The General Entertainment Authority (GEA) (), formerly the General Authority for Entertainment (GAE), is a government department in

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

that regulates the entertainment industry of the country. Established in May 2016 through a royal decree by

King Salman Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (; born 31 December 1935) has been King of Saudi Arabia since 2015, and was Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2022. He is the 25th son of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia. He assumed the thro ...

, it is responsible for the development, advancement and expansion of Saudi Arabia's growing entertainment sector.

History

The General Entertainment Authority was established on 7 May 2016 in accordance with a Royal Decree No. (A/133) issued by

. Among the king's royal decree which included 67 announcements, the General Authority for Culture was the only other entity to be created.

Mission

The Saudi population spends $22 billion dollars in tourism and entertainment outside the country every year. The government aims to transform 25% of that spending into local travel and entertainment to create a solid Saudi tourism economy. The

Saudi Vision 2030 Saudi Vision 2030 (, sometimes called Project 2030) is a government program launched by Saudi Arabia which aims to achieve the goal of increased diversification economically, socially, and culturally, in line with the vision of Saudi crown pri ...

plan aims to raise capital by harnessing the previously unaddressed entertainment sector, helping to "nurture entertainment in all its forms, while also seeking to safeguard our precious cultural heritage". The General Authority for Entertainment defines the vision and evolution of the Saudi Arabia’s entertainment industry. It partners with both public and private actors, to reduce government spending on entertainment. In December 2016, the General Authority for Entertainment’s Chairman, Ahmed Al Khateeb, stated that the organization was created to boost citizen participation and opportunities for the youth.

Events and entertainment facilities

In early 2017,

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

held the first-ever

Saudi Comic Con The Saudi Comic Con (SCC) () was the first Comic book convention, comic book and pop culture convention held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Organized by Time Entertainment and supported by the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), the inaugural event ...

. The event dedicated to films, comics and anime featured celebrity appearances and was backed by the General Authority for Entertainment. In November 2016, Six Flags Entertainment Corporation announced planned expansions into Saudi Arabia, and the board of the GEA was appointed to manage the development of the theme parks in the country. Three parks are planned for construction, with the first one set to open by 2021. The General Authority for entertainment launched an online entertainment calendar, ''Roznamah'' (calendar in Arabic), in order to communicate about, and compile over 300 upcoming and past events, nationwide. It features upcoming film screenings and performances by

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

, Universe Science, the Light Festival and the Lion King musical. In March 2019, the GEA in collaboration with the

General Sports Authority The Ministry of Sport (MoS; ), formerly the General Sports Authority (GSA; ), is a government ministry responsible for sports in Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Sport was previously known as the General Sports Authority and before that as the Genera ...

, General Culture Authority and the

Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage The Ministry of Tourism (MoT; ), before 2020 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH), until 2015 as the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA) and prior to 2008 as the Supreme Commission for Tourism (SCT), is ...

organized Sharqiah Season in the

Eastern region Eastern Region or East Region may refer to: * Eastern Region (Abu Dhabi): Al Ain *Eastern Region, Ghana *Eastern Region (Iceland) *Eastern Region, Malta *Eastern Region, Nepal *Eastern Region, Nigeria * Eastern Region, Serbia *Eastern Region, Ugand ...

of Saudi Arabia. Sharqiah Season is a 17-day festival that is launched in the shores of

Alkhobar Khobar () is a city and governorate in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, situated on the coast of the Persian Gulf. With a population of 409,549 in the city core and 658,550 in the governorate, as of 2022, Khobar forms part of ...

Corniche where many activities take place. Among such activities, the King Abdul Aziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) features the lives of many prominent artists and intellectuals from all over the world, such as

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...

. Moreover, 80 events were allocated this season to feature a number of Saudi cities including,

Dammam Dammam (Arabic: الدمام ad-Dammām) is a city and governorate, and the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. Located on the coast of the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 1,386,166 as of 2022, making it the country's fifth- ...

, Dhahran, Alkhobar, Al-Ahsa and Jubail. As part of the Season, thousands of youngsters attended the first Saudi Colour Run in Khobar. This festival comes in the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 that aims at boosting local tourism and entertainment. The GEA launched

Riyadh Season Riyadh Season () is a series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events held in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. The event was introduced in 2019 by the General Entertainment Authority as part of the larger Saudi Seasons initiative in s ...

