It was established in 1970 during the reign of King Faisal bin Abdulaziz, and functions under the country's Ministry of Media.

[2] The main goal of its establishment was to serve as a central body to collect and distribute local and international news in Saudi Arabia and abroad.

[3] The Agency publishes news in Arabic, English, French, Chinese, Russian and Persian.

The SPA has offices in Bonn, Cairo, London, Tunis and Washington, DC.

[4] Under the May 2012 restructuring, the SPA covers events and issues at national, regional and international levels, especially those related to the Kingdom and contribute to strengthening the journalistic profession in the country.