Maintain high credibility levels, Sultan Bin Ahmed tells media

On Thursday morning, His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah and Chairman of the Sharjah Media Council, chaired the council’s Board of Directors meeting.

Held at Sharjah Media City "Shams" headquarters, His Highness praised the work of media institutions and their role in projecting Sharjah's progressive image, highlighting the achievements and initiatives they have undertaken across all areas. His Highness commended the social awareness media content, noting the high level of expertise and capability these institutions possess, which yields great outcomes.

His Highness stressed that media agencies should keep up with the rapid changes in the media domain and remain steady when dealing with all kinds of developments the world witnesses, by adopting new methodologies, being responsive to new situations, and maintaining a high degree of transparency and credibility in the disseminated information.

The meeting addressed several matters, including monitoring the progress of media operations, reviewing the results and achievements of media institutions, and reviewing future media ecosystem development.

The meeting reviewed the Council's key achievements in the first half of 2026, as well as progress in improving performance and implementing media plans and projects. The meeting also examined operational indicators and results across various media sectors.

The Sharjah Broadcasting Authority (SBA) presented viewership statistics for television channels in the country, with "Sharjah Channel" ranking second among the most-watched local television channels. The authority also addressed initiatives and media campaigns scheduled for the coming period.

The meeting included a presentation of the media platform developed by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, which holds the IP rights, as per a registration certificate from the Ministry of Economy.

It's an AI-powered platform currently used by 233 users from 77 government entities in Sharjah, enabling collaboration and coordination among agencies, promoting a unified media approach, and highlighting the Government's major initiatives.

The platform has an AI agent with a very high level of capability that is embedded across the media monitoring channels, the social media channels, and the traditional media.

The agent continuously monitors, tracks, and analyses based on specific instructions. It also serves as an active crisis management agent, using archive and monitoring data to suggest new media and promotional campaigns, assess government agency performance, produce regular press reports, and provide in-depth analysis.

It can also disseminate media content, track its reach, anticipate potential crises by issuing early-warning alerts, and turn raw data into indicators and recommendations to improve the efficiency of government media operations.

Sharjah Media City “Shams” highlighted its achievement of receiving the "Best Place to Work" certification, attaining a 95% score in an assessment of employee experience and confidence in the workplace, following a global methodology in measuring various aspects of organisational culture, such as trust, respect, fairness, and pride. Shams also secured first place in the International AI Media Awards in the "AI-Powered Storytelling" category.

Dr Sultan Bin Ahmed also reviewed a 3D model of the Shams Studios project, one of the region’s most significant future media projects. He received an update on the construction work completed to date, the project’s development stage, and the designs, facilities, and studios it comprises.

His Highness also visited the "SHJ971" store, which offers a wide range of products and personal items that reflect Sharjah's media identity, demonstrating the emirate’s vision in the media and creative production.

Alongside His Highness, the meeting attendees were: Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, Director General of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Tariq Saeed Allay, Director General of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau; Hassan Yaqoub Al Mansoori, Secretary-General of the Sharjah Media Council; Rashid Abdullah Al Obad, Director General of Sharjah Media City “Shams”; Salem Ali Al Ghaithi, Director of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Alya Al Suwaidi, Director of the Sharjah Government Media Bureau; and Hessa Abdulla Al Hammadi, Assistant Secretary-General of the Sharjah Media Council.

Recently, Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed praised the continued growth attained by Sharjah Media City Shams in terms of key performance indicators. This growth consists of an increase in the number of active companies to more than 23,000, these companies being owned by people from 171 different nationalities, and an 81.6% rise in licence renewals from 2022 to 2025.