Andrew Pert on the MENA’s biggest broadcast show

Andrew Pert, Exhibitions Director at DWTC, shares information on new exhibitors at CABSAT and some important features of the show

Who are some of the new companies that have come on board this year for broadcast?

Well, we have quite a long list but some of our big first-time exhibitors are Lemo, GatesAir, Digi Robotics, Nexus Focus, Dexel from Argentina, Riz – the first-ever Croatian company to come to CABSAT – and Silver Brain.

We also have some companies like Playbox and Studer that have come back to CABSAT with separate stands this year. In previous years, they have partnered with their distributors.

There are also some that have been missing from the action, like Yamaha, who have now returned to the show. Likewise, Panasonic has returned after a two-year absence with a big stand.

Across the broadcast halls in general at CABSAT, the big focus is on how people are delivering and monetising content outside of the linear mainstream element. From du to Etisalat to the satellite providers, this is what we can see.

On the satellite side, I am pleased to mention that we have KT Sat, Korea’s leading satellite player. Then, there’s ITC Global, which has a huge presence in North America and is now looking to enter this market. EMC and BHS Telecom are also entering this market for the first time. BHS Telecom is a reseller of bandwidth over Africa from Dubai.

On the content delivery side, we have some interesting players including Perception TV, Endavo, Tulix Systems, ContentWise, Dune HD, XStream, Abox42 and Amino. Xstream is a major European player that has executed projects for Discovery, Canal Plus, Telenor, etc. All these companies are coming with new propositions for the region, which again supports the need of streaming video platforms, OTT and IPTV solutions.

We also have major international players for content delivery, including Pixel, Siemens, Gracenote, Civolution, Pace and Deutsche Telekom.

CABSAT, as you can see, is attracting new entrants globally and regionally to the Content Delivery Hub, which has also grown from being just a feature on the show floor to a dedicated hall with a dedicated seminar programme.

Are there any new features at this year’s show?

The Content Market Place is a big one this year, and it’s being headed up and supported by MBC Group. This is where we are looking at different exchange partnerships and monetisation opportunities. Stargate Studios will be doing a demo in this area to showcase some of their Arabic content. Al Muheet Productions, a documentary-focused producer, will be part of this section. We are also expecting to announce some more big names in broadcast, closer to the show, as part of this area.

We also have Stargate Studios doing a provisualisation studio to support Arabic produced content.

If you had to name the top five companies that have returned to CABSAT this year, who would they be?

Within broadcast, I would say Panasonic, ARRI, Yamaha, Inmarsat and Verimatrix.

Du and Etisalat are also taking larger stands to showcase their multi-screen offerings and solutions.

MediaCast, Harmonic, Oasis, Quantel, Imagine Communications, AV Solutions, Avanti and Intelsat are some of the others that have taken much larger stands at this year’s show.

I see you have a special focus on post production this year.

Yes indeed. The Middle East Post Production Training Conference is being conducted in partnership with Future Media Concepts. This is a two-day dedicated training session – the largest of its kind ever undertaken in the Middle East. This is being done along with NAB.

The three main speakers are all certified and represent Adobe, Apple and Avid. By bringing the best trainers in the world here to offer continued professional development, CABSAT is also ensuring that it supports and helps develop regional skill sets.

Blackmagic Design is the main sponsor of this section. This area is being developed in association with Dubai Studio City and Dubai Film and TV Commission.

If you were asked for the top ten reasons to visit CABSAT, what would those be?

Our Content Marketplace – this is the new feature we are developing. Content Delivery – this is happening on a much bigger scale this year.

The CABSAT-NAB Conference – we have put a lot more focus on the conference this year. We have several regional and international speakers who will share their own experiences and discuss the management, distribution and monetisation of content across multiple platforms. This conference will also showcase how international entities are making money and on-the-ground companies can make money.

The post-production conference will attract the more technical and engineering professionals and we are championing that.

Our satellite hub – We have a three-day dedicated free-to-attend conference on the show floor. In previous years, it used to be a two-day invite-only event.

The Global Meetings programme is being expanded and it is being linked to our mobile app, which is a first for CABSAT.

CABSAT Connect is a networking event that is hosted on the first evening of CABSAT. We have director-level and above representation there and hosted just under 500 attendees last year. It is the largest gathering of industry professionals across the broadcast, satellite and digital media space.

The SME zone has been especially created for the small players.

Dubai Film has taken a 300sqm stand this year. They have all of the latest filming equipment and production kit, which they rent out on a much reduced price or a much lower investment than you would have to pay normally. It is the Dubai Film and TV’s resource arm and champions the production of local content.

We are also pleased to announce that the MENA Anti-Piracy Coalition will hold their directors’ meeting a day before CABSAT. They will have a dedicated session within the CABSAT-NAB Conference to speak about the region’s strategy on anti-piracy.