Established in 2009 as a government entity whose task was to run media broadcasts from Sharjah, Sharjah Media Corporation was transformed into Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA) in 2019. The company runs several television and radio channels, the most prominent being Sharjah TV, which was founded in 1989. SBA’s channels are targeting both Emiratis and expats.
Media assets
Television: Sharjah TV, Sharjah Sports, Al Wusta, Al Sharqiya, Sharjah 2; Radio: Sharjah Radio, Quran Radio, Pulse 95
State Media Matrix Typology: Captured Public/State-Managed (CaPu)
Ownership and governance
Sharjah Media Corporation (SMC), now SBA, is a government agency that was established in the Emirate of Sharjah through the Emiri Decree No. 25 of 2009 (renamed SBA through the Decree No. 1 of 2019). The Supreme Council of Sharjah appoints the main governing bodies at SBA. In 2021, Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, ruler of Sharjah, issued another legal act, Decree Law No. (2) on the regulation of Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA) that further restricts the independence of the company. One of the newly introduced provisions requires SBA to seek approval of the Sharjah Media Council, the politicized media regulator in Sharjah, when it carries out its main duties.
Source of funding and budget
There is no publicly available financial data about SBA. The company funds its operations mostly through sales of ads. The government offers subsidies to SBA, but they account for less than 50% of the company’s annual budget, according to journalists and experts who cover the UAE.
Editorial independence
There are no editorial rules officially imposed by the government on SBA’s outlets to control their editorial agenda, which, however, is indirectly controlled by the government through the company’s top management, according to journalists and experts who cover the UAE.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism that would validate the editorial independence of SBA’s media outlets have been identified.
August 2023