Saudi Arabia launches largest bundle of digital entertainment programs in MENA

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) Abdullah Al-Swaha announced the launch of the largest bundle of specialized programs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to stimulate the digital entertainment industry in the Kingdom, Saudi Press Agency reported.

Speaking at the Entertainment Industry Forum 2019, Al-Sawaha added that these initiatives include launching electronic games startups and supporting them through a specialized accelerator and leading training programs.

These programs fall within the joint efforts of the ministry, General Entertainment Authority (GEA) and Saudi Arabian Federation for Electronic and Intellectual Sports (SAFEIS), he stated, adding that they aim to seize the opportunities prevailing in the entertainment industry, which constitute to be an emerging market in the Kingdom.

He further explained that the entertainment industry has witnessed over the last few years a significant growth on the global level accounting for more than SAR 8 trillion, attributing the reason to the digital transformation that represents 55 percent of the sector’s revenue.

Al-Sawaha also said that the Kingdom’s e-gaming market is the largest in the MENA region and one of the top 20 global markets, with 4.6 million active users and SAR 2.8 billion revenue in 2018.

He pointed out that Saudi Arabia is a hub for an integrated and enabling digital industry through an efficient digital infrastructure, innovation centers to keep pace with emerging technologies, training academies to empower Saudis, as well as several programs to support and finance entrepreneurships.