Riyad bin Kamal Najm, president of the General Authority for Audio and Visual Media, said that authorities regularly monitor content released on audio and visual media platforms.

The authority issued binding orders to media representatives in the Kingdom not to fan sectarian divisions, said Najm,.

“Any media content that may affect the solidarity of community members will be regarded as a violation and those involved will be penalized,” he said.

The authority already stopped two domestic channels from broadcasting on grounds of raising sectarian divisions. “The new system to monitor audio-visual content will be submitted to the Shoura Council during its next session. It may take up to a year to be approved,” said Najm. “There are still some issues to be considered, including the transfer of employees to the payroll of the authority, electronic publishing and advertisement.”

He said the authority is in the process of establishing a company to measure audiences via ratings, which will be announced after Eid Al-Adha. “The company will initially focus on TV channel ratings and will then expand to include radio broadcasting.”

Abdul Majeed Khalifah, adviser to the president of the authority, said that the authority has granted more than 87 licenses, 50 of them to satellite broadcasting channels and 35 to their offices.

“The authority constantly issues new regulations and codes for audio and visual media, according to the necessities of both the public and private sectors,” he said.