BroadcastPro ME March 2019

Issue 105 | MARCH 2019

Publication licensed by Dubai Production City

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Seven women! Seven individual journeys to the top in MENA broadcast, linked by their passion and ambition

PROintRO

GROUP Managing Director Raz Islam raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5471 Editorial Director Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5472 EDITORIAL Editor

Welcome

Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787 Assistant Editor Garima Rawat garima.rawat@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5478 Sub Editor Aelred Doyle ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Sandip Virk sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 50 929 1845 +44 (0) 773 444 2526 DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Designer Percival Manalaysay MARKETING Marketing Manager Sheena Sapsford sheena.sapsford@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5498 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION Production Manager Vipin V. Vijay vipin.vijay@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5713 Distribution Manager Phinson Mathew George phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5476 DIGITAL SERVICES Mohammad Awais Sadiq Siddiqui FOUNDER

March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day. This month is also significant because Dubai will host the largest gathering of regional broadcast professionals at the annual CABSAT conference and exhibition from March 12-14.

We couldn’t think of a more fitting occasion to celebrate some of the women in TV, film and radio who have made it to the top in the Middle East.

In this issue, the first of a series we intend to run periodically through the course of the year, we feature seven women who have not just tasted success but continue to forge new paths for themselves within the industry.

The stories of these women are all inspirational. Maysoun Odeh Gangat started off running a radio station called Nisaa FM for women in Palestine. Today the station doesn't just serve as an inspiration, it supports other women on their entrepreneurial path. Then there’s Enas Yaqoob from Bahrain, who began her life as a medical practitioner but went on to follow her personal passion of producing programmes for children. We bring you the stories of Sarah AlJarman’s rise at DMI, Amanda Turnbull’s success at

Discovery, Nadine Samra’s strategy for Weyyak, Kinda Ibrahim’s ambitious moves at Twitter and Nashwa Al Ruwaini’s success with Pyramedia.

While we have not delved into their personal lives in the features themselves, we heard so many beautiful personal tales – whether about facing resistance at home or having to work twice as hard as male colleagues to prove one’s worth, or about the heartwarming support of parents, siblings, spouses or friends who egged them on to pursue their personal passion and ambition, and stood by them. If you have a success story to share, you know where to reach us.

We believe that this month will bring many more success stories into the open.

While we have featured some in our news pages this month of the first UAE reality show that will be shown on ESPN.com and Shock Middle East planning more radio launches this year, CABSAT is the perfect platform to hear about new deals, global or Middle East product launches, and much more. Don’t forget to drop by our stand 4.402. See you at the show.

Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director

Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) PRINTED BY

ISSUE 105 | MARCH 2019

Publication licensed by Dubai Production City

Printwell Printing Press LLC, Dubai Published by

THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL Seven women! Seven individual journeys to the top in MENA broadcast, linked by their passion and ambition

Licensed by TECOM to registered company,

On this month's cover…

From left: Sarah AlJarman, Amanda Turnbull, Nadine Samra, Maysoun Gangat, Nashwa Al Ruwaini, Kinda Ibrahim and Enas Yaqoob.

Let’s create a vibrant online broadcast community! @BroadcastProME www.facebook.com/BroadcastProME BroadcastProME

CPI Trade Publishing FZ LLC whose registered office is 207 – 209, Building 3, Dubai Studio City, Dubai, UAE. www.cpitrademedia.com © Copyright 2019 CPI. All rights reserved.

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While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 1

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March 2019 Inside this issue

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05 NEWS FGC launches in Dhahran; Creative Venture secures rights for Impact Wrestling in MENA; OSN to retain only cricket channels; Cinema launches across MENA; Fighting Fit Dubai to stream on ESPN.com; Shock ME plans more radio stations

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PROnews

First Gulf Company opens Dhahran office Saudi Arabian systems integrator First Gulf Company (FGC) has opened an office in Dhahran to service its customers in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province as well as neighbouring Bahrain, BroadcastPro ME can reveal. This is FGC’s third office in Saudi Arabia and is headed by Hani Sinno, Manager, FGC, Eastern Region and Bahrain.

FGC has offices in Riyadh and Jeddah as well.

FGC recently secured a big project with Saudi Aramco Media Production Department (MPD) and the systems integrator’s new Dhahran office is close to Aramco.

Speaking to BroadcastPro ME, Joe Chbat, Director of Business Development

The FGC team on the right with guests who attended the launch.

at FGC, said: “We have a number of big projects in the Eastern Province, which is home to several big oil companies as well as universities. The Dhahran office has a team of project managers who handle the various projects we have in the Eastern Province. Its

close proximity to Bahrain also allows us to serve that market efficiently.”

The Dhahran office has more than 30 staff members. It stocks a wide range of rental equipment for production and also includes edit suites as part of its efforts to offer

post-production services to clients in the eastern region.

“Our inventory includes Sony F55s, Sony XDCAM FS700s, Canon C300s, Canon 5Ds, tripods, sliders, GoPros, Osmo systems, drones, lighting and most other industry-standard equipment required for medium-sized productions such as corporate films, awareness campaigns, documentaries and news reports,” added Chbat.

Eng Naim Saidi, CEO of FGC, added: “This is a great time to launch our Dhahran office. It gives us the opportunity to be close to our clients, Saudi Aramco, Bahrain TV and others in the eastern region, and offer them immediate support as and when they require it.”

Creative Venture secures MENA distribution rights to Impact Wrestling

tling promotion Impact Wrestling is a global wres original producing more than 200 hours of uages. lang 17 in ally annu ming ram prog

Dubai production and distribution house Creative Venture has inked a deal with New York-based global media brand distribution advisory Kings Highway Media, to exclusively represent it in distributing entertainment from Impact Wrestling in MENA, BroadcastPro ME

can reveal. The distribution exclusivity covers all platforms, including linear television and OTT. Impact Wrestling is a global wrestling promotion producing more than 200 hours of original programming annually in 17 languages, delivered to more than 120 countries.

Speaking about the deal to BroadcastPro ME, Badih Fattouh, owner and Managing Director of Creative Venture, said: “Wrestling is a well-loved sport in MENA and Impact Wrestling already has a huge share of the market in this region online. On just YouTube, outside the US, it attracts around 38 million monthly views. It has more than 1.8 million subscribers with more than 1.4 billion total views on the platform, and that is according to YouTube channel analytics released in October 2018.

“At present, there is only WWE here and it sits between two broadcasters.

We have the rest of the spectrum. It is time to offer more wrestling entertainment options to a wider network of broadcasters in the region, because Impact Wrestling is very competitive and youthoriented. It has a lot of fresh content and has very high production values.”

Key markets for Impact Wrestling’s YouTube channel, beyond the US, include India, the UK, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Vietnam, Pakistan, Malaysia and Canada.

Its social media metrics suggest that it has a reach of more than 60m in MENA and over 650m globally.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 5

PROnews

Greenstone Pictures to bring factual entertainment to MENA audiences Greenstone Pictures, a New Zealand production house which set up an office in Dubai Studio City last year, has revealed to BroadcastPro ME that it now has a strong slate of stories from the region in development.

The four-member, female-led team in Dubai specialises in producing factual entertainment and documentary series, with projects to be announced in the coming months.

“The MENA region has many fascinating stories that haven’t reached screens yet,” Greenstone NZ CEO Rachel Antony told BroadcastPro ME. “We are here to tell stories that haven’t been told before, from a local perspective. There is such a wealth of knowledge, history and amazing characters in the region.”

New Zealand is a small market of four and a half million people, and Greenstone was looking to expand its business into new markets. Its shows, produced in New Zealand and Australia, include factual series such as Border Patrol, Highway Cops, Dog Squad and obesity series The Big Ward, as well as documentaries on arts, culture, heritage and the environment, and educational children’s content such as Young Ocean Explorers and Kitchen Science. With these productions screening in more than 30 countries, they saw huge potential in the Middle East.

Antony has been coming

From left: Kura Righton, Production Manager; Tara Pradhan, CEO of Greenstone Middle East; Rania Ajjour, Head of Production and Rachel Antony, CEO of Greenstone NZ.

to the region periodically for the last three years, and explains: “It’s not a decision made lightly. While drama is hugely popular in the region, we want to focus more on factual entertainment and observational reality.”

“We are specialists at covering quite complex stories that require a lot of time to produce and develop.

It’s not just a couple of weeks’ shoot,” Tara Pradhan, CEO of Greenstone Middle East, explained. “We realised that if we were serious about the Middle East, we would need to commit to being here, and build relationships.

“We have been incredibly fortunate to secure Rania Ajjour as our Head of Production; she has a wealth of experience in the region and is a fantastic fit for our way of working. We are

6 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

building relationships with channels and broadcasters, and with government entities and some of the amazing local crew and suppliers.

“For our kind of projects, we plan to use a combination of local and international crew, and knowledge share. Part of our approach is to build capability and capacity, and build a roster of suppliers and crew that we can work with who understand our type of factual storytelling.

We would like to serve this market with their own stories first, and take it out to the rest of the world as well.”

The team has already been in talks with government entities in the UAE, having worked closely with similar organisations in New Zealand.

“We work with police, immigration, conservation,

health, education and other government entities in New Zealand and Australia to deliver some of their strategic messages in entertaining top-rating formats that audiences respond to; Border Patrol is one such example,” Pradhan pointed out. “A lot of the people we have spoken to have said they want to see more of their own stories.

Our productions show the heart of people’s stories and reflect a mix of cultures.”

New Head of Production Rania Ajjour concluded: “We are excited about the opportunity to tell the real stories of this region and to build our business here. Greenstone has been going for over 20 years in New Zealand, and it’s a privilege to be part of this new adventure.”

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PROnews

OSN to cut all sports channels except cricket by end March OSN is trimming its sports content portfolio, effective 31 March 2019, and will retain only cricketfocused channels as part of a new content strategy, BroadcastPro ME can reveal. The rest of the sports channels on the platform will be taken off air. The news was confirmed by new OSN CEO Patrick Tillieux, who added that the pay-TV network will have more premium movies and women-centric programming in the coming months.

“We are redirecting our investments from sports to

Patrick Tillieux, CEO, OSN.

content that our customers enjoy the most, and in line with this, effective

March 31, we will be closing some of our OSNowned sports channels (except cricket),” Tillieux confirmed to BroadcastPro. “We will continue to bring all the excitement of cricket, one of the most popular sports in the region, through OSN Sports Cricket HD and Ten Sports channels. There is a great line-up for cricket lovers to look forward to, including the India vs Australia series (Feb 24), New Zealand vs Bangladesh series (Feb 13), and this year’s highly anticipated ICC Cricket World Cup (May 30).”

OSN launches contract-free TV package in KSA

From left: Mahmoud bin Ahmed, Regional Director Sales, KSA; Steve MacDiarmid, CCO at OSN and Bandar Al Mashhadi, MD of OSN Saudi Arabia.

OSN has launched El Farq, a contract-free TV entertainment package at a competitive price point, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The launch follows an extensive research period and a three-month testing phase across KSA to record customer responses on viewership patterns.

OSN research identified that general entertainment

and Arabic series are the most consumed genres on OSN video-on-demand.

In the next few months, OSN will exclusively premiere some of the most talked-about shows, including the final season of Game of Thrones; season 3 of The Handmaid’s Tale (June premiere); and new Arabic shows on OSN YaHala Al Oula HD.

8 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

A survey conducted in Saudi Arabia showed OSN that the top priority for purchasing entertainment services was ease of use (53%), followed by value for money (49%) and the latest movies (42%).

Speaking about the launch, Bandar Al Mashhadi, Managing Director – KSA, OSN, said: “We want to make entertainment accessible for everyone, and we are confident that El Farq will further cement OSN’s position in the Saudi market as the leading provider of premium entertainment.”

El Farq includes a simplified payments process allowing customers to pay with cash or credit card upon installation.

MBC launches Iraqi channel

The team at Bath Nokat.

MBC Group launched MBC Iraq, a family-oriented entertainment channel for Iraqi viewers, on 17 February. It will launch with several Iraqi drama and comedy productions, as well as sociocultural premium entertainment shows.

A special tailored line-up for Ramadan will also be announced in due course.

Sam Barnett, CEO of MBC Group, said: “MBC Iraq is a premium television network that caters to the needs of a sophisticated Iraqi audience, offering exclusive and premium content suitable for all members of the family and all age groups.

Our aim is to offer increased localised productions, offering opportunities to Iraqi talent and prospects in media to its youth.”

MBC has been televising Iraqi dramas featuring Iraqi talent including singers and TV stars, for many years.

PROnews

Fox Middle East partners with Red Bee Media for global distribution service Fox Networks Group Middle East has renewed its playout and media management agreement with Red Bee Media for Fox, Fox Movies, Star Movies and Star World.

In addition, Red Bee Media will also provide FNG Middle East with a costeffective global distribution service for two of its channels through the Red Bee Media Channel Store.

This is aimed at providing secure internet delivery, replacing costly satellite connections and adding new content delivery options.

Replacing costly satellite

Sanjay Raina, GM and Senior VP of Fox Networks Group Middle East.

Houssam Al-Khaled, Head of Market Area Middle East, Red Bee Media.

and fibre connections with this secure internetbased signal transport solution, Fox will be able to achieve broadcast-grade distribution while reducing

cost and set-up time.

Sanjay Raina, GM and Senior Vice President, Fox Networks Group Middle East, said: “Red Bee Media has been our trusted service

provider for a long time, and we are happy to continue and expand this relationship for the years to come.”

“We are proud to have renewed and expanded our relationship with Fox, and it is a clear confirmation of the value we bring by delivering our managed services. Doing so, we are providing Fox with the ability to focus on content development, production and increased viewer satisfaction, driving business growth in their markets,” added Houssam AlKhaled, Head of Market Area Middle East, Red Bee Media.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 9

PROnews

Front Row hires ex-Disney exec as COO, begins acquiring IPs for local remakes Dubai-based MENA film distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has appointed Nicolas Torloting as its Chief Operating Officer (COO). Torloting, who served for almost two decades with various Disney companies, will take over the running of day-to-day operations.

President Hisham AlGhanim and CEO Gianluca Chakra will continue to oversee all local and international acquisitions. His

Nicolas Torloting, COO, Front Row.

Sherif Shaker and Maha Ammar join Imagine Communications Imagine Communications has expanded its regional team with the appointment of Sherif Shaker (left in pic) as Regional Sales Manager and Maha Ammar as Bid Manager for MENA. Shaker and Ammar will be based in Dubai and report to Anas Hantash, Director MESA & North Africa for Imagine

Communications.

Prior to joining Imagine Communications, Shaker served in senior sales positions at Sam/ Grass Valley and Sony Professional Solutions Middle East. Ammar previously worked with INC, where she helped secure successful multi-milliondollar bids.

10 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

remit is to ensure that Front Row stands at the forefront of all market changes while Chakra and AlGhanim expand local production projects and develop an ambitious acquisition plan of international and Arabic-language content.

Front Row has already started acquiring IPs for local remakes, for both television and feature films.

Three projects are currently in development, including

an Arabic-language remake of the Italian smash hit Perfect Strangers, as well as a high-concept international feature film which will be announced later on this year.

Front Row has also appointed ex-Picturehouse executive Micallar WalkerSmith as Marketing and PR Manager, while Eli Touma, formerly with Sony Pictures and Empire International, has joined as Marketing and Acquisitions Director.

Telestream appoints new MENAT sales manager

Turner EMEA extends Branco's role to MENAT

Tarek Mounir joins as CEO of Deezer's MENAT office

Telestream has announced the appointment of Osman Salah as Regional Sales Manager, serving the MENAT region.

Based in Dubai, Salah brings a wealth of local market experience, commercial expertise and technical knowledge to Telestream’s MENA team. Osman Salah has worked for a number of industry-leading vendors in the past.

Turner EMEA has announced a significant internal promotion that will see Pierre Branco, presently SVP & GM for Northern Europe, expand his remit to include the Middle East, Northern Africa, Turkey and Cyprus businesses from 1 April. Branco’s focus will be on maximising all-platform growth opportunities for the MENAT brand portfolio.

Tarek Mounir, the former VP and GM for Turner, MENAT, has joined Deezer as CEO for its MENA and Turkey regions.

Mounir will head the company from April 1, and will be responsible for growing Deezer’s B2B and advertising business in MENA and Turkey, working closely with the company’s global Product, Marketing and Content teams.

PROnews

Season 3 of Iftah Ya Simsim concludes

Majid Al Futtaim opens first Vox Cinemas multiplex in Al Ain Majid Al Futtaim has launched a brand-new VOX Cinemas multiplex in Al Ain at Al Jimi Mall. This launch comes within a week of VOX Cinemas announcing

its presence in three countries, including nine screens in City Centre in Oman on 22 January and the first Jeddah multiplex opening in KSA on 29 January.

Twofour54 announced the completion of Season 3 of Iftah Ya Simsim, an Arabiclanguage show for children based on Sesame Street, in partnership with Bidaya, an Arabic content developer with a focus on creating kids' educational content. Season 3 will feature 52 episodes and will be broadcast in early 2019.

Twofour54 facilitated the production and post-production of the series.

First cinema in Jeddah launches Jeddah opened its first cinemas at Red Sea Mall last month.

Jeddah is expected to have more than 100 cinema screens, three of which will open in 2019. Two more are scheduled for a Q2 2020 launch.

The theatre is part of a 12-screen multiplex planned

by Majid Al Futtaim at Red Sea Mall. VOX announced last year that it would invest $530m in KSA and open 600 screens in the Kingdom over the next five years.

Cinépolis marks GCC entry with launch in Bahrain Global cinema operator Cinépolis, which has operations in the Americas, Europe and India, has finally made an entry into the GCC with its first multiplex launch in Bahrain on 31 January. The multiplex at Atrium Mall in Saar features 13 screens, including Bahrain’s first-ever kids’ theatre and 4D experience.

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PROnews

Twitter launches #ElevatorTweets in Dubai, announces Saudi user research Twitter unveiled a regionalfirst campaign in Dubai last month with #ElevatorTweets, whereby people in one of the lifts in the Dubai Properties Group building in Media City could see curated, real-time conversations of what was happening in Saudi Arabia displayed on a large LED screen fitted on a wall of the lift. Interestingly, the tweets were tailored to the floors to which people were going.

The ‘activated’ lift used stateof-the-art technology to create an interactive experience of rich media and video, which appeared on the walls of the lift. Upon entering the lift, pressure pad sensors on the lift buttons triggered signals to temporarily-coated walls of screen mirrors, initiating the Tweets wall. Every office floor opened the doors to a map of what was happening in Saudi Arabia, relevant to the business of the organisation.

Twitter used the opportunity to share the results of its research study in Saudi

The screens on the 'activated lift' show tweets tailored to the floors to which people are going.

Arabia, conducted by UK neuro-marketing company Neuro-Insight. Neuro-Insight outfitted users with specially designed visors and headsets, complete with sensors. This kit then measured the tiny electrical pulses in the brain as people used Twitter and other social media platforms.

Commenting on the study, Walid Issa, Head of Research, MENA, Twitter, said: “We opted for neuro research in an effort to move beyond claimed responses to a survey – to access what really happens at a subconscious level. The research confirmed

the belief that social media platforms are used by people for different purposes, while confirming that for Twitter, our audiences truly are immersed, leaned-in and highly engaged with the content they consume on the platform.”

The survey confirmed that Twitter users do not use the social platform to communicate with friends and family as much as to gather information and breaking news, and find out more about topics of interest to them. The environment demands higher attentiveness and translates into a more receptive audience.

Walid Issa is Head of Research at Twitter MENA.

