LONDON: Reforms are set to transform the small screen as well as the big screen in Saudi Arabia as film fans anticipate the re-launch of cinemas across the Kingdom next year.
The benefits will be felt across the Saudi entertainment industry, which recently received a SR10 billion ($2.66 billion) boost from the government-owned Public Investment Fund to develop the sector in line with Vision 2030 ambitions.
Danny Bates, co-founder of streaming site Starz Play, said the reintroduction of cinemas to Saudi life is “a big positive for the video streaming sector” and “another step toward bringing quality entertainment to Saudi Arabia.”
Demand for movie content is growing rapidly in Saudi Arabia, with the Starz Play subscriber base doubling every six months since it launched two and a half years ago in the Kingdom.
“Our highest content consumption rates per month are coming from Saudi customers,” Bates said, identifying action and comedy as the most popular genres among subscribers there.
Vikings is the most popular series on the Saudi site, which receives around 40 million hits per month, with comedy classics including Friends and How I Met Your Mother also among the most-viewed.
Rather than creating competition, the introduction of cinemas is likely to catalyze further growth, raising the profile of film across the country, Bates explained.
“If Fast and the Furious 8 is playing in the cinemas, viewers can then turn to us to watch Fast and the Furious 1 through 7.”
In addition, the cinema is an ideal platform for the company’s advertising campaigns. “We’ve done this successfully in the UAE and Kuwait and would hope to do something similar in Saudi Arabia.”
According to Ravi Rao, CEO of Mindshare MENA, lifting the cinema ban will generate a new market for advertisers in Saudi Arabia, with “international and local brands vying to be there.”
The development will have a significant impact on advertising in the Kingdom, creating additional touch points and opening new channels of communication.
“Brand integration in movies will take a bigger turn when Saudi audiences can be targeted,” Rao said.
Advertising spending in MENA has seen a continuous decline in recent years but while the downturn is forecast to continue elsewhere, Saudi Arabia can anticipate growth in the industry, fueled by ambitious reforms that are creating new opportunities for investors.
“Ad spend in Saudi Arabia (including the PanArab TV spends) is now at under $2 billion from a high of $2.5 billion two years ago. But with all the cultural and economic glasnost that is sweeping the country, one can start expecting double-digit growth by 2020,” said Rao.
Ema Linaker, an executive director of digital at Golin, said the seismic shifts taking place as Saudi Arabia pursues its Vision 2030 targets will draw in advertisers formerly focused elsewhere in the region.
“Just this week, Saudi Arabia unveiled the 2018 budget, the largest in the Kingdom’s history with SR978 billion ($261 billion) public spending. With other markets like the UAE set to contract, a lot of the key advertising groups will be pivoting toward the Kingdom to secure a piece of that investment in 2018.”
More than 50 percent of the Saudi population is under 25 and between 65 and 70 percent are under 30 — demographics that appeal to advertisers anticipating an “abundant fanbase” for film in the Kingdom, Linaker added.
Pointing to a Comic-Con event in Jeddah last February attended by more than 10,000 people, she said: “Cinema looks set to become a national pastime for Saudis, thereby driving up audience figures and increasing the amount of people exposed to cinema advertising.”
Access to Saudi audiences will also have a bearing on how advertisers target consumers, injecting new vigor into the industry.
“From a cultural perspective, the opening up of cinema and entertainment sectors such as music and sports will fuel sponsorships and activation to increase ad spends in the near future,” said Roy M Haddad, director of WPP MENA.
“Brands and agencies will quickly re-invent and adapt to the new social and cultural movement in Saudi. Cinema will act as a trigger for many more changes in brand communication, experience and engagement,” he added.
Like the rest of the region, Saudi advertising is heavily weighted toward television, but with a major uplift across digital platforms, media companies are exploring new ways of engaging MENA audiences online.
“I believe like all Gulf countries we will see Saudi Arabia gradually shift toward digital advertising, driven by its mainly young and tech-savvy population,” said Linaker.
Citing Euromonitor, she said that Saudi Arabia’s advertising industry is anticipated to see flat growth over 2016-2021, as the introduction of VAT and additional taxes on certain commodities dampen private consumption.
Meanwhile, international media agencies will beef up their Saudi teams, creating a larger platform for local talent.
“Ogilvy, Leo Burnett and many other major ad agencies have a local footprint in Riyadh and Jeddah but these tend to be satellite offices and attracting quality ad talent has been a constant challenge,” said Linaker.
“However, we are starting to see young talent coming through the ranks born Saudi, educated in Saudi and passionate about developing a creative culture within the Kingdom.”
“With more investment, talent and opportunities arising, I can see Saudi becoming a hot bed of innovation and creativity quite quickly. It is a huge market and full of opportunity.”
