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
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“They [parents] can help the children work out schedules for homework, play, and television that minimize the conflicts involved in what to do first. They can offer moral support and encouragement to persist, to try again, to struggle for understanding and mastery. And they can share a child’s pleasure in mastery and accomplishment. But they must not do the job for the children.”
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