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RIYADH — The 5th Saudi Media Forum opened in Riyadh on Monday, Feb. 2. It ran through Wednesday, Feb. 4, bringing together regional and international media leaders under the theme “Media in an Evolving World.” The three-day event positioned Saudi Arabia as a rapidly emerging global hub for media, technology and content creation, with a strong emphasis on innovation, investment and digital transformation across broadcasting, publishing, video and audio, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030 to build a modern and influential media sector.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media, Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari, officially opened the forum and underlined the Kingdom’s ambition to build a modern, globally connected media ecosystem. Across the program, speakers repeatedly returned to one central idea: In an era of AI, platforms and unlimited content, trust had become media’s most valuable currency, particularly for news, radio and public-facing broadcasters.
A major reset
All photos: Marguerite Clark
Earl J. Wilkinson, CEO of the International News Media Association, reinforced this theme in the forum’s first session, “Media Business Models in the Age of AI: From Sustainability to Smart Transformation.” Wilkinson framed the global media industry, including radio, television, newspapers and digital audio, as at the center of a single, AI-driven reset.
He argued that every media organization was becoming a hybrid publisher, where audiences now listened, watched and read across the same brand, making audio and on-demand listening as strategically important as video and text. AI, he said, was no longer just a newsroom tool but the core operating system of modern media, reshaping how content was produced, discovered, personalized and monetized. For radio and audio brands, this meant shifting away from raw reach and frequency toward direct relationships, loyalty, time spent and lifetime value, with trusted brands emerging as the anchors in a fragmented, algorithm-driven media environment.
A broader perspective on these shifts came from the session “Media as a Pivotal Force in Social and Economic Development,” moderated by Darryl von Däniken, media advisor to the Saudi Media Forum. The discussion examined how media organizations are balancing speed, AI and credibility. The session noted that as platforms and automation accelerate publishing, trust, verification and editorial judgment are becoming more important than ever, drawing parallels with earlier disruptions such as radio’s impact on newspapers and social media’s challenge to broadcasters.
It also highlighted how AI can strengthen journalism and audio production when used to automate routine tasks such as transcription and content analysis, freeing journalists and producers to focus on context, storytelling and public accountability, thereby reinforcing the role of trusted media in a fast-moving digital world.
Smart integration
For radio and audio professionals, one of the most closely watched sessions was the standing-room-only panel “Waves in Conflict: Will Podcasting Overwhelm Radio?” The discussion tackled head-on whether podcasting and digital audio represented an existential threat to traditional broadcasting or its next evolution. The session featured Alaa Kayal, radio management director of AlUla FM; Ziad Hamza, group director of audio and music department at MBC Group; and Faisal Al-Ayafi, assistant to the executive V.P. for radio affairs at the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, all of whom agreed that radio’s future lay in integration rather than resistance. Stations that embedded podcasts, streaming, mobile apps and on-demand audio into their brands were seen as far better positioned to grow younger audiences, deepen engagement and compete in an increasingly crowded audio marketplace.
In her masterclass “DAB: The Future of Digital Radio Broadcasting and the Evolution of Audio,” Jacqueline Bierhorst, president of WorldDAB, outlined how digital broadcast radio is essential to keeping radio free, universal and resilient in a platform-dominated world. She highlighted Saudi Arabia’s rollout of DAB+, with coverage expanding across major cities and highways and noted that other Middle East and North African markets, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Tunisia, were also moving forward with DAB+, positioning the region as an emerging digital radio cluster alongside Europe and Australia.
Drawing on international case studies, Bierhorst showed how DAB+ has enabled broadcasters to expand coverage, launch new stations and grow both audiences and revenues, often at far lower distribution costs than FM. She pointed to markets such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Norway and Australia, where digital-first strategies had delivered commercial growth, brand extensions and innovation, while also strengthening radio’s role in emergency broadcasting, energy efficiency and public trust, thus reinforcing DAB+ as both an economic and a public-service platform for radio’s future.
A meeting point
The Future of Media Exhibition, which ran alongside the conference, brought together broadcasters, technology providers, production companies and content creators from Saudi Arabia and around the world, reinforcing the forum’s role as a meeting point between regional ambition and international media expertise. According to organizers, more than 65,000 visitors attended the forum. FOMEX hosted more than 200 exhibitors, including Lawo, Nautel, RFE, Riedel and Rohde & Schwarz, as well as industry organizations and broadcasters such as the Arab States Broadcasting Union, the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union, the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development, MBC Group and Rotana Media Group.
The gathering also extended beyond the conference halls. On Monday evening, Feb, 2, the Saudi Media Forum hosted delegates at Layali Al-Diriyah, an open-air venue combining Saudi heritage with dining and entertainment. It’s part of the Diriyah Season 2025–2026, a cultural initiative celebrating Diriyah, the historic birthplace of Saudi Arabia.
The event concluded on Wednesday evening, Feb. 4, with the Saudi Media Award 2026 ceremony, held under royal patronage and in the presence of the Minister of Media, celebrating excellence across journalism, broadcasting and content creation.
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