Riyadh (UNA) - Saudi Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Media, Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, revealed the developmental goals of the media system in the Kingdom; through high economic contributions, the presence of ambitious creative competencies, distinguished local content, rapid digital development of the sector, and the promotion of national values and media diversity. Al-Qasabi added that the Saudi media system is on the verge of a radical development at all levels, as the sector will be full of opportunities and partnerships with the private sector and international bodies, and will constitute a platform for talented and creative people. During his participation today in the second edition of the Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, Dr. Al-Qasabi explained that the media has changed over time, and mobile phones and their applications have become the source of information. He shares and interacts with it, and therefore we find that WhatsApp is the first social networking platform, used by about 30 million users in the Kingdom, according to the latest statistics. The designated Minister of Information pointed out that the Ministry of Information system consists of several entities, namely the Government Communication Center, the Radio and Television Corporation, the General Authority for Audiovisual Media, and the Saudi Press Agency. Dr. Al-Qasabi pointed out that there are great opportunities in the media sector in the Kingdom in terms of the high contribution to the domestic product, the promotion of local digital content, and the opening of new horizons for emerging companies in various media fields. Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi said: Among the challenges facing the Saudi media; Failure to keep up with regulations and systems for a rapidly growing sector, lack of training programs, limited empowerment of economic sectors, in addition to the sector’s need to create effective media content. He explained that the Saudi media has promising building foundations represented in Vision 2030, the strategic weight of the Kingdom, transformational and development projects, diversified content, and the size of the Saudi market, as the Kingdom occupies the leadership in the regional market in terms of; The volume of spending, the attractiveness of investment, the volume of demand in terms of time-spending rates, the highest utilization rate, in addition to the creative competencies. Dr. Al-Qasabi indicated that among the Broadcasting Corporation's achievements; Launching a Memories channel and news broadcasting, digital transformation of the archives, developing an archiving system, launching the first television technical exhibition, and establishing international and local partnerships, explaining that it will focus on creating Saudi content that enhances identity, supporting and enabling the local content industry, and developing its competitive capabilities. The Minister of Information stated that among the achievements of the Saudi Press Agency were the approval of the organization of the agency, the agency's presidency of the Federation of Arab News Agencies, the transfer of Umm Al-Qura newspaper to the agency, the conclusion of 40 strategic partnerships around the world, and the shift to creating a diversified content known as the media mix for more than 12 sections. He touched on the achievements of the Audiovisual Media Authority, which include launching the first license of its kind for individual advertisements, in addition to launching educational and corrective campaigns, and adopting specifications, standards, and others, which contributed to an increase in the number of jobs and content. He added that the commission will focus on improving the legislative structure of the media sector, improving the investment environment, and developing mechanisms and compliance tools in the media sector. Dr. Majid Al-Qasabi explained that the achievements of government communication include the holding of the periodic conference for government communication, which was held 12 times with the participation of 13 ministers, the establishment of the virtual media center for Hajj, in which 1000 journalists from countries of the world participate, the Google Skills Program for digital content talents, the Mediathon race, the Treasures initiative, and others. He called on private sector companies and talents to seize opportunities in a promising sector. (is over)
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