The Middle East TV entertainment industry has always been a puzzle for internationally successful pay-TV networks that have not had to compete in a market where there are more than 400 (at the last count) free-to-air (FTA) channels. Of course, the FTA market in this region would have been easy to tackle if it werent […]
The Middle East TV entertainment industry has always been a puzzle for internationally successful pay-TV networks that have not had to compete in a market where there are more than 400 (at the last count) free-to-air (FTA) channels. Of course, the FTA market in this region would have been easy to tackle if it werent for MBC, which has moved from strength to strength in the space with its choice of English and Arabic content across different genres.
Theres no doubt that MBCs viewership has been unsurpassed in the region and, therefore, it follows that it also has the largest share of the advertising pie. Even by very conservative standards, I reckon that would be at least 70% of the ad market, thereby making it the uncontested leader in this space.
The only network that has been able to withstand its onslaught in this region has been pay-TV network OSN, which has also, with the promise of its premium content from both Hollywood studios and local productions taken MBC on.
The new challenge they face is retaining their viewers/subscribers, and both networks are taking giant strides in the multi-screen space to ensure that they are ahead of the pack. This IBC, we pay tribute to those efforts in the multi-screen space with an exclusive look at the technical, business and workflow models of an FTA giant, a pay-TV network and a telco, each taking ambitious strides to make their content available on multiple devices.
Having had the pleasure of reviewing several international entries as part of the judging panel for the IBC Innovation Awards, I can proudly say that these efforts in the Middle East are on par with international players. However, the IBC entries also opened my eyes to a whole new world of international players that are investing in several new and disruptive technologies to achieve varied commercial and social goals. It was a huge eye opener as the IBC Innovation Awards truly attract the cream of the crop from across the world, and I feel honoured to be part of this panel. I hope all of us can meet at IBC.
