3rd Saudi Media Forum kicks off

The Third Saudi Media Forum kicked off Tuesday with the participation of Kuwait’s Information Minister’s Representative and Undersecretary Dr. Nasser Mhaisen, 2,000 local and international prominent media professionals, and 80 media entities. In his opening speech, Saudi Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari said the year 2024 will be dubbed the “year of shaping media,” which will encompass all the energies that are worthy of the Saudi leadership and people, indicating that media has contributed, in local production, more than 14 billion Saudi Riyals (SAR) ($3.37 billion).

Al-Dosari added that they aim to reach SAR 16 billion ($4.27 billion) this year with a 10 percent increase, emphasizing the media sector, which provides 56,000 jobs with a goal of reaching 67,000 jobs in 2024. He continued that Saudi Arabia is working with strategies with the aim of growing and developing the media system and its integration into the Saudi General Authority for Media Regulation, as well as developing and enriching the Radio and Television Authority and the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) to encourage a friendly, competitive environment.

Al-Dosari clarified that Saudi Media Academy has launched with the aim to empower, develop, and train specializations in regards to future media needs in cooperation with global media platforms such as Google, Huawei, Ali Baba, and others, driven by data and passion for the field. According to SPA, the launch of the Forum came with the launch of the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX), the largest specialized media exhibition in the Middle East, featuring the participation of over 200 local and international companies to present the latest technologies and innovations across various media fields throughout the Forum’s duration.