Snap Inc. has announced that it will launch a Creator Studio in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2022 to support its local community in delivering new experiences on Snapchat. 

 

The company has recently been investing in such studios in key markets as a means to better serve local talent and business partners, including its growing creator ecosystems of augmented reality (AR) lens developers, verified users, and local media publishers.

 

Riyadh will be the second location to house a Snap Creator Studio following the launch of a similar location in Paris, France. Snap has already confirmed that the two studios will be followed by the opening of other regional studios soon.

 

Snap will provide advice, resourcing, and investments to support creators within the local ecosystem to prototype and test new ideas, as well as incentivise creators to innovate with new content and AR tools, according to a statement from the company.

 

Snap Inc. MENA General Manager Hussein Freijeh said: “The decision to open a Creator Studio in Saudi Arabia reflects the level of creativity we see on Snapchat amongst local users, the high levels of engagement on the app, and our desire to deepen the level of support that we can provide to the creator community and our business partners.”

 

The Creator Studio will support all creators delivering experiences for Snapchat. Notable examples include Lens creators, those producing video content for Discover and Snapchat’s entertainment platform Spotlight, as well as developers focusing on Snapchat offerings such as Games, Minis, Layers, and more.

 

In Saudi Arabia, Snapchat’s Official Lens Creator community includes artists, designers, developers, and others who share an enthusiasm for redefining the world of camera creativity.

 

Publisher brands will also benefit from the Creator Studio. Saudi publishers see the value in their collaboration with Snapchat via Discover, tapping into Snap’s deep expertise in made-for-mobile content, while reaching an audience that is engaged on the platform. 

 

In Saudi Arabia today, more people watch content on Discover than any of the top ten TV channels. Snap currently works with many premium content partners from Rotana Media Group to MBC, Saudi Broadcasting Authority, UTURN Entertainment, and many more.

 

“We deeply value these creator partners, and are grateful for all the new experiences they build and bring to Snapchat,” added Freijeh.

 

Through Snapchat, these creators can engage a monthly addressable reach of over 19.5 million individuals in Saudi Arabia. Snapchat now reaches 90% of 13-34-year-olds in the Kingdom. 

 

According to data from Snap, over 80% of consumers in Saudi Arabia believe that AR will be both useful and important in the next five years.

 

“In Saudi Arabia, there’s a real understanding of Snapchat’s full value proposition, whether in communication, entertainment, commerce, or elsewhere,” concluded Freijeh.-TradeArabia News Service