Lifestyle
With an increase in Saudi Arabia’s tourism, content creators in the country are bound to grow.
As numerous profiles are finding ways to benefit through social media, a new licensing system has been put in place to oversee this industry.
From October 2022, all Saudi and non-Saudi influencers generating any revenue through advertising on social media must apply for a formal permit from the General Authority for Audiovisual Media (GCAM) The cost of the license starts from SAR 15,000 (Dhs14,672) and is valid for a tenure of three years.
Per the GCAM, all Saudi and non-Saudi content creators after obtaining the permit can work with as many private organisations as they like and promote their products and services on their platform as long as no laws or values of the Kingdom are violated, per ,
“The influencer license does not allow censorship or blocking,” said GCAM CEO Esra Assery. “It’s more of a permit to enable the maturity of the sector. We want to help individuals grow professionally so they can make a career out of it.”
For any non-Saudi residents, permission will first be required from the Ministry of Investment to work in the country, before applying for the license. Additionally, specific advertising agencies must also represent these individuals before applying for the permit.
For those who don’t follow protocols, fines of up to SAR 5 million (Dhs4.89 million) or a five-year prison sentence could be imposed on them as per the GCAM.
