The General Commission for Audiovisual Media issued 236 media licenses during the third quarter of 2018, including eight licenses for establishing cinemas. According to a press release, the majority of these licenses were for visual and audio media production, totaling 81. This was followed by licenses for importing, distributing, and retailing visual and audio media content through portable media, which reached 66. Permits for filming in public and tourist locations numbered 56, while licenses for importing, distributing, and retailing television reception equipment amounted to 19. Additionally, eight licenses were issued for establishing cinemas.

The remaining licenses were diverse, including those for operating cinemas, representing satellite channels, television and radio studios, organizing television or radio competitions, and satellite news gathering (SNG) transmission stations.

Riyadh led the issuance of licenses with 83, followed by Jeddah with 48, and the Eastern Province with 25. The remaining licenses were distributed across other regions and governorates of the Kingdom.

The Commission emphasized the importance of obtaining media licenses to avoid legal issues and to ensure that facility owners are aware of updated regulations. The current licensing structure will soon be restructured under the executive regulations of the Visual and Audio Media System.

Since the beginning of 2018 until the end of the third quarter of the year, the General Commission for Audiovisual Media has issued a total of 786 licenses across 14 categories.