Saudi ‘Satellite’ Shift: From ‘Devil’s Street’ to Visual Clutter

Saudi Arabia still reverberates with the warnings issued in the early 1990s by a prominent figure of the Sahwa movement against the risks posed by satellite dishes, known locally as “dish.”
Ghazi al-Qusaibi, the late Saudi minister and intellectual, fiercely opposed them, viewing them as a significant threat.
These lectures, promoted by leaders of the Sahwa movement, cautioned about the dangers of satellite dishes and resulted in a religious decree declaring them forbidden.
The fatwa explicitly prohibited the ownership, promotion, sale, or purchase of these satellite dishes, condemning such actions as complicity in sin and aggression.
The fatwa caused social rifts among Saudi families. Some decrees even made selling property to anyone intending to install a satellite dish forbidden. There are also reports of people having used air rifles to shoot down satellites mounted on rooftops.
In Riyadh’s Sulaimaniyah district, a street intersecting with Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Street, known as “Tahlia Street,” has been dubbed “Devil’s Street” due to its satellite dish retailers. This has driven some to buy and watch satellite TV channels in secret.
After three decades of societal debates around satellite dishes, they have now been added to a list of 19 violations that can block the issuance of a “Building Compliance Certificate.”
This is especially the case if they are mounted on balconies or cover the entire front of buildings facing commercial streets.
The requirement to remove satellite dishes from balconies and commercial building facades aims to improve the visual appeal of buildings and streets.
The Certificate proves that buildings meet minimum standards for visual aesthetics and municipal building regulations.
This has led the Eastern Region Municipality to incentivize residents to remove satellite dishes in exchange for free channel subscriptions in partnership with Saudi Telecom Company (STC).
The initiative is aimed at addressing visual clutter.
In the early 1990s, satellite dishes began appearing in Saudi Arabia, although the exact starting point isn’t officially documented. Their spread sparked mixed reactions: some welcomed them, paying hefty sums to access international and Arab satellite channels, while others opposed them for various reasons, including religious concerns.
Before satellite dishes, Saudis relied solely on government-run terrestrial TV channels from around mid-1965. The shift to satellite broadcasting in the early 1990s, unofficially starting with CNN’s coverage during the Gulf War in 1990, opened doors to a wide array of Arab and international channels.
Accessing these required installing satellite dishes, transforming Saudi viewership by offering unlimited content for those with a receiver and dish.
Nowadays, however, digital alternatives have diminished the demand for satellite dishes.
Faisal, 42, from Saudi Arabia’s Eastern region told Asharq Al-Awsat: “I got rid of my satellite dish and receiver six years ago when digital options became more dynamic.”
“I now happily subscribe to online movie streaming services, as many channels I used to watch via satellite now offer content online (...). Honestly, I can't imagine wasting time channel surfing with a remote anymore,” he explained.
Abdul Khaliq, 50, an architect from Jeddah west of Saudi Arabia, highlighted that as the need for satellite dishes wanes and reliable internet broadcasting becomes available, efforts should focus on “removing satellite dishes and the clutter of wiring on building walls, villas, and balconies, which detract from urban aesthetics.”
He emphasized the importance of municipal strategies to maintain city cleanliness and enhance public appearance, aligning with architectural and engineering advancements in the country.
“This should also aim to reduce environmental pollution and raise awareness among the community about protecting and preserving the environment from all forms of pollution and degradation,” stressed Abdul Khaliq.

China's government will offer subsidies to parents to the tune of $500 per child under the age of three per year, Beijing's state media said Monday, as the world's second most populous nation faces a looming demographic crisis.

The country's population has declined for three consecutive years, with United Nations demography models predicting it could fall from 1.4 billion today to 800 million by 2100.

The nationwide subsidies apply retroactively from January 1, Beijing's state broadcaster CCTV said, citing a decision by the ruling Communist Party and the State Council, China's cabinet.

"This is a major nationwide policy aimed at improving public wellbeing," CCTV said.

"It provides direct cash subsidies to families across the country, helping to reduce the burden of raising children," it added.

There were just 9.54 million births in China last year, half the number than in 2016, the year it ended its one-child policy, which was in place for more than three decades.

The population declined by 1.39 million last year, and China lost its crown as the world's most populous country to India in 2023.

Marriage rates are also at record low levels, in a country where many young couples have been put off having children by high child-rearing costs and career concerns.

Many local governments have already rolled out subsidies to encourage childbirth.

In March, Hohhot, the capital of China's northern Inner Mongolia region, began offering residents up to 100,000 yuan ($14,000) per newborn for couples with three or more children, while first and second children will be eligible for 10,000 and 50,000 yuan subsidies.

In Shenyang, in northeastern Liaoning province, local authorities give families who have a third child 500 yuan per month until the child turns three.

Hangzhou, in eastern Zhejiang province, offers a one-time payment of 25,000 yuan to couples who have a third child.

More than 20 provincial-level administrations in the country now offer childcare subsidies, according to official data.

Premier Li Qiang vowed to provide childcare subsidies during the government's annual work report in March.

The country's shrinking population is also ageing fast, which has sparked worries about the future of the country's pension system.

There were nearly 310 million aged 60 and over in 2024.

Saudi ‘Satellite’ Shift: From ‘Devil’s Street’ to Visual Clutter