Riyadh: The Saudi Media Forum 2026 has established itself as a premier international dialogue platform that brings together media leaders and decision-makers to strengthen the sector's role in the national economy. Scheduled for February 2-4, 2026, the fifth edition of the forum will focus on global media issues and open new horizons to increase the sector's contribution to gross domestic product (GDP), according to the Saudi Media Forum.
According to Saudi Press Agency, this marks a strategic shift from a professional gathering to an economic driver, uniting regulators, investors, and policymakers to foster sustainable business models and accelerate high-value digital transformation.
With the media sector's contribution recorded at 0.57% in 2024, valued at SAR16 billion, compared to 0.52% in 2023, according to estimates by the General Authority for Media Regulation, the forum becomes a focal point for how to push this curve upward by maximizing the economic value of content and innovation within the digital economy ecosystem.
Indicators of economic impact appear in clear figures. Estimates by the General Authority for Media Regulation in its report "The State of the Saudi Media Sector and Investment Opportunities 2024," issued during the Saudi Media Forum 2025 edition, indicate that the media sector's contribution to GDP rose to 0.57% in 2024, valued at SAR16 billion, compared to 0.52% in 2023. The authority continues working to achieve the goal of raising this percentage to 0.8% by 2030. In terms of investment in human capital, jobs increased by 22% to 67,000 by the end of 2024, with a target of reaching 160,000 jobs by 2030 through a comprehensive, integrated approach to updating the strategy to be supportive, enabling, and implementable. These figures indicate that the forum operates within an existing upward trajectory and has the opportunity to amplify it through its dialogue, regulatory, and investment tools.
The forum contributes to strengthening the sector's role by transforming it into an organized, attractive investment sector and linking its growth to Saudi Vision 2030 targets to increase the contribution of the non-oil economy to GDP. The "platform" model represented by the forum opens the door to formulating visions that can be transformed into initiatives, enabling partnerships, and enhancing confidence in the sector's path - precisely what any investor needs before injecting capital: clarity of direction, stability of the environment, and signals of growth.
The forum brings together decision-makers, regulatory bodies, and local and international investors to discuss legislation and the regulatory environment that make media a more attractive sector for capital, thereby supporting increased contribution to GDP. Investment reads regulations as much as it reads returns; therefore, dialogue on regulation becomes part of the economy itself. When bridges of communication are built locally and globally through the forum, the sector's ability to attract partnerships, funding, and expertise increases, and the media takes an additional step toward becoming an organized sector.