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Riyadh Will Become Home To The Second Snap Creator Studio Globally
AR is expected to play a major role in making the metaverse come to life, and Snap could be an important player in the rapidly emerging successor to the internet.
Snap has announced that it will launch its second Snap Creator Studio in 2022, and the company chose Riyadh as its location.
The first Creator Studio was opened by Snap in Paris to support local creators in delivering experiences for Snapchat and provide publisher brands with a physical point of contact. The Riyadh location, the first of its kind in the region, will serve the same purpose.
Saudi Arabia was an easy choice for Snap because Snapchat has a monthly addressable reach of more than 19.5 million in the Kingdom, with 90 percent of its users being 13-34-year-olds, a demographic that advertisers see as highly attractive.
“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,” said Hussein Freijeh, General Manager for MENA at Snap.
Snap hopes that the Creator Studio will help attract talented content creators, Lens developers, and people interested in working on Snapchat Games, Minis, Layers, and other offerings. Drawing on its global network of creatives and technical experts, it will provide ample in-person and virtual skill-sharing opportunities.
“The new Creator Studio will thus help inspire the next generation of creators about the possibilities of using the Snap camera across the arts, education, media, and cultural sectors,” added Freijeh.
Also Read: SpaceX To Launch The Arab World’s Most Advanced Satellite In 2023
Inspiring the next generation of Snap creators shouldn’t be too difficult because over 80 percent of consumers in Saudi Arabia already believe that Augmented Reality (AR) will be both useful and important in the next five years, according to Snap’s own data.
Several major tech companies have very recently announced their push towards the metaverse, most notably Meta and Microsoft. AR is expected to play a major role in making the metaverse come to life, and Snap could be an important player in the rapidly emerging successor to the internet.
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UAE Prepares To Launch Two Satellites: Thuraya-2 And MBZ-SAT
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council yesterday.
HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE, chaired the first meeting of the Supreme Space Council in Dubai on December 16, 2024. The session highlighted the UAE’s ambitious space plans and took stock of the sector’s economic progress.
The council emphasized the growing role of private companies in advancing space technologies, noting that their contributions are now equal to that of the public sector. Members also praised initiatives like the Space Economic Zones Programme, which are designed to fuel innovation and investment in the space industry.
خلال ترؤسنا الاجتماع الأول للمجلس الأعلى للفضاء، بحثنا الاستثمارات الوطنية والمشاريع المقبلة في قطاع الفضاء والذي يشهد تطوراً مستمراً… وجددنا التزامنا بدعم ومواصلة تنفيذ برامج طموحة لاستكشاف الفضاء الخارجي حيث وصل حجم الاستثمارات في هذا القطاع إلى 40 مليار درهم خلال السنوات… pic.twitter.com/etJ33OnuSu
— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 16, 2024
Discussing the UAE’s space journey, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum remarked, “The national space sector continues to grow and advance, and we take immense pride in the remarkable achievements we have accomplished over the years”.
Sheikh Hamdan also received updates on two upcoming satellite projects: Thuraya-2 and MBZ-SAT. Thuraya-2, developed by Space42, is slated for launch this December. Meanwhile, the MBZ-SAT, created by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC), will soon follow. MBRSC, a major driver of the UAE National Space Programme, continues to lead the nation’s space-related developments.
Space42 took the opportunity to showcase its advancements, including ongoing collaborations between public and private entities. The company also outlined strategies to promote innovation, boost revenue streams, and create new opportunities for growth in the sector.
Also Read: IBM Opens New Doha Office To Support Qatar’s Digital Growth
The UAE’s current projects build on a growing legacy of space exploration. Back in 2020, the nation made headlines with its Mars mission, successfully sending a probe into the planet’s orbit in 2021. This mission, which is now in its second phase as of June 2024, has been collecting critical data to develop a comprehensive diurnal image of Mars.
The UAE also ventured into lunar exploration with an unmanned mission aimed at studying untouched regions of the Moon’s surface. While the probe ultimately crashed during its landing attempt after communication was lost seconds before touchdown, the effort represented a significant step in the country’s exploration ambitions.