The Ministry of Media in Saudi Arabia and Google have announced a strategic collaboration to support the digital transformation of the media sector in the Kingdom.
The announcement, which was made during the 3rd Saudi Media Forum, coincided with the declaration of Minister of Media Salman Al-Dosary that 2024 is the year of media transformation in Saudi.
The partnership is focused on introducing specialised programs to improve the skills of local media experts, journalists, and content creators. It aims to aid the digital transition within the media industry, help in the development of digital expertise, and boost media economies to achieve the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.
According to both parties, the collaborations aspires to share the best global practices related to media sector, in accordance with the use of artificial intelligence tools, especially in newsrooms. The capabilities of local media organisations will be enhanced through Google training for journalists from various Saudi media outlets.
This initiative aims to foster a sense of personal accountability among Saudi individuals of every age group when consuming media content and to educate children on ensuring their own safety online.
This will be achieved through the extension of Google’s digital literacy program, ‘Internet Heroes.’
The program is designed to equip children aged 7 to 12 with various strategies for staying safe online, with the support of their parents and teachers. The goal is to reach 50,000 students under the age of 13, enhancing the online safety experience for young users across the Kingdom.
YouTube will also offer training courses focused on video creation strategies for content and news creators, as part of its effort to back Saudi content producers.
In partnership with Upskill Digital, Google has provided training for prominent media professionals aimed at enhancing advertising revenue, analysing different audience segments, and boosting website visibility on ‘Google Search’.
