Exclusive MBC unveils ambitious expansion, production plans in Saudi Arabia

MBC Group has unveiled ambitious expansion plans that include investing in content and strengthening production infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, according to the company’s CEO, Mike Sneesby.

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Speaking to Al Arabiya Business about these plans, Sneesby said that Riyadh’s Al Narjis district represents a strategic opportunity for MBC to increase production within the Kingdom. “It’s really a great opportunity for MBC to bring together more of our production here in the Kingdom, and we’re already well progressed,” he said.

“We’ve already built out three studios. We just wrapped shooting on the new season of Top Chef, our ninth season, and for the rest of the year, that studio has a jam-packed schedule,” he added.

Sneesby noted that MBC Studios currently has around 100 productions in the pipeline. Centralizing them in one location, he explained, would deliver greater efficiency in production and costs, while also contributing significantly – as MBC has always done – to the growth and development of the media industry in Saudi Arabia. “And it’s a strong economic benefit in return,” he said.

He added that the group will continue developing the infrastructure that supports those studios through early 2026.

First-half profit growth

On the group’s first-half 2025 results, Sneesby said MBC saw strong growth in both revenue and profit, with all business segments delivering solid year-on-year growth.

“Very pleasingly, our television and streaming segments have performed strongly,” he said. “Television, notwithstanding the fact that we’ve seen some uncertainty in the ad market, which is being driven by some of the instability in the region, we still delivered strong growth in advertising revenues. And of course, Shahid continues to grow in both streams of revenues, that’s the subscription revenue that comes from direct-to-consumer subscribers, and also advertising video-on-demand, which has held up really well in a tough market.”

Saudi Pro League rights

On the impact of not renewing the Saudi Pro League rights, Sneesby said: “It’s disappointing not to be renewing with SPL this year, but of course every investment we make in content – whether that’s live sport, scripted and unscripted, or live entertainment content – we have to look at through a very commercial lens. Had we progressed at the levels of cost in relation to SPL this year, it would have been a strong negative towards our payout.”

He added: “There continues to be lots of great opportunities in front of us. We’ll continue to invest in sports, we’ll continue to invest in a broader slate of scripted and unscripted and live content, and of course in the partnerships that help us deliver that to market.”

Partnership with Netflix

Regarding MBC’s partnership with Netflix, Sneesby addressed the perception of working with a major competitor: “When you look at the driver of both of our businesses – Netflix is the international leader, and Shahid is the leader in the region in the generation, creativity, and delivery of our Arabic-language content. And when you’ve got that strong differentiation between two services, you can bring them together in a way where the partnership – the one plus one – equals more than two.”

He said the partnership reflects the group’s approach to studying how the industry is evolving, how it thinks about content creation and commissioning, and building partnerships with both local and international players.

Dividend policy

On dividends, Sneesby said: “We obviously announce our dividends and give guidance when we have our general assembly meeting each year. Recently we had that meeting and, as you say, we made the decision that we’re better to continue to reinvest in the future growth of MBC. And of course, when the next general assembly comes around, we’ll continue to update and give guidance around that view.”

Second-half outlook

He said first-half results were driven by the television and streaming businesses, and a similar profile is expected for the second half of 2025.
“In order to underpin that, we’re going to need to continue to focus on delivering the most premium, differentiated content across our platforms – be that scripted, unscripted, or live programming,” Sneesby said. He stressed the importance of maintaining cost discipline in light of regional uncertainty, with a continued focus on efficiency and expense reduction, alongside building local and international partnerships. “In particular within the Kingdom, aligning with opportunities across sports and the broader entertainment sector, where we can create new opportunities for revenue,” he said.

MBC’s leadership

Sneesby, who took up his role in May, said returning to the region after almost 15 years was a special moment in his career. He noted that he spent 2010 and 2011 in Riyadh at the early stage of his media career.

“It’s terrific to be back and to see the transformation we’re seeing in the region – and the continued transformation – as we head towards Vision 2030,” he said.

He noted that the media industry has changed dramatically over that period, adding: “Credit to the team at MBC, led by Sheikh Waleed, who has done a fantastic job at taking up the leadership position across the media industry right here in the region.”

“The landscape is changing, and with that, at MBC we’re going to need to continue to change and evolve and continue to take on that leadership role across the industry,” he added.

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