According to a January 2025 Statista report, Saudi Arabia leads the MENA media industry, holding a dominant 30% market share.
This month Saudi Arabia appears to be the hub for everyone in Media & Entertainment, with Leap, followed by the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) from February 19-21, and the BroadcastPro Summit KSA on February 25. We will have a stand at FOMEX too and look forward to meeting many of you there. It’s that final burst of activity before everything calms down for Ramadan – or will it?
The Holy Month of Ramadan remains the litmus test for where different TV channels stand and how successful they have been in investing in specific productions. There’s no doubt, however, that Saudi Arabia remains the most lucrative country and dominates the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) media industry with a market share of 30%, according to a January 2025 report from Statista. Although free-to-air (FTA) continues to dominate the Kingdom’s broadcast space with monetisation via TV advertising, it is slowly losing its power to new and emerging OTT platforms.
For the last 35-odd years, television alone held the attention of Saudi residents, but now, with the opening of cinemas, significant investment in content creation and the dramatic rise of vlogs, podcasts, videos and streamers, the pie is being shared. With so much activity in one of the region’s most dynamic and lucrative media markets, gaining insights from key decision-makers, successful players and industry majors has become more important than ever. While FOMEX will bring together a multitude and help amplify the visibility of local players as well as international vendors, BroadcastPro ME prides itself on bringing together a smaller gathering of industry professionals to conduct a day of meaningful discussions. Both have their place, and each will offer a unique, in-depth perspective on Saudi Arabia’s media dynamics. See you there.
