KUWAIT CITY, Jan 23:  Minister of Information, Culture, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, emphasized that the TV archiving project represents a crucial step in advancing the media infrastructure of Kuwait. In a speech at the inauguration of the second phase of the project on Wednesday, Minister Al-Mutairi explained that the initiative is part of the Ministry's strategic vision to enhance infrastructure, preserve the nation's media heritage, and modernize it using cutting-edge technologies. The project also aims to strengthen the partnership between the public and private sectors to ensure the sustainable development of the media sector, in line with the highest international standards.

Al-Mutairi highlighted that the first phase of the project laid essential foundations, completing key tasks that set the stage for this ambitious initiative. This phase involved intensive efforts to document and protect Kuwait's historical media heritage. The minister expressed hope that the second phase would lead to a significant advancement in preserving television content, improving digital search and retrieval operations, and ensuring the protection of media assets. These efforts, he noted, would help foster media innovation and enhance national content, making it more accessible to researchers and other interested parties.

He added that the project would play a vital role in passing Kuwait's history on to future generations by digitizing over 220,000 hours of television archival material and properly classifying and describing it. Minister Al-Mutairi emphasized that the project’s value extends beyond preservation, as it opens up opportunities to reinvest this content in innovative ways that enhance its cultural and media significance. He also pointed out that the project could be utilized in various educational, cultural, and artistic sectors.

The minister noted that the project supports the Ministry’s broader efforts toward complete digital transformation, leveraging modern technological capabilities to manage media assets more efficiently. He affirmed the Ministry of Information’s commitment to continue improving its technical and human resources by investing in qualified national personnel and adopting global best practices in digital archiving, all aimed at ensuring the delivery of high-quality services in alignment with Kuwait’s development vision.

Minister Al-Mutairi also extended his gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the project, particularly the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, the specialized teams, private sector partners, and all other entities that played a pivotal role in advancing the initiative.

After the inauguration, the Minister, accompanied by French Ambassador to Kuwait Olivier Gauvin, toured the project’s departments, observed the work stages, and examined the devices and methods used for preserving film materials and tapes, as well as the search techniques employed.

Launched in 2016, the first phase of the Kuwait TV Archive Project involves restoring, copying, describing, categorizing, and archiving old films and all types of magnetic television tapes. The Kuwait TV library contains films of significant cultural, historical, and educational value, which must be carefully preserved for the benefit of future generations. The project provides a comprehensive solution to protect this cultural heritage while facilitating easy access to these films.