Shows galore

In my decade-long relationship with the broadcast industry, I have not heard of as many company acquisitions as I have this last month. Grass Valley, Calrec, Pebble Beach, Conax and Snell are the ones that come immediately to mind because these manufacturers have enjoyed a fairly strong presence in the Middle East.

These acquisitions have been a bit disconcerting from both a supply and support point of view especially if the acquiring company is not as well known in the region or hasn’t, in the past, undertaken as many branding efforts as the acquired company. While I don’t have all the answers, you can be sure that on the flight to Vegas in early April, this will spark considerable debate.

But let’s rewind a bit to the days between March 11 and 13, when the regional broadcast community converged at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre for the 20th edition of CABSAT. A few companies gave us a sneak preview into the products that were going to be officially launched at NAB while others confided about contracts that have been concluded but are not public knowledge just yet. When we receive the green signal, our readers will be the first to know.

We had one of the busiest shows this year with a record number of subscriptions and huge uptake for our Pro50 book. More importantly, we were accorded Official Media Partner status for some of the new features that CABSAT had this year including its Content Delivery Hub, the Content Studio Hub and its Global Meetings Programme.

We have barely recovered from one show and it’s time to go to Vegas for the next. When we return, we shall be just in time to roll out the red carpet for those of you who intend to join us on May 20 for our birthday anniversary celebrations at Rixos The Palm Dubai. I can proudly say that today, we are the leading broadcast publication in the Middle East. We hope you will join us to celebrate our success.