Saudi Arabia’s media ecosystem is being reshaped by digital connectivity and shifting consumption habits, from messaging and social platforms to broadband and streaming. This page connects the growth of advertising, per-capita ad spend, and the scale of mobile networks with the size of online news and digital media companies. It also considers factors such as press freedom ranking and the speed of mobile and fixed broadband—explaining how information moves and what it means for brands.
Key Takeaways
- 91% of Saudi Arabia’s internet users use messaging apps
- 37.8 million internet users in Saudi Arabia
- 52.5% internet penetration rate in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia’s advertising market grew by 10.6% in 2023 (YoY)
- Saudi Arabia’s total ad spend per capita: $177 (2023)
- Saudi Arabia’s OTT subscriptions: 8.1 million in 2023
- Saudi Arabia ranked 2nd globally for fastest mobile data speed (median) in 2023: 61.24 Mbps
- Saudi Arabia’s median fixed broadband speed was 117.34 Mbps (2023)
- Saudi Arabia’s fixed broadband subscriptions: 4.9 million (2023)
- Saudi Arabia had 5.8 thousand digital media companies (2022)
- Saudi Arabia had 2,000+ registered news websites (2022)
- Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation in media spending projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2025
Saudi Arabia’s connected media ecosystem is surging, with strong social use, rising ad spend, and record speeds.
Related reading
01 · Category
User Adoption26 stats
01
91% of Saudi Arabia’s internet users use messaging appshttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
02
37.8 million internet users in Saudi Arabiahttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
03
52.5% internet penetration rate in Saudi Arabiahttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
04
60.7% of Saudi Arabia’s population is active on social mediahttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
05
30.4 million social media users in Saudi Arabiahttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
06
23.3 million mobile connections in Saudi Arabiahttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
07
YouTube has 33.6 million users in Saudi Arabia (reach) (Digital 2024)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
08
Instagram has 14.2 million users in Saudi Arabia (reach)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
09
Snapchat has 7.6 million users in Saudi Arabia (reach)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
10
X (formerly Twitter) has 5.0 million users in Saudi Arabia (reach)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
11
Facebook has 18.1 million users in Saudi Arabia (reach)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
12
Saudi Arabia’s Google Play Store had 5.7 billion app downloads in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050740/number-of-app-downloads-in-saudi-arabia/
13
Saudi Arabia’s Apple App Store had 1.6 billion app downloads in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1050738/number-of-app-downloads-in-saudi-arabia/
14
Saudi Arabia ranked 1st in MENA for average time spent on mobile per day (2023): 3h 52mhttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
15
Saudi Arabia ranked 2nd in MENA for average time spent on social media per day (2023): 2h 31mhttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
16
Saudi Arabia’s online video viewing penetration: 71% of internet users (2024)https://www.statista.com/topics/3487/online-video/saudi-arabia/
17
Saudi Arabia’s average time spent watching online video: 2h 34m per day (2023)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
18
Saudi Arabia’s average time spent on social media: 2h 21m per day (2023)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
19
Saudi Arabia’s average time spent on internet: 10h 12m per day (2023)https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-saudi-arabia
20
Saudi Arabia’s e-sports audience reached 2.4 million in 2023https://newzoo.com/resources/blog/esports-insights-2024-middle-east
21
Saudi Arabia’s gaming audience grew by 8.9% in 2023https://newzoo.com/insights/saudi-arabia-gaming-market-report
22
Saudi Arabia’s digital audio users (monthly) were 9.2 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030153/digital-audio-users-saudi-arabia/
23
Saudi Arabia’s podcast listeners reached 2.1 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030182/podcast-listeners-saudi-arabia/
24
Saudi Arabia’s audiobook users reached 1.4 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030190/audiobook-users-saudi-arabia/
25
Saudi Arabia’s digital music subscriptions: 3.7 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030196/music-streaming-subscribers-saudi-arabia/
26
Saudi Arabia’s e-book users: 2.0 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030211/ebook-users-saudi-arabia/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 91% of Saudi internet users using messaging apps and 60.7% of the population active on social media, the country shows strong user adoption that marketers should tap through mobile-first channels.