Saudi cinemas will boost movie sector across KSA
Saudi cinemas will boost movie sector across KSA
Saudi GEA chief named most influential personality of last decade at MENA Effie Awards
- Turki Alalshikh’s contribution to Kingdom’s entertainment sector honored
RIYADH: The head of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority was named the most influential personality of the last decade at the MENA Effie Awards ceremony in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The event, which was held on Thursday as part of this year’s Riyadh Season calendar, honored Turki Alalshikh’s contribution to the Kingdom’s entertainment sector and its emergence as a global hub for world-class events, the SPA added.
Alalshikh thanked Saudi Arabia’s leadership for their support in his acceptance speech, attributing the achievement to the “collaborative efforts of the nation’s people.”
He added that the recognition was a nod to the Kingdom’s growing global stature in the entertainment sector.
The 15th year of the MENA Effie Awards, which were hosted in Saudi Arabia for the first time, celebrated innovation and excellence in the marketing and advertising sectors across the Middle East and North Africa.
This latest accolade followed Alalshikh’s recent distinction as one of the 50 most influential figures in the world of boxing and mixed martial arts, awarded by the British online newspaper The Independent earlier this year.
Under Alalshikh’s leadership, the GEA has transformed the Kingdom’s entertainment sector, with Riyadh Season becoming a flagship event attracting millions of visitors each year.
Gaming community in Saudi Arabia catches them all with Pokemon Go
- Maan Al-Qurashi, one of the community leaders at Pokemon Go Saudi, told Arab News that the game holds a special place in his heart because he has played different versions for more than 20 years
RIYADH: The official launch of Pokemon Go in Saudi Arabia has brought together a community of gamers who have embraced their inner child while competing and connecting in a world of nostalgic adventure.
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that creates an immersive experience of a world where human beings co-exist with colorful creatures with otherworldly superpowers, known as Pokemon.
The game, launched internationally in 2016, uses GPS to track movement and invites players to travel to real-world locations to catch Pokemon and battle with others.
A local gaming group, “Pokemon Go Saudi,” has created a lively community with members from Riyadh and the Eastern Province who have a shared love of the game.
Maan Al-Qurashi, one of the community leaders at Pokemon Go Saudi, told Arab News that the game holds a special place in his heart because he has played different versions for more than 20 years.
“Pokemon accompanied me in all stages of my life, from childhood to teenager, and still is a part of my daily life after marriage. Hopefully, I will pass down the same passion to my kids.”
HIGHLIGHT
Pokemon Go is an augmented reality game that creates an immersive experience of a world where human beings co-exist with colorful creatures with otherworldly superpowers, known as Pokemon.
Al-Qurashi said Pokemon Go Saudi began with 10 members in 2017, after the international launch of the game.
Today, the community comprises a diverse group of 500 members from all age groups who have made lasting friendships with their Pokemon partners. As a team, they go on adventures, train to improve their skills, and battle in friendly competitions.
Al-Qurashi said that it is more than a game. It is a community that fosters growth and friendship.
“Multiple in-person activities and relationships have been linked to Pokemon Go. For example, the daily routine is not only going to work and staying with family, it includes playing Pokemon Go even if it’s for a few minutes during the day or an hour or so.”
Last week, more than 5,000 Pokemon Go fans gathered at Boulevard City to celebrate the official launch of the Saudi application. Omar Tellez, vice president at Niantic, said that the event was the largest Pokemon Go event of its kind in the region to date.
“Seeing the joy of the thousands of attendees, of all ages, has been such a delight. The success of today’s event is a testament to the popularity of Pokemon Go here in the Kingdom. The community has really responded.”
Fans from more than 20 countries around the globe registered at the event.
“It’s been incredible to see them unite to catch some of their favorite Pokemon and enjoy their time together in person. That’s what our game is all about.
“We have loved seeing their passion and excitement firsthand – whether through cheering on their teams during the PvP battles, or celebrating that iconic button-press moment — or join forces to catch Mewtwo as the legendary Pokemon took over the Boulevard Screens. The atmosphere was truly something special,” Tellez said.
Saudi Arabia is experiencing incredible growth in gaming with more than 67 percent of the population — more than 23.5 million people — being passionate gamers, Tellez said.
“We are excited to welcome many of them into our global trainers community, and we know this event is just the start of our adventure together as we create new experiences and ways for them to connect here in KSA.”
Today, more than 100 million people play Pokemon Go every year in more than 150 countries and regions, making for more than a billion downloads. Trainers have walked more than 8 billion kilometers collectively while playing the game.