The findings claimed that Twitter is the only platform where people view ads in a positive manner, because they are not compelled to watch them by being interrupted while consuming content on the platform; consequently, they do not react negatively.

Although some other platforms elicit stronger levels of memory encoding than Twitter, the ads are encoded alongside a negative emotional response. This is primarily due to visual attention being high but the overall ad experience being quite jarring, leading to a high level of withdrawal.

Twitter live streams Arabic show covering Big Four fall fashion weeks The first episode of the fashion news series #FrontRowGlam, taking place in partnership with Twitter and Sayidaty, streamed last month.

Exclusively broadcast on Twitter in Arabic, the series will keep viewers informed on what’s happening during the Big Four fall 2019 fashion weeks in New York,

London, Milan and Paris.

Produced by Sayidaty, the five-minute series will cover the latest in fashion and beauty through multiple segments in February and March. #FrontRowGlam will feature fashion news, tours of fashion houses and beauty clinics, celebrity interviews and expert fashion tips. It will be hosted

12 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

by the first Emirati runway model, Rafeea Al-Hajsi.

The live stream will be free and accessible globally to logged-in and logged-out users on Twitter and connected devices. The stream will air every Sunday afternoon, via @Sayidatynet.

Research conducted by Nielsen revealed that 63%

of women on Twitter in Saudi Arabia are passionate about fashion and consume fashion video content on Twitter. Moreover, 86% of them said they would watch a fashion series on Twitter if one was made available.

This is the second original Arabic show produced by Sayidaty in partnership with Twitter.

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PROnews

93% UAE listeners tune into radio weekly in Q4 2018, but time spent declined: Nielsen 93% of the total UAE population aged 10 and above tuned in to radio every week in Q4 2018. This was 4% more than in Q3, according to the latest survey by Nielsen, a global measurement and data analytics company.

UAE residents and nationals listened to 61.5m hours of radio during this period. The Q4 measurement covers all radio listening from 1 October to December 31, 2018.

Nielsen’s UAE Radio Audience Measurement measured listenership of 53 radio stations across the country among all individuals aged 10+. While Q3 results showed that for the hot summer months, with residents travelling out of the country, listening in Dubai and the Northern Emirates declined significantly, in Q4 it bounced back. Abu Dhabi registered almost universal reach, with 99.9% of residents listening to radio in an

Sarah Messer, Director Media – Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan, Nielsen.

average week, compared to 90% in Dubai and 85% in the Northern Emirates. Sharjah continued to maintain a similar level to that of Q3 with an increase of just 1%, to 92%.

Listenership among Emirati and expat Arab nationality groups remained similar to in Q3, but the Filipino (10% growth q-o-q) and South Asian (5% growth q-o-q) nationality

MBC to air Globo telenova in MENA MBC Group has acquired the MENA licence to air God Save the King, Globo’s medieval super production.

The show, written

by Daniel Adjafre and directed by Fabrício Mamberti, features massive

battles, majestic castles and a plot of betrayal, revenge and romance. It involves meticulous work in technology, costumes and set design for the building of the kingdoms where the story takes place.

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

groups had a significant positive impact on the reach of radio in Q4 2018.

Speaking about the latest statistics, Sarah Messer, Director Media – Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan, Nielsen, said: “We expect the last quarter of the year to be a busy period for all categories and industries as people return to the region after the long summer

months and school holidays.

UAE radio has a significant boost in listenership in Q4, in line with that expectation.

“Listening 8pm-12am is higher than at any of the other peak times during the day, giving radio advertisers many more opportunities to reach their target audience through smart radio planning. It is the first time for Nielsen UAE RAM that the industry can look at year-on-year comparisons, Q4 2017 versus Q4 2018.

“Interestingly, the top five radio stations in Q4 2017 continue to be in the top five for Q4 2018 as well. Overall comparison shows that listenership levels between Q4 2017 and Q4 2018 remain similar (90% reach in Q4 2018 versus 93% reach in Q4 2017).

There is a slight decline in time spent listening to radio; the average listener in Q4 2018 tuned in to radio for nine minutes less per week.”

Yahlive renews partnership with Turner

Yahlive has renewed its partnership with Turner Broadcasting Systems.

The renewal will enable the continued broadcast of CNN International to Yahlive’s viewers across southwest Asia and the Middle East.

Alhurra TV to air Prime documentaries US-headquartered Alhurra TV, with studios across the Arab world, has collaborated with Prime Entertainment Group to show Prime’s documentaries in MENA. The partnership will allow Alhurra TV to broadcast around five hours of documentaries from Prime’s biographies catalogue in February 2019. Alhurra TV has acquired rights to documentaries on Russian President Vladimir Putin and global entertainment icons such as Angelina Jolie and Madonna.

PROnews

Shams announces mentoring team for Emirates Entertainment Experience Sharjah Media City (Shams) has revealed the names of the dream team that will mentor participants as part of the Emirates Entertainment Experience. This project – the first of its kind in film and television production in the Arab world – was announced

by Shams in collaboration with Arab Format Lab. The Emirates Entertainment Experience involves a team of filmmaking professionals who will inspire and mentor talented young creatives who want to pursue a career in filmmaking. The team comprises director Nahla Al Fahad (UAE), actors

The dream team will mentor individuals who intend to pursue a career in filmmaking.

Habib Ghuloom and Abdullah Haider, writer Mohammed Hassan Ahmed, composer Moustafa Halawany (Egypt) and director of photography

Michal Sosna (Poland).

The Emirates Entertainment Experience will culminate in an Emirati film created by UAE-based

talents including scriptwriters, actors, directors and people with sound engineering, cinematographic, lighting, music composition, graphics and interior design skills, who will compete to make the film.

HE Dr Khalid Omar Al Midfa, Chairman of Sharjah Media City (Shams), commented that the Emirates Entertainment Experience will include training, workshops and an awards ceremony. He added that the project has been implemented successfully in a number of countries and invited people to take part in the filmmaking experience.

UAE-made reality show from Nomad Productions to air on ESPN.com UAE-based Nomad Productions has signed a deal with sports media giant, ESPN, that will see the third season of its reality show Fighting Fit Dubai air on ESPN from March 17, 2019.

Conceptualised, filmed and produced entirely in the UAE, the show follows a diverse group of UAE residents between the ages of 25-57, as they train in the art of boxing over six weeks for the chance to compete to be named Fighting Fit Dubai Champions on the final Fight Night. From trials, two teams of six people and 12 reserves will be selected, with teams facing weekly challenges and showdowns

in the ring, fighting for their chance to stay in the show.

The third season will see a legion of elite trainers and mentors, including Dan Costello, Waleed ‘Dynamite’ Din and Joe Ackery, oversee contestant training.

With episodes being uploaded to ESPN.com thrice weekly from 17 March, it will be the first time a UAE-based reality show will be streamed and hosted on ESPN.com.

Speaking about the show and the partnership, Phil Griffiths, Director of Fighting Fit Dubai and Co-Founder of Nomad Productions said: “As we have seen through the success of the first two seasons of

16 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

From left: Zoe Griffiths, Tim Orr, Tim Swain and Phil Griffiths from Nomad Productio ns.

Fighting Fit Dubai, there has always been an appetite for compelling content that showcases the emirate and its residents. Also, during recent years, the way our viewers consume entertainment has undergone a sea-change.

They expect convenience and flexibility and our partnership with ESPN. com has not only given us an international stage, but also allows us to reach our fans and followers in a way that simply makes sense to them.”

PROnews

Arab Cinema Centre invites Arab film projects for MAFF The Arab Cinema Centre (ACC) has opened the call for applications for Arab film projects to participate in MAFF, the Málaga Film Festival Fund & Coproduction Event, as well as Málaga Work in Progress, to be held alongside MAFF in Spain, March 15-24.

ACC will select one Arab film project from each category, as per the agreement between ACC and the festival. The two winning film projects will have the opportunity to connect with

Saudi shorts screen at Berlinale as ACC turns 5 The 69th Berlin International Film Festival last month saw the largest collection of Saudi short films showcased at its market screenings.

The occasion was also special for the Arab Cinema Centre, a MAD initiative, which celebrated its fifth anniversary along with 20 partners from various film organisations and international film festivals.

the international funding institutions attending the festival and producers from Spain and other European countries.

Málaga Work in Progress focuses on financing film production, and facilitating its completion and international distribution.

Participating films will have the opportunity to present their project to the international funds participating in MAFF as well as to sales agents and international distributors.

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MAD Solutions acquires MENA rights to The Third Wife MAD Solutions has picked up the rights to distribute The Third Wife in 22 Arab countries from German company M-Appeal, according to a report in Screen Daily. The deal covers Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Iraq, Yemen, Mauritania, South Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Djibouti, the Comoro Islands, Palestine, Libya, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Sudan. The Third Wife is a Vietnamese period drama about a teenage girl who is to be the third wife of a wealthy landowner.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 17

PROnews

Hankook 24Hr DUBAI endurance race uses DTC Broadcast wireless kit DTC Broadcast deployed a complete DTC broadcast wireless system for coverage of the Hankook 24Hr DUBAI endurance race last month at the Dubai Autodrome, as part of the 24Hr SERIES powered

by Hankook. The deployment was in association with DTC Broadcast’s partner Studio Hamburg MCI. Over three days in January, 75 race cars set out over the 5.4km course of the 24 Hours of Dubai. The race was eventually won by Car Collection Motorsport in its new 2019 Audi R8 LMS. DTC’s broadcast technology contribution to race coverage, specified and supplied by Studio Hamburg MCI to Cologne-based 0221 Mediagroup, comprised SOLO7 OBTX and SOLO7 Nano amplifiers, coupled with PRORXD receivers to provide comprehensive coverage around the circuit.

Sebastian Scholz, Managing Director of 0221 Mediagroup, said: “As an international operating broadcast service operator, we have gained a lot of experience with different kinds of wireless systems on the market.

Motor sport is only one part of a wide variety of application challenges that we face. DTC convinced us that, together with the high flexibility of their wireless system, especially given the PRORXD 8-way receivers, we can quickly and confidently respond to the future requirements of our clients by using them.”

DTC’s broadcast technology comprised SOLO7 OBTX and SOLO7 Nano amplifiers, coupled with PRORXD receivers to provide comprehensive coverage around the circuit.

Studio Hamburg MCI Project Engineer Richard Hardege added: “The DTC technology was brought in to replace technology that required twice the number of receive points and still could not consistently cope with the demands being placed upon it. Having successfully trialled DTC’s SOLO7 OBTX transmitters and PRORXD receivers with eight-way input and some ancillary fibre technology for the same motor racing series in 2018, it was rapidly identified as the way to get 0221 Mediagroup’s project done more efficiently, and

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ultimately, less expensively.”

When Studio Hamburg MCI did the Silverstone test, it hoisted a single receive point on a strategically located cherry picker, which covered the entire race track except for a small area of the back straight. By simply adding another small receive station, 100% coverage was achieved for more than 24 hours before, during and after the 24-hour race.

Hardege added: “The use of the cherry picker made the system very quick, easy and cost-effective to set up, rather than having to source and secure locations all around

the track, which is costly, time-consuming and often impractical. The PRORXD is ideal for the scale of motor racing events. Essentially, by using PRORXDs, we cut the number of receive points required for the race season’s circuits in half.”

A select number of cars used the SOLO7 OBTX transmitters housed with 1W amplifiers inside each car.

Low-profile, omni-directional Domo antennas completed the transmit package.

The SOLO7 OBTX transmitter is a compact, feature-rich COFDM digital video transmitter specifically designed for high-quality OB applications. The SOLO7 Nano amplifier is an ultra-miniature COFDM power amplifier designed specifically for small, discreet applications.

The PRORXD receiver/ decoder has excellent RF performance complemented by an extremely flexible decoding platform.

JP Delport, DTC Vice President, Broadcast Sales, said: “The SOLO7 and PRORXD package has rapidly become the prime choice for motor racing applications, as has been increasingly and repeatedly demonstrated in professional racing applications around the world. The upshot is that its success – coupled with our experience – has generated a significant number of new and exciting applications for such a package.”

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PROnews

Shock ME limits commercial breaks to two ads, plans more FM launches in 2019

From left: Cameron Plant and Digby Taylor.

Dubai-based Shock Middle East (SME), celebrating two successful years in the radio business, has launched a UAEfirst radio initiative in which it airs only two ads at a time during commercial breaks on its three radio stations – Dance 97.8 FM, Heart 107.1 FM and Radio Hala 95.6 FM. This initiative, which started last month and promises listeners a clutter-free radio experience and advertisers good value for money, is based on a behavioural research survey of radio listenership in the UAE, conducted by the radio network in partnership with IPSOS. Key findings from the research showed that 76% of respondents listen to radio in the car, 96% do not want more than five ads in one commercial break and only 13% are interested in ads read live by presenters.

The research concluded that long commercial breaks are

the main reason listeners switch from one radio station to another, and listeners invariably listen to two or three radio stations as a result.

Elaborating on the research and SME’s subsequent announcement, Cameron Plant, a radio veteran who recently joined Shock as Group Managing Director, said: “We had some idea about what our listeners wanted, but you can never be sure until you conduct adequate research on the effectiveness of radio in this country. We wanted to find out from our listeners what they liked and what they didn’t like, and this research with IPSOS helped to identify our USP. When we discovered that 96% of listeners don’t want to listen to more than five ads, we decided to offer only two ads so there’s less chance for listeners to switch to another radio station.

“Our promise is simple, give listeners what they

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want – less ads, more music, more content – and provide clients with an environment where they receive maximum brand recall and exposure.”

With the research pointing out that most listeners could only recall 2.8 of 10 ads when they were played in one go, Plant said: “If you are the fifth, sixth or even the last in an ad break, irrespective of which radio station you are on, chances are listeners have already switched off. Most radio stations charge extra to be the first or last in an ad break. If you are the last and paying loading to be the last in that ad break, the odds are you are not being heard anyway.

We are not charging any loading and there’s just two ads from us. With this, we have been playing between 11 and 14 songs an hour, if not more.”

Digby Taylor, Programming Director at Shock Middle East, added that he has worked closely with his presenters to

ensure that the new initiative is implemented seamlessly.

Advertisers can still book the same number of advertisements; this just means that the station has one or two more commercial breaks.

“The difference is not in the number of breaks, but the duration of a break and the content in between the breaks. We spoke to a few clients and told them we were changing the way we execute ads on air, and they have been very receptive because they want their advertising spend to be used more effectively,” added Taylor.

In other news, Plant also revealed that SME will launch two or three new stations in 2019 with a Bollywood station on the cards in the near future. The radio network will move to a bigger location in Dubai Media City within the next few months to accommodate this expansion.

“Our research has showed us that the three most popular formats in radio here are Arabic, English and Hindi.

So we will launch a Hindilanguage radio station and again, two ads in a row is all we will have on it. We hope to grow our number of stations from three to six this year.”

Taylor confirmed that the team will remain at Dubai Media City as it “has that edge and is the heritage place now for media”.

“We like to innovate and do things differently. We have around 53 people and that will go up soon,” he concluded.

PROnews

Al Rayyan TV updates broadcast playout with Pebble Beach Systems Pebble Beach Systems has deployed its Marina automation solution at the new playout infrastructure for Al Rayyan TV. The new system, which offers full redundancy with no single point of failure, went on air at the end of 2018.

Pebble’s Marina automation handles the playout of three channels and controls channel technology, including Harmonic servers and Avid graphics. It also interfaces to a Dalet media asset management system and BTS traffic.

The decision to adopt a Pebble

YuppTV comes to Kuwait YuppTV has launched its services in Kuwait with NHE as its exclusive dealer, following a good reception for its content in the UAE. YuppTV has announced plans to launch in other markets including KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and North Africa soon.

Zahra Zayat, Vice President of MENA at YuppTV, said: “Our service is 100% legal and we offer all premium channels such as Colors, Zee, Asianet and Star in 13 languages,

including Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Bangladeshi and many more.

NHE will be our exclusive dealer in Kuwait, covering the dealer distribution market and power retailers.

In addition to that, we have tied up with the major telcos in the region to provide to our subscribers the ability to use the mode of payment they prefer, whether cash, credit card, POS K Net or direct carrier.”

Samir Isbaih, VP of Sales, Middle East and APAC, Pebble Beach Systems.

solution followed a detailed proofof-concept exercise, which involved extensive evaluation by Al Rayyan’s operational and engineering staff.

The system integrator for the project was Salam Media Cast, which managed the migration and integration of all products involved.

Samir Isbaih, Pebble VP of Sales for the Middle East & APAC, added: “Al Rayyan went through a thorough evaluation of the possible technologies, and we are delighted that they chose to partner with Pebble for the playout solution.”

Digiturk works with United Streaming

Dubai Malayalam FM station shuts down

Turkish satellite TV provider Digiturk has chosen Unified Streaming to support its new consolidated video-streaming environment. The company holds the broadcast rights for Turkey’s premier professional football league, the Süper Lig, and reportedly pioneered the introduction of HD, 3D and 4K technologies in the country. Unified Streaming’s software plug-in, Unified Origin, will enable Digiturk to deliver a stable, seamless experience to its subscribers across the Turkish diaspora.

Radio Mango 96.2, a Dubai-based Malayalam FM radio station, has shut down operations due to a drop in advertisement revenue. Launched in 2014, the radio station’s programming catered largely to Indian expatriates familiar with the Malayalam language. The station ceased operations last month. Radio Mango is the second Malayalam radio station in the UAE to go off-air recently, after Ras Al Khaimah-based Voice of Kerala also shut up shop last year.

beIN Sports brings South American football to MENA The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), FC Diez and beIN Media Group have announced a four-year media rights agreement that will see beIN Sports exclusively broadcast the Copa Libertadores football tournament across the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and 24 territories in MENA from 2019-2022. beIN Media Group has also acquired the rights to South American club football tournament, the Copa Sudamericana.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 21

PROCOVER

The bold and The beautiful 22 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

PROCOVER

The discourse on women is changing. There’s a paradigm shift in Mena and global broadcast.

Women are no longer willing to be just the ‘pretty faces’ on camera; they are defying tradition and smashing the glass ceiling in an industry long dominated by men. In the inaugural story of a new series, Garima Rawat brings you a cross-section of stories focusing on seven remarkable women driving change. Their pioneering work for broadcasters is forcing the world to take notice of the women in arabia March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 23

PROcOveR

ThE balancing act Sarah Ahmed AlJarman of DMI is consistently working towards keeping television relevant for MENA audiences. She tells BroadcastPro ME about combining meaningful, engaging content with a strong return on investment for the state broadcaster

Her passion for the media industry and an unwavering zeal for government service made it only natural that Sarah Ahmed AlJarman would find her way to a state broadcaster. As Director of General Channels - Dubai TV and Dubai One, part of Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), AlJarman is not only witnessing the broadcast boom in the region, she’s also helping to shape it.

Ruminating on her escapades in the broadcast industry, AlJarman says: “I started my journey in media in 2005 with the English-language entertainment channel Dubai One. Later, I moved on to Dubai TV, the main broadcaster, which handled the general channels under DMI. My journey has been about going from channel to channel and managing the whole spectrum within DMI. As Channel Manager of both channels, Dubai One and Dubai TV, I oversee the strategy for both.”

While career women are often juggling work and family, AlJarman has a different kind of balancing act.

Highlighting the fine line DMI must tread, she says: “There are two pillars to balance. We are a subsidised entity but are also commercially driven. We may be government, but we also have a commercial strategy and objective. We are looking at making revenues and ratings in the region with an eye on ROI, but at the same time we are also mindful of what people want.

“We conduct research with a lot of agencies to understand what audiences want. Based on that, we try to offer informative and entertaining television while also ensuring that it is aligned with the government’s agenda, objectives and vision. We tread very carefully between these two.”

