Al Saudiya

Al Saudiya is a Saudi Arabian Arabic-language television channel and one of the country's principal national broadcasting services. Formerly identified as Saudi TV Channel 1 and KSA 1, it is owned by the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, a state broadcaster administered by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Media. The channel's role combines general television programming with public-service, cultural, religious, and national broadcasting functions. The service emerged in the mid-1960s as Saudi Arabia developed a national television system. Initial operations were centered on Riyadh and Jeddah and were established with assistance from NBC International. The earliest transmissions included technical test material such as static slides, music, and cartoons, while the first regular Saudi Television broadcast was a Qur'an reading. The launch of a national television service was controversial among some conservative Islamic clerics, who viewed television as religiously problematic. Despite that opposition, the service became an important institution in the country's modern media history. The channel officially began transmissions on 7 July 1965, while historical accounts also describe an initial Saudi state television broadcast or signal test on 17 July 1965. Its early schedule was limited by technical and financial resources, generally operating for no more than about five hours per day from the Riyadh and Jeddah centers. By the 1970s, weekday programming was divided into morning and evening blocks, with longer continuous service on weekends. Broadcasting was initially in black and white. Color transmission was introduced in Jeddah and Mecca in 1974, marking a significant technical transition for the national service. Al Saudiya's programming has covered cultural, political, and economic subjects alongside entertainment. Religious programming and coverage of Islamic rituals are central parts of its public identity. The channel is particularly associated with broadcasting the Hajj pilgrimage and has carried Hajj coverage since the end of 1974. This role gives it importance beyond ordinary general-interest television: it serves as a national platform for religious events, official messaging, and Saudi cultural representation. The channel's distribution extends beyond Saudi Arabia, with broadcasts reaching audiences in West Asia, Europe, and North America. Its international reach supports the presentation of Saudi news, religious events, and cultural programming to Saudi citizens abroad, Arabic-speaking viewers, and wider audiences interested in the kingdom. As a state-owned service administered through the Ministry of Media, Al Saudiya is positioned less as a commercial entertainment brand than as a national broadcaster and institutional media outlet. In contemporary terms, Al Saudiya operates within the Saudi Broadcasting Authority's wider public broadcasting structure. Its brand history reflects the evolution of Saudi television from limited two-city analog transmissions into an internationally distributed Arabic television service. The channel remains associated with national identity, religious broadcasting, public affairs, and general programming, although detailed current programming, audience metrics, and corporate financial information are not established in the supplied reference material.

Saudi state television developed during the 1960s as the kingdom established a national broadcasting infrastructure. Before the national service, Saudi audiences had access to earlier television operations including Aramco TV and AJL-TV. The national project was developed with technical assistance from NBC International and was organized around transmission centers in Riyadh and Jeddah. The first reported state television activity consisted of signal tests and preliminary transmissions in July 1965. Accounts describe test material including static slides, music, and cartoons, followed by the first regular broadcast, which consisted of a reading from the Qur'an. The service officially began transmissions on 7 July 1965, while another historical account identifies 17 July 1965 as the date of the first Saudi state television broadcast or signal test. These differing dates appear to reflect the distinction between official transmission commencement and initial testing or inaugural broadcasting. The launch took place in a socially conservative environment. Some Islamic clerics opposed television, characterizing the medium as harmful or religiously unacceptable. Nevertheless, the national service expanded and became a permanent component of Saudi public life. Its early operation was constrained by limited resources, and the combined Riyadh and Jeddah service generally broadcast for no more than approximately five hours daily. During the 1970s, weekday schedules were arranged in two principal blocks, roughly from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to midnight. Weekend schedules were more continuous and did not include the same afternoon interruption. The channel initially transmitted in black and white from Riyadh and Jeddah. A major technical change came in 1974, when color broadcasting was introduced in Jeddah and Mecca. That same period also marked the beginning of the channel's association with Hajj broadcasting. Al Saudiya has been identified as the first channel to broadcast the Hajj pilgrimage and has carried Hajj coverage since the end of 1974. Hajj programming helped define the channel's public-service and religious role, linking its broadcasting identity to one of the most important events in Islamic life and to Saudi Arabia's position as custodian of the holy cities. Over time, the service became known as Saudi TV Channel 1 and later KSA 1 before adopting or operating under the Al Saudiya name. Its programming has included news and public affairs as well as cultural, political, and economic subjects. Religious programs and coverage of Islamic rituals have remained prominent alongside entertainment and general-interest content. This combination has made the channel both a conventional television outlet and an instrument of national communication. Al Saudiya is owned by the Saudi Broadcasting Authority, which is state-run and administered by the Ministry of Media. Its distribution has extended across West Asia, Europe, and North America, giving the service an international audience beyond its domestic base. The international footprint is consistent with the channel's function as a carrier of Saudi news, religious events, cultural material, and official public broadcasting. In December 2012, India's Intelligence Bureau reportedly identified Al Saudiya among 24 channels it called illegal and alleged that the channel broadcast anti-India programming. The available reference records the allegation but does not provide evidence of a final adjudication or a lasting change to the channel's status. Current detailed information on management, audience size, revenue, and programming schedules is not established by the supplied sources. Al Saudiya is nevertheless documented as an active Saudi national television brand within the Saudi Broadcasting Authority's state broadcasting system.

• 2012

  Indian Intelligence Bureau listing

  [1]Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org

  India's Intelligence Bureau reportedly included Al Saudiya in a list of 24 channels it described as illegal and alleged carried anti-India programming.

• 1974

  Color broadcasting introduced

  [1]Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Color transmission was introduced in Jeddah and Mecca, following the channel's initial black-and-white period.

• 1974

  Hajj broadcasts become a defining service

  [1]Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org

  The channel began broadcasting the Hajj pilgrimage by the end of 1974 and became associated with televised coverage of the annual Islamic pilgrimage.

• 1965

  Saudi state television begins test and inaugural transmissions

  [1]Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org

  Saudi state television conducted initial transmissions from Riyadh and Jeddah in July 1965, with the service officially associated with a 7 July start date and other accounts describing a 17 July first broadcast or signal test.

• 1965

  First regular broadcast centers on Qur'anic recitation

  [1]Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org

  The first regular broadcast of Saudi Television was a reading of the Qur'an, establishing the religious and public-service character that would remain part of the channel's identity.

A national Saudi public-service television channel combining Arabic news, general entertainment, cultural programming, religious content, and major Islamic-event coverage.

• Arabic-language television broadcasting · 1965

  Al Saudiya television channel

  The core Al Saudiya service is an Arabic-language national television channel operated within Saudi Arabia's state broadcasting system. Its output combines news, public affairs, cultural, political, economic, entertainment, and religious programming. The channel has historically broadcast from Saudi production and transmission centers and distributes its signal to audiences in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

• Religious event broadcasting · 1974

  Hajj and Islamic ritual coverage

  Hajj coverage is one of Al Saudiya's most distinctive offerings. The channel is known for being the first to televise the Hajj pilgrimage and has broadcast the event since the end of 1974. This service connects the channel to Saudi religious institutions, national identity, and international Muslim audiences.

• 2012

  Allegations of anti-India programming

  In December 2012, India's Intelligence Bureau reportedly flagged Al Saudiya as a so-called hate channel and included it among 24 channels described as illegal. The supplied reference does not document a final legal finding or subsequent enforcement outcome.

  Source

Read more

1. 1Al Saudiyaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Al Saudiya official websitesaudiatv.sa