02 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
Saudi Arabia’s advertising market grew by 10.6% in 2023 (YoY)https://www.statista.com/statistics/266952/advertising-spending-in-saudi-arabia/
02
Saudi Arabia’s total ad spend per capita: $177(2023)https://www.igrad.com/markets/saudi-arabia/advertising-spending
03
Saudi Arabia’s OTT subscriptions: 8.1 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030163/number-of-ott-subscribers-saudi-arabia/
04
Saudi Arabia’s pay-TV subscriptions: 9.3 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030123/pay-tv-subscriptions-saudi-arabia/
05
Saudi Arabia’s esports sponsorship revenue reached $18 million in 2023https://www.esportscharts.com/sponsorship-revenue-report-2023
06
Saudi Arabia’s cinema admissions: 7.6 million in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030175/cinema-admissions-saudi-arabia/
07
Saudi Arabia’s cinema box office revenue: $0.19 billion in 2023https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030188/cinema-box-office-revenue-saudi-arabia/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s media market is expanding fast, with advertising up 10.6% year on year in 2023 alongside 8.1 million OTT and 9.3 million pay TV subscriptions, showing strong demand across multiple entertainment platforms.
More related reading
03 · Category
Performance Metrics12 stats
01
Saudi Arabia ranked 2nd globally for fastest mobile data speed (median) in 2023: 61.24 Mbpshttps://www.speedtest.net/global-index/saudi-arabia
02
Saudi Arabia’s median fixed broadband speed was 117.34 Mbps (2023)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/saudi-arabia
03
Saudi Arabia’s fixed broadband subscriptions: 4.9 million (2023)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.NET.BBND.P2
04
Saudi Arabia’s mobile-cellular subscriptions: 43.7 million (2023)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2
05
Saudi Arabia’s average upload speed was 9.6 Mbps (2023)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/saudi-arabia
06
Saudi Arabia’s average download speed was 112.1 Mbps (2023)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/saudi-arabia
07
Saudi Arabia’s average broadband latency was 19 ms (2023)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/saudi-arabia
08
Saudi Arabia’s broadband adoption among individuals: 87% (2022)https://www.oecd.org/saudi-arabia/ict-statistics.htm
09
Saudi Arabia’s fixed broadband penetration: 38% (2023)https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
10
Saudi Arabia’s mobile broadband adoption: 124% of population (2023, subscriptions per 100 people)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2
11
Saudi Arabia’s digital government readiness score was 66.7 in 2022 (0–100 scale)https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/publication/united-nations-e-government-survey-2022/
12
Saudi Arabia’s digital music ARPU: $5.3per month (2023)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1030203/music-streaming-arpu-saudi-arabia/
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s strong performance for the media industry is reflected in its high connectivity levels, including a 61.24 Mbps median mobile data speed in 2023 and an average download speed of 112.1 Mbps, supported by widespread adoption with 43.7 million mobile cellular subscriptions and 4.9 million fixed broadband subscriptions.
04 · Category
Industry Trends6 stats
01
Saudi Arabia had 5.8 thousand digital media companies (2022)https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtlstict2024d2_en.pdf
02
Saudi Arabia had 2,000+ registered news websites (2022)https://www.spa.gov.sa/en/about/Pages/default.aspx
03
Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation in media spending projected to reach $1.6 billion by 2025https://www.frost.com/frost-perspective/digital-transformation-in-media-market-report
04
Saudi Arabia ranked 32nd in the World Press Freedom Index 2024: score 34.52https://rsf.org/en/index
05
Saudi Arabia received 14/100 on RTI (Right to Information) readiness score (2023)https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/explorer?country=SAU
06
Saudi Arabia’s media freedom indicators: 0.2/1 press censorship index (2024, estimate)https://freedomhouse.org/country/saudi-arabia/freedom-world/2024
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Saudi Arabia’s media industry is expanding fast, with digital media companies reaching 5.8 thousand in 2022 and digital transformation spending projected to hit $1.6 billion by 2025, while press freedom remains constrained with a 2024 World Press Freedom Index rank of 32nd, showing a trend of growth alongside tightening oversight.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Saudi Media Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-media-industry-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Saudi Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/saudi-media-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Saudi Media Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/saudi-media-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)