Saudi Research and Media Group

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Saudi Research and Media Group
SRMG
ISIN SA000A0JK5M3  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
IndustryMedia
Founded1972;52 years ago (1972)
Headquarters Riyadh
Key people
Hisham Hafiz and Mohammed Ali Hafiz (founders), Abdulrahman bin Ibrahim Rwaita (chairman), Jomana Rashed AlRashid (Chief Executive Officer) [1]
ProductsNewspapers, magazines
RevenueSAR 3,046 million (2021) [2]
Total assets 5,748,512,000 Saudi riyal (2019)  OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
OwnerAl Ahli Capital Fund 13 29.90%
Al Ahli Capital Fund 4 29.90%
Number of employees
2,700 employees [3]
Website www.srmg.com/en

Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG), also known as the Saudi Media Group, is a Saudi state-backed media company registered in Riyadh. [4] The group mainly publishes, prints and distributes various publications. [5] The company operates in Saudi Arabia where there are no independent media. [6]

Contents

The company has close ties to the Mohammed bin Salman government in Saudi Arabia. [6] King Salman's sons have chaired the company. [4] Its closeness to the government of Saudi Arabia has led it to be considered an outlet for the government in the west, particularly in the United Kingdom. [7]

In April 2022, SRMG announced its new headquarters in Riyadh's King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD). The new headquarters commemorates the beginning of SRMG's global expansion and will house the offices of the Asharq network. [8] [9]

History

The establishment of the SRMG dates back to 1963 when the first company of the group, Al Madina Printing and Publication Company, was founded. Al Madina Printing and Publication Company, was later called Saudi Printing and Packaging Company (SPPC) which was formally established in 1972. [10] Hisham and Mohammed Ali Hafiz were one of the founders of the company. Kamal Adham, former head of Saudi intelligence, was also one of the early shareholders of the company. [11]

Next, the company was established in London in 1978 with the launch of Asharq Al Awsat. [10] Ten years later, on 5 July 1988, it was registered as a limited liability company in Riyadh and then converted into a joint stock company in 2000. [12]

The company was listed in the Saudi stock market, Tadawul, on 8 April 2006 and therefore, went public. [12] In August 2008, an independent board of trustees of the company was formed, making it the first Arab media company with such a body. [13]

Jomana R. Al-Rashid was appointed CEO of SRMG in October 2020, becoming the first woman to hold the position. [14]

Following Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Egypt in June 2022, SRMG agreed to fund the launch of the three Egyptian news channels in Cooperation with the General Intelligence Service (GIS) owned United Media Services (UMS). [15]

Major shareholders

The company has often been related to the Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz. [16] However, he is neither the chairman nor the shareholder of the company.

Major shareholders of the SRMG are as follows:

From 1989 to his death in 2002, Ahmed bin Salman was the chairman of the company. [16] [17] [18] Then, his younger brother Faisal bin Salman became the chairman of the company. On 9 February 2013, Turki bin Salman succeeded Prince Faisal as chairman of the SRMG when the latter was appointed governor of the Madinah province. [19] Prince Turki's term as chairman ended in April 2014 when he resigned from the post. [20]

On 13 December 2015 the board of directors appointed Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud as the chairman and an independent member of the board. [21] Al Saud resigned from his position in 2018, with Dr Ghassan bin Abdulrahman Al-Shibil succeeding him as chairman in June 2018. [22] After a three-year tenure, the current chairman Abdulrahman Ibrahim Alrowaita was appointed by the group in May 2021. [23]

Business fields

SRMG is the largest publishing company in the Middle East engaged mainly in providing information products and services by publishing newspapers and magazines across the Middle East and globally. [24] The company owns more than 30 daily, weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines, [25] including Asharq Al Awsat , Arab News , Al Majalla , Urdu News , Arrajol and Al Eqtisadiah .

In 2021, SRMG titles were reported to have a combined monthly reach of 165 million. [25] In July 2021, the company changed its business model with five divisions: media, international, events, research and polling, and innovation. [25] Additionally, the company also deals with marketing, advertising and distributing services heavily across the MENA region and Europe. [26] SRMG operates in 18 locations internationally. [27]

SRMG has a free-to-air channel called Asharq Documentary, which airs Arabic-language factual content. [28]

Subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures

Major subsidiaries, associates and joint ventures of SRMG are given as follows: [24] [29]

CompanyMajor activityCountry
Al Khaleejiah Advertising and Public Relations CompanyAdvertising and public relations servicesSaudi Arabia
Argaam Commercial Investment CompanyPublishing and electronic contentSaudi Arabia
Moutamarat Company for Exhibitions and ConferencesHolding and organizing specialized exhibitions, conferences and forumsSaudi Arabia
Saudi Distribution CompanyDistributionSaudi Arabia
Saudi Specialized PrintingSpecialized PrintingSaudi Arabia
Saudi Distribution Co.Publishing and DistributionSaudi Arabia
Sayidaty Products Co.Commercial activitiesGrenzee Islands
IPM Ltd RegisteringMaintenance and possession of intellectual properties of the GroupGrenzee Islands
Global Media and Partners LtdCommercial activitiesCayman Islands
Arab Media Company Ltd.Printing and publishingSaudi Arabia
Al Ofoq Information Systems and Communication CompanyInformation systems and communicationSaudi Arabia
Saudi Research and Publishing CompanyResearch and publishingSaudi Arabia
Saudi Commercial CompanyTrading in perfumes, household items, and printing suppliesSaudi Arabia
Middle East Company Ltd.Printing and publishingUnited Kingdom
EuroMena Co. (Previously Satellite Graphics Co.)Commercial activitiesUnited Kingdom
Sayidaty Limited CompanyCommercial activitiesGrenzee Islands
Media Investment Co. LtdRental ServicesUnited Kingdom
Majallah CompanyCommercial activitiesUnited Kingdom
Gulf British CompanyAdvertisingUnited Kingdom
Asharq Al Awsat Co. LtdMain Center ActivitiesUnited Kingdom
Arab Media CompanyCommercial activitiesUnited Kingdom
HH Saudi Research and Marketing CompanyPublishing and distributionUnited Kingdom
Satellite Graphics CompanyPrintingUnited Kingdom
Arab Net Technology Ltd.Internet servicesUnited Kingdom
Moroccan Printing and Publishing CompanyPrinting and publishingMorocco
Kuwait Group for Publishing, and Distribution Company Ltd.DistributionKuwait
Emirates Printing, Publishing, and Distribution Company Ltd.DistributionUAE
Alsharq Company for News Services LtdTelevision Broadcasting and Radio and ForumsUAE
VOX Asia Productions LimitedMedia and advertisingPakistan
Asharq News ServicesMultimedia (Online + TV)Saudi, UAE

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