CABSAT.virtual will feature live webinars, virtual conference sessions, interviews and training workshops, offering attendees the opportunity to engage with experts through interactive Q&A sessions as part of the discussions.
CABSAT has announced the launch of CABSAT.virtual, a raft of monthly webinars intended to shed light on the biggest challenges and opportunities that face the broadcast industry amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The first webinar will take place on May 5 at 2 pm UAE time and will discuss how to sustain the huge rise in subscriptions for streaming services since the start of the pandemic.
The discussion will feature insight from experts including Sanjay Raina, Executive Director, Commercial Department, Abu Dhabi Media; Nadine Samra, Chief Business Officer for Weyyak, Zee Entertainment; Saeed Sharaf, CEO, eSports Middle East; and Zahra Zayat, SVP, Digital, OTT and Telco at OSN.
“Despite the pandemic of COVID-19, we are seeing a significant uptake in engagement and hours watched. Total hours consumed on our platform are more than 10 times what they used to be in March. There is a great appetite in the market and people are ready to consume more content by stacking services and jumping from one platform to another,” said Zahra Zayat, SVP-Digital, OTT and Telco, OSN.
Major OTT players have experienced a huge rise in demand for subscription-based streaming services, with half of the world’s population having been kept under lockdown amid the crisis.
“We are living in a very challenging time and in a situation that is unfamiliar to us all. While the health and safety of the people is the most important thing at the moment, the climate has enabled some businesses to thrive, namely through a surge in viewership and unique users in the VoD business. I can’t wait to share some insights from Weyyak and explore how this crisis is impacting the VoD business at the CABSAT.virtual discussion.” Nadine Samra, Chief Business Officer, Weyyak, Zee Entertainment, said.
The discussions will explore some of the unexpected opportunities that have emerged for the industry, and will provide insight into the ways that it can turn the current climate to its advantage. Webinar attendees will learn how to encourage users to remain engaged with content post-lockdown, whether pricing dynamics of the streaming industry will be put to the test, and whether overloaded internet bandwidth could impact the quality of gaming and streaming VoD.
