Most newspapers are privately owned but are subsidized and regulated by the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
in
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
. The "
Basic Law" of the kingdom states that the mass media's role is to educate and inspire national unity; consequently, most popular grievances go unreported in Saudi Arabia. For instance, the
invasion of Kuwait
The Iraqi invasion of Kuwait was an operation conducted by Iraq on 2 August 1990, whereby it invaded the neighboring State of Kuwait, consequently resulting in a seven-month-long Iraqi military occupation of the country. The invasion and Ira ...
by Iraq in 1990 was not immediately reported in the Saudi Arabian mass media. As of 2013,
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...
reports that criticism of the government and the royal family and the questioning of
Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
ic tenets "are not generally tolerated.
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or insti ...
is pervasive."
As of 2014,
Freedom House
Freedom House is a non-profit, majority U.S. government funded organization in Washington, D.C., that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights. Freedom House was founded in October 1941, and Wendell Wil ...
rates the kingdom's press and internet "Not Free".
Overview
As of 2006, the government has allowed some critical stories to be written by selected
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
s. Although
self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own discourse. This is done out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities or preferences (actual or perceived) of others and without overt pressure from any specific party or insti ...
continues to be a method of self-preservation for the nation's media outlets, government censorship seems to be decreasing, especially on journalistic inquiries into
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
and
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
.
[Arabia.pdf Saudi Arabia country profile](_blank)
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Federal Research Division
The Federal Research Division (FRD) is the research and analysis unit of the United States Library of Congress.
The Federal Research Division provides directed research and analysis on domestic and international subjects to agencies of the Unite ...
(September 2006). ''This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
.'' Newspapers are created by royal decree. There are more than a dozen dailies.
[ Pan-Arab newspapers from other countries are available but subject to censorship.][ The government ( BSKSA) operates almost all domestic broadcasting outlets in Saudi Arabia.][ ]Censors
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
remove objectionable material deemed offensive by the standards of Islam
Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
, including references to pork
Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE.
Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...
, Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and other religions, alcohol and sex.[ Private TV stations cannot operate from Saudi soil.][ Although government officials monitor Internet sites for material deemed pornographic, politically offensive, or anti-Islamic, Saudi Internet users can gain access to most sites by simply connecting through an alternative server. The government created an appeals process circa 2006 by which citizens can request that particular websites be unblocked.][ As of 2014 there were 17.4 million internet users.][
Article 39 of the "Basic Law" of the kingdom states:
]Mass media and all other vehicles of expression shall employ civil and polite language, contribute towards the education of the nation and strengthen unity. It is prohibited to commit acts leading to disorder and division, affecting the security of the state and its public relations, or undermining human dignity and rights.
Pan-Arab broadcasting
Saudi media has influence outside of the borders of the kingdom, as the country is "a major market for pan-Arab satellite and pay-TV".[ Saudi investors are behind the major networks ]Middle East Broadcasting Center
MBC Group ( ar, مجموعة إم بي سي), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Middle East and North Africa region. Launched in London in 1991, the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 then moved to Riyadh in 2022.
MBC ...
(MBC), which is based in Dubai, and Bahrain-based Orbit Showtime.[
]Middle East Broadcasting Center
MBC Group ( ar, مجموعة إم بي سي), is a Saudi media conglomerate based in the Middle East and North Africa region. Launched in London in 1991, the company moved to its headquarters to Dubai in 2002 then moved to Riyadh in 2022.
MBC ...
(MBC) was launched in London, shortly after the 1991 Gulf War
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
. In 1993 the entertainment, music and sport network Arab Radio and Television Network
Arab Radio and Television Network (acronym: ART) is an Arabic-language television network characterized by its multitude of channels. It is based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
History and profile
ART was founded in October 15, 1993 by Saleh Abdullah ...
was founded by Saudi mogul Saleh Abdullah Kamel
Saleh Abdullah Kamel (1941 – 18 May 2020) ( ar, صالح عبد الله كامل ''Ṣaleḥ 'Abdullāh Kamel'') was a Saudi billionaire businessman. He had a net worth estimated at US$2.3 billion, as of March 2017. He was the chairman and fo ...
. From 1994 until 1996 when it was pulled off the air, BBC Arabic Television
BBC News Arabic ( ar, بي بي سي نيوز عربي), formerly BBC Arabic Television, is a television news channel broadcast to the Arab World by the BBC. It was launched on 11 March 2008. It is run by the BBC World Service and funded from the ...
channel was run by Rome-based Orbit Communications Company
Orbit Communications Company was a privately owned Pay TV network, operating in Bahrain. Owned by Saudi Arabia-based Mawarid Holding (via Digital Media Systems), it was the first fully digital, multi-channel, multi-lingual, pay television servi ...
