The Arab Media Summit 2025 opened in Dubai on Monday as the region’s media industry grapples with unprecedented challenges stemming from rapid digital transformation and the challenges of artificial intelligence.
The three-day summit runs from May 26 to 28 and brings together some 8,000 participants, including media leaders, policymakers and thought leaders from across the Arab world and beyond.
It aims to address the sweeping shifts reshaping the media landscape, including digital disruption, changing audience behavior, and funding pressures. It also explores how media institutions can adapt to the demands of the digital age by adopting sustainable business models capable of competing on a global scale.
Organizers said the event will offer practical strategies to navigate these changes, while promoting a vision for a strong, innovative Arab media ecosystem built on knowledge and creativity.
This year’s program features more than 175 keynote sessions and over 35 workshops led by top global media organizations and digital platforms. Participants from 26 countries are expected to take part.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Media Council, said the Arab Media Summit 2025 represents a strategic milestone in the city’s broader vision to build a responsive, future-ready Arab media capable of shaping impactful content that reflects the region’s realities and aspirations.
In remarks carried by state media, Sheikh Ahmed said this year’s summit agenda reflects a forward-looking approach, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, transformative technologies, gaming and filmmaking, all of which are becoming critical pillars of today’s media narrative.
Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice Chairperson and Managing Director of the Dubai Media Council, President of the Dubai Press Club, and Chairperson of the Organizing Committee of the Arab Media Summit, highlighted the event’s growing influence as a platform for shaping the future of Arab media, emphasizing that the 2025 edition marks “a new phase in Dubai’s strategic vision for media development and innovation.”
“This year’s edition comes at a pivotal time for the industry, as artificial intelligence and digital innovation continue to redefine how content is created, distributed, and consumed,” she added.
“The agenda reflects these shifts, offering a future-oriented perspective on the profound transformations reshaping the regional and global media landscape,” affirmed Al Marri.
“We have designed the summit as a dynamic space for dialogue and discovery, bringing together media professionals, policymakers, innovators, and creatives from across the Arab world to collaboratively shape a more agile, inclusive, and future-ready media ecosystem,” she said.
