Media Ministry, Google Announce Strategic Collaboration to Support Digital Transformation

The Ministry of Media and Google LLC announced a strategic collaboration to support the digital transformation of the media sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The announcement was made in Riyadh during the third annual Saudi Media Forum, coinciding with the declaration by Minister of Media Salman bin Yousef Al-Dosari that 2024 is the year of media transformation in the Kingdom.

The collaboration aims to launch specialized programs to enhance the capabilities of local media professionals, journalists, and content creators. It also seeks to organize programs on digital safety for children and educators.

The collaboration leverages Google’s expertise in digital media and emerging technologies to support the digital transformation of the media sector and contribute to building digital knowledge and developing the media industry in the Kingdom, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.

The cooperation between the ministry and Google is a contribution to achieving innovative and sustainable development goals for the media system and value chain, particularly news media.

It will help build the capacities of local media organizations through Google’s training of executive leaders, managers, journalists, and newsroom personnel in digital skills and news institutions.

The collaboration also aims to enhance legislative and regulatory knowledge by sharing best global practices in the media sector and collaborating on regulations and policies. It seeks to develop the value chain in the media sector using artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, particularly in newsrooms and news institutions.

Furthermore, the collaboration includes training and development programs for executive managers and competent individuals, support for talented young Saudi journalists and media professionals, and the enhancement of their innovative and digital skills to boost productivity and efficiency.

Through this collaboration, Google’s YouTube will provide training and guidance on video content-creation strategies for creators and news producer.

The collaboration contributes to raising awareness and personal responsibility among media content users of all ages in the Kingdom. It also aims to educate children about developing and maintaining their online safety through the expansion of Google’s “Be Internet Awesome” digital literacy program, which will reach 50,000 students under the age of 13 across the Kingdom.

Google trained approximately 300 Saudi journalists last year in using Google products and tools beneficial to journalists, such as Google Trends, data visualization tools, and fact-checking tools.

Additionally, Google trained leading media professionals on increasing advertising revenues, analyzing audience segments, and improving website rankings on Google Search in collaboration with Upskill Digital.

Similarly, YouTube continues to work with thousands of Saudi content creators to help them grow their channels and improve their content.