Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah is a Saudi businessman who holds a master’s degree in international law and trade from the American University.
He has held numerous high-level positions at various media stations and served as Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Media from 2018 to 2020.
Early Life
Turki Al-Shabanah was born on November 6, 1964, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Education
He completed his primary and secondary education in Riyadh, then enrolled in the College of Law at King Saud University, graduating in 1990 with a Bachelor’s degree in Law.
In 1993, he moved to the United States, where he earned a Master’s degree in International Law and Trade from the American University in Washington, D.C.
Career Overview
Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah is a seasoned Saudi media executive and former CEO of Rotana Group.
He was responsible for overseeing MBC’s operations in the United States, and later served as Assistant General Supervisor at MBC’s London office.
He supervised the production of various MBC programs across multiple Arab capitals.
In 2008, he was appointed Director of Rotana Group and LBC, the Lebanese satellite channel.
Achievements
In 1996, Al-Shabanah was appointed Manager of MBC’s U.S. operations and Assistant General Supervisor in London.
He also served as Head of Program Production and General Supervisor of MBC FM Radio.
In 1998, he founded the Arab-American Network Festival in London.
He supervised several productions from MBC’s offices in Cairo, Amman, Beirut, and Riyadh.
Al-Shabanah remained at MBC until July 7, 2002, when he resigned without disclosing his reasons.
In 2003, he became Chairman of TASS Media Consultancy, and in the same year, he worked as a special advisor to Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal until 2007, when he was appointed head of Rotana TV.
He also co-founded Charisma Group for TV production with Jordanian media figure Ayman Al-Zioud.
The company went on to produce numerous programs and participated in several Gulf youth events and festivals.
Turki Al-Shabanah was the first to transform Rotana Khalijiah from a music-only channel into a family-oriented variety channel.
He successfully recruited well-known media figures such as Bilal Al-Arabi and the late Saud Al-Dosari.
On December 27, 2018, a royal decree was issued by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, appointing Al-Shabanah as Saudi Minister of Media, a position he held until 2020.
Personal Life
On November 24, 2011, Turki Al-Shabanah married the daughter of Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdullah Al-Otaibi.
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