The launch of the homegrown satellite KhalifaSat by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre was recognised as the Space Initiative of the Year at the annual ASBU BroadcastPro Awards ceremony.
The eighth edition of the 2018 ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards culminated with a gala dinner and awards ceremony on 13 November at Dubai?s Habtoor Grand Hotel where excellence in production, VFX, satellite and broadcast services, systems integration and OTT initiatives, among other categories, were recognised.
The evening?s proceedings began with SatellitePro ME awards being given to achievers in the satellite sector. The launch of the homegrown satellite KhalifaSat by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre was recognised as the Space Initiative of the Year with a standing ovation from the awards attendees. Intelsat was awarded the coveted Satellite Operator of the Year award for their initiatives in extending connectivity in rural Africa. For their path-breaking endeavour in popularising space education among schools and universities in Egypt, travel company Wild Guanabana and digital agency Isobar were jointly conferred a Special Recognition Award.
The awards ceremony was preceded by a half-day summit where 23 industry executives addressed an audience of more than 300 broadcast and satellite professionals on issues ranging from creating Arab content, connectivity to ensuring a sustainable broadcast industry in challenging economic conditions. The ASBU BroadcastPro Summit & Awards has served the broadcast and satellite industry in multiple ways by bringing together industry experts to not just share their knowledge and experience but also connecting individuals and businesses together.
Speakers at the summit included CEOs and executives from Eutelsat, Image Nation, MBC, Dubai TV, Fox Networks Group, OSN, Twitter, StarzPlay, Intigral, Arab Format Lab and Facebook, among others.
The MENA-wide panel of judges had more than 130 nominations to sift through to select the contenders that made the shortlist and then declared eventual winners.
Apart from the BroadcastPro ME editorial team, the judges included Abdulla Ahmed Albalooshi, Director of Technical Affairs, Information Affairs Authority (IAA), Bahrain; Houria Khatir, Specialised Analyst, Algerian TV; Ines Jebali Gdoura, Head of Production and Technology and New Media, ASBU; Khaled Abu Ali, Director of Digital Workflow Systems and Yasir Ballal, Managing Director of Mediacast International ; Feten Fradi of the Director General?s office at ASBU; and Dubai-based Director of Photography, Andrew Clemson.
The 2018 winners of SatellitePro Awards
Space Initiative of the Year ? Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre
Satellite Operator of the Year- Intelsat S.A.
Special Recognition Award ? Wild Guanabana/Isobar
