Saudi Arabia Plans to Regulate Local YouTube Content

Saudi Arabia is planning tighter regulation of video content produced in the country for YouTube after an explosion of news, satire and comedy has made the kingdom one of the biggest per-capita global consumers of Google's video platform.

Viewers in Saudi Arabia watch three times as much YouTube as their peers in the US, according to Google, largely because the traditionally government-backed mass media hasn't produced enough content suited to the country's large population of young people. An array of Arabic shows are produced in Saudi Arabia by online content creators that have, until now, been given a measure of freedom compared with the traditional media in the conservative Islamic kingdom. But YouTube's popularity has brought it under the scrutiny of Saudi authorities, who plan to regulate all forms of audiovisual media, a move that could stifle creativity among creators who have increasingly pushed the boundaries of satire in the Middle East. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media will monitor the quality and quantity of content produced in Saudi Arabia on platforms such as YouTube via a code that will include guidelines on alcohol, tobacco, nudity and sexual acts, said Riyadh Najm, the commission's president. It will also promote private-sector-led investment in the media industry.