[The Heart of Middle Eastern Hallyu Saudi Arabia①] Saudi Immersed in K-Content, New Opportunities for Hallyu

Crown Prince's Close Aide Meets CJ Vice Chairman and CJ ENM CEO... SM Also Signs MOU with Saudi Investment Department
"Saudi Arabia Has the Highest Per Capita Video Sharing Platform Usage Worldwide"
K-Content Spreading Among Youth Welcomed by Saudi Government

Editor's NoteSaudi Arabia is promoting ‘Vision 2030’ to transform its economy and social structure, which has been dependent on crude oil. One of the policy goals is to improve quality of life by fostering the entertainment industry. It is embracing cinemas and concerts, which were previously rejected, and developing world-class theme parks. The Ministry of Culture has been separated from the Ministry of Culture and Information, and new agencies such as the Entertainment Authority, the Cultural Bureau, and the Film Commission have been established to intensify efforts. Although some criticize these changes as damaging tradition, they have gained considerable support from the younger generation. Saudi Arabia’s median age is only 29.9 years. We examined the dynamic changes in Saudi Arabia, the center of Middle Eastern Hallyu.

'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA' [Photo by CJ ENM]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] The inaugural Minister of Culture of Saudi Arabia is Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan. A close aide to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, he is a figure who actively embraces foreign cultures. In June, he personally visited Korea. He met with Lee Mi-kyung, Vice Chairman of CJ Group, and Kang Ho-sung, CEO of CJ ENM, to sign a cultural exchange and cooperation Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The agreement includes jointly hosting various cultural events and co-investing in diverse content over the next ten years. [Related Article] Saudi Arabia, the Center of Middle Eastern Hallyu

The starting point was ‘KCON 2022 Saudi Arabia with Coca-Cola,’ which ended on the 1st of this month. Singers such as ATEEZ, NewJeans, Sunmi, TO1, and ONEUS turned the entertainment complex Boulevard Riyadh City into a frenzy. Han Eung-soo, head of corporate PR at CJ ENM, said, "Most of the 20,000 spectators held placards written in Hangul and sang along to Korean lyrics," adding, "The experiential convention was also packed with crowds, showing the considerable popularity of K-content."

ATEEZ leader Hongjoong said, "This was our second performance following the Jeddah K-pop Festival in June," and added, "We were able to show a more passionate stage because people remembered us and cheered warmly." He also said, "We were proud that the hanbok featured in the music video ‘MOTF’ displayed in the K-Fashion Zone attracted great interest." TO1 member Jaeyoon recalled, "As soon as the performance started, Boulevard Riyadh City was filled with cheers, making us realize the popularity of K-pop."

TO1 participating in 'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA'
Photo by CJ ENM

That day, TO1 sang ‘Go!’ from the drama ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One’ together with ONEUS. Even before the song started, the audience cheered in unison because the faces of the drama’s leads, Kim Tae-ri and Nam Joo-hyuk, appeared on the big screen. TO1’s Donggeon said, "I was surprised that they responded and sang along even though it wasn’t our song."

Saudi Arabia is already immersed in K-content. In July 2019, tickets for Super Junior’s concert at the Jeddah Festival sold out within three hours. In October of the same year, about 30,000 people gathered for BTS’s concert at King Fahd International Stadium. Dramas such as ‘Twenty-Five Twenty-One,’ ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo,’ ‘Annarasumanara,’ ‘All of Us Are Dead,’ and ‘Hellbound’ ranked number one on the local Netflix viewing charts.

The rapid spread of K-content is due to high internet penetration and active social networking services (SNS). According to Global Media Insight statistics, Saudi Arabia’s population was about 35.08 million last year. Of these, 93.31%, or 33.58 million, use the internet. The proportion of SNS users, including Instagram and Facebook, is also 79.25% (27.8 million).

NewJeans participating in 'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA'
[Photo by CJ ENM]

Oh Hyun-jeon, head of the UAE Business Center at the Korea Creative Content Agency, said, "There are about 40.2 million mobile subscribers, with a penetration rate of 116% of the population," adding, "It is no exaggeration to say that SNS accelerates social change in Saudi Arabia."

The average daily internet usage time of Saudi internet users is 7 hours and 45 minutes. SNS access time is also 3 hours and 6 minutes. The way videos are consumed has also changed. Sixty-eight percent of the total population watches YouTube rather than TV. Oh explained, "Saudi Arabia has the highest per capita usage rate of video-sharing platforms in the world," and "young people search for news and consume the latest movies and songs through various channels."

At the center is K-content. It is mainly preferred by the younger generation, and the Saudi government welcomes it. They consider it less alienating because the content is wholesome and conservative compared to that of the US or Europe.

ATEEZ participating in 'KCON 2022 SAUDIARABIA WITH KOCCA'
Photo by CJ ENM

Jang Seo-jin, assistant manager of the Overseas Business Support Team at KOCCA, who organized the K-content convention at KCON, said, "About 7,000 attendees accepted domestic broadcasting, webtoons, fashion, games, music, and characters without resistance," adding, "If content targeting families and children is put at the forefront, the scope of business can be further expanded."

Various collaborations are already underway. CJ ENM is planning and producing content targeting both countries together with the Saudi Film Commission. CJ ENM’s films ‘Decision to Leave’ and ‘Broker’ were also invited to the Saudi Red Sea International Film Festival, held in Jeddah for ten days starting December 1. A CJ ENM official said, "We plan to share global content distribution trend analysis data and create opportunities for cultural creators to collaborate."

SM Entertainment, which signed an MOU with the Saudi Ministry of Investment in August, is also promoting Saudi-pop producing, discovering and nurturing local artists, building a metaverse platform, hosting year-round music festivals, and producing and selling IP-based merchandise. An SM Entertainment official said, "We plan to hold ‘SM Town Live’ featuring many of our artists in Saudi Arabia and produce video content and festival events."