, a subsidiary of the Saudi Arabian Mawarid Holding
Mawarid Holding is a private Saudi investment company. It was established in 1968. Its headquarters are in Suleimania, Riyadh. It manages and controls investments in diversified businesses in financial services, telecommunications, satellite tele ...
.[ It was launched again in March 2008 as part of ]BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is an international broadcasting, international broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC, with funding from the Government of the United Kingdom, British Government through the Foreign Secretary, Foreign Secretary's o ...
.
Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal
Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud ( ar, الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist and royal. He was listed on ''Time'' magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the hu ...
owns the Rotana Group
Rotana Media Group, commonly known as Rotana ( ar, روتانا, Rōtānā), is a Saudi Arabian entertainment company. It is primarily owned by Saudi prince Al Waleed bin Talal.
The media conglomerate includes a film production company (Rotana ...
media entertainment conglomerate and in late 2011 acquired a $300 million stake in the social media site Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
.[
According to ]As'ad AbuKhalil
As'ad AbuKhalil ( ar, أسعد أبو خليل) (born 16 March 1960) is a Lebanese-American professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus.
AbuKhalil is the author of ''Historical Dictionary of Lebanon'' (1998), ''Bin ...
, (author and political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
professor at California State University, Stanislaus
California State University, Stanislaus (Stanislaus State, Stan State) is a public university in Turlock, Stanislaus County, California. It is part of the California State University system. It was established in 1957 and is also the only cam ...
), “It is now a taboo in Arab culture to criticize Saudi. Even ebanon's Hezbullah media is careful, and in Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
media criticism has been going down, it has been very sensitive."[ One reason for this caution is that journalists who run critical stories "jeopardize their future careers, particularly if they aspire to work for the higher paying Gulf and Saudi networks." According to AbuKhalil, “As a journalist today you cannot criticize Saudi – where would you work?”][ Another is that "40-70% of the region's advertising" comes from Saudi Arabian companies, organizations, etc. "Networks, TV channels and publications are not going to risk jeopardizing their cash flow by upsetting their prime advertising market in the region's largest economy," according to Arab Media & Society.][
]
Social media
According to the estimation of the Word Bank in 2017, near about 50% of the population of the world uses the mobile phone. Out of 4.77 billion people that have been taken into consideration, 2.32 billion users use the smartphone. The people are getting connected with the society and for the business user. With the increase in the usage of the smartphone, the usage of the internet also gets increased. According to the recent survey, almost 95% population of Saudi Arabia uses the smartphone, and 85% of the population are subscribed to the mobile broadband people. Saudi Arabia is one of the most active countries that use the social network. Many Saudi Arabians have been getting involved with multiple social media platforms, and about almost half the population use Twitter. Along with Twitter they also have a large wave of people other applications such as Path, Keek, and Instagram which are the most popular social media sites used in Saudi Arabia.
Social media has morphed from a networking platform to a potent force for social change in Saudi Arabia. The government uses the social media platform to connect with the citizens all over the state. The social media applications help them to gauge public consciousness. The important government members of Saudi Arabia are taken to their respective Facebook account as well as Twitter accounts to drive for reforms across Saudi Arabia state. Members of the Saudi Arabia ruling government such as Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Abdulaziz Khoja, Minister of Culture and Information utilize their own social media websites or platform to spread information related to government initiatives and policies.
The younger generation of Saudi Arabia uses the Internet more in comparison to the older people. They use the internet mainly for the entertainment purposes and chatting purposes. Another survey has been conducted, and it verifies that most of the internet users are men. However, the women of Saudi Arabia desire to have rights like the modern women everywhere. The women want to use the internet and the social media. Hala Al-Dosari, an activist utilizes the power of social media to work to induce King Salman to stop the male guardianship practice. Near about 15,000 signatures have been accumulated after a Twitter campaign with hashtag the #IAmMyOwnGuardian.
The numbers of social media users have risen significantly in recent years. Saudi Arabia is considered as the largest markets for the social network located in the Middle East. Facebook and WhatsApp are the popular social networking sites used in Saudi Arabia. 97% of the users who live in Saudi Arabia use Facebook as 81% of them use WhatsApp. The Facebook and the WhatsApp provide the platform through which the users can express their ideas and thoughts, and people of Saudi Arabia use these platforms to communicate and stay interlinked with each other. The Saudi Arabians with the help of these platforms get more freedom of speech. Facebook has about 12 million users all over the world, and 2 million out of those 12 million users are from Saudi Arabia. At the moment there are about 70% YouTube users, and they watch 90 million videos on a daily basis. In Saudi Arabia, twitter is the most visited website, their users tweet 5 times per day on an average.
