Saudi Gazette report

RIYADH — As Saudi Arabia has grown its entertainment options, Snap Inc. has released a new study that provides valuable insights into the evolution of video viewership, mobile content, and entertainment trends in the Kingdom.

Snapchat commissioned the National Research Group, an independent market research company, to conduct a nationally representative study of 869 Saudi Nationals. The data shows that daily:

• Saudis watch online videos more than traditional TV with more than five in six (85 percent) viewing a short-form video (any video under 10 minutes) – by people they know at least once per day.

• 80 percent view premium short-from videos (professionally produced short video content) daily, while just 70 per cent of Saudi nationals say they watch traditional TV every day.

• Premium short-form videos in Saudi Arabia are watched most during the traditional prime-time TV slot between 1700-2300 and on average last 53 minutes.

• Of those surveyed, 93% believe mobile video helps them discover new and unique content and teaches them something new, while 91% agree it stimulates their mind, puts them in a positive mood, and gives them a chance to take a break from their daily lives.

The rise of these short, digestible professionally produced videos is both in response to, and a driver of, an increasingly “snackable” media culture in the Kingdom. It gives Saudi viewers the same high-quality experience in sessions of varying length whenever and wherever they desire.

Andy Pang, Head of International Marketing Science at Snap, said: “Saudi Arabians are some of the most avid short-form video consumers in the world. With one of the highest levels of mobile internet penetration in the world, and one of the highest social messaging and media usage rates in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia is poised for a mobile-optimized, short-form expansion that may even eclipse more established markets.”

These mobile video viewership trends make Snapchat a popular video entertainment destination in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Snapchat’s video-driven Discover platform is seeing robust growth, with three out of every four Snapchatters watching Discover feed content every day.

“Snapchat’s Discover’s great success in Saudi Arabia stems in large part from the fact that, in collaboration with established broadcasters, publishers and content creators, we are developing innovative content that’s made for mobile, while retaining all of the storytelling and emotional benefits of linear TV,” added Pang.