Aligning with the government’s agenda of bringing Emirati talent to the media industry is DMI’s top priority.

“As the third pillar, we are trying to be a catalyst and facilitating Emiratis to train in the field of media.

At DMI, one of our important objectives, and one specifically close to me, is to create a vibrant platform and space for young people to enter the media and

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explore the various roles industry has to offer.”

DMI’s programming has seen a shift towards reality television, with popular shows like The Story of My Life, Fashion Star and Carpool Karaoke. Discussing her programming strategy, AlJarman says: “We are looking at innovative ideas and concepts that have not been explored before. Shows that have an original concept like The Story of my Life (a format where celebrities are shown growing old with the help of makeup) have garnered a lot of interest in the region. We want to do stories that have a 'human-interest' angle. We’ll be launching season two of Carpool Karaoke. Fashion Star is our fashion reality show, which is very popular and offers a platform for mentoring fashion designers in the region.”

Giving BroadcastPro ME an exclusive peek into programming this year, AlJarman says: “We will be bringing Astronauts: Toughest Job in the Universe to the UAE. The show will make its debut as a local format with Dubai Media Inc. The 10-part series, which aired on BBC in the UK, will see ordinary people compete to take their spot as the astronaut they always wanted to be. To air on Dubai TV, this show is currently in production and will be available soon.

“With me handling Dubai TV, we have changed the programming strategy of the channel. We are looking at innovative ideas and concepts that have not been explored before, shows that have an original concept.”

Besides a fresh outlook, DMI is exploring the globe to bring relevant programming to the region, with an open approach to content from around the world. DMI actively engages with territories like Latin America, Portugal, Spain and Italy, where content is appropriate for the culture, cultural sensitivities and family values in the MENA region.

AlJarman explains further. “We are scouting festivals and exhibitions, and connecting with our vast network of contacts like distributors and suppliers. We are exploring at investing in our original content and some in-house productions as well. We have received a couple of scripted

PROCOVER Sarah Ahmed AlJarman is changing the programming strategy at DMI and bringing innovative ideas that have not been explored before through shows with an original concept.

Snapshot Name: Sarah Ahmed AlJarman Designation: Director General Channels - Dubai One and Dubai TV Organisation: Dubai Media Incorporated Location: United Arab Emirates

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 25

PROcOveR AlJarman recently finished a Master's degree in Marketing, Advertising and Communications from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi.

action shows, and they are original – we are in the process of exploring these with different production houses. We have a local focus and are trying to stimulate production in the region.

“At DMI, we are pushing the envelope in terms of content and entertainment. As a broadcaster, you must be very careful about cultural sensitivities and you must respect them. You are really invading people’s homes for free, so you have to be very careful with what you provide. You must be providing quality, classy, entertaining and informative programming and not doing anything that is socially unacceptable. My focus is on quality production,” she emphasises.

With Saudi Arabia joining the entertainment bandwagon, AlJarman is optimistic about collaboration. “With KSA also evolving in the region, it means a lot of talent is available. We are looking at exploring working with friends in Saudi in terms of talent and production, and more cooperation will be on the cards.”

In her 14 years in the broadcast industry, AlJarman has seen many changes. Among the most promising has been “getting a lot of interest from Emirati women students”.

The broadcast industry’s appeal has always centred around the camera. In the past, local women did not want to be on camera, and therefore there was a dearth of women in broadcast. But now, thanks to the popularity of new media, things are really looking up.

On youngsters going online, AlJarman says: “Although the social media channels have changed it a little, new media in general opened the doors for women. There are a lot of influencers on social media, but as influencers, you have to be very careful about what you are saying and what you are doing.

Use the platform wisely. Do it

“You are really invading people’s homes for free, so you have to be very careful with what you provide” Sarah Ahmed AlJarman, Director General Channels DMI – Dubai TV and Dubai One with skill and social responsibility.

Don’t do it just to be famous. Be very careful with what you want to do.

Do it with a message, there has to be a calling at the end of the day.”

Behind the camera seems to be a different story, she says: “Technical roles for camerawomen are not really finding much appeal among many women. The percentage of women applying for these roles is small, but if there is someone who has the passion for it, there are no

26 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

employer restrictions holding them back. I have always believed that if you give people the freedom and space to work, they thrive so much. My role is really about giving people the space to grow.”

The general belief is that working for a government broadcaster brings a different set of specific challenges, especially for women.

But AlJarman tells a different story.

“A lot of people say that working in the government sector is not the easiest place for a woman. But I have only felt empowered, and the main reason is because of how much our leadership endorses women. I haven’t faced any discrimination.

The government has helped with female workforce labour laws.

Maternity leave has been extended for women. A lot of corporations

PROcOveR

have implemented nurseries as well, and this is something we are looking at in DMI. There is also a lot of flexibility when it comes to women. In this part of the world, women are thriving, they have the empowerment and the space to work. We are lucky to have supportive leadership.”

With so much on her plate, how does she find time for a personal life?

“It’s really about time management. Give everything its time. Give your family quality time. I am all in support of people who can do both. My personal choice is that if you have the passion, go for it and enjoy it.”

DMI is keeping pace with the government agenda and will soon be launching an Expo 2020 talk show. AlJarman spills the beans exclusively to BroadcastPro ME:

“We will be bringing Astronauts: Toughest Job in the Universe to the UAE. The show will make its debut as a local format with Dubai Media Inc” Sarah Ahmed AlJarman, Director General Channels DMI – Dubai TV and Dubai One “We are preparing a talk show that caters to Expo 2020. The show will have all the information on the Expo and will be launched in the run-up to the event. This show will be targeted at English-speakers and will be aired on Dubai One and Dubai TV. Even the World Cup comes under our remit. We usually do specific programming, but we are exploring new ideas for this.”

Women, especially Arab women, are empowered and rising as a force to reckon with in the region. AlJarman,

who recently finished a Master's in Marketing, Advertising and Communications from Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, believes in the emotional intelligence that she feels only women can bring to an organisation.

Elaborating, she says: “A lot of elements that a woman can bring to the table, men can’t.

Women bring in an emotionally intelligent touch. Being emotionally intelligent with your colleagues, bosses and everyone else helps you deal with work situations.

Women are emotional, sensitive and empathetic with people. They understand people’s needs and give them their space. Women really reflect their own self-worth and self-respect. If you are vibrating self-worth and self-respect and you know you are confident… people sniff that,” AlJarman concludes.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 27

PROCOveR

Snapshot Name: Maysoun Odeh Gangat Designation: Co-Founder and Managing Director Organisation: Radio Nisaa FM Location: Palestine

28 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

PROcOveR

Maysoun Odeh Gangat has brought a new concept to radio in Palestine with Nisaa FM – a radio station targeted at women.

The radio rebel

Nisaa FM is driving commercially viable conversations on gender in a patriarchal Palestinian society. The brainchild of Maysoun Odeh Gangat, the station is using the power of radio to create social change Since starting her career in the middle of the First Palestinian Intifada, Maysoun Odeh Gangat’s professional journey in the broadcast industry has been a lesson in perseverance and risk-taking. As co-founder and Managing Director of Radio Nisaa FM, the first radio station run by and for women in Palestine and the Middle East, Gangat is riding the radio wave with élan.

With a BA in Economic Theory from a US university and a passion for media and journalism, Gangat’s journey started with establishing and managing RAM FM, an English-language station with studios in Ramallah and Jerusalem. This stint was shortlived, as the station was closed by the Israelis after a year and a half.

Gangat saw this as an opportunity to start Nisaa FM, a dedicated women’s radio station in Palestine. In 2009, she set it up as part of the NISAA Broadcasting Radio Company, with strong support and seed

capital from the Switzerland-based Womanity Foundation. In her current role, as well as managerial decisions, she takes care of all programming and content with her team of female presenters.

Located in Ramallah, Nisaa FM broadcasts in Arabic on 96.0 FM for Central West Bank, 96.2 FM for Northern West Bank, and 92.2 for Southern West Bank and Northern Gaza. It can also be accessed worldwide through its website.

Asked about running an allwoman station in a predominantly male society, Gangat is quick with her reply: “It’s a tough job.

Six months after the closure of RAM FM, I set up Nisaa FM. The challenge was a big one as I brought a new concept to radio in Palestine – a specialised radio station focusing on gender and gender equality. Besides the cultural hiccups, there were technical challenges that needed to be overcome. For example, identifying a frequency that could cover the whole of Palestine

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 29

PROCOveR

The team at Nisaa FM has grown from four people in 2009 to 14.

was a major decision and a lot of brainstorming went into it.”

From humble beginnings in 2009, Nisaa FM has thrived. According to its own survey, listenership in Palestine reached 330,000 in 2016.

Revenues have risen steadily, from $26,000 in the first six months of operations to $285,000 in 2017, most coming from grants and commercials. The team has grown from four people to 14, including a university intern.

The station has grown in stature too. Gangat highlights: “Nisaa FM established a precedent in the region as the first specialised radio station. The station has full programming on women's issues that target contentious issues in society. In 2018, through one of our programmes, Taswaq, which we implemented with Polish Aid, we assisted 24 women entrepreneurs to increase their sales through a free advertising campaign to market their goods. We have also done free legal counselling through many of our programmes that have helped women understand their legal rights.

Nisaa FM airs Arabic art genre and

“Radio is a very unique media outlet, especially for women: it is personal, anonymous and very effective” Maysoun Odeh Gangat, co-founder and MD, Radio Nisaa FM pop music but are selective in their choice of songs to ensure they do not undermine the status of women in society. Over the years, Nisaa FM has become an agent of social change!”

Radio presenters Alaa Murar and Doa Seyouri at Nisaa FM studio.

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Digitisation has been a driver of disruption for the television broadcast industry, and Gangat agrees that radio certainly has not been untouched. But she’s optimistic: “If I look regionally, nationally and internationally, the most important thing is digitisation and moving more towards social media. Having said that, I still believe in the power of the FM signal, and therefore the radio industry will remain significant.

he only you need

PROCOveR

Social media is very popular in Palestine and digitisation is at the core of Nisaa FM's strategy.

“With visuals becoming more relevant, we at Nisaa FM have a strategy where more videos of successful women’s stories are portrayed. Instead of viewing it as a threat, digitisation is at the core of our strategy! Palestine is a very young society and social media is very popular, so we are looking at incorporating more youth content to expand our listenership. It all ties together.”

An avid believer in the sisterhood, Gangat says: “I am very inspired by the message of Nisaa FM: inform and empower Palestinian and Arab women! The mere fact that a small radio station can change a woman’s life is an inspiration to me.”

Attributing her success to her family, Gangat says: “People around me are my strength and have fuelled my success. My mother, husband and partner have all played different roles in my life. My mum gave me the confidence in my abilities as a girl and now as a woman. My husband supports me with the right advice and guidance, plus looks after our child when I travel around the globe talking about Nisaa FM. My partner, Yann Borgstedt, has believed in my leadership skills and backed me to set up and manage our joint project together. All of them give me the motivation to keep going in this space.”

Being passionate about women and journalism is central to the team at Nisaa FM, but it doesn’t end there. Gangat says: “Radio is a unique media outlet, especially for women. It is personal, anonymous and very effective. For the young journalists wanting to do radio, it is very important to have general knowledge first and foremost.

We bump into young journalists who do not know much about places or conditions surrounding them. So general knowledge is very important. Second, the ability to work under pressure is

“I am very inspired by the message of Nisaa FM: inform and empower Palestinian and Arab women! The mere fact that a small radio station can change a woman’s life is an inspiration to me” Maysoun Odeh Gangat, co-founder and MD, Radio Nisaa FM very important. We often get interns or applicants who want to stick to certain working hours… they need to know that journalism isn’t a job, it is a passion that you live by!”

Nisaa FM offers ample opportunities for employees to grow and succeed.

It gives priority to female media graduates. It offers flexible working

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hours for mothers, with 70 days of paid maternity leave and an additional hour a day in the first year back for breastfeeding. The station also encourages female journalists through internal and external training courses.

Gangat is looking at expanding the station’s national reach, exploring funding opportunities and incorporating youth content. She hopes to see more women joining the industry in decision-making roles.

“There are not so many women leaders in the media industry; I mean decision-makers. If there were, the whole industry would shift in favour of women. We still see women mainly as beautiful faces, and the content is more determined by men.

I’d like to see that change.”

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PROcOveR

EMErgiNg MArkETs’ media mogul

With her plans for an over-arching programming line-up of long- and short-form content, Amanda Turnbull is driving reach for Discovery in MENA Amanda Turnbull is scripting a success story. As Vice President and GM for Discovery Middle East and Africa, she oversees a 40-member team and a portfolio of 16 channels (15 pay-TV, one FTA) – the largest in the Middle East. She also oversees nine channels (eight pay-TV, one FTA) in Africa, as well as a digital offering with Fatafeat, reportedly the number one cooking channel in the Arab world.

A self-proclaimed emerging markets media specialist, Turnbull’s journey in the broadcast industry spans several emerging markets. Starting out in magazine publishing in London with IPC (now Time Warner), she moved on to Hachette Filipacchi (now Hearst) across Asia Pacific, followed by a stint at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Her first move into TV came when she joined Discovery in 2007.

Turnbull currently spearheads strategic development of Discovery’s business across the Middle East and Africa. Her work centres around exploring creative ideas that lead to

34 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

long-term growth and maximising multi-platform revenues.

“I joined Discovery’s MENA business in 2014, as the then MD for Fatafeat,” says Turnbull. “Since then, I’ve seen our presence in the market grow exponentially, thanks to various strategic partnerships and new business ventures. In 2017, my remit expanded to include Africa as an additional territory, and I was tasked with the objective to unlock expansion opportunities across the continent.”

Asked what drives her passion for the business, Turnbull ascribes it to her initial years in the job, learning to balance editorial integrity while driving the business.

“As a new graduate trainee at IPC, one of five from a candidate pool of over 2,000, I was given a 360-degree introduction to the creative and editorial departments, plus the business and revenue generation sides. The learnings there have helped me in all my subsequent roles. I’ve been quite aware of how to balance editorial integrity with

PROcOveR

Amanda Turnbull is responsible for exploring creative ideas, driving long-term growth and maximising multi-platform revenues at Discovery.

Snapshot Name: Amanda Turnbull Designation: Vice President and General Manager MEA Organisation: Discovery Location: United Arab Emirates

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 35

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Discovery delivers more than 8,000 hours of original programming each year, and there are big plans for 2019.

commercial acumen, along with the importance of serving consumer niches. Now at Discovery, this ability to power people’s passions is the life blood of our business and one of the reasons I love what I do.”

Discovery delivers more than 8,000 hours of original programming each year, and there are big plans for 2019. Revealing exclusive information to BroadcastPro ME, Turnbull says: “Thanks to our rich US output deal, we have a strong line-up of documentary specials, lifestyle formats and returning favourites that will hopefully resonate with our local audience.

This includes a documentary filmed here in the Middle East titled Valley of the Kings, which goes exclusively inside the first major excavation in Egypt’s famed burial ground of the pharaohs.

We’re also due to premiere a powerful topical docu-series produced by Steven Spielberg, which traces the evolutionary basis of hate. Both shows will air here in the Middle East later

“Fatafeat Play is our successful local VOD product (over one million video views and growing), and it will be updated and relaunched later this year, alongside an updated version of the Fatafeat app” Amanda Turnbull, Vice President and general Manager, Discovery MEA this year, on Discovery Channel.”

Closer to home, Discovery will be exploring the stories local audiences want and expect. Picking up from last year’s 300-plus hours of original long-form content, this year Fatafeat fans will be offered new shows from the likes of Chef May Yacoubi and life coach Leila Almaeena, as well as new talents making their debut.

Offering a glimpse of new Fatafeat programming, Turnbull discloses: “It’s crucial we tell the stories that our local audiences want and expect to

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hear, so we invest heavily in local production. We will premiere a host of new shows on Fatafeat, as Ramadan is the key season when we present our strongest content.

“This year, viewers can look forward to a brand-new series with the queen of the Arabian kitchen, Chef Manal Alalem, who will once again grace the Ramadan table with an amazing mix of traditional Arabic and intercontinental sweets and desserts in Manal Alalem: Halaweyat. In addition, Chef Mohammad Orfali returns to continue his journey tracing the roots of Arabic cuisine in the fifth season of Matbakhna Al Arabi.

“Our local storytelling doesn’t end with Fatafeat. We recently partnered with Captain Boy in Egypt and Roya TV in Jordan to produce the local TLC series My World to You, hosted by Darine El Khatib, which uncovers Jordan’s lesser-known history. Furthermore, following the success of Wild Dubai – the one-off wildlife special which we commissioned for Discovery

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Fatafeat Play, Discovery's local VOD product will be updated and relaunched later this year.

Channel last year in collaboration with the Dubai Government Media Office – we are now working with various other government entities in both the UAE and KSA, for the opportunity to showcase even more of the region’s unheard stories through the blue-chip documentary style that Discovery is renowned for,” she explains.

As well as innovating in the long-form content programming space, Discovery is looking for its niche in short-form content programming too. Short-form content is gaining popularity in the region – the Middle East has one of the highest levels of mobile phone usage in the world, and any company would want to tap into it.

Turnbull elaborates: “Globally, we’ve been adopting a 360-model strategy to ensure our content is engaging with fans across all screens, and it’s a strategy we’ve been employing here in MENA for Fatafeat, with remarkable success.

“Since we acquired Fatafeat in 2012, our mission has been to cement it as more than just a linear channel, as a wider lifestyle brand that engages with fans across all touchpoints. Our digital strategy has been key to reaching this goal, and over the past two years we’ve invested considerably in digital-first content, incorporating bespoke short-form videos as part of our general production workflow.

“Last year, this saw us produce over 800 specialised short-form videos which we hosted across Fatafeat’s popular digital platforms, including the Fatafeat website, social media pages, VOD platform Fatafeat Play and YouTube channel.

Thanks to this change in direction, we now reach an audience of over six million active and engaged users in the digital space, giving us the largest digital footprint in the region of any other food brand.”

With Fatafeat’s growing digital prominence, Discovery recently

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“In MENA, we will also launch GOLFTV, our new global live and on-demand video streaming service which we’re rolling out internationally, thanks to a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour” Amanda Turnbull, Vice President and general Manager, Discovery MEA partnered with Snapchat in the Middle East, to bring the best of Fatafeat’s traditional recipes, culinary content and production values to its community of fans across the region.

Divulging the strategy for the streaming market, Turnbull says: “Fatafeat Play is our successful local VOD product (over one million video

38 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

views and growing), and it will be updated and relaunched later this year, alongside an updated version of the Fatafeat app. In MENA, we will also launch GOLFTV, our new global live and on-demand video streaming service which we’re rolling out internationally, thanks to a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour.”

The scope of her job sounds overwhelming, but Turnbull is nothing but positive – she believes that if people are resilient and optimistic, anything is possible. For her, change is an opportunity to scale, grow and reinvent yourself.

Her advice to young women seeking a career in broadcast: “Create a network of mentors to whom you can turn for honest advice.

But basically, ask for forgiveness later, not permission first.”

PROcOveR Enas Yaqoob saw media production as a means to reach out to the community with messages around the well-being of children, and started Baby Clay.

Name: Enas Yaqoob Designation: Director Organisation: Baby Clay Media Production Location: Bahrain

40 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

Image: Khalid Al-Nasheet

Snapshot

PROcOveR

CArvINg out her niche

From practising medicine to making animated programmes for little children, Enas Yaqoob has come a long way in following her passion for telling stories. Here’s how she set up media production company Baby Clay in Bahrain enas Yaqoob’s adventure in the world of media production is an example in chasing passion. Although a qualified eNT doctor with a specialisation in cochlear implants, Yaqoob’s interest in telling stories drew her towards making a career in media production. She completed her training in medicine, while dabbling in media production on the side during her university years. In her early days, she honed her media production craft by pursuing freelance assignments. Later, she trained in the US to master technical skills for direction and went on to set up Baby clay Media Production in 2006.

