Minister of Media: “2024, the Year of Media Transformation”

The Saudi media industry is poised for a year filled with accomplishments and transformations, H.E. Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary proclaimed in an animated speech on Tuesday, during which he outlined the Kingdom's main strategic goals to upgrade its media ecosystem through various high-profile initiatives. 

"We are officially dubbing 2024 as the year of media transformation," Mr. Al-Dosary declared to over 2,000 media professionals at the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh. He explained that the strategies center around "numbers, indicators, passion and work," with the backing of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and his faithful Crown Prince.

The ambitious vision aims to increase the media industry's contribution to Saudi GDP from $3.9 billion in 2023 to $4.3 billion this year. It also looks to boost media-related employment from 56,000 jobs to 67,000 jobs. 

Central to the plan are three key strategies to enhance Saudi Arabia's media sector, attract greater investment and maximize local talents. These include setting the strategic direction of the country's media ecosystem, improving governance and efficiency across over 30 government and private sector entities, and partnering with the tertiary sector of the economy, better known as the service sector.

Major goals include enabling the growth of the Saudi Broadcasting Authority to compete globally, developing media skills, and producing high-quality content for international digital platforms to boost the Kingdom's brand. Meanwhile, the Saudi Press Agency will focus on expanding its worldwide correspondent network to meet public demand for news.

Past initiatives will also be expanded, such as Media Oasis which has already benefited 2,600 media professionals from 60 countries during major Saudi events. The MediaZone project will likewise be enhanced to nurture media arts and communities in different regions.

The Hajj and Umrah seasons will see new efforts like the Hajj and Umrah Mediathon to catalyze media innovations. The Hajj Media Hub aims to assist over 2,000 international media covering the pilgrimages.

Finally, the Saudi Media Academy will be launched to train media professionals, while partnerships with Google, Huawei and Alibaba have been initiated to incorporate the latest technologies.