Esports and video games are establishing themselves as a cornerstone of the modern media landscape, and the Saudi Media Forum 2026 , scheduled for February 2-4, will highlight this vital sector through two main sessions. This move comes in response to the rapid digital transformations that are reshaping audience demographics and creating new economic pathways that transcend traditional media and entertainment concepts.
National context: The Kingdom is a global destination for games
The Saudi Media Forum's focus on this sector cannot be viewed in isolation from the significant transformation underway in Saudi Arabia as part of Vision 2030. With the launch of the National Strategy for Gaming and Esports, the Kingdom aims to become a global hub in this field by 2030. This strategic direction lends added momentum to the forum's sessions, as gaming is no longer merely a form of entertainment but has become an economic driver contributing to the GDP and providing thousands of job opportunities, making the discussion of the media's role in keeping pace with this growth a pressing necessity.
Esports: The Future of Sports Media
The first session, titled "Esports: A New Future in Sports Media," will discuss the profound intersection between sports and digital media. It will explore how the "sports event" is being redefined in light of the dominance of digital platforms, as covering these competitions requires innovative media language and a fast-paced approach that resonates with an audience consuming content through live streaming and real-time interaction.
The session will address a crucial point: viewing digital events as a "media medium" in their own right, rather than simply as events to be broadcast. This shift necessitates that media organizations adopt new tools to engage audiences and develop storytelling methods that resonate with the aspirations of a new generation of viewers. The session will also highlight the promising economic opportunities these sports create, prompting media organizations to seek sustainable business models that capitalize on this escalating growth.
The gaming industry: Inspiring stories and boundless innovation
In the second session, "The Video Game Industry: Inspiring Global Stories," the discussion delves into the industry itself. The experiences of pioneers in the field are reviewed as lessons learned, with a focus on "innovation" as a crucial factor in global competitiveness. The session raises questions about strategies for reaching a global audience and how a local product can communicate with the world using a unified technical and artistic language.
The forum concludes by emphasizing that those who understand this transformation early on will secure their place in the future of the content industry. Esports and the gaming industry are no longer just passing phenomena; they are the next engine of the digital and media economy in the region and the world.