A keen desire to succeed in media production, along with her love for children, led her to start her own venture with all the savings she had. The result is Baby Clay Media Production, an animation, media production and visual effects company, based in Manama, Bahrain.

Yaqoob says: “After completing my studies in Art and Direction from the US and short stints in Abu Dhabi and at MBC Group, I decided to take the entrepreneurial route. It was to inspire children and my keen interest in helping them become confident and happy that compelled me to launch Baby Clay Media Production. I wanted to reach out to the community with messages around the well-being of children, and the media was a great way to enhance my reach.

“We started with producing documentaries. Today, Baby Clay collaborates with clients and offers character animation, visual effects, commercials, mobile apps, virtual reality, augmented reality and special venue projects such as theme park rides and large-scale projection. We have grown from a team of eight to 24.”

The first production on food stories, revolved around showing children healthy recipes and inculcating healthy eating habits.

Another show, RIJAL, brought to life religious stories of the Prophet Mohammad. The shows are formulated with clear messages for children, telling them how to succeed in life in a respectable manner. Recent productions like Baby Clay's Ibn Battuta and Men around the Prophet have proved popular and are broadcast on channels across the Middle East and Africa.

In fact, Baby Clay’s programming line-up for Ramadan

2018 received a lot of critical acclaim at Arab film festivals.

Her series on Ibn Battuta received awards at Cannes MIPCOM. The series also received the Cairo Mondial award for best soundtrack and the ASBU Golden Award.

Offering an exclusive insight into the 2019 Ramadan programming line-up, Yaqoob says: “For Ramadan, we are working on projects – Bismik Allah Humma Ramadan, Ibn Battuta Part 2 and around 40 short stories. I hope these shows will boost the morale of children and inspire them to give their best in what they are doing.”

Yaqoob derives her inspiration from life: “My education, industry skills and nuanced approach to culture set me apart from other content producers. I am driven to be the best, and that is reflected in my work and my work style. In the last 21 years, I have been inspired by life’s teachings and have learned a lot. Life teaches new lessons every day.”

Inspired by Queen Noor Al Hussein, Queen Dowager of Jordan, Yaqoob wants to follow in her footsteps in contributing to the fields of education, art, cultural awareness, environmental protection, social welfare, preservation of architectural heritage, child care and the development of women in society.

A positive mindset and a desire to succeed and deliver her message saw her through the initial years. “Every success has its own battles, and my story is no different. My journey began amidst difficult situations, but I always looked at the glass halffull. I remember being very nervous initially, but my vision and mission helped quell any doubts. In hindsight, I can say that it is positive thoughts that let you overcome your obstacles.”

Yaqoob believes that digital is the future. “We live in uncertain times of financial insecurity, but that should not be a deterrent to growth plans. Professional production is showing promise, and with the advent of newer technology and digitisation, the industry will only benefit.”

A creative interpretation of culture, history and religious stories drives the production team at Baby Clay, whose programming tugs at the hearts of children and teaches them about culture and science with an aim to improve their

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 41

PROcOveR

cognitive foundations. Highlighting the production process, Yaqoob emphasises the “quality of the message” as the most important factor in telling a story. Every project goes into production after several workshops, where the team discusses the message, storylines, aesthetics and animation designs. Most productions use 3D technology and contain inspirational messages for children.

Yaqoob attributes her success to her husband and is working to create her legacy in the storytelling space. She says she owes some of her success to Bahrain for offering an enabling environment for women entrepreneurs. “I am thankful to my country for providing support to women who choose challenging careers. I feel a strong responsibility to properly represent my country and the Arab world through my work. My dream is to leave a legacy behind. I want the community to admire me for my work and remember me long after I’m gone.”

The biggest change Yaqoob is looking for is in the discourse on gender. “I don’t endorse genderbased discrimination. We need to show empathy towards the needs of women and mothers. The industry needs to step up and not let women feel guilty for managing home and work. It needs to offer equal growth opportunities and must work towards closing the gender gap, especially in animation.

There is a huge dearth of women in animation. Not many names come to mind in this part of the world.”

To women planning a career in content production, Yaqoob says: “Educate yourselves and know your culture and history. If you are well-trained, nothing can interrupt your path to success. Have faith in your abilities and dare to dream, and tackle any obstacles with knowledge and passion. Managing work and home is simple – you only need to be well-organised.”

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“I remember being very nervous initially, but my vision and mission helped quell any doubts. In hindsight, I can say that it is positive thoughts that let you overcome your obstacles” Enas Yaqoob, Director, Baby Clay

Image: Khalid Al-Nasheet

The industry needs to offer equal growth opportunities and must work towards closing the gender gap, especially in animation.

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PROcOveR

ThE television tycoon Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini is changing the MENA media production landscape through Pyramedia Group. She reveals her plans for 2019 and her outlook on being a facilitator for working women

Starting out at the tender age of 16 as a presenter with Qatar TV and a DJ on Qatar Radio while also completing her studies, Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini’s broadcast experience shows that talent knows no age. She has come a long way since then, and now helms Abu Dhabibased consulting company Pyramedia Group as CEO and board member.

She learned the management aspect of the media business at MBC London as Director of Business Development, and then decided to take the entrepreneurial route. In 1998, she launched Pyramedia, which has expanded to include diversified business portfolios over the years, working across media production and consulting, advertising and publicity, health and beauty, food and beverage, jewellery and media buying.

Recalling her first foray into the media industry, Ruwaini says: “It was a magical moment when I talked to the camera for the first time, as if I was talking to a dear friend. Looking back on that day, I am in awe of everything that happened and how my career has evolved, and how I now mentor young TV presenters who are beginning their career like I once did.”

Pyramedia has pioneered many TV

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programmes. Ruwaini shares some highlights: “We have developed concepts and formats that were never heard of in the region, and we were the first to implement new technology while creating our programmes. For example, we were the first to introduce lipstick cameras or to use holograms or augmented reality on set, or to have formats that matched international broadcasting standards. We continue to come up with new programme ideas that have never been done before.”

The group has produced a variety of formats in several genres – TV morning shows and evening shows, cultural programmes like The Millions Poet and The Prince of Poets, and game shows like The Buzzer. The group recently launched a new talent show called Al Zaman Al Jameel for Abu Dhabi Media Company, which focuses on singing popular songs from recent years.

Sharing exclusive insight into new programming efforts with BroadcastPro ME, Ruwaini says: “Our latest show is open to all ages and offers to sift through a talented pool of people who can sing old songs. We are also working on social media and creating YouTube video shows for our clients. In media,

PROcOveR

Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini’s philosophy at Pyramedia is to evolve with time and keep up with the changes that are taking over the world of media.

Snapshot Name: Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini Designation: CEO Organisation: Pyramedia Group Location: United Arab Emirates

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 45

PROcOveR

In media, the focus is on developing new formats, creating new alliances and integrating technology in our new productions.

our focus is on developing new formats, creating new alliances and integrating technology into our new productions. We have started the year with casting jobs for Hollywood through PYRASTARS, our casting agency for Arab talent looking for roles in international films, and we were the media arm of the biggest cultural festival in the world, Al Janadria in Saudi Arabia. I am very optimistic for 2019, and I am looking forward to a productive year.”

Things look upbeat for Ruwaini, who has big plans for the future, but it hasn't been an easy road.

“My journey was difficult, and I witnessed really difficult times and fought several battles. I had my fair share of ups and downs.

I had to work triple as hard as a woman to prove my worth, but eventually I was recognised

“We have started the year with casting jobs for Hollywood through PYRASTARS, and we were the media arm of the biggest cultural festival in the world, Al Janadria in Saudi Arabia” Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO, Pyramedia Group for my work, not my gender.”

Stressing the need for companies to create a favourable environment for working women, Ruwaini believes that a lot depends on an organisation – some are diligent about respecting women’s work-life balance, while others don’t have any idea about the concept. At

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Pyramedia Group, mothers are offered the flexibility to attend children’s events and can bring their children to work if needed.

Ruwaini believes it takes a woman to empathise with other women – and that a bright future awaits women in broadcast media.

“I definitely believe that things are looking up for women in the broadcast industry in the MENA region, and that women leaders are better received today. I think what brought about this shift in attitude was the gradual change from a male-dominated industry to one where both genders are equally represented. More importantly, our generation of women who worked in the industry years ago set the base to allow future women to be hired, to succeed in the industry and to lead in it. It took a lot of work,

PROcOveR

heartache and perseverance to reach where we are. The women of today are blessed, and we have played a role in paving the way for them, although there's more to be done.”

Ruwaini is mesmerised by the pace of change in broadcast and inspired by the evolutionary challenges the industry faces. “I am excited about the overlap between broadcast and social media, and how social media is taking the lead in broadcast. I believe that Netflix and similar entities will play a larger role in the region. The power of tailored programming will be augmented, as well as apps-based programming. I am enjoying being part of this rapid change and contributing to it. If we don't, we don't have a chance at survival. Therefore, at Pyramedia Group we are evolving with time and keeping up with the changes that are taking over the world of media.”

“The women of today are blessed and we have played a role in paving the way for them, although there's more to be done” Dr Nashwa Al Ruwaini, CEO, Pyramedia Group Arab women in the broadcast industry are working their way up.

While some may buckle under the pressure, Ruwaini sees a great future ahead for those who persevere.

“I don’t believe there is a glass ceiling – the sky’s the limit. I understand that sometimes things may not turn out your way and you may blame it on the glass ceiling, but it’s actually pretty deceptive. I say this from how my career evolved over the years and by how much I have achieved throughout my career, which affirms to me that

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I can achieve most of the things I dream of and no one can stop me.”

Ruwaini’s outlook for the broadcast industry in 2019 is that more women will join the media industry. Her advice to them is: “Our generation has already set the platform for other women to thrive. I would tell all women: work hard, do your best and know that you can easily succeed. Don’t be afraid of challenges, because you will always learn something from them; dream big and don’t be afraid to try new things.

“I would also advise them to keep up with market trends and to always try to be a pioneer in what they do. Most importantly, I would tell them you can be a woman in the dynamic broadcast industry and have a family at the same time, so you don’t need to feel that you have to sacrifice one for the other.”

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Nadine Samra helms Weyyak, which has around three million unique users a month.

Snapshot Name: Nadine Samra Designation: Vice President, Digital Business MENA and Africa Organisation: Zee Entertainment Location: United Arab Emirates

48 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

PROcOveR

Weyyak’S Wonder Woman

Nadine Samra’s passion is driving Weyyak’s growing popularity in a region where the SVOD competition is fierce. We find out how her achievements and strong resolve have helped her stand out in the broadcast industry Nobody in the MENA broadcast business wouldn’t be fooled by Nadine Samra’s calm demeanour. Behind it is a fierce businesswoman who doesn’t like playing to the tunes of different drummers. Her broadcast journey and her contributions to the industry are evidence of a sharp business acumen and a passion to do meaningful work.

Having worked her way up, Samra, who hails from Jordan, is a shining example of how skills, education and a hunger to succeed can really take you places.

As Vice President, Digital Business MENA and Africa for Zee Entertainment, Samra globally manages Weyyak, an OTT platform for Arabic-speaking audiences. In addition to the huge reach of its linear TV channels, she is central to the company’s focus on building the largest digital presence for ZEE. Putting things in perspective, Samra explains: “We are in a continuous journey to enhance our viewers’ experience, whether on TV or digital. We have recently launched our South Asian digital OTT product ZEE5 in MENA, which has a huge library of content and supports over 11 regional Indian languages.”

Weyyak only launched in 2017, but

has around three million unique users a month, with an average viewing time of one hour on most platforms and 13,000plus hours of streaming content available.

Samra reveals Zee’s MENA plans: “The focus is on growing our digital platforms and footprint. We have set huge targets for our brand awareness, unique visitors, number of subscriptions and video views, in addition to a lot of focus on B2B distribution for Weyyak and ZEE5 in the region. Weyyak has established a great brand name in the market. It is known now as one of the main Arabic VOD platforms that has a great user experience and video streaming. We have been very active in developing our business to business relations and partnerships recently. We are also known for our exclusive Indian dubbed into Arabic content, and our very large Arabic library.”

Weyyak recently signed DMS as its exclusive media representation partner and extended its offering to Samsung-connected TVs and Ooredoo Oman customers through its IPTV box, and it will soon be available on the Ooredoo TV application.

Samra is among the few women in MENA broadcast, who are shaking

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 49

PROCOveR

An interest in digital technologies and the challenge of creating a virtual product brought Samra to the industry.

things up. An interest in digital technologies and the challenge of creating a virtual product brought her to the industry. Even as a network engineer, configuring large routers and switches and deploying wireless access points, she always wanted to experiment with websites and digital products.

Samra turned her dream of working on digital product ideas into reality in 2007 by launching Gossip Dubai, a community website that aimed to bring Dubai residents together. From coding and system administration to design and content creation, she handled it all on her own. A passion for digital media and finding ways of using technology for better entertainment kept her going and drove her to keep exploring.

Ask her if her journey from project management to digital broadcast operations was easy, and Samra says: “Hard work, consistency and the willingness to learn are a few competencies a person should have to excel in their career. I think women have to work harder to advance their career because they are faced with more challenges, especially to move up the ladder. Just by the nature of being a woman, the opportunity to grow within an organisation is wrought with challenges.

“In the broadcast and digital media industry, you find fewer women in leadership positions, especially those related to technology. I had to work harder than everyone around me, be knowledgeable in more areas and gain more soft skills and competencies to compete in the workplace in an environment that is dominated by men.”

The first time she was managing multiple departments, Samra was only 28 years old and her reporting line managers were all men, all older than her. Nine years later, she leads a Dubai team of men and women, with 22 professionals covering business

“I had to work harder than everyone and gain more soft skills to compete in the workplace in an environment dominated by men” Nadine Samra, VP, Digital Business MeNa and africa for Zee entertainment development, marketing, product, content and branding verticals. An extension of her team in India provides technical support for the platform.

“I think the industry is getting better at accepting that working women will need some flexibility to manage their work and family. But I don’t think we are doing a good job at this just yet.

Until now, providing support of any

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sort to women was considered a privilege and sometimes has a negative impact on productivity.

This needs to change. More and more women are trying to find their way for an equal opportunity. What they need is the right sponsor who can spot their talent and capability and support them to maximise their potential,” Samra believes.

She places a lot of emphasis on the power of networking. Her advice to young women wanting to make a career in broadcast is to scout opportunities, get internships, connect with people, attend media events – and to learn, learn and continue learning.

While the industry is witnessing changing gender roles, another

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For Ramadan, Weyyak will offer new exclusive Indian content and acquire the best Arabic new titles of 2019.

area that merits attention is that of digital streaming services, which are disrupting the broadcast industry beyond recognition and shifting viewership patterns. Speaking about workflow, Samra says: “Weyyak works with many partners and develops a lot of pieces in-house.

The larger pieces of the platform, the CMS and apps, are managed internally by our technical team.

We also use a lot of standard tools in the market for analytics, monitoring, marketing tools, etc. We use AWS for hosting.”

Showing confidence in the future of digital, Samra opines: “I am all about digital experiences, I watch content on OTT platforms.

I like to continue watching at my convenience, switch between devices seamlessly and get content recommendations. I think the digital industry will continue to grow despite the speculations of lower advertising budgets.

As a product, we have a strong roadmap of features and exclusive

“Our roadmap is filled with new features and business engagements. We have explored a new content genre for Weyyak, where we have released for the first time a Turkish drama series dubbed into Arabic titled Maral.”

Nadine Samra, VP, Digital Business MeNa and africa for Zee entertainment content that will drive our users and viewership to higher limits.”

Offering an exclusive insight to BroadcastPro ME about their new programming initiatives this Ramadan, Samra says: “We have explored a new content genre for Weyyak, where we have released for the first time a Turkish drama series dubbed into Arabic titled Maral. Our roadmap is filled with new features and business engagements. A lot of plans are being put in place for the holy month of Ramadan, to bring new exclusive Indian content and acquire

52 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

the best Arabic new titles of 2019.”

Samra has been around long enough to distinguish herself as a strong stakeholder shaping the industry in the region. Ask her the recipe of her success and she is quick to reply: “I am still growing and learning on a daily basis, and I still feel I am at the beginning of my professional career. The feelings of passion and fears that I had the first day at work still come to me now and then.

“Over the years, I have enrolled in a lot of personal and leadership courses and executive mentoring to help me gain skills. I have been blessed in reporting to visionary leaders and being mentored by thought leaders in the market during my career. I have learnt a lot from each one of them and am still learning. I have matured a lot over the years and have gained emotional intelligence skills that help me lead myself and my team to achieve our objectives and create a solid vision,” she concludes.

PROcOveR

Kinda Ibrahim leads Twitter’s Global Content Partnerships team in the MENA region, and shapes business development around digital content.

Snapshot Name: Kinda Ibrahim Designation: Director of Partnerships MENA Organisation: Twitter Location: United Arab Emirates

54 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

PROcOveR

DrIvIng The TwiTTer universe

Kinda Ibrahim tells BroadcastPro ME about her career trajectory and Twitter’s growing broadcast partnerships Kinda Ibrahim grew up in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon before moving to Canada with her family to pursue her career and graduate studies. She has been working in digital media for the past eight years, with a focus on media, at a time when digital content and video are emerging as the most engaging content formats.

She started her career about 15 years ago, analysing data in a Montreal bank’s credit card marketing department. Since then, she has dabbled in digital, from web development, analytics, data and CRM to project management, business and content management. Now, as Director of Partnerships at Twitter, Ibrahim leads the Global Content Partnerships team in the MENA region, and shapes business development around digital content.

Ibrahim says: “My career has always been revolving around digital since my early days. Even when I was doing analysis, it was always about analysing email campaigns and digital campaigns, and exploring how to grow the brand’s presence online and monetise the online space for the business. Most of my roles before Twitter involved partnering with content producers and finding alternative

ways to distribute and monetise content.

“In hindsight, I definitely planned to stay in digital, but it all came together on its own. My career moves were partly planned, but I only opted for jobs that gave me opportunities to do what I was passionate about, which I believe is a key factor for success. I’m truly enjoying it.”

On her current role, Ibrahim explains: “We partner with broadcasters and publishers to help grow their reach and build new audiences on the platform, as well as find incremental sources of revenue by making their premium content available for brands to associate with.

People come on Twitter to connect with what’s happening in real time, and the best way to do that is to consume and interact with premium content from broadcasters and publishers about key events and moments that people are interested in.”

Ibrahim’s work and strategy acumen display her industry and regional knowledge, her fact-based decision-making, and her approach to people and crossfunctional leadership. She believes that any challenge can be overcome if you put your mind to it, give it your full attention and go at it day by day in full force, as

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opposed to shying away from it.

Digital technology is rapidly changing the broadcast industry, with disruption across all aspects, from distribution to content production. In an industry changing at a rapid pace, Ibrahim is hopeful that new media will be seen as not only accelerating the change, but also facilitating it.

She envisions a greater role for Twitter in the traditional broadcast industry: “Twitter at its essence works as a complement to broadcasters.

