Under the chairmanship of Minister of Culture and Information and Chairman of the Board of Directors of General Commission for Audiovisual Media Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad, the Board has approved regulations on licensing cinemas in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The regulations were approved after completing all regular provisions in coordination and cooperation with various government bodies including Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, Department of Civil Defense, Saudi Customs and Saudi Organization for Standardization, Metrology and Quality and taking into consideration of the best international practices of regulations governing cinemas in a number of international markets. The regulations have identified three types of licenses: 1) Establishing a cinema. 2) License to practice the operation of cinemas. 3) License to operate a cinema in both types fixed and temporary. Minister Dr. Al-Awwad stressed that the cinema sector is important for cultural and creative richness, being an incentive for the services and entertainment sector, contributing to achieving the objectives of economic diversification, opening the door to a giant local market comprising 30 million people, and providing new job opportunities for citizens. He pointed out that the objective is to create a competitive media industry by providing appropriate contents and supporting the production of positive contents, noting that re-launching cinemas in the Kingdom represents a pivotal turning point towards building a cultural economy, reviving the cultural scene in the Kingdom, and benefiting from Saudi capabilities and talents. It is noteworthy that the Board of Directors of General Commission for Audiovisual Media chaired by Minister of Culture and Information Dr. Awwad bin Saleh Al-Awwad approved on December 11, 2017 issuing licenses for those interested in opening cinemas aiming at promoting cultural and media activities through supporting entertainment events, and providing incentives to growth and economic diversification and job opportunities in new areas in line with Kingdom's Vision 2030.
