Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – Saudi Ministry of Media and Google have joined forces in a strategic collaboration aimed at driving the digital transformation of Saudi Arabia’s media sector. The announcement, made during the 3rd Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, aligns with Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary’s declaration that 2024 is designated as the year of media transformation in the country.
The collaborative effort intends to introduce specialized programs to enhance the skills of local media professionals, journalists, and content creators. Focused on supporting digital transformation, the initiative aims to contribute to building digital knowledge and bolstering media economies, aligning with the goals outlined in Saudi Vision 2030.
The partnership seeks to share global best practices in the media sector, with a particular emphasis on leveraging artificial intelligence tools, especially within newsrooms. Google will play an important role in enhancing the capabilities of local media organizations by providing training for journalists across various Saudi media outlets in digital skills and news organizations.
The collaboration includes training programs for executive editors and other media professionals, support for emerging Saudi journalists, and efforts to enhance their innovative and digital skills for increased productivity and efficiency.
A key component of the collaboration focuses on fostering personal responsibility among users of media content of all ages in Saudi Arabia. The initiative will expand the “Internet Heroes” digital literacy program from Google, aimed at teaching children aged 7 to 12 safe online practices with the involvement of parents and teachers. The program is set to benefit 50,000 students under the age of 13, contributing to a safer online experience for children in the Kingdom.
YouTube, under the Google umbrella, will offer training courses on video creation strategy for content and news creators, further supporting Saudi content creators. Google will also provide training to leading media professionals on optimizing advertising revenues, analyzing audience segments, and improving website rankings on ‘Google Search’ through collaboration with Upskill Digital.