This is done either by extending their broadcast content in a simulcast experience (live streaming of matches/concerts/breaking news), or publishing near-live short clips that drive further tune-in to TV, or more recently creating bespoke shows for Twitter that complement their TV offerings. Twitter offers an opportunity for broadcasters and publishers to grow their audience and to reach new digital-only audiences, as well as a chance to tap into incremental budgets and associate

“Twitter is where inclusion lives, and our company strives to ensure that our workplace and the decisions we make about it are equally inclusive” Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Partnerships at Twitter MenA with new brands in new markets.”

Twitter continues to push the envelope when it comes to content production and delivery and Ibrahim has had a role to play in this. She shares the aim for 2019: “To continue to collaborate with our partners to grow their revenue and bring their best video content on the platform, with a focus on innovation.

I think broadcasters will continue to converge to become multi-platform networks. We will continue to see content created for different platforms, and the successful broadcasters will be those who cater their offerings to a diversified and fragmented audience.

We will also continue to see more

original content coming out of the region for OTT platforms – there has never been a better time to be in the content production industry.”

Ibrahim is driven by her upbringing.

“I come from a family of achievers where my parents pushed me to keep doing more. From there, it has rubbed off from people I have met across the years – especially the female leaders that I have worked with, they have inspired me a lot. I have felt their energy and drive, not limiting themselves and constantly exploring how to find their true limits.”

In terms of role models, she is drawn to the grit and determination of Arianna Huffington. “She is really inspirational, and her journey has been helpful to many. I haven’t met her, but I am looking forward to meeting her someday.”

Eyeing the future, Twitter is also empowering its female workforce.

Ibrahim explains: “Twitter is where inclusion lives, and our company strives to ensure that our workplace At its offices in the Middle East, Twitter is a workplace where emphasis is given to work-life balance and flexibility.

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Twitter offers broadcasters a new digital-only audience, as well as a chance to associate with new brands in new markets.

and the decisions we make about it are equally inclusive. We’ve harnessed the power of our platform to develop global campaigns celebrating diversity that builds community around important issues.”

Twitter initiatives to create conversation around gender and equality include #HereWeAre and #SheInspiresMe. The former entails female leaders talking about issues surrounding female empowerment. The campaign started at the US CES trade show and then continued at Cannes.

Twitter also ran a #HereWeAre ad during the 2018 Oscars, which generated a lot of interest globally.

Besides the global and regional hashtag campaigns, the firm’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) foster diverse communities at Twitter and include @TwitterWomen.

At its offices in the Middle East,

“Twitter at its essence works as a complement to broadcasters” Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Partnerships at Twitter MenA Twitter seems to be one of those workplaces where a lot of emphasis is given to work-life balance, with flexibility, maternity and paternity leave, and other benefits. Ibrahim explains: “In my view, finding balance is a conscious choice and is very much a focused effort. I believe that work-life balance is essential for anyone who wants to do their best at what they do, be it in the personal or professional space. It is about being able to prioritise your work life, but also knowing when to stop and take a break and give time and effort to the people who matter to you and to your well-being.”

She is convinced that things are

looking up for young women professionals in the region. “There has never been a better time for the youth to join this industry, which is going through rapid transformations driven by the change of behaviour of how content is consumed in a mobile-first world. We need their brains and creativity in order to shape and create content for their generation. The sky's the limit on what they will be able to achieve.”

Ibrahim’s confidence in the younger generation contributes to her passion for the broadcast industry: “We are experiencing an era of media and tech/digital convergence at a very fast pace through many innovations.

If you want to stay relevant, you have to be adaptable and keep up to date with the rate of change.”

Changing times are heralding newer vistas for working women, especially Arab women in the broadcast industry. Ibrahim brushes off concerns about the glass ceiling curtailing progress and opportunities.

“Maybe the glass ceiling did exist at a certain era, but not anymore.

The number of female executives/ political leaders/CEOs across different industries and geographies is increasing rapidly, and this to me is a testament that women have proven to be capable in reaching their career aspirations and realising their full potential. It is very important that women know that it is possible and not create self-inflicted barriers.”

Hinting at the broadcast industry being a catalyst of change as more women join the fray, Ibrahim opines: “There is a growing number of women in the industry, and it is not uncommon to see them in leadership positions. I think it is a natural progression of how the industry started to attract more women in both the academic and professional worlds, and many of them proved themselves and moved up the career ladder to assume leadership positions. I expect to see more of this in the coming years.”

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PROPRODUCTION

Bringing Mass to the Masses

During the historic visit of Pope Francis to the UaE, the country’s leadership hosted a mass which brought together more than 180,000 people of different nationalities and faiths to abu Dhabi. Cnn was the only international broadcaster with the rights to broadcast the papal mass live. in a BroadcastPro ME exclusive, Cnn's team members share their experience

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PROPRODUCTION

Becky Anderson anchor & Managing Editor, Cnn abu Dhabi CNN abu Dhabi has covered so many special events in the Uae, including the recent special olympics, and this has given us a wealth of knowledge and experience that can be brought to bear on events like the Pope’s visit.

We started planning in earnest around four weeks beforehand, alongside our usual reporting on a busy news cycle. the day itself was first and foremost a logistical challenge.

We staggered the arrival of our team, beginning at 10pm the previous evening. We needed

to be conscious of road closures and making sure everyone got there in time.

In some ways, anchoring a live event rather than a carefully produced hour of tV is easier. You can roll with it and react to things, so it is more spontaneous. there’s a framework, and we know what each guest can talk about and what other elements are at our disposal, so there’s always somewhere to go, whatever happens.

You need the scope to be able to rip up the plan if something remarkable happens.

there was a wonderful moment that really stays with me: John Defterios was outside the stadium in the crowd. the Popemobile went past him, and he handed back to us just as it entered the stadium. I had a panel of four people on set, and we all turned as the stadium erupted. there were families who had been waiting since 2am with little children, some of whom were falling asleep. the parents were shaking them awake to catch the moment. It was truly special.

ts in Becky Anderson on set with gues ric visit.

Abu Dhabi during the Pope's histo

Mohammed Al-Saiegh Producer As a producer, you’re essentially looking at a jigsaw puzzle.

It’s engineering, technical operations, the venue, the people in the stadium, the anchor and reporter on the ground, and you’re the gel that brings them all together, and to some extent absorbs the outside forces that will try to pull them apart.

You need to look at the whole operation layer by layer, thinking about how everything will work technically, how we want it to look and to flow editorially. Where will our guests be?

What events are happening, and when? How will we best explain what’s going on to an audience in more than 200 countries around the world?

How do we make that compelling?

I was very conscious that we were watching history in the making. It was a seminal moment, but it’s a little like the tree falling in the forest, if people around the world can’t witness it, then it is perhaps less seminal. It was important for us to convey the spirit of what was going on – the joy, the energy, the spirit – to really let the field breathe in and manifest that all to the screen.

It’s at times like that when you’re really thinking of the audience watching around the world. It’s the ‘This is CNN’ moment; you’re bringing them into the event, saying: “This is your world, and it’s amazing.”

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PROPRODUCTION

Loren Gruenberger Field Engineer Normally, the challenge as a field engineer in newsgathering is to deal with constantly changing schedules, locations and live shots. But for the Pope’s visit, because the location was set, we were able to put what was basically a full studio setup in the field. technically, our systems tend to be much more robust than the typical set-up. We firmly believe in satellite uplinks for shows that require resilient point-topoint transmission.

We use LiveU, but we don’t always rely on it, because it can fail on a high-profile show. that philosophy carries through to the way we switch our shows; we have very high-quality

field switchers, vision mixers, audio consoles, and we use the Dante audio IP solution that allows us to route any signal that we want, anywhere in the production realm.

We’ve now started to implement Rts odin, which is also a Dante-based intercom system. that’s another thing that makes CNN distinct: the engineering team likes to bring the studio to the location, so all of our intercom capabilities are right in front of the producer, the director, the prompter operator and the anchor.

Rts odin allows us to do that really robustly in the field.

It’s as though we are literally sitting next to the control room in atlanta.

Louie Maliksi Field Engineer For the satellite transmission, one of the biggest challenges was to work with all the nationalities involved in the wider set-up. We were working closely with a French contractor.

They were incredibly helpful, but there were inevitably some misunderstandings due to language issues. Of course, this part of the world uses PAL, so we also had to bring our own

converters to switch it to NTSC. We were a little separated from the mass, but even so, there was an incredible atmosphere, with Indians, Filipinos, Arabs, various nationalities and all the local volunteers.

When you saw the excitement, especially among the Arab media – the way they reacted when the pope first appeared – it was incredible.

CNN’s engineering team relied heavily on RTS Odin’s intercom capabilities to keep its team connected with each other and its HQ in Atlanta for this historic event.

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PROPRODUCTION

Jude Oommen senior Technical Director-Editor We found an elevated spot to fit our anchor, three guests and the control room.

But on the day we arrived, there was a massive new area of scaffolding, draped in white, right in front of our position. the immediate challenge for us was lighting. We knew we would have many guests during our coverage wearing traditional

white dress, so against a white background that would be tough to light well. We needed to bring in more lights and position the guests carefully. With such a long shoot, the movement of the sun was also an issue. We even went to IKea and bought a little parasol to give us extra shade as the sun’s position changed.

“It is hard to overestimate the significance of the Pope’s visit. I covered the first Gulf War in 1990/91, and I would genuinely put this as perhaps the next most important moment in my time covering the region” John Defterios, Emerging Markets Editor

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CNN, as the only international broadcaster outside the stadium, used the opportunity to convey the incredible diversity of the crowd, which mirrors UAE society, says John Defterios.

John Defterios Emerging Markets Editor

Jay Sheren Sumera iT Engineer My role starts with making sure our internet connection is fine and there is no loss on it, making sure CNN’s proprietary content hub, iNews, works, along with the printers and all the IT infrastructure.

I was monitoring our RTS Odin comms – which is our means of talking to our HQ in Atlanta and the return feed – to make sure everything flowed smoothly.

That system is cutting-edge

and pretty much unique to CNN. As a Christian, for me the Pope’s visit was something I had prayed to be involved in.

I’m from the Philippines, and only moved here two and a half years ago. I really saw the diversity here and the mutual respect people of different religions have for each other, and it reaffirmed my observations about the UAE as a tolerant place.

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CNN was the only international broadcaster outside the stadium. the first thing that struck me as a journalist was that the incredible diversity of the crowd needed to be conveyed to the outside world, and the fact that, in many ways, it mirrored Uae society. the other thing that struck me was that it was so peaceful. there were no ushers, with 135,000 people outside. once security got them in, they were on their own. It made for a very colourful and touching scene. there were so many touching stories in the crowd, and those small stories underlined the importance

of the big stories we’d been covering around the visit.

You could see how much the Pope’s meetings and the words of tolerance and coexistence meant to ordinary people, particularly Christians.

People told us they were struck by the fact we addressed the trickier questions

with our guests – particularly the conflict in Yemen.

It is hard to overestimate the significance of the Pope’s visit.

I covered the first Gulf War in 1990/91, and I would genuinely put this as perhaps the next most important moment in my time covering the region.

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AlrAi’s path to hD

Not every TV station can pull off upgrading broadcast infrastructure without a systems integrator, and with uninterrupted transmission. Alrai TV did – it went solo in upgrading its broadcast facility to a full-HD station late last year.

Tarek Majdalani, Director of Engineering & Operations, reveals the details It took Kuwaiti private broadcaster Alrai TV three years to complete the upgrade of its broadcast infrastructure to a full-HD facility, as well as migrate all its assets to a filebased infrastructure. Under the leadership of Director of Engineering & Operations Tarek Majdalani, and without the intervention of an external systems integrator, Alrai's engineering team implemented the project in several phases, to ensure transmission would be uninterrupted.

The first part of the project was to replace Alrai’s legacy archiving infrastructure with a tapeless solution. Since its launch in 2004, Alrai’s content had been stored in different tape formats, including DV, IMX and Digital Betacam. The team needed to first digitise its content, then archive it in HD. It

also looked to convert whatever material it could from 4:3 to 16:9.

“We started three years ago with the idea of improving the image quality and user experience, and switching the aspect ratio to 16:9.

For this, we deployed a Metus media asset manager, which has replaced our legacy Omnibus Archive system, integrated with Spectra Logic LTO library,” explains Majdalani. “This integration allowed us to create an automated workflow that moves and manages the media between the Imagine products, storage and third-party solutions, thereby enabling various processes such as quality control, transcoding, ingest and restore from archive.”

As well as the offline LTO Spectra Logic tape library, Alrai deployed a near-line file-based archiving storage solution from EMC2, with up to 600TB of storage mirrored with an IBM

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Alrai TV invested in 10 Sony HD camera systems.

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chain. A fully integrated workflow was implemented to archive and restore file-based material.

Once the archiving was complete, the next step was to upgrade the infrastructure to make everything HD-ready. The team thus turned its focus to the studio infrastructure.

This again required complete refurbishment, as most of the cables and systems were at least 14 years old, having been installed for the station’s launch in 2004.

The upgrade saw the Grass Valley Zodiak production switcher replaced with the Karrera 3 M/E. WASP3D workstations and templates were upgraded to HD, Sony SD cameras were replaced with 10 full-chain Sony HD camera systems, and legacy monitor stacks were ditched for newer multi-viewers.

Sony digital and IMX VTRs were replaced with file-based video servers from Imagine Communications, and the legacy Tally system was replaced with TSL’s Tallyman.

The next step was to upgrade Alrai’s newsroom system and production system with a whole suite of solutions from Imagine Communications. This saw the

Most of the cables and systems that were upgraded at Alrai TV were at least 14 years old, having been installed for the station’s launch in 2004.

“This integration allowed us to create an automated workflow that moves and manages the media between the Imagine products, storage and third-party solutions” Tarek Majdalani, Director of Engineering & Operations, Alrai TV installation of three video servers with Farad storage; a NEXIO FTP gateway with Motion system for file-based workflows, including automatic ingest/ restore/archive; five Adobe Premiere

Alrai invested in a whole suite of solutions from Imagine Communications as part of this upgrade.

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editing suites integrated with Imagine video servers using Nexio Gateway for real-time editing; a Nexio MOS Gateway with ENPS newsroom system; and a Nexio PRX transcoder and PRX low-res editor for journalists to edit low-res clips and publish them directly to the video servers in high-res using NEXIO InstantOnline (IOL).

“Essentially, the Nexio PRX Transcoder reads all Nexio-supported high-resolution, HD and SD formats and can automatically transcode simultaneous streams faster than real time. Once transcoded into low resolution, all MP4 proxy files are stored on storage arrays where they can be viewed, edited and then published again into high-res using IOL servers. High-res editing is well integrated with the video server for real-time editing and publishing using Nexio FCP Gateways. The system is fully integrated with the ENPS newsroom system. AP’s ENPS has also undergone a full hardware and software upgrade, so we now have the latest ENPS system integrated with the latest MOS-enabled clients from WASP3D and Imagine Communications,”

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Alrai's newsroom uses the ENPS system to create scripts for playout on the Imagine Communications MPLM NewsForce HD platform.

explains Majdalani. Journalists in the newsroom use the ENPS newsroom system to create scripts and stories for compilation into a running order.

From here, it goes for playout on the Imagine Communications MPLM NewsForce HD news platform, using the MOS protocol. Any subsequent changes to the ENPS running order are reflected in the MPLM rundown.

Any changes to the media, such as a revised duration or name, are reflected back to the ENPS running order. This in turn updates the MPLM rundown display and programme timing. In addition to its play-to-air duties, MPLM works in conjunction with ActiveX plugins that expose the Nexio server’s high- and low-resolution MediaBase in the ENPS user interface.

For graphics, Alrai replaced its Pinnacle Deko system with WASP3D, itself upgraded from SD to HD. Within the ENPS screen, the journalist selects the appropriate WASP3D graphics template, and edits it by inserting text, graphics and photos (maps, icons, political figures, etc).

A full preview of the graphic can be seen before sending it to the

“We have replaced all legacy infrastructure to accomplish a complete HD channel that is easier to operate, and flexible to expand in the future” Tarek Majdalani, Director of Engineering & Operations, Alrai TV ENPS running order. The complete graphics running order is sent as a graphics playlist from ENPS to WASP3D Sting Client in the gallery. This playlist The playout upgrade included two Imagine video servers, two Farad storages and an FTP Gateway that replaced existing solutions.

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is dynamically updated from ENPS in the event of any change during a news programme.

The ingest, MCR and uplink room also underwent a major upgrade, with the installation of four Ericsson AVP3000 encoders with NewTec automatic changeover, Ericsson RX8200 receivers and a Selenio from Imagine. All standalone monitors were replaced with multi-viewers for HD viewing, and the old Omnibus system used for baseband recordings gave way to a new file-based ingest system that uses Harmonic Carbon Media to transcode clips into the house format before a Nexio Motion & FTP Gateway ensures file-based ingest.

Basic infrastructure was also upgraded, with legacy glues, SD Sony frames and boards replaced with Imagine frames and boards. The Sony 128x128 SD router was replaced with a Miranda NVision 8144 144x144 HD router. The overall technical infrastructure at Alrai includes a fully redundant IT system converted from physical IT servers to a virtualised system powered by VMware.

The final stage involved upgrading playout. Here again, two Imagine video servers, two Farad storages and an FTP Gateway replaced existing solutions. Solutions deployed include a fully redundant chain using a new Imagine ADC Automation

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system, which replaced a legacy automation system from Omnibus, and two chains of Channel Branding & Master Control ImageStores IS750 from Grass Valley Miranda controlling two routers, the Nvision 8144 and the Miranda CR16043GIG. A legacy M2100 switcher was replaced with a Grass Valley IMC-200 panel that controls both chains of IS750 Master Control.

ADC is fully integrated with Nexio Motion for clip restoration and automatic ingest for missing materials from the archive system.

If a clip in the playlist is missing, ADC triggers Motion to restore it if it can be found on the near line archive. If it’s on the LTO tape, another workflow is triggered to ingest the missing material to the video servers. As well as controlling the IS750 for channel branding, the ADC automation system is

The ingest, MCR and uplink room also underwent a major upgrade, with the installation of encoders and receivers from Ericsson and the Selenio from Imagine.

fully integrated with the WASP3D graphics system and plays the graphics templates as secondary events.

“With each commissioning phase, training was provided to Alrai engineers to fully operate the system,” explains

Majdalani. “It was a three-year plan and we accomplished it as planned. We divided the project cost between the three years. Each project was first set up in a test environment to ensure that once the project was fully integrated within the system, it would not impact the different workflows. This enabled the channel’s operations to continue uninterrupted in a multi-format environment that supports SD and HD. “We purchased all the hardware and software directly from the vendors and connected all these parts together in a live environment.

Each vendor provided commissioning and training for their respective equipment. We have replaced all legacy infrastructure to accomplish a fully HD channel that is easier to operate, and flexible to expand in the future,” he concludes.

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PROTECH

ThE ExplosivE growth of esports

Esports has exploded onto the entertainment scene in a unique way, creating new opportunities for organisers, players and media platforms. Liam Hayter looks at how broadcasters can capitalise on this opportunity and what it entails from a technology point of view

In a very short space of time, esports has become arguably the second truly global form of sport, after football. Growing at an unprecedented rate, the global esports market was valued at $700m in 2017, and is forecast to reach over $2bn by 2023.

Broadcast vendors are paying close attention, because this is a young demographic that is increasingly difficult for traditional broadcasters to reach.

Recent increases in demand have been largely prompted by the rapid adoption of services such as Twitch, where gamers and teams not only reach a dedicated audience, but also generate revenue based on user subscriptions and donations.

Demand is typically driven online, through a combination of live and on-demand gaming, depending on the size or nature of the event. Tournaments regularly offer what might seem like big prizes, but these pale in comparison to the size of the audience and the ensuing monetisation opportunities.

