Baku, August 12, AZERTAC

The Saudi capital, Riyadh, will host the works of the 22nd session of the "Arab Radio and Television Festival" for the first time from 7 to 10 November.

The festival, organized by the Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA), is expected to witness the participation and attendance of more than 1,000 media professionals from around the world.

It will also witness the participation of many international media organizations, including the World Broadcasting Union (WBU), the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU), the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB), the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), China Central Television (CCTV), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Mediterranean Centre of Audiovisual Communication (CMCA), in addition to the participation of major media organizations from the United Kingdom, Italy and Spain, as well as the participation of the Permanent Conference of the Mediterranean Audiovisual Operators (COPEAM).

The Kingdom's hosting of the festival, considered one of the most prominent media forums, enhances its regional and international standing and confirms the depth of its strategic position in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

It will also consolidate its status as a global logistics centre, highlight the cultural transformations that its vibrant society is witnessing, and emphasize its tolerance and openness to multiple different cultures.

The President of the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU) and CEO of the SBA, Muhammad bin Fahd Al-Harthi, explained that the Kingdom's hosting of the 22nd Arab Radio and Television Festival comes out of its keenness to support its talented youths by benefiting from the distinguished experiences of media pioneers who will participate in the festival.

He indicated that the festival would support the careers of the Kingdom's youths and enable them to achieve excellence in their various media fields.

"The festival will have a prominent role in upgrading the capabilities of the national media to keep pace with the aspirations and ambitions of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and enhance the Kingdom's presence and competitiveness in the regional and global arenas, as well as developing joint Arab action institutions according to the highest international standards," Al-Harthi added.

Al-Harthi revealed that the Kingdom, represented by the SBA, is working to provide a hosting worthy of its stature, the magnitude of the event, and its forty-year history, which comes this year in Riyadh, which is considered a magnet for filmmakers and media content, and a critical launch for digital transformation in the Arab media.

As for the festival agenda, it is expected that the festival's opening ceremony will be followed by an engineering symposium and a number of specialized workshops in the fields of production, news, and engineering. The festival will be accompanied by an "Exhibition for the Production and Media Content Industry". The exhibition is the largest of its kind, as more than 500 companies will participate in it to display their products. It aims to activate television and radio production and provide an opportunity to exchange opinions and advice on the latest developments and innovations in modern communication technology.

The festival also includes a "contest for radio and television programs and news" that includes two competitions. The main one is dedicated to television programs and news produced by the Union's member bodies, while the parallel competition which will be devoted to programs and news produced by private Arab networks and foreign Arabic-speaking television networks, as well as satellite channels and production companies that are not members of the Union.

During this session, the festival will discuss the most prominent issues and challenges facing the Arab media today in light of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which paved the way for a digital world that is more interconnected than ever before. It will also review within its agenda the technological boom witnessed by the Saudi media sector, which contributed to its advancement and prosperity.

The Kingdom's hosting of this major media event will demonstrate the economic and development renaissance it is witnessing, highlighting the tourist attractions, deepening relations, and enhancing cooperation with active regional organizations in the field of the media industry.