Saudi Arabia: Adopted Executive Regulations for the Audiovisual Media Law including operational license requirement

On 10 December 2018, the executive regulations for the Audiovisual Media System were issued by the Minister of Information (Decision N. 16927). The aim of these executive regulations includes setting the basis for cultural, social, and religious considerations of media and advertisements to be rooted in Islam. Additionally, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) aims to support the media sector in the Kingdom, provide consumer access to media services, and impose consumer protections. The regulations delve into detail on the licensing requirements of different media service providers and the rights of licensees. The licensing requirements also include technical specifications. Finally, the regulations provide a list of obligations the licensed media service providers are to adhere to, such as providing any data requested by the GCAM, not streaming any content from previously unlicensed media service providers, and retaining any relevant information for at least 90 days. Finally, to support local content and talent, licensees are obligated to prefer Saudi nationals when hiring.