Revenues for esports events up to now have mainly

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come from sponsorship, advertising, ticket sales and merchandising. There are many levels of engagement – as in traditional sports – from sponsoring teams and players through to headlining an entire event. While this area of esports is going through a phase of huge growth and reach, the fastest growing source of revenue is now media rights.

Some of the biggest opportunities are in the creation and delivery of content, which is why broadcasters are excited. Esports are in many ways similar to conventional competitive sports: there are rules, drama created by rivalry, tension and release between players as they interact with the game, announcers who narrate gameplay, commentators who analyse player choices. Content directors use these elements to create narratives that capture the imagination and leave viewers eager for more.

However, while the principles of production may be the same, there are unique production challenges that are typically not part

PROTECH

“While traditional sports broadcasting is beginning to embrace UHD and HDR content, this is already the norm for esports, since viewers often play the same game at home with equipment of the same standard” liam hayter, Workflow and solutions Architect (EMEA), NewTek

of traditional sports broadcasting.

In contrast to a field or court sport, where group activity means a few cameras can capture all the action, esports competitions require coverage of each individual player at all times, which means many additional cameras are involved in the production, including POV cameras.

Each player’s gameplay (console, computer or mobile) is also brought in as a source, with in-game headsets used for audio sources. Each player effectively becomes their own collection of sources, particularly in larger team games such as League of Legends or Rocket League.

A lot of events are traditionally driven by players streaming their own performance directly to Twitch via tools such as OBS. Marquee tournaments typically have six or more players per side, or vast numbers of players in the case of Massively Open Online events. These require a direct view of each player, along with their communications channels. This can ramp up very quickly, easily exceeding a cost/price balance of traditional broadcast approaches, and managing all these computer/ console sources, along with cameras and more standard production requirements, is no small challenge.

In addition, the requirement for high-quality content is much more extreme in esports. While traditional sports broadcasting is beginning to embrace UHD and HDR content, this is already the norm for esports, since viewers often play the same game at home with equipment of the same standard. Producers also need to be able to switch live between real-world players and the actual game on a computer screen, moving between different, often non-broadcaststandard resolutions and frame rates without a break in coverage or an obvious change in quality.

Social media integration is a necessity in esports, as well as ‘anyscreen’ rather than second-screen/ OTT production. From a viewer perspective, this is where Twitch as a platform really has things nailed;

a typical viewer doesn’t passively view the content, but is fully engaged in chat as the event takes place.

Broadcast organisations that can operate in a software-defined, IP-driven environment are most likely to succeed in esports, which demands agility and lower operational costs. Software-driven production is synergistic with gaming, as everything is already within a network and software environment, so the need to reskill back to traditional broadcast is minimal – as opposed to traditional broadcast teams needing to reskill to computer-driven sources.

Solutions today allow esports producers to move from makeshift studio set-ups to professional broadcast equipment for every stage of production, while reducing the complexity and cost of mixing gaming PCs and consoles with professional video gear, and solving the logistical challenges of large source counts, a wide variety of venues and speed of deployment/tear-down – and at the same time, meeting consumer demand for high quality.

Things are moving so rapidly in this market that it’s hard to say how things will develop. I think we will see more software-driven production and more big-name sports teams joining the fray. Perhaps the biggest question is whether we will see more broadcast activity on traditional sports channels, or whether esports will continue to be more weighted to online delivery.

liam hayter is Workflow and solutions Architect (EMEA) for NewTek.

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PROReview

THE GEMINI FACTOR Hikmat Wehbi at Dubai production house W Studio recently invested in a RED GEMINI to shoot high-quality videos for brand advertising campaigns. His unusual take on the camera and what makes it ideal for different online formats sheds light on a whole new opportunity in a market of cord-nevers

W Studio doesn’t look like your average Dubai production house, most of which have uninspiring work spaces with plain office furniture, some kit, and people editing away at a desk or gearing up for a shoot – nothing as spectacular as the TVCs and productions they create.

W is different.

The pride and joy of founder and Director of Photography Hikmat Wehbi, it is tastefully decorated with a selection of artistically shot black-and-white photographs and a collection of still and moving image cameras picked up over the last twenty years.

W Studio exudes the artistic tastes of its founder and reflects his evolution as both photographer and DoP. Wehbi began his career as a photographer in Lebanon and came to Dubai 20 years ago. His craft has evolved, and in the last seven years he has straddled the worlds of photography and videography with equal ease in W Studio, working closely with advertising agencies for clients in the worlds of fashion, perfume, makeup and tourism. Today, he is wellknown in the regional market for creating high-end videos for a new generation of online viewers and social media enthusiasts, primarily in the fashion and tourism space.

Clients include Dubai Tourism, Google, YouTube, beauty retail brand Wojooh, Level Shoes, Maybelline, Max Factor, Chalhoub Group and Rotana Hotel properties, with videos created to appeal to the audience.

When it is suggested to Wehbi that most online viewers are probably fine with low-res videos, he disagrees.

“Not if you are part of a new generation of fashion enthusiasts and online viewers who want those vibrant colours, the right look and feel, and yet not the staged look that you get on linear television,” he says.

“This new generation has grown up watching highquality content, whether on linear TV or streaming

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services like Netflix, where you get only 4K content.

Why would they settle for anything less? And the subject matter I deal with demands that you create tastefully done videos with vibrant colours.”

This is one of the key reasons Wehbi recently invested in a RED GEMINI 5K S35 camera.

Understanding his background and his passion for the world of fashion is critical to appreciating why it plays such a critical role for him.

“For one, the RED GEMINI is a style statement,” he says proudly. “This camera instantly reflects a certain personality; it looks young and trendy and is for people who see the world through a different type of lens. That’s the first thought that comes to me when I look at the GEMINI. But of course, what is beauty without brain?” he asks, taking the GEMINI in his hand and inspecting it.

“It looks like a simple camera, but it delivers so much for someone with my background, where RAW is almost sacred, image quality is everything and dynamic range is revered. The RED GEMINI 5K speaks to a new generation of cinematographers and reflects my personality.”

A few years ago, 80% of W Studio’s work came from agencies, but today a lot of clients want more video and are looking to boutique studios. As a result, W is often involved in the creative side as well as producing content for advertising videos on various online platforms, primarily YouTube.

“With the dynamic having changed online, clients want to refresh their content more often. Instead of doing one TVC that lasts a year, they want to be able to create videos that can be changed daily or monthly on their online platforms, so they can push their brands on social media. Likewise, viewers also want to see more engaging and interactive content. Before, everything was staged

PROREVIEW

The RED GEMINI 5K S35 speaks to a new generation of cinematographers, says Hikmat Wehbi, founder and DoP of W Studio.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 73

PROReview

The GEMINI 5K S35 sensor provides exceptional low-light performance, says Wehbi.

for ad videos. Now, if you create staged content, it doesn’t engage people online. Instead, short clips with impressive colour grading, music and graphics seems to have more appeal,” Wehbi explains.

As a result, W Studio tends to take on retainer projects where it creates videos periodically: “If you take the example of a hotel chain with many different properties, they would want us to shoot each of their properties and we would create around four or five videos for them each month.”

“It looks like a simple camera, but it delivers so much for someone with my background, where RAW is almost sacred, image quality is everything and dynamic range is revered. The RED GEMINI 5K speaks to a new generation of cinematographers and reflects my personality” Hikmat Wehbi, DoP, W Studio

74 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

Toying with his camera, Wehbi explains why the RED GEMINI is ideal for his set-up.

“This camera has an amazing dynamic range that no other camera in its category has. But also, more and more productions are happening with less people and equipment. When it’s not a huge production, people make the mistake of bringing a small camera that does not deliver enough quality. The GEMINI sensor offers a fantastic dynamic range, so you can shoot in very low light conditions

PROReview

that other cameras cannot handle.

“It’s perfect as an A camera.

It’s also perfect as a B camera.

And its HDR is so good that when you have a window with a lot of light coming in from outside and it’s quite dark inside, it can capture the image perfectly despite that wide range. It’s a very flexible and strong camera.”

He says the interface on the touch screen is very user-friendly and the flexibility it offers allows him to easily move between shoots for different platforms.

“You can easily change the frame rate, the ISO and the white balance, even after you’ve shot the footage. Even if you make a mistake shooting with the wrong white balance, you can rectify that in post with the REDCODE RAW footage. If I make that mistake on another camera, I’m done for.”

“The GEMINI sensor offers a fantastic dynamic range, so you can shoot in very low light conditions that other cameras cannot handle. It’s perfect as an A camera. It’s also perfect as a B camera” Hikmat Wehbi, DoP, W Studio The fact that the GEMINI shoots RAW footage is an instant winner with Wehbi.

“It may be because I am also a photographer that I appreciate the power of RAW footage and what you can do with it in post-production.

I’m used to RAW files. With RAW, you can cook them after you shoot them; you can change the colours, the white balance, the temperature and so on in post. In most video

cameras, everything is preset and the flexibility to correct it in post-production, especially with DSLRs, is not there – and that stifles your creativity hugely.”

There are other practical reasons why Wehbi finds the 5K format and the big sensor of the GEMINI especially appealing.

Moving between horizontal and vertical formats is a challenge, one he feels can only be addressed without compromising quality by shooting in 4K, 5K or 8K. “Today, we don’t just tell stories in a horizontal format. There are so many vertical format opportunities, and to be able to exploit them adequately, I need a camera like the GEMINI because I often have to crop from a super panoramic to a super portrait if I’m shooting for different platforms. Essentially, you are cutting out a lot of the image

The camera offers incredible flexibility to crop from a super panoramic to a super portrait, enabling Wehbi to deliver videos in both horizontal and vertical formats.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 75

PROReview

Wehbi initially had a RED SCARLET-W but upgraded to the GEMINI sensor for its ability to capture low-light conditions.

for vertical formats. If the camera is not 4K or 5K and you crop really close, you will end up with very low-res footage. We shoot wide so we have enough room to crop and still retain that high resolution. This cropping factor is only available in 4K, 5K and 8K.” He adds that the camera’s processor is key.

“This camera can shoot up to 250fps in 2K and 96fps in 5K. Each frame is about 15.4MP per file. If it was any other camera, handling such huge files in post could be very challenging. With REDCODE RAW, the files retain their detail and are easier to read and edit, and we use DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro for that.”

Wehbi initially had a RED SCARLET-W but upgraded to the GEMINI sensor for its ability to capture pictures in extremely low light conditions.

“It has two stops more than other cameras, which means in any situation, it can define images two times more than any other camera,” he explains.

Wehbi’s team is presently working on a YouTube series for Maybelline, which entails shooting 34 episodes, each seven to eight minutes long, over eight months. The company has also done more than 80 videos on food, beauty, nutrition, fashion and so on in Arabic for Fox TV. W Studio takes on various small and medium-sized projects, and the RED GEMINI provides the production house with tremendous flexibility because of its features and the affordable price point.

“You need to add some other accessories to make it complete,” Wehbi says. High on his agenda is a big RONIN stabiliser and a jacket.

“That’s next on my shopping list. This camera has taken our videos to the next level – I want to have all the right accessories, so I have the perfect package.”

76 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

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PROantiPiRaCY

Taking The fighT againsT piracy a notch higher in its bid to fight piracy from all angles, pay-TV network Osn has built a robust and sophisticated anti-piracy system based on aWs cloud architecture. BroadcastPro Middle East looks at what the migration to cloud entailed, and how it has helped Osn cost-efficiently shield its assets

78 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

PROantiPiRaCY OSN, a staunch anti-piracy advocate, has adopted a 360-degree approach to shielding its content. Besides engaging actively with authorities and media entities, it has also worked untiringly to develop a strong technical infrastructure to protect its assets.

Piracy cost the Middle East entertainment industry $500m in 2017. Since then, the launch of a rogue box called Beoutq is likely to have raised that figure substantially. On a global level, Digital TV Research estimates that the amount of revenue lost to piracy globally will skyrocket from nearly $31.8bn in 2016 to almost $52bn in 2022 – and those statistics do not even include sports or pay TV. Given these shocking figures, pay-TV network OSN, a staunch anti-piracy advocate, has adopted a 360-degree approach to fortifying and shielding its content. Besides engaging actively with government authorities and collaborating with other media entities to stem piracy in the region, it has also worked untiringly to develop a strong technical infrastructure to protect its assets.

Its first attempt began as early as 2017, when it developed its Platform Security Information System (PSIS), an in-house content protection solution dedicated to web piracy (live and on-demand), free-to-air (FTA) piracy, illicit streaming devices (ISDs) and advertisements promoting such devices on e-commerce platforms.

That system has evolved over the last year and a half to become the most advanced anti-piracy system tailored for the MENA region.

Designed to scan and take down pirated materials on a comprehensive set of illegal services popular in the MENA region, PSIS was launched with a user-friendly interface and a rich database containing all infringements identified. It was scalable but severely limited by the computational capabilities of OSN’s on-premises infrastructure: only four servers were running a limited number of crawling instances 24/7.

In 2018, OSN decided against another round of CAPEX

investment for on-premise infrastructure. Instead, it went with a full-scale migration to Amazon Web Services (AWS). The objective was to achieve full scalability in terms of the number of crawling instances and the number of assets protected. It was also a cost-saving initiative that offered better value than on-premises equipment. OSN chose the Amazon Aurora database, which replaced its on-premise database, and S3, an alternative to its on-premise NAS storage.

“One of the key objectives of moving to AWS cloud was to make use of its native services as much as possible for scaling, reliability and efficiency,” explains Dave Mace, Cloud and Digital Services Manager, OSN. “We build everything as infrastructure-as-a-code (IaC) on AWS. This way, we ensure that the infrastructure set-up is templated and descriptive. This offers several key benefits when building on the cloud – agility and simplicity, configuration consistency and reduced risk, to name a few. To help with this, we use Teffaform to create the whole infrastructure.”

Oba Oluwaseun, Lead Solution Architect at OSN, says one of the key constraints of running the crawling jobs on-premise was “fixed computer capacity”.

“With cloud providing the elasticity to scale, we started deliberating on how to make the most of the cloud flexibility while at the same time controlling cost based on a crawling job schedule.

We thought of using the AWS autoscaling service, but this only supports CPU-based scaling metrics natively. We were more interested in scaling based on the number of scheduled jobs rather than CPU-based metrics, so we used AWS Batch instead. This dynamically provisions computer resources for batch jobs and was ideal for our use case.

“Using AWS Batch also implied

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 79

PROantiPiRaCY

OSN chose the Amazon Aurora database, which replaced its on-premise database, and S3, an alternative to its on-premise NAS storage.

that we had to change our current way of running crawling jobs to use Docker containers, which is a key requirement for this service. With few lines of code change to make the configurations dynamic, we were good to go with the preliminary architecture.

Mace goes on: “This way, we only pay for when we have a crawling job running, because the instances are terminated if there is no job scheduled on them. Apart from the crawling jobs, there is also a web interface for reviewing the crawling output and general console management, which needs to be moved to the cloud. Excited about running the crawlers in Docker, it was a nobrainer for us to run this application server in Docker as well. AWS has a couple of services for running containers (ECS with managed EC2 instances, ECS with Fargate or EKS with managed EC2 instances), and we chose ECS with Fargate, mainly to pay for only provisioned container resources and avoid managing the underlying servers.”

With the cloud infrastructure set-up being a Blackbox with the use of Docker containers, effective monitoring became an essential requirement.

“AWS already has in-built metrics for its services in raw form, so OSN took these and extended it to Prometheus, an open-source monitoring system used to ingest custom metrics. Prometheus is also

“We build everything as infrastructure-as-a-code on AWS. This way, we ensure that the infrastructure set-up is templated and descriptive” Dave Mace, Cloud and Digital services Manager, Osn used for alerting, while Grafana, used as a dashboard tool, relies on the metrics from Prometheus,” clarifies Oluwaseun.

OSN also uses Newrelic APM for all application-based metrics and events.

In the meantime, cloud watch logs are primarily used for logging, built into AWS Batch and Fargate services.

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Prior to moving to the cloud, deploying code changes was a manual process. This involved the developer having to push the code to change to a version control system, and the release manager having to remotely connect to the application server manually to pull the latest code changes and restart the application to reflect the changes.

“To automate the process of code changes and its readiness to be used by the application server, we used a number of AWS services and automated the continuous delivery pipeline. This involved the developer pushing code change to the version control system, with the AWS Code pipeline automatically triggering a workflow, AWS CodeBuild building the image and AWS Lambda deploying the latest changes to Fargate (with Slack and New Relic notification). This whole process is now fully automated and has improved the frequent deployment of small code changes,” explains Mace.

By leveraging a fully serverless ecosystem and integrating various machine learning tools, OSN today boasts an accurate, fully scalable system in terms of crawling instances, volume of pirate websites monitored and volume of content protected.

“Since migration, OSN has been able to significantly increase its

With a sophisticated in-house antipiracy system in place, OSN no longer needs to rely on third-party services.

PROantiPiRaCY

Dr Guillaume Forbin (l), Director – Platform & Content Security along with Oba Oluwaseun (centre-back), Lead Solution Architect at OSN and Dave Mace (r), Cloud and Digital Services Manager, OSN.

anti-piracy capabilities: our results increased by 98% between 2017 and 2018. In 2018, the system was able to detect and act on more than half a million infringements, including Arabic, Turkish and Western pirated videos, pirated linear channels available on the web and on ISDs, as well as illegal adverts on e-commerce platforms,” explains Dr Guillaume Forbin, Director – Platform & Content Security.

With such a sophisticated in-house anti-piracy system in place, OSN no longer needs to rely on third-party services for online anti-piracy disruption.

“OSN is one of the very few

“Since migration, OSN has been able to significantly increase its anti-piracy capabilities: our results increased by 98% between 2017 and 2018” Dr guillaume forbin, Director of Platform & Content security, Osn

broadcasters worldwide operating its own anti-piracy system – this, of course, brings a significant cost saving to the company. PSIS has enabled us to establish deep collaborations with all US studios, global anti-piracy associations and regional content production houses on piracy matters. The solution is cost-efficient compared to on-premise servers and maintains the infrastructure security,” Dr Forbin says proudly.

“OSN’s Platform & Content Security team took a bold decision to re-architect the content protection solution with modern technologies during the AWS migration, while maintaining even better security principles in AWS with everything encrypted (both intransit and on-rest). Our Platform & Content Security team was the first to do a complete cloud migration of all their infrastructure in OSN.” By moving platform security to AWS, OSN has increased its output capacity five-fold and reduced the overall TCO (total cost of ownership) by more than 50%.

“We are now discovering and closing more illegal streams and sites with the increased capacity. The overall code changes and deployment are automated.

“With cloud providing the elasticity to scale, we started deliberating on how to make the most of the cloud flexibility while at the same time controlling cost based on a crawling job schedule” Oba Oluwaseun, Lead solution architect, Osn We are using various machine learning techniques for content recognition, and we are in the process of integrating PSIS detections with OSN Platform Security features such as pirate device identification, enabling us to terminate illegal content redistribution on the spot.

This creates severe disruption to pirate networks and greatly simplifies the day-to-day work of the Platform & Content Security team. Old servers have been decommissioned or re-purposed for other business projects,” Dr Forbin concludes.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 81

PROCABSAT

InnovATIon In ConTenT to dominate CaBSat 2019

From esports innovation to cutting-edge content creation, the 25th edition of CABSAT will be the place to discuss the region’s on-screen entertainment revolution CABSAT is entering its 25th edition with a fresh, newly evolved format that will bring the full content creation, production, post-production, satellite, OTT video, esports, digital media and entertainment ecosystem into the spotlight.