There is another point that must be taken into consideration. In 2016, Saudi Arabia was one of the fastest-growing Twitter markets in the world. Studies from Omnicom Media Group (OMG) confirm that Saudi Arabia currently has the highest Twitter penetration in the entire world. OMG also states that every three out of seven people search for the social network before anything else. Saudi Arabians also use the social media for other means; individuals use it as a platform for job searching, they also use the platform as a source selling products and promoting brands. King Abdulaziz University conducts research and explains all the adverse effects of using social media.[International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering https://ijarcsse.com/docs/papers/Volume_7/5_May2017/SV7I5-0177.pdf] The users are becoming overly dependent on the social network. The users are getting isolated from the normal social communication. Only 29% of the users prefer to visit their relatives because of the social network. The people of Saudi Arabia tend to share knowledge, videos, pictures and news on the social media channels. The users spend too much of their time on their electronics and they share relative information and personal information with the relatives, family and the closed ones.
Television channels
Al Ekhbariya
Al Ekhbariya ( ar, الإخبارية) is an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
History
Launched on 11 January 2004, its aim according to its director was to present "a new image of the Gulf Ara ...
(News)
Al Arabiya
Arabiya ( ar, العربية, transliterated: '; meaning "The Arabic One" or "The Arab One") is an international Arabic news television channel, currently based in Dubai, that is operated by the media conglomerate MBC.
The channel is a flag ...
(News)
ALHADTH (News)
KSA SPORTS
AlRiyadiya ( ar, السعودية الرياضية, lit=) is a Saudi sports network
Sports channels are television speciality channels (usually available exclusively through cable and satellite) broadcast sporting events, usually live, a ...
MBC 1 MBC 1 may refer to:
* MBC 1 (Mauritian TV channel), a TV channel in Mauritius by the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation
* MBC1 (Middle Eastern and North African TV channel)
MBC 1 is a free-to-air pan-Arab general television channel. Satel ...
(TV shows &news$ talk shows)Middle East
MBC 2 (Hollywood movies)
MBC 3
MBC 3 is a free-to-air children's channel launched on 8 December 2004, and appeals to children under the age of 15. All foreign television animated programs have been dubbed into Arabic. The channel also produces its own original programmes. It ...
(Kids)
MBC 4
MBC 4 is a television channel in the Middle East. It was launched on 1 February 2005 at 5:00 P.M. (GMT) and is owned by the Middle East Broadcasting Center. MBC 4 airs international programmes with Arabic language subtitles. Programming is tar ...
(Hollywood TV shows)
Rotana Cinema
Rotana Cinema ( ar, روتانا سينما) is a Saudi Arabian free-to-air satellite television channel owned by Rotana Group
Rotana Media Group, commonly known as Rotana ( ar, روتانا, Rōtānā), is a Saudi Arabian entertainment comp ...
Rotana Khalejiah (Talk shows $ Arab TV shows)
Rotana Music
MBC Drama (Middle East)
MBC Drama ( ar, إم بي سي دراما) is a pan-Arab television channel owned by MBC Group. It was launched on 27 November 2010 as free-to-air
Free-to-air (FTA) services are television (TV) and radio services broadcast in unencrypted form, ...
MBC Max
MBC Max (stylized as MBC MAX) is a free-to-air movie channel that broadcasts non-stop Hollywood films and it is an alternative to its sister channel MBC 2 (Middle East and North Africa), MBC 2.
MBC Max HD was launched on 1 July 2011.
History ...
(Hollywood movies)
MBC+ Drama
The MBC+ Drama was a free-to-air television channel owned by MBC Group. It was a joint venture between OSN and MBC Group. It was a 24-hour Arabic channel that offers a range of Arabic series ''First on TV'' to OSN subscribers starting 1 Febr ...
Saudi T.V. Channel 1
QURAN TV
SUUNA TV
Wanasah
Wanasah ( ar, وناسة) is a free-to-air satellite television channel that screens music videos and programs and other variety programs. The channel is run by the MBC Group, one of the leading media groups in the Middle East, and is owned by Ra ...
