Bridge Summit 2025 set to open in Abu Dhabi with global media focus

Abu Dhabi: The Bridge Summit 2025 will launch tomorrow, Monday, December 8, in the UAE capital, featuring seven main tracks covering digital content, artificial intelligence, humanitarian media, film production, the creative economy, the future of journalism, and the influence industry.

The summit is organised in collaboration with global partners, including Meta, with the aim of driving innovation and developing new tools to support the content creation industry.

The event is one of the key initiatives of the Bridge Alliance, the world’s first independent global organisation dedicated to advancing the media, content, and entertainment sectors while strengthening their diversity and impact on economies and societies.

Headquartered in the UAE, the Bridge Alliance aims to create a positive global influence as an independent, non-profit organisation working to build a more connected, adaptable, and professionally driven global framework for the media, content, and entertainment sectors—rooted in cooperation and shared responsibility.

The summit comes as the UAE continues its wide-ranging modernisation of the media sector to boost its competitiveness and global appeal. Earlier this year, the country launched an integrated regulatory framework to organise and empower the sector. This included issuing a dedicated decision to regulate advertising by individuals on social media platforms under the “Advertiser” permit and introducing a new licensing policy for digital news platforms. These measures set clear professional and regulatory standards that enhance the credibility of digital media work.

The new framework also offers fee exemptions for several media services to support Emirati producers, writers, and creators, and to encourage content that reflects national identity and raises the quality of media output.

In parallel, the UAE Cabinet approved decisions on media service fees and on violations and administrative penalties—an important step toward building a unified and flexible media services system marked by transparency and ease of use.

The UAE’s media sector continues to grow steadily. In the first half of this year, the UAE Media Council issued 2,562 media licences and permits, including 2,152 general media licences, 235 social media digital media licences, 103 filming permits, and 72 licences for newspapers and magazines—highlighting the rapid expansion of the country’s media landscape.

In the publishing sector, the Council handled more than 514,000 titles during the first half of the year and issued 35,000 book circulation permits across local markets. Meanwhile, 32 titles were prohibited from entry for violating community values or conflicting with applicable legislation.

The Council also granted 611 approvals for the screening of cinematic films during the same period. Total ticket sales exceeded six million, generating revenues of more than AED 309 million. Additionally, 131 electronic games were approved for circulation in the UAE.

To support national talent and specialised content development, the UAE has launched several training initiatives to enhance the skills of content creators. These include the “Impact Makers” initiative, focused on humanitarian media, along with programmes aimed at preparing creators specialising in economics, law, healthcare, and food security. Media academies across the country have also introduced new programmes to strengthen the presence of Emirati media professionals on the global stage.

The UAE is now recognised as one of the world’s leading media hubs, successfully combining a flexible legislative environment with advanced technological infrastructure. With its growing role in shaping constructive content and empowering media professionals, the country has emerged as a modern model of media governance built on innovation and high-quality production.