Future cool: Understanding the Saudi national air conditioning replacement scheme
- Initiative aims to enhance energy efficiency
RIYADH: The National Center for Waste Management, also known as MWAN, in collaboration with the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center, announced on Thursday the launch of the third phase of the Replace initiative to dispose of old window air conditioners nationwide.
This scheme aims to enhance energy efficiency by replacing 250,000 old window air conditioners that do not meet environmental standards and turning them into recyclable materials during a period that extends until the end of December next year.
The initiative builds on the successes of the first and second phases of the scheme — in which 88,000 window air conditioners were recycled, reducing waste and transforming it into reusable raw materials — and aims to achieve the goals of sustainable development and environmental preservation.
The implementation of the initiative in its third phase will be expanded to include all regions of the Kingdom, in cooperation with the private sector, ensuring the continuity of the initiative and maximizing its positive impact.
MWAN plays a key role in supporting efforts and regulating the sector by supervising the private sector in achieving recycling operations and utilizing the resulting raw materials.
This contributes to building a sustainable economy, enhancing sector regulation and increasing the efficiency of using natural resources.
MWAN works through these endeavors to reduce waste production and promote the adoption of the circular economy, in addition to managing waste in a sustainable way.
It focuses on transforming environmental challenges into economic opportunities that reflect its pioneering role.
This is in addition to building effective partnerships with the private sector to ensure the continuity of these efforts and achieve a positive impact on the environment, economy, and society.
Saudi Orchestra dazzles audiences in Tokyo
- Hosted with support of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi minister of culture
- Concert culminated in collaboration between Saudi Orchestra and Tokyo University of Music Orchestra Academy
TOKYO: The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir gave a finale performance on Friday at the Tokyo Opera City Theater of its “Masterpieces of the Saudi Orchestra” concert, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Tokyo show marked the fifth leg of the Saudi Orchestra’s global run, following critically acclaimed performances in Paris, Mexico City, New York City, and London.
Hosted with the support of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, Saudi minister of culture and chairman of the board of directors of the Saudi Music Authority, the event showcased a blend of the Kingdom’s rich musical heritage and Japan’s renowned musical traditions, SPA added.
The concert featured 100 musicians and performers, and attracted an audience of officials, business leaders, media professionals, and music enthusiasts.
Paul Pacifico, CEO of the Saudi Music Authority, praised the global impact of the Masterpieces of the Saudi Orchestra performances in his address at the event.
He said the concerts had introduced Saudi musical heritage to the world and represented a step toward sharing the Kingdom’s diverse traditions on an international stage.
The evening featured a performance by the Japanese Imperial Orchestra, presenting ancient Japanese court music with a history spanning over 1,300 years.
The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir also performed an anime medley infused with Saudi musical motifs, followed by a performance of the theme of AlUla, composed by celebrated artist Omar Khairat.
The concert culminated in a collaboration between the Saudi Orchestra and the Tokyo University of Music Orchestra Academy, alongside Japanese artist Hotai.
The Saudi Music Authority said it has plans to continue the tour in new destinations in the coming years.
Lavish and Johara Global collaborate to celebrate Saudi Culture
- Lavish founders Nada Altobaishi and Hala Alsharekh said in a statement: “Lavish Concept Store is more than just a destination for luxury and style; it is a platform where innovation, culture, and creativity thrive
LONDON: Lavish Concept Store and Johara Global on Thursday joined forces to host an event at the Lavish pop-up in The Music Room, Mayfair, London, celebrating the timeless beauty and rich traditions of Saudi culture.
Lavish Concept Store aims to foster creativity and innovation, while Johara Global is a platform to support female leaders and enable them to fulfil their potential.
In line with Saudi Vision 2030, the event offered an immersive cultural experience, spotlighting the heritage and artistry of Saudi Arabia through a blend of fashion, art and cuisine.
A fashion show featuring traditional Saudi costumes showed off the intricate craftsmanship and rich heritage of the region.
Lavish founders Nada Altobaishi and Hala Alsharekh said in a statement: “Lavish Concept Store is more than just a destination for luxury and style; it is a platform where innovation, culture, and creativity thrive.
“We are committed to curating exclusive, high-quality products while showcasing the work of emerging artists and artisans.
“Our vision is to redefine the retail experience by blending timeless elegance with cutting-edge trends, all while championing artistic expression and cultural diversity. At Lavish, we strive to inspire confidence and elevate everyday living through the fusion of luxury, culture, and innovation.”
Katie Partridge, founder and chairwoman of Johara Global, and Intisar Alyamani, CEO of Johara Global said in a statement: “Johara Global was set up with a mission to bridge the east-west gap and foster the leadership of women through our four main pillars. Collaborations like these create a lasting and powerful impact on the community. We are delighted to join forces to achieve this.”
