When looking at the livestreaming industry today, there are obvious leaders in the market when it comes to the top streamers. Countries like the US, Spain, Colombia, South Korea, and France boast some of the most prominent names in the community, with their viewership statistics often unmatched.
However, some other regions and nations are picking up the pace, with one of the fastest-growing pockets being the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). This growth has been spearheaded by content creators from Saudi Arabia and Morocco, with the former emerging as especially impactful when looking at audience reach.
The livestreaming story of Saudi Arabia is interesting, going from a stuttering start due to government and internet restrictions to one that is flourishing thanks to the backing of authorities. It has come so far that the Kingdom in 2025 is one of the top countries for influencers across the globe on platforms like Kick and YouTube.
Before delving further into the history of Saudi Arabian livestreaming, here are some numbers (as per Statista and Grand View Research) to back up its rapid recent ascent:
- The Saudi Arabian livestreaming market generated a revenue of $4,427.3 million in 2023 and is expected to reach $16,215.4 million by 2030.
- The Saudi Arabian market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.4% from 2024 to 2030.
- In Saudi Arabia, revenue in the video game's livestreaming market is projected to reach $125.00 million in 2025.
- Revenue is expected to demonstrate an annual growth rate (CAGR 2025-2029) of 4.58%, leading to a projected market volume of $149.50 million by 2029.
- Within the video game's livestreaming market in Saudi Arabia, the number of viewers is anticipated to amount to 4.3 million by 2029.
These numbers point to the West Asian country being one of the top emerging names in the industry. With growing support from the government, which has also invested heavily in making Saudi an attractive option for esports and content creation, the number of streamers making a mark is increasing, so there is a lot more to come in the near future.
Early Livestreaming in Saudi Arabia
While Saudi Arabia today might seem like the land of opportunity (at least in terms of the funds it has poured into becoming an esports and sports hub), that wasn't the case until a few years ago. The Kingdom has a conservative culture that extends to communication and travel.
Before social media, most online content revolved around forums (like Al-Saha and Montada), where users discussed topics ranging from religion to technology. Blogging also gained traction in the early 2000s, with Saudi writers exploring personal, political, and social issues.
In fact, during the early days of the internet, access in Saudi Arabia was limited and heavily regulated. This made using any form of the internet, let alone livestreaming, challenging as it required robust bandwidth and open platforms. Moreover, the fact that creators needed to navigate cultural norms and regulations and be mindful of society's sensitivities.
The YouTube Boom (2009 to 2015) – The Rise of Creators
Nevertheless, as broadband internet became more accessible and quicker, online video consumption grew, especially among the young demographic. Livestreaming services like YouTube gained popularity, although the focus was still primarily on pre-recorded content.
With these developments, Saudi citizens began exploring livestreaming for various content, including gaming, vlogs, and religious broadcasts. This was in addition to the key development that was the breakthrough of Shahid, a streaming platform owned by MBC Group that became a major player in the country.
While initially focused on on-demand content, the company expanded to include live TV and some original livestreaming events. This was supplemented by government initiatives, which continue to shape the way its citizens consume entertainment and content.
With the Saudi youth whole-heartedly embracing video content, early players like La Yekthar by Fahad Albutairi (2010) and Temsa7LY (2012) rose in prominence. The former, a satirical show discussing local and social issues, was one of the first Saudi YouTube shows to gain massive popularity. The latter was a comedy channel that gained a cult following with its mascot, a sarcastic talking crocodile.
There was also Uturn Entertainment (2010), a media company that played a major role in professionalising digital content in the country. Shows like Eysh Elly (a comedy review show) turned out to be game-changers, showing audiences the scope and magnitude of what was possible away from traditional media forms like televisions, newspapers, comics, and radios.
Not surprisingly, YouTube was the dominant platform during this period, with creators pioneering a new form of expression in a country where traditional media was heavily regulated.
The Rise of Snapchat and Instagram (2015 to 2018)
Soon after, just like the rest of the world, the introduction of Snapchat and Instagram Stories saw many creators shift to more casual, daily-life content. Some of the first Saudi influencers made their mark here, such as:
- Abdullah Al-Sadhan & Nasser Al-Qasabi – Traditional TV actors who experimented with digital content.
- Amy Roko – A female comedian and influencer who gained popularity with her witty takes on Saudi culture.
- Model Roz & Nojoud Al-Rumaihi – Saudi influencers who used Instagram for lifestyle and fashion content.
Snapchat, in particular, became the go-to platform for Saudi audiences, mainly due to its privacy features and popularity among youth.
