The fourth edition of the Saudi Media Forum has kicked off in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
On Wednesday, the Saudi Media Minister, Salman Al-Dossary, inaugurated the Saudi Media Forum 2025, in the attendance of the Saudi Minister of Energy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, and the former UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson.
Under the theme “Media in an Evolving World,” the forum runs from February 19-21, 2025, bringing together top decision-makers, experts and talents in the media industry from around the world to discuss how media can leverage digital transformation to achieve sustainable growth.
In his opening remarks, Al-Dossary highlighted the media role in showcasing Saudi Arabia’s success across various fields, under Vision 2030, and shaping the future of humanity.
Since 2024, the Kingdom has received 24 world leaders who contributed to shaping the future. It has also hosted more than 15,625 events and conferences with over 42 million attendees, an average of about 2 events per hour throughout the year, Al-Dossary said.
The Saudi Media Minister pointed to the Kingdom’s influential role as a hub for hosting major events such as EXPO 2030 which will redefine innovation and FIFA World Cup 2034 which will transform sport experience into an interesting story supported by AR and smart broadcasting technologies.
Moreover, Al-Dossary said that the media sector will create around 150,000 jobs by 2030, fostering talent and accelerating innovation. He also noted that Saudi Arabia has begun to achieve the aspirations of the Year of Impact 2025 by setting clear priorities.
These include developing a strategy for non-profit media, social responsibility, and volunteering; organizing an international conference for the future of news to solidify SPA’s global status; completing the digitalization of SPA’s historic archive; and establishing a laboratory for AI and emerging technologies in media.
