is important to highlight that the General Authority for Media Regulation is working to regulate media investment both domestically and internationally. This goes beyond these specific cases and is part of a larger plan.

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