Taking place March 12-14 at Dubai World Trade Centre, CABSAT 2019 will unite the media industry’s creative experts and tech suppliers to unpack and unveil the new consumption habits, digitisation efforts and nextgen revenue opportunities being shaped by modern audiences.

CABSAT 2019 will focus on the three The Media and most dynamic pillars of future broadcast Entertainment media: content creation, content industry is production and content distribution. rapidly evolving, entering a stage of higher audience expectation – a phenomenon analysts are referring to as Convergence 3.0. Total global E&M revenue will rise 4.4% over the five-year forecast period through 2022, growing to be worth $2.4tn, up from $1.7tn in 2017.

Moreover, digital revenue, 50% of the industry’s income

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in 2018, will account for a greater share of the industry’s revenues as the ecosystem continues to evolve. Consumers are hungry for content like never before, and distributors are tasked with meeting this frenzied demand.

As new streaming services such as Spotify enter the MENA market and content distributors like Netflix make strategic moves into content creation, the industry is being pushed to look at the rapidly evolving media ecosystem in a completely new light. Business models throughout the industry are being reinvented to unleash new revenue streams.

In line with this shift, CABSAT’s refreshed format for 2019 will focus on the three most dynamic pillars of future broadcast media: content creation, content production and content distribution.

CABSAT manager Syed Ali says: “The media and entertainment industry has always been dynamic, but this year the ecosystem is predicted to evolve with a rapidity that we have

PROCABSAT

never before seen. If brands do not innovate quickly, they will stagnate.

To succeed in this new world of on-demand, personalised content consumption, all players need to drastically re-envision how content is created, produced and distributed.

“CABSAT has, for over two decades, kept the regional industry at the bleeding edge of technology, business modelling and emerging revenue streams. This year, we are thrilled to keep the industry thinking outside of the box so that they can keep creating, producing and distributing in this a golden age of media.”

Sanjay Raina, GM and Senior Vice President of Fox Networks Group, says: “Consumers are taking in media content at a never-before-seen pace.

Viewers want their content options to be tailored to their tastes, and we need to meet their demands in real time. As we shift into this new era of media, industry leaders need to adapt, scale and distribute rapidly or face becoming obsolete. CABSAT is an ideal opportunity to not only unveil our solutions to the region, but to also discover the latest in international media trends and technology, as well as network with the entire MENA entertainment and media industry.”

CABSAT’s Content Creation pillar will be where the best minds in the industry meet. expect to meet the creators, distributors and investors; at the CABSAT Content Marketplace, showcase. The marketplace will provide unprecedented opportunities to network with, and buy and sell filmed entertainment to the region’s major broadcast players.

As technology drives the latest innovations in the media ecosystem, CABSAT’s Content Production pillar will immerse attendees in the technology, gadgets and gear that will produce the next generation of content. From cameras, lenses and lighting to blockchain, AI and 5G, new and emerging technologies such as augmented reality will continue to redefine

CABSAT continues to remain the premier event for those looking to make waves in broadcast entertainment in MENA.

“To succeed in this new world of on-demand, personalised content consumption, all players need to drastically reenvision how content is created, produced and distributed” Syed Ali, CABSAT Manager the industry. CABSAT will feature the latest in content production gear.

Consumers in the Convergence 3.0 era demand that content be both personalised and readily available at the tap of an app. Digitisation is redefining how consumers take on content, with new OTT technologies and purposebuilt platforms that facilitate ‘anytime, anywhere’ consumption. Brands need to capitalise on this opportunity to provide bespoke content to this generation’s demanding audiences. At CABSAT’s Content Distribution and Satellite pillar, brands like du will highlight how they are putting the power of choice into the hands of their fans.

“For 25 years now, CABSAT has been the Middle East’s leading annual event for broadcasters to initially learn how the industry has changed, then get their hands on the tech driving it forward,” says Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Events & Exhibitions Management, DWTC. “While the technology may have changed almost beyond recognition, CABSAT still remains the premier

event for those looking to make waves in broadcast entertainment – from the content creators, through photographers and videographers, to those looking for the opportunities to be discovered in live video and streaming.”

CABSAT’s many steadfast features return this year, with the Content Congress hosting the industry’s leading disruptors and the Digital Hub set to be ground zero for all things OTT. Speakers from the likes of Fox International, MBC Group, ICFLIX, Zee Network, Rotana TV and du TV will discuss trending topics across digital broadcasting and content creation – how to meet, maintain and grow consumer/viewer interest; the best way to find content development partners; integrating social media into broadcasting; and the changing face of the media and consumer landscape, locally and internationally.

The GVF Satellite Summit will host vitally important dialogues and networking opportunities for key players in the satellite industry, while CABSAT’s Global Meetings Programme will provide exclusive free networking services allowing registered visitors and exhibitors to search, connect and book meetings with key contacts at the show.

Esports – set to be one of the fastest growing segments in the industry in coming years – will be featuring for the first time at CABSAT, with the show hosting a dedicated B2B esports area aimed at providing an opportunity to showcase and understand new monetisation models. CABSAT’s Esports Pavilion will define what esports – growing at an incredible pace – will look like in the future, enabling opportunities for industry leaders and those on the cutting edge of this emerging industry. Seminar topics will range from esports content and tournament organisation to building a fanbase, esports governance and marketing strategies.

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 83

PROCABSAT

AVIWEST takes video distribution to the next level AVIWEST will demonstrate the latest enhancements to its live video contribution and distribution systems at CABSAT this year.

On display will be AVIWEST's PRO3 Series, the AIR Series, its HE4000 encoder and its MOJOPRO app. These new products are designed to help broadcasters capture and deliver live 4K, HD and SD

video over multiple unmanaged IP networks, including bonded 4G/3G cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet and satellite links.

The all-new PRO3 Series includes an integrated H.265/ HEVC hardware encoder in a compact design enclosure.

With this, video professionals can provide high-quality news

and event coverage while supporting the HEVC video standard. With up to 12 network links, a custom antenna array and AVIWEST SafeStreams Technology, the new PRO3 Series allows broadcasters to deliver better video quality while consuming less data.

The AIR Series features an ultra-lightweight design targeted at on-the-move broadcasters, providing them with portable, versatile and affordable solutions. Featuring up to six network links, a three-hour internal battery and SafeStreams Technology, the AIR Series allows broadcasters to stream live videos seamlessly and store and

forward recorded content, even during unpredictable and unmanaged network conditions.

AVIWEST has enhanced its MOJOPRO mobile journalism solution available for the iOS platform. MOJOPRO allows video professionals to stream live videos, edit video files, and forward recorded content from any location over bonded 3G/4G and Wi-Fi connections in just seconds.

AVIWEST’s HE4000 encoder will be showcased with the recent QUAD CellLink, an external 3G/4G-LTE cellular transmission solution that embeds four last-generation 3G/4G-LTE cellular modems with their SIM cards.

Hall 3, D3-31

NAGRA promises new intelligence will help counter piracy in MENA CABSAT will serve as the platform for NAGRA to discuss the impact and possible applications of AI in checking piracy in the industry.

"Data and AI can be a game changer for the pay TV market,” commented Chrys Poulain, Sales Director MENA & Turkey.

“As a region increasingly driven by mobile and telecoms connectivity, service providers and operators attending CABSAT should explore the role that data and analytics can play in giving them an edge to improve their business performance in a more complex distribution environment.

Service providers first need to identify which real, tangible business challenge they wish to address with data. That

should be more than just basic recommendations, they should include user experience optimisation, targeted advertising and the business benefits of breaking down the silos from separate divisions within organisations, so they can streamline solutions that can provide quality services, drive subscriber value, improve content acquisition and deliver revenue growth.”

Poulain goes on to add that the MENA market is an important part of NAGRA’s business, and “one that presents lots of challenges and opportunity for pay-TV providers”.

“Our own research demonstrates there are growing concerns in the

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Chrys Poulain, Sales Director MENA & Turkey NAGRA. region surrounding piracy and live-streaming sports piracy continues to cause significant business challenges for the pay-TV industry as illustrated for instance by BeIN, one of our customers. We are actively

working with the network to disrupt the pirates.”

Poulain adds that watermarking is an efficient and essential tool against online piracy and many large pay TV operators in MENA have implemented Nagra’s NexGuard watermarking solutions.

“We’re part of the MENA Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Coalition, and work with stake-holders from across the industry to battle piracy.

“CABSAT enables operators, content owners and vendors to come together and find the best solutions that will maintain growth in the MENA region’s cable and satellite market.”

Hall 2, B2-20

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PROCABSAT

IO Industries brings compact cameras to CABSAT IO Industries’ will present its mini camera line-up for 4K and 2K output. The 4KSDI-Mini compact 4K/UHD camera head only needs a single 12G-SDI connection to provide 4K 60fps video, but can also support 6G, 3G and HD-SDI output formats.

The 4KSDIMini is designed for applications needing high image quality. Separate models feature either a 1" format global shutter or 2/3" format rolling shutter sensor. Customers looking for standard video frame rates (24, 29.97, 60fps), standard HD/UHD resolutions and a video-style interface will find this camera ideal for their application needs.

The 2KSDI-Mini is an SDI

small camera for shooting in tight spaces. The camera can output in 2K, 1080p, 1080i and 720p, up to 60fps. This camera is built with a 1/2" format CMOS global shutter sensor, or optionally a 2/3" format CMOS rolling shutter sensor. The camera can output in 10-bit 4:2:2, 4:4:4 or RAW. Hall 2, 200

Kintronic Labs to present new air-cooled loads

Tom King, CEO & President, Kintronic Labs.

US-based Kintronic Labs will showcase a new line of FM air-cooled dummy loads at CABSAT 2019.

The dummy loads offer a range in input power rating from 5kW to 75kW,

with some of their models convection-cooled and requiring no external AC power. The 10kW and higher loads are forced-air cooled.

Each new load comes with a factory guaranteed one-year warranty.

Speaking about its new line of FM air-cooled dummy loads, Tom King, CEO & President, Kintronic Labs, said: “Kintronic Labs has been supplying top-quality products and services to the broadcast industry since 1951. Kintronic Labs has recently designed and supplied DRM-capable MW broadcast transmission systems to customers in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.”

Hall 3, Stand 307

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Lawo’s new broadcast monitoring solutions

Lawo will present its IP-based broadcast audio and video production, control and monitoring technology alongside its radio product line at CABSAT. This year’s setup in Dubai includes the V__matrix software-defined IP-routing, processing and multi-viewing platform; Lawo’s VSM (Virtual Studio Manager) broadcast control system as well as the SMART System Monitoring and Realtime Telemetry for broadcast networks. Also on show will be the new mc²56 third-generation production console and the Bundesligaapproved KICK automated mixing control for close-ball mixing. Additionally, Lawo will bring its ruby radio console with its customisable, context-sensitive visual interface and the Power Core Audio Mixing Engine.

Lawo’s V__matrix ecosystem is based on generic high-capacity FPGA-based processing blades upon which softwaredefined Virtual Modules (VM) are loaded to create the functionality required.

The VM range includes the vm_dmv64-4 – the world’s first infinitely expandable true IP multiviewer and the vm__UDX – 4K format converter.

Lawo will demo its VSM IP broadcast control system.

VSM brings together all the requirements for a safe and flexible broadcast operation.

Also showcased will be KICK, Lawo’s ball tracking technology for close-ball audio pickup for sports such as soccer, rugby and American football. The system provides transparent sound and excellent ‘kick-to-noise’ ratio, significantly reducing crowd noise. It ensures a consistent audio level without noticeable fades for seamless inclusion in a broadcast mix.

Lawo will also bring the sleek, intuitive, and powerful Ruby mixing console designed for today’s radio. New SMPTE 2022-7 Seamless Protection Switching combined with standards-based AES67 AoIP delivers flawless networking for missioncritical applications.

Hall 2, D2-20

PROCABSAT

Ikegami to showcase 4K HD capabilities Camera manufacturer Ikegami will demonstrate the latest additions to its product range at CABSAT 2019. Its stand will feature four cameras (the UHK-430, HDK-99, HDK-73 and HDL-45E) and four production monitors.

The highlight at the show will be the UHK-430, a 4K-native IP-ready camera system with simultaneous HDR/SDR processing. Its three 2/3-inch CMOS sensors provide full 3840 x 2160 ultra-high definition resolution, plus the depth of field needed for studio and outdoor production. The camera is equipped with a B4 bayonet mount compatible with 2/3-inch HD lenses. An optional SE-

weighs just 4.5kg and comes with a two-inch

U430 expander accommodates large studio or OB lenses.

Additional features include 12G, SQD, 2SI, 3G and IP CCU outputs, plus an integral processor which allows 40GB uncompressed full bandwidth video transmission. In its standard form, the UHK-430

viewfinder and portable lens.

Another product highlight will be the HQLM-3125X production monitor, a 31-inch 4K/HD master grade monitor supporting BT 2020 UHD, HDTV, HDR and SDR. Equipped with two 12G-SDI

input channels as standard, for efficient configuration with 4K equipment the monitor comes with. 3G-SDI, HD-SDI and HDMI inputs. The monitor employs a 4096 x 2160 pixel UHD LCD panel with LED backlighting.

Dual LCD layer technology enables this display to reproduce high-resolution 4K and 2K images with a contrast of 1,000,000:1 and a luminance of 1,000 nits across the entire screen.

Also on display will be The a 1.5G robotic point-of-view camera designed for remotecontrol applications such as news and weather presentation.

Hall 3, D3-20

March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 87

PROCABSAT

Advanced Media brings a host of brands to CABSAT UAE distributor Advanced Media will showcase its broadcasting and high-end production equipment at CABSAT this year.

The top products on display will be the Sony Venice, the RED DSMC2 Monstro, Zeiss Supreme Prime Lenses and many more.

Speaking about Advanced Media's presence at the show, Pooyan Farnam, Senior Product Manager at the company said: “The MENA market is very important for us. We have seen the fast growth and the high potential transformation of the media market in recent years. 4K HDR production is a key challenge and sports broadcasting will

be big in 2019. This will be an important year for Videoon-Demand services as well as streaming platforms like Netflix and Shahid”.

Advanced Media also has service centres for all the brands it represents.

Hall 3, A3-10

Masstech harnesses hybrid cloud at CABSAT Content storage management solutions provider Masstech will demonstrate its range of optimised cloud and hybrid cloud storage and asset lifecycle solutions, along with MassStore, a media services framework that enables the rapid deployment of customised, environmentspecific workflows.

Speaking about the showcase for CABSAT, Luc Tomasino, VP of Global Sales at Masstech, said: “Masstech has always been dedicated to ensuring that the M&E industry has the storage and lifecycle solutions it requires to take maximum advantage of advances in complementary technologies. FlashNet and

MassStore are harnessing the flexibility of cloud technology to create optimised storage environments for broadcasters. Masstech’s integrations with technology vendors mean that broadcasters can implement completely tailored solutions to match their workflows – for example, single or multi-cloud environments for redundancy and DR, or hybrid cloud with the inherent security of on-premise air-gap.”

MassStore is completely customisable, with dedicated workflows for news, sports, production, education and other environments.

Hall 2, G2-34

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Take the Baton from Interra Systems Interra Systems will showcase its Baton ABR QC and Orion-OTT monitoring solutions at CABSAT, which perform deep QC checks and monitor VOD and live content from ingest to distribution points. By carrying out exhaustive checks at pre- and posttranscode stages, along with comprehensive, delivery-specific checks and monitoring, this solution assures QoE for every stream on every device.

ORION-OTT can monitor a large number of streams for ABR compliance, along with audio-video quality checks in real time. Providing an aggregated view and status collected by Orion and

Orion-OTT monitoring points, Orion Central Manager offers visibility and power for proactive monitoring.

When complemented by the company’s Baton for QC and Orion for 24/7 linear workflow monitoring, both product suites provide broadcasters with a total solution for streaming superior-quality services.

Interra Systems is working to develop WINNOW further, powered by advanced AI and machine learning technologies. WINNOW can detect and tag specific scenes and images such as violence and strong language, based on user-defined rules.

Hall 2, 205

AVT bets high on use value with audio products

With a focus on use-value and longevity of products, German company Audio Video Technologies (AVT) will present its new audio encoder and ensemble multiplexer at CABSAT 2019.

On display will be the costeffective MAGIC DABMUX Go multiplexer, a small but smart device. Together with the MAGIC

AE1 DAB+ Go audio encoders, AVT will present a complete small-scale DAB headend at the show. The audio codecs on display will demonstrate audio transmissions over different networks like IP, ISDN, 2-Mbit/s (E1) and X.21.

Hall 3, I3-32

PROCABSAT

Nautel offers extended guarantee on GV series transmitters at CABSAT as part of anniversary celebrations Celebrating its 50th year, Nautel will be at CABSAT showcasing its portfolio of digital and analogue solidstate radio transmitters, with products ranging from 1-2,000kW in medium wave and 300W-88kW in FM. As part of Nautel’s anniversary celebration, any customer ordering a GV Series FM transmitter

by April 11, 2019 will receive an extra 50 months warranty.

“This adds up to over eight years of transmission peace of mind with worldwide available parts and our support team,” commented Wendell Lonergan,

Nautel Head of Broadcast Sales.

“Recent large projects involving multiple transmitter

units and combiners have generated considerable interest in the industry. Transmitters have typically been combined in a

binary fashion, requiring bypass functionality in each combiner.

For projects such as Antenna Hungaria, Nautel developed more sophisticated two-way and fiveway combiners. If any transmitter in the system goes down or is taken offline, the combiner automatically reconfigures itself in order to maintain maximum on-air power.”

Lonergan said Nautel looks forward to meeting national broadcast organisations throughout the MEASA region, to discuss transitions to digital broadcasting as well as ways to lower operating costs at large facilities.

Hall 2, A230

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March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 89

PROCABSAT

Qvest Media to test the waters with Qvest.Cloud

Peter Nöthen, CEO of Qvest Media Group.

Qvest Media will bring Qvest.Cloud to CABSAT. Qvest.Cloud is an advanced management platform that enables third-party cloud applications to be networked into one integrated workflow and used and monitored via a central user interface. Integral components

of the platform designed as cloud-native applications are cross-application functions such as workflow orchestration, cloud automation, user management with single sign-on, access management, monitoring, and measuring and billing.

Qvest.Cloud breaks down the barriers between installations in local data centres, private clouds and public clouds – such as AWS, Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud.

“Qvest.Cloud will be fully market-ready by NAB,” commented Peter Nöthen, CEO of Qvest Media Group.

“Trade shows like CABSAT will help us understand what business and technological aspects can play an additional role for Qvest.Cloud."

Hall 3, E3-10

LYNX Technik presents greenMachine platform LYNX Technik, with Middle Eastern partner Ideal Systems, will present greenMachine, a multipurpose processing platform offering many configurations in the form of constellations.

Users have the chance to reprogramme greenMachine by picking their constellation depending on the application and how they need to use their processing platform.

This customisation is the true flexibility of greenMachine. The greenMachine HDR conversion constellation addresses the need for broadcasters to deliver enhanced viewing experiences to audiences, as well as mix SDR and

HDR requirements in a single workflow for a completely seamless look.

David Holloway, LYNX Technik Director of Sales, EMEA, said: “Our Middle Eastern customers are searching for flexibility in how they manage their signal processing. With greenMachine, we are delivering that flexibility with a solution that can be easily reprogrammed depending on the configuration they need.

CABSAT is an ideal environment for us to demonstrate how we can help customers improve their operations.”

Hall 4, A4-10

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Globecast offers live solutions for broadcasters Globecast will showcase its live content acquisition expertise with its Digital Media Hub suite, content protection solutions and the latest advances in its telco services.

The company has combined its live content acquisition expertise with its Digital Media Hub cross-platform suite of content publishing services for sport and live events, creating a live content solution from any event to any screen.

