The Saudi Broadcasting Authority (SBA), which used to be known as Saudi Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) and the Broadcasting Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (BSKSA), is a government-run organization that operates almost all broadcasters available in the Saudi Arabian Kingdom.
Media assets
Television: Al Saudiya, Al Ekhbariya, AlRiyadiya, SBC, Sunnah TV, Quran TV, Thikrayat TV
Radio: Ryiadh Radio, Jeddah Radio, Holy Quran Radio, Saudi Radio, Radio Call of Islam, Al-Ekhbariya Radio
State Media Matrix Typology: State-Controlled (SC)
Ownership and governance
SBA is a Saudi government organization that is subordinated to the Ministry of Media. Members of the SBA’s board of directors, the highest governing body in SBA, are appointed by the ministry. The head of the board is the minister.
Source of funding and budget
There is no publicly available data about the revenues and budget of SBA. According to journalists and experts covering Saudi Arabia, SBA is fully funded by the government.
Editorial independence
Like most media in Saudi Arabia, SBA’s media outlets follow a series of restrictions and censorship rules imposed by the government. As SBA is run as a state agency, its editorial line is totally under the government’s control.
No domestic statute and no independent assessment or oversight mechanism to validate the editorial independence of SBA’s outlets have been identified.
August 2023