Television in Saudi Arabia was introduced in 1965.
There are several hundred pan-Arab channels on air at one given moment. The Saudi television market is, however, dominated by just five major companies: Dubai TV, Middle East Broadcasting Center, Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation, Rotana and Saudi TV. Together, they control 80% of the pan-Arab broadcasting market. Though private television stations cannot operate from Saudi soil, the country is a major market for pan-Arab satellite and pay-TV. Saudi investors are behind the major networks MBC, which is based in Dubai, and Bahrain-based Orbit Showtime. Although satellite dishes have been officially banned since 1990, Saudi Arabia has the second highest satellite TV penetration in the Arab Region, at 97%, and there are 85 free-to-air satellite channels headquartered in Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi government estimated that in 2000 the average Saudi spent 50% to 100% more time watching television than his or her U.S. or European counterpart. On average, 2.7 hours are spent daily watching TV in Saudi Arabia.
The pay-TV market in Saudi Arabia is small, with a penetration estimated at 21%. Al Jazeera Sports is one of the largest pay-TV players in terms of subscriptions, with a market share of 59%. Due to the current absence of cinema in the country, pay TV penetration is expected to increase.
Read more about Television In Saudi Arabia: History, State-run Channels, Programming, Most-viewed Channels, List of Channels, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word television:
“It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.”
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