Globecast Live works for both the broadcast and B2B communication markets, creating live content TV suitable for intranets, extranets, social media, short- and

long-form VOD, linear broadcast and OTT services.

Content can be stored for later use via Globecast’s Content Marketplace. Twoway communication with people in the field – live video and intercom – is also available, as is file transfer.

Hall 7, C7-20

U-TO offers RightsU for an evolving OTT 2.0 era U-TO Solutions, which is returning for the fourth year to CABSAT, will showcase its RightsU content rights and licensing platform for intellectual property management at CABSAT. Organisations often look to track, manage and monetise content opportunities across multiple platforms, holdbacks, languages, period etc. while maintaining regulatory compliance.

The need for a robust rights management solution led U-TO to develop RightsU, an enterprise solution that empowers media organisations to manage content, IP and licensing among other things. Users experience complete visibility from acquisition to syndication

across complex, multi-layered combinations of platforms, territories, period, holdbacks, languages and so on. It also enhances revenue opportunities by providing actionable insights to the right people at the right time. RightsU provides an insight of all available asset inventory across platforms/ territories, thereby enabling informed decision making by relevant stakeholders.

Additionally, it tracks royalty pay-outs and custom-defined revenue/profit-sharing rules.

With the media industry moving into an ‘OTT 2.0’ era, U-TO says its solution is ready for a new world of consumption patterns, business models and technology evolutions.

Hall 4,401

PROCABSAT

Phabrix takes the hybrid approach PHABRIX will be displaying its full range of hybrid IP/SDI, 4K/ UHD, HDR/WCG and HD-ready test and measurement solutions.

PHABRIX’s Qx Series will show the latest hybrid IP/SDI test and measurement tools required for the transition to the next generation of video formats.

The Qx IP’s features include multiple packet interval timing (PIT) histograms for monitoring signal flows, and 2022-7 ‘hitless’ flow reconstruction.

Phillip Adams, PHABRIX’s Managing Director, said: “With so many significant changes

taking place in parallel within the region and industry, including the transition from SD to HD, HD to UHD, SDI to IP and SDR to HDR, it’s a challenging time for our customers. It’s important they can rely on us to provide test and measurement equipment to help them

maintain standards compliance and within defined parameters as they transition between technologies. We’re looking forward to a busy, exciting and productive CABSAT 2019.”

PHABRIX will also demonstrate its range of handheld Sx instruments

at CABSAT, offering advanced capabilities including hybrid IP/3G/ HD/SD performance and physical layer testing.

The Sx Series has a new audio/video delay option which combines a programmable AV test signal generator with an automatic AV delay analyzer, providing the ability to track audio to video timing within a signal chain.

Its product portfolio includes the Qx Series for hybrid IP, 4K/ UHD, and HDR/WCG signal generation, analysis, and video/audio monitoring.

Hall 2, G2-32

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March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 91

PROCABSAT

Grass Valley showcases its media prowess

Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, will be at CABSAT to present its expertise with IP control and monitoring. The Grass Valley offering delivers comprehensive configuration, control and monitoring of any media installation.

The system can be customised to provide a high degree of

automation and seamlessly integrates with other Grass Valley solutions as well as associated third-party devices.

Other highlights include an IQUCP universal compute processor with optional functionality at 4K UHD/3G/HD/ SD rates that can be reprogrammed as required; GV Stratuss video production and content management offering a suite of tools with access from anywhere on any supported device; and LiveTouch replay and highlights, a complete replay and slow-motion system for studio and sports applications.

Hall 3, G3-20

Alpha Technology offers more cloud functionality

Alpha Technology USA LLC recently opened an office in Dubai and will present its AlphaOTT V2 solution, which it claims is a generational shift in OTT/IPTV middleware cloud software, delivering new levels of capability, agility and an empowering user experience.

AlphaOTT V2 is designed to scale with one's business and connect to all connected devices. It is reportedly simple to deploy for a few hundred clients in a single country or even to hundreds of thousands around the world.

Hall 4, PD-07

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Irdeto workshops to address piracy Irdeto’s exclusive workshops during CABSAT will dwell on the hottest trends in OTT. To be held at Conrad Dubai, Irdeto will host these workshops from 11am to 4:30pm on March 12 and from 10:30am to 4:30pm on March 13.

Key discussion areas will include Android TV, OTT business lessons, content piracy concerns and cyber security. The Android TV workshop will dwell on the best practices, practical deployment information and answers to the most commonly asked questions from operators about Android TV. Mechanisms to maintain control and combat piracy on this open platform will be

discussed. Also discussed will be the know-how around deploying a hybrid Android TV STB in the fastest, most flexible and most secure way.

The sessions on content piracy protection will include how the online piracy market is changing and provide insights into the threats which exist and the completely disruptive nature of online piracy.

As the appetite for IoT continues to grow, more and more consumers are connecting smart devices in their homes. Operators are entering this emerging market by launching IoT services with the aim of becoming a hub for consumer IoT activity.

World debut of PlayBox Neo's Cloud2TV at CABSAT CABSAT visitors will witness the world debut of Cloud2TV, an IP-based, software-centric solution from PlayBox Neo. At the core of Cloud2TV is a playout/IP streaming service supporting UHD, HD and SD. Cloud2TV can be operated in fully automated mode. It gives operators the freedom to schedule alterations or insert live content between pre-scheduled content.

Cloud2TV has an intuitive web-based control interface with administrator-adjustable rights assignment, TV channel management, action-logging and notifications. Each Cloud2TV application works individually but in close co-ordination with the others to provide a full set of broadcast services.

Hall 3, C3-21

PROCABSAT

Sennheiser transmitters to turn up the volume at CABSAT 2019

Mig Cardamone, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sennheiser Middle East. lithium-polymer battery offers an operating time of up to 12 hours.

Sennheiser will also

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Sennheiser Middle East will co-participate with its pro-audio distributor for the UAE, Venuetech.

The highlight at CABSAT will be the Sennheiser SK 6212, a mini-bodypack transmitter for its digital 6000 wireless microphone system.

This transmitter has rounded corners and edges, and measures 63 x 47 x 20mm with a battery weight of 112g. As with all digital 6000 transmitters, the SK 6212 can be synced via IR, saving time and effort, especially in live environments. The flexible antenna is detachable and field replaceable, and its removable BA 62

launch the XSW-D audio for video entry-level range of portable wireless microphones in the region, as well as the NDH20, Neumann’s professional headphones.

Mig Cardamone, Director of Sales and Marketing at Sennheiser Middle East, said: “In addition to presenting opportunities to grow our business with customers and partners, CABSAT also enables us to keep our ear to the ground and gain invaluable insight into what our customers want and the trends that are shaping our industry.”

Hall 4, D4-10

Diversified brings tech and financial resources to MENA Diversified will be exhibiting at CABSAT for the first time since acquiring TSL FZ LLC. The firm will feature its Media & Entertainment (M&E) division’s integration solutions leveraging the benefits of IP infrastructure as well as its Emerging Technology & Solutions consulting and planning services.

Chris Mehos, Diversified VP and GM, M&E – International, said: “the addition of Suhail Ahmed and his team, Diversified now has the local resources to offer our deep expertise in IP solutions to the EMEA market.”

Andy Davies has also joined the firm as Director of M&E for EMEA to support Diversified's global strategy.

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March 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 93

PROCABSAT

x-dream-distribution offers partner solutions

Following its success at CABSAT last year, x-dream-distribution GmbH has returned to the show as part of the Bavarian pavilion.

The firm brings solutions from a number of different vendors its represents including ingest, social ingest and outgest solutions from Woody Technologies, transcoding and live broadcasting software from

Capella Systems, ingest and playout software from Libero Systems, and Squared Paper’s microservices toolkit.

The recent partnership with Squared Paper will see x-dreamdistribution GMBH demonstrate Squared Paper‘s main product Busby, a toolkit for building ESB / micro-service based workflows for media applications together with demonstrations of some typical use cases in sports archiving, system monitoring, broadcast workflow and social media management.

Hall 3, E3-35

Open Broadcast Systems is RIST-compliant Open Broadcast Systems will demonstrate its range of IP encoders and decoders, which have been updated to support the new RIST (Reliable Internet Stream Transport) protocol.

This is a new update and will be demonstrated for the first time at CABSAT. RIST is a protocol for interoperable low latency contribution-quality video via unmanaged networks, including the internet. It is based on the Video Services Forum’s TR-06-1 technical recommendation document.

Kieran Kunhya, Managing Director, Open Broadcast Systems, said: “RIST gives us

a simple yet highly effective method for interchanging professional signals between different vendors. We have aligned our existing retransmission product to comply with RIST, as it is much simpler than alternatives.”

Hall 2, G2-30

TVU solutions reflect the power of Artificial Intelligence TVU Networks will debut a series of products at CABSAT this year, including MediaMind, TVU Producer and Contribution Automation Solution (CAS).

MediaMind includes a suite of solutions based on AI, which enables broadcasters and operators to migrate seamlessly towards the smart studio of the future, delivering ROI and efficiency.

TVU Producer is the latest addition to TVU’s remote production solutions, enabling anyone to do professional, multi-camera live video

production without expensive hardware, software or training.

CAS can help with the entire acquisition process planned at story creation stage. In addition, all assignments

94 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

are pushed to field devices and the personnel involved.

Kap Shin, Executive Vice President, Business Development, TVU Networks, said: “As production for news

and events continues to move towards cloudbased production, we’re developing equipment and a support network that offers the functionality and business benefits that make a real difference to our clients. We are in the process of enhancing our IP offerings and embracing workflow disruptive technologies. We look forward to demonstrating our cutting-edge technology for news gathering and remote production tools for live streaming at this year's CABSAT.” Hall 4, E4-20

PROCABSAT

NewTek and MediaCast to demo latest software-driven video production technology NewTek and its partner MediaCast will demonstrate the latest software-driven video production technology for broadcasters, sports teams, educators, houses of worship, live event producers and esport leagues at CABSAT. To enhance softwaredriven live production experiences, NewTek and MediaCast will showcase Premium Access, which provides users with the tools and technology that equip video production systems with creative functionality. This includes LiveGraphics, which allows users to design animated titles, motion graphics and looping effects using Adobe Creative Cloud tools, before importing directly into a NewTek live production system.

The Live Graphics Creator plug-in simplifies authoring in Adobe After Effects CC, with enhanced real-time system functionality allowing customisation, playback and automation options.

Users can also create software-based control panels and operate NewTek live production systems from any compatible desktop or mobile device using LivePanel. Easily accessible through any web browser or operating system, it includes production-ready control panels for remote mixing, media playback and audio mixing, plus the LivePanel Builder tool to design custom panels for unique productions and workflows.

Equipped with Advanced Audio I/O, users can merge

system audio seamlessly into external routing and mixing workflows for comprehensive integration and complex handling. It extracts all incoming and outgoing audio channels, including embedded SDI and NDI audio channels, and makes them available for independent routing and delivery to external audio destinations.

With NDI KVM, users have access to the NewTek live production system workspace as an interactive NDI video source.

By launching NDI Studio Monitor, users can select the source from the available inputs and outputs,

then view or run a production remotely from any compatible computer or device.

Users can also expand shot selection and storytelling opportunities without increasing source count. With Virtual PTZ, users can create and access multiple shots from any individual video signal, complete with live virtual zoom and realtime pan and scan effects.

NewTek and MediaCast will also demonstrate how an end-to-end IP video system with NDI provides an efficient and cost-effective video solution for all broadcast sectors. The world’s first NDI PTZ camera which allows users to connect, capture and control with a single network cable will be on display, alongside the NewTek Connect Spark, a portable device designed to deliver SDI or HDMI video to a computer and/or IP network.

Hall 2, B2-10

NOA presents advanced archiving solutions at CABSAT AV digitising and archiving specialist NOA GmbH has a bigger booth at CABSAT this year and will feature a hands-on in-house digitisation factory. Placing prominence on optimisation, streamlining and quality control of the entire workflow, NOA has enhanced its product offering to meet the increasing industrial digitisation requirements of legacy audio and video carriers. Products in focus will be NOA’s Archive Asset Management solution mediARC, the

recently released NOA jobDB 4.1 workflow system and the newly upgraded NOA QualityChecker for jobDB and mediARC. “The demand for advanced archiving solutions and consultancy on data migration has increased considerably in the last few years. Preservation of legacy material is not merely a prominent theme of our presentations; it has become a strong interest point for many broadcasters in the MEASA region and around the world,”

96 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

Christophe Kummer, MD at NOA.

said Christophe Kummer, Managing Director at NOA. “This year we will have an even stronger team of specialists at CABSAT to welcome more visitors to our booth and address each institution’s individual requirements with the utmost care.”

Kummer will be at the show with colleagues Bruno Burtre, Abderrahmane Bessaih, Silvester Stöger and Manuel Corn.

Hall4, B4-30

PROCABSAT

Content delivery key to MediaKind Universe MediaKind will demonstrate the MediaKind Universe at CABSAT this year. The MediaKind Universe portfolio includes five solutions Cygnus, Aquila, Pictor, Orion and Vega, each of which address a specific, defined workflow on how content is delivered to the consumer.

Cygnus delivers contribution and primary distribution applications and technology while demonstrating new levels of content security and an endto-end contribution portfolio for efficient UHD/HD HDR delivery over any network.

Aquila showcases the efficient operational delivery of linear and VOD services across any network

to any device. Pictor is centred around storage and delivery outlining leading capabilities for cloud DVR and timeshift TV solutions.

Orion will showcase how it delivers content discovery and personalisation. Vega demonstrates the knowledge and skillset of MediaKind's global services and support.

The company is implementing a new support structure and demonstrating how it will deliver its service offerings within the Universe.

Georges Dabaghi, VP Sales MEA and Luke Williams, Sales Director MEA will be at CABSAT to discuss the portfolio in detail.

Hall 4, F4-21

Apantac’s multi utility IP Extenders Signal processing solutions manufacturer Apantac will launch new models of its KVM over IP extenders and matrices at CABSAT 2019.

The KVM over IP extender/ receiver sets are used as point-to-point HDMI/DVI/VGA video, audio, USB and RS232 extension solutions. Alternatively, this solution can be used as a KVM over IP matrix when multiple sets are connected via an IP switch.

Available for both unicast and multicast transmissions, signals can be sent over IP to single recipients or multiple groups on a network.

These devices can be managed and configured on a network

from a Windows interface. In the case of limited bandwidth, bitrate and frame rate are configurable, providing a useful bandwidth management feature. Existing models include an HDMI/DVI/ VGA video input and output with resolutions up to 1920x1200p60.

Apantac will also demonstrate its new TAHOMA UE series of multiviewers for 4K/UHD visual monitoring environments.

Hall 2, 207

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Egripment dolly stars on Oasis Enterprises stand

Egripment will showcase its dolly slider with distributor Oasis Enterprises at CABSAT. The Egripment Slider is a travelling dolly designed for live applications such as live shows, music concerts, sport events and reality tv.

The dolly comes with remote solutions for fully motorised

controlled applications allowing for repeated and precise movements.

The dolly is driven by one motor, positioned on the trackwheel. Track sections are available in aluminum, steel, straight and curved track.

Hall-2, C2-10

Nevion pushes for incremental shift to IP Nevion will make the case for an incremental move to IP at CABSAT. "Nevion’s solution for this is provided by two products that are designed to work both in LAN (studios, campuses) and WAN (contribution, remote production) environments," commented Olivier Suard, VP of Marketing at Nevion.

"Virtuoso is our software defined media node, and VideoIPath is our orchestration and SDN control software.

Both have been upgraded with new functionality."

Virtuoso includes a raft of new features including support for SMPTE 2110, audio embedding/deembedding, shuffling, delay gain, routing, and frame

Olivier Suard, VP Marketing, Nevion. synchronisation. VideoIPath enables the transition from SDI to IP as it is able to control and monitor media flows across both networks.

Hall 2, 204

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PROGUEST

“To increase market share, OTT providers need to fix the customer experience in the home by replicating the set-top box's ease of use”

The battle for eyeballs As the battle for viewers intensifies, so does the need for OTT service providers to deliver the very best streaming experience to viewers across a whole host of devices. Today’s viewers want to sit down, turn the TV on and watch their favourite content – whenever and wherever they like.

This ties nicely into the offerings of OTT service providers and is driving traditional broadcasters to launch their own OTT offerings. However, delivering content to an ever-growing number of devices while maintaining a smooth video experience without latency, buffering or image freezing isn’t easy. Delivering a quality of experience (QoE) on a par with linear TV broadcast is the goal that OTT operators have long been striving towards.

One reason OTT offerings haven’t been as successful as they could be is the consumer experience in the home.

In the early days, IP video was tailored around a second screen experience but didn’t offer a good linear experience.

For IP to be viable as a main delivery point, viewers needed a set-top box, which the industry thought would eventually be replaced by smart TVs. But that hasn’t happened. Smart TVs are fragmented, with different brands supporting different apps and giving viewers different experiences.

STBs are here to stay. Their presence in the home makes it more difficult for consumers to switch to an alternative IP service, giving incumbent providers an advantage and a means to keep OTT providers out of the market for

100 | www.broadcastprome.com | March 2019

primary screen devices. The success of YouTube TV, for example, has been limited by its app-based functionality.

Consumers don’t want to have to set up apps to work on their TVs or worry about which apps their TV supports to watch their favourite shows.

To increase market share, OTT providers need to fix the customer experience in the home by replicating the STB's ease of use. If they’re serious about targeting the primary screen market, that means shipping STBs. They don’t need traditional custommade STBs, because they don’t need special RF connections. It could be an off-the-shelf Android TV box with the app pre-installed and everything set up – so that the consumer simply plugs it into the TV, turns it on, and it works.

The other major challenge for IP is latency. Viewers expect a consistent low-latency experience and when they change channels, they don’t expect to have to wait for a stream to buffer.

This is particularly important for live content like sports – one of the primary reasons viewers subscribe to traditional TV packages.

A range of technology advancements can reduce latency, including lower latency encoding techniques, lower latency player techniques, more aggressive buffering and using smaller GOP sizes and segment sizes. There’s currently a lot of noise around using WebRTC as a protocol – rather than joint segmented HTTP delivery – which would give OTT providers much more control over content

delivery. Traditional STBs operate on streaming rather than segmentation, which means they don’t have to worry about segmenting video or using multiple bitrates. With HTTP/3 support for WebRTC, this could be made available to OTT providers, which would be a game changer for both latency and reliability.

Most OTT providers use public CDNs, but if they build their own CDN – either by rolling out their own network or introducing their caches into network providers they partner with – they can achieve much more granular control over how it operates and performs. If they’re using a public CDN, they have no control over how close their cache is to the customers that are important to them, how they’re configured, or other variables that affect latency.

Another benefit to a private or hybrid CDN approach is the ability to monitor and analyse CDN performance and content data. Monitoring the entire system from ingest to multi-bitrate encoding, all the way to delivery, can help OTT providers design and configure their CDN in a way that lowers latency and makes it more reliable.

To differentiate themselves and compete on a more equal footing with the incumbents, OTT providers must fix the home experience and take advantage of technological advancements to achieve lower latency delivery. Whoever figures out how to achieve this in the most economic and efficient way is most likely to be the winner.

Kyle Goodwin is VP of Product and Innovation at Concurrent Technology.

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Assendive Communications LLC

Assendive Communications Inc

Office 10, Level 1 Sharjah Media City, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates +971 50 459 2325 info@assendive.com

Unit 704, 4727 Sheppard Ave East Scarborough Ontario M1S 5B3 Canada +1 416 834 4628 info@assendive.com

www.assendive.com