The Streaming and Gaming Revolution (2018 to Present)
By the late 2010s, livestreaming and gaming content began to take off in Saudi Arabia, driven by platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming. With livestreaming slowly emerging as a reputable profession, aside from providing a constant source of income, these websites saw early adopters in the nation.
That is also where the casual love for video gaming among the players in this West Asian nation turned into something more substantial. Games like Garena Free Fire and PUBG gained huge traction among players, with the competitive segment also growing in popularity as the magnitude of winning such events dawned on fans.
Even a title like Grand Theft Auto V, evergreen in its playability and adapting to each new generation of gamers, exploded online. Budding streamers realized the value of broadcasting such titles as they tended to attract more viewers, and ultimately fans, to their channels.
One of the early proponents of video gaming content creation in the country was BanderitaX, who now represents Team Falcons. One of Saudi Arabia’s first major gaming YouTubers, he continues to be known for his Let’s Plays and gaming commentaries.
The growth of esports in the region, supported by initiatives like Gamers8 and the Saudi Esports Federation (SEF), further cemented gaming as a serious industry. The National Gaming and Esports Strategy (NGES), announced in 2022, and the Savvy Games Group were the crown jewels of this investment drive to develop the entire gaming and esports value chain.
This roadmap aims to create 39,000 local jobs by 2030, spanning roles from game development to event management. The country will also be putting a lot of money into state-of-the-art infrastructure that will enable it to host world-class tournaments, thus positioning it as a global hub for esports excellence.
Livestreaming, both IRL and video gaming, also received a boost with the rise of TikTok, resulting in a new wave of Saudi content creators emerging as they focused on short-form entertainment, memes, and lifestyle content. The government also recognized the importance of digital media, launching initiatives like MBC Academy and Saudi Media City to support content creation.
Livestreaming in Saudi Arabia today
The Kingdom's administrators have been investing heavily in technology and entertainment infrastructure, contributing to the growth of livestreaming as a medium. It helped that social media applications like Instagram and Twitter witnessed a boom, with their livestreaming features helping influencers and public figures, in particular, to connect with their audiences.
With access to technology never easier and the number of tools to pursue this passion at an all-time high, streamers from Saudi Arabia have been able to showcase their talents to a global audience, ensuring their popularity has earned them thousands of fans and millions of hours of content watched.
Two of the biggest creators from the country today are Ahmed "SXB" Alqahtani and Mofareh "Drb7h" al Asiri. They prefer Kick as their livestreaming service of choice, and both have used their content to reach a massive number of people, so much so that they are vital to the still fledgling platform for attracting larger audiences.
Such has been their rise within the global livestreaming community that their impact has gone beyond just representing the Saudi Arabian or MENA communities. Their popularity has meant that the duo has become part of household streamer-led events like the Kings League and regularly pull in thousands of viewers during their gameplay or IRL livestream sessions.
As mentioned, these two superstars use Kick a lot, with the platform emerging as a hotbed for gaming creators from not only Saudi Arabia but the entire MENA region. Today, the service is dominated by names from this region and Latin America (LATAM), as seen from a recap of its first two years of business.
A cursory look at the most watched streamers from the MENA region for 2024 also shows how prevalent the Stake-backed livestreaming service is among viewers and influencers. In fact, when looking just at single platform figures, the top 20 names on this table are all from Kick, pretty much creating a monopoly for it in the region.
We have mentioned games like Free Fire, GTA V, and PUBG Mobile attracting the attention of gaming fans and creators in Saudi Arabia, and that remains the case today. These were the three most-watched titles among Arabic viewers in 2024 when it comes to video games, with the first Twitch-based entry being Valorant.
Moving away from gaming content, YouTube remains the king, with categories like News & Politics and Education topping audience preferences. Interestingly, on a table of most watched categories across livestreaming services last year, Music comes in second.
This might not be that surprising to many from the country, as its rich cultural diversity and history have lent themselves to thousands of years of musical evolution. In fact, Arabic music is pretty popular across the world, with numerous restaurants, baristas, clubs, and bars known to adopt it into their daily playlists.
Saudi Arabia's Content Creation Future Looks Bright
Today, Saudi content creation is at an all-time high, with government support, brand sponsorships, and global interest. With a majority of the nation's population still on the young side, we are witnessing a rise in demand for the content creation field, led by younger creators who have an idea of the online user base's pulse and have slowly but surely taken the country's culture to a more global audience.
Most importantly, influencers and streamers from Saudi have already shown what it takes to be successful internationally, thanks especially to their success on livestreaming services like Kick and YouTube. With all the tools now at their disposal and the support of authorities, it certainly seems like the country is headed for a lengthy spell under the spotlight.