RIYADH, Feb 19 (KUNA) -- The fourth edition of the Saudi Media Forum 2025 kicked off on Wednesday in the Capital Riyadh under the slogan (Media in a Shaping World).
Assistant Undersecretary for the Media Planning and Knowledge Development Sector and Acting Assistant Undersecretary for the External Media Sector Adel Al-Meshaan is participating in the forum on behalf of the Minister of Information and Culture and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi.
In his opening speech, Saudi Minister of Information Salman Al-Dosari said that the media sector will provide approximately 150,000 jobs by 2030 to be an incubator for talent and an accelerator of innovation, noting that the Kingdom's message is "We build people, inspire the world, and create the future." "The remarkable growth of media rests on six transformational pillars: demand rates, infrastructure, finance, talent support, technology adoption, and organizational transformation, which are not traditional transformations, but rather enablers and tools for making an impact locally, regionally, and internationally," said Al-Dosari.
"Our motto is not to look at the future, but rather to create it, and we have begun to achieve our aspirations for the Year of Impact 2025 by setting clear priorities that include developing a non-profit media strategy, social responsibility, volunteering, and announcing the organization of an international conference for the future of news to consolidate the Saudi Press Agency's (SPA) position globally, completing the digitization of SPA's historical archive, working on a governance document for digital advertising sectors, and establishing a laboratory for artificial intelligence and emerging media technologies," he noted.
Al-Dosari pointed out that the Kingdom has become open internationally for big ideas, integrating smart media with artificial intelligence, big data, mixed reality and virtual reality technologies, and from predictive journalism formulated with analytical features to interactive media. The forum includes, as part of its agenda, the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX), which attracts more than 250 local, international and regional companies to showcase the latest technologies and solutions in media, production and digital broadcasting industry.
The Saudi Media Forum is an opportunity to learn about local and international expertise and experiences in the media industry, monitor the unlimited potential opportunities created by the new media, and learn about the means of soft power and how to invest in them in the modern era. It will discuss topics related to the media industry in its various forms: visual, audio, print, digital, and others.
The forum lasts for three days and is attended by 200 speakers from the most prominent media professionals, academics and decision-makers in the field of media locally and internationally. (end) kns.bb