(Music)
Faaliat (Main events)
MBC Bollywood MBC may refer to:
Broadcasting
* Major Broadcasting Cable Network, renamed to Black Family Channel
* Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, a Malawian state-run radio company
* Manila Broadcasting Company, in the Philippines
* Mauritius Broadcasting Co ...
Arabic daily newspapers
*'' Al-Bilad''
* ''Al Eqtisadiah
Al Eqtisadiah ( ar, الاقتصادية, 'The Economy') is a Saudi daily business newspaper, published by Saudi Research and Publishing Company. It has been in circulation since 1962.
History
''Al Eqtisadiah'' was first launched as an economic ...
''
*'' Al Jazirah''
*'' Al Madina''
*''Al Nadwa
''Al Nadwa'' (Arabic: الندوة; ''The Forum'') was a Mecca-based daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. The daily was in circulation until 2013 when it was renamed ''Makkah''.
History and profile
''Al Nadwa'' was founded in 1958 in Mecca ...
''
*''Al Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
''
*'' Al Watan''
*''Al Yaum
''Al Yaum'' (Arabic: اليوم; ''The Day'' or ''Today'') is a Dammam-based, supposedly pro-government Arabic daily newspaper published in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The paper has been in circulation since 1965
History and ownership
''Al Yaum'' was ...
''
*''Okaz
''Okaz'' ( ar, عكاظ) is an Arabic Saudi Arabian daily newspaper located in Jeddah. The paper was launched in 1960 and its sister publication is ''Saudi Gazette''. The paper is simultaneously printed in both Riyadh and Jeddah and has offices a ...
''
English daily newspapers
*''Al-Hayat
Al-Hayat ( ar, الحياة meaning "Life") was a London-based, pan-Arab newspaper owned by Saudi Prince Khalid bin Sultan, that had a circulation estimated over 200,000. It was the newspaper of record for the Arab diaspora and the preferred v ...
''
*''Arab News
''Arab News'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Saudi Arabia. It is published from Riyadh. The target audiences of the paper, which is published in broadsheet format, are businessmen, executives and diplomats.
At least as of ...
''
*''Asharq Al-Awsat
''Asharq Al-Awsat'' ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, Aš-Šarq al-ʾAwsaṭ, meaning "The Middle East") is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted f ...
''
*''Saudi Gazette
Saudi Gazette is an English-language daily newspaper launched in 1976 and published in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is only available online, as the print version was discontinued in 2019. It is the second English-language daily newspaper in Saudi Ar ...
''
Malayalam daily newspapers
*''Madhyamam
''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.[Jeddah
Jeddah ( ), also spelled Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; ar, , Jidda, ), is a city in the Hejaz region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the country's commercial center. Established in the 6th century BC as a fishing village, Jeddah's pro ...](_blank)
edition - January 16, 2006
**Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the R ...
edition - December 10, 2007
**Dammam
Dammam ( ar, الدمّام ') is the fifth-most populous city in Saudi Arabia after Riyadh, Jeddah, Mecca, and Medina. It is the capital of the Eastern Province. With a total population of 1,252,523 as of 2020. The judicial and administrative ...
edition - May 24, 2008
**Abha
Abha ( ar, أَبْهَا, ') is the capital of 'Asir Region in Saudi Arabia, with a population of 1,093,705 as of 2021. It is situated above sea level in the fertile Asir Mountains of south-western Saudi Arabia, near Asir National Park. Abha' ...
edition - January 1, 2011
*''Gulf Thejas
''Thejas'' is a Malayalam language Indian online news website and formerly a newspaper that was established in 2006. It was initially a morning newspaper published from Calicut. Owned by Intermedia Publishing, a private limited company in the ...
''
**Riyadh edition - March 2011
**Dammam edition - March 2011
**Jeddah edition - March 2011
Freedom of speech
Saudi Arabia does not tolerate dissidents and impose penalties on such people. It is responsible for executing Saudi-American journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018. As he entered a Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey, a group of Saudi assassins murdered him.
See also
* List of companies of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab state in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. The country's command economy is petroleum-based but slowly diversifying; in 2017 58% of budget revenues and 85% of export earnings came from th ...
* Lists of television channels
This article is a list containing lists of television channels.
Lists of television channels by continent
* Africa
* Asia
* Europe
* North America
* Oceania
* Latin America
Lists of television channels by country
* Afghanistan
* Austra ...
* Television in Saudi Arabia
Television in Saudi Arabia was introduced in 1965, but is now dominated by just five major companies: Middle East Broadcasting Center, SM Enterprise TV, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Rotana and Saudi TV. Together, they control 80% of the p ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Media Of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...