, the largest entertainment festival in the Middle East, with more than 7,000 events held in period of 6 months.

was first launched in 2019 and came in its second edition in 2021. GEA has organized the largest Quran competition and the first Adhan competition in 2019. The competition has been participated by 13,000 from 162 countries. The main aim of the contest is to highlight the cultural diversity in the Islamic World that is shown in the different Quran recitation and adhan styles. In 29 January 2024, the first football match to ever be held in

Kingdom Arena Kingdom Arena (), formerly known as Boulevard Hall () during construction, is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Hittin neighborhood of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The stadium seats roughly 27,000 spectators in its football configuration. History ...

, a

stadium A stadium (: stadiums or stadia) is a place or venue for (mostly) outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage completely or partially surrounded by a tiered structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit ...

that was built in 90 days, took place between Al Hilal and

Inter Miami Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami (), commonly referred to as Inter Miami, is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. ...

. The match ended in Al Hilal winning 4-3. The stadium has the capacity to accommodate 26,000-40,000 spectators.

Structure

New Entertainment Academy

GEA has supported the establishment of an entertainment academy. The academy is planned to open in September 2019 and provide a number of courses and diploma programs. The academy will be located in Riyadh. The main goal of the project is to provide Saudi youth with the tools necessary to enable them to work in the flourishing entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia.

International Scholarship Program

The GEA launched an international scholarship program that aims at training and educating young Saudis in the entertainment field in a number of prestigious universities worldwide. This program is undertaken in partnership with the Qiddiya Investment Co. (QIC). The program will enable its students to have a future job in Qiddiya mega project as well as the many other entertainment projects taking place in Saudi Arabia.

Board

The board’s members meet every three months, and include male, female, foreign and local actors, with His Excellency

Turki Al-Sheikh Turki bin Abdul Mohsen Al-Sheikh (; born August 4, 1981) is a Saudi Arabian adviser at the Royal Court under the rank of Minister and the current Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority. As chairman of the GEA, Alalshikh is credited with ...

as Chairman of the GEA. The Board members include: *

: Chairman of the Board of the General Entertainment Authority *Dr.

Majid bin Abdullah Al Qasabi Majid bin Abdullah bin Osman Al Qasabi (; born 24 January 1960) is the Saudi Arabian Minister of Commerce, having held the position since May 2016. He also served as the Acting Minister of Media from 25 February 2020 to 5 March 2023 and is a mem ...

: Minister of Commerce and Investment in Saudi Arabia *Eng. Fahad Mohammed Al Jubair: Mayor of Eastern Region *Eng. Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel: Chairman and CEO of Abdul Latif Jameel *Dr. Lama Abdulaziz AlSulaiman: Former Vice Chairwoman and Board Member of the

Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) is the chamber of commerce in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. JCCI is one of the oldest business and services organizations in Saudi Arabia. It was established by a royal decree dated January 19 ...

*Eng. Mousa Omran Al Omran: General Manager of West Bakeries Company & Independent Director of

Almarai Almarai Company () is a Saudi multinational dairy company which is listed on the Tadawul stock exchange. It specializes in food and beverage manufacturing and distribution. The company's main offices are located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Hist ...

*Mr. Bandar Mohammed Assiri: Head of General Commission for Audio-visual Media *Mr. Joe Zenas: Chief Executive Officer at

Thinkwell Group Thinkwell Group is an American experience design and production agency that was founded in 2001 with headquarters in Los Angeles, California. In 2022, TAIT acquired Thinkwell Group. Since 2006, the firm has gone from approximately 35 employees ...

*Mr. Jonathan Tétrault: Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer at

GEA Challenges

It was a competition held in 2019 between talented young Saudis in different fields including, playing instruments and singing, comedy scripts and content, graffiti, animation, films, acting, on-screen fashion, culinary arts, and circus and acrobatic talents. The winner of the challenge will get $5.3 million.

Criticism

Some Saudi conservatives have criticized the opening up of Saudi Arabia's entertainment sector. The GEA has defended the development of the entertainment sector as being popularly supported by the Saudi public, most of whom is under 30. In 2019, Saudi Islamic scholar Omar Al-Muqbil criticized the GEA's policies as threatening Saudi culture. Al-Muqbil was arrested by Saudi authorities.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.gea.gov.sa/en/ 2016 establishments in Saudi Arabia Entertainment in Saudi Arabia Government agencies established in 2016 Government agencies of Saudi Arabia Organisations based in Riyadh