Dubai, United Arab Emirates – The 21st edition of CABSAT will roll-out an expanded schedule of sector-specific conferences, training schemes and seminars as part of its mandate to empower regional companies with the acumen to drive product innovation and capitalise on game-changing monetisation avenues.
As part of its mandate to fuel regional companies’ growth in a Middle East and North Africa (MENA) media market expected to grow from US$16 billion in 2014 to US$24 billion in 2019 according to Strategy & Analysis from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), CABSAT 2015 – running 10-12 March at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) – will feature a series of world-class knowledge exchange initiatives including the second annual CABSAT & NAB Show Collaborative Conference, the inaugural Middle East Post-Production Training Conference, the GVF Satellite Hub Summit and the Content Delivery Seminar.
The CABSAT & NAB Show Collaborative Conference will see more than 40 leading global media industry thought leaders deliver compelling real-life case studies on disruptive technologies, the transition to digital broadcasting and monetising multi-platform services. In total, 16 sessions will feature renowned voices from regional and global media houses – both visionary independents and mega corporations – and blue-chip companies. The roll-call includes Al Jazeera, the UK’s Channel 4, Coca Cola Co., Comedy Central, The Creative Grid, Ericsson Media Room, FOX International, ESPN, Huffington Post, icflix, ITV UK, MBC, MTV, NBA, Netflix, Nickelodeon, OSN, Paramount, Piksel, Rotana, Scribble Live, Selevision, VIACOM, Yahlive and Zee Entertainment.
Under a primary theme of ‘Connecting Live Content Opportunities’, the CABSAT & NAB Show Collaborative Conference will be opened by Corey Bridges – one of the original directors who launched Netflix in the USA, the founder of Multiverse, a member of the Producers Guild of America, and a former Vice President of Marketing and CMO of Hollywood visionary James Cameron’s firm CAMERON | PACE Group (CPG).
Bridges’ keynote address will highlight his experiences building disruptive and innovative content companies such as Netflix and James Cameron’s 3D technology company, as well as exploring how the business and production of multi-platform content is moving beyond delivering interactive content and towards fully-immersive, trans-media experiences.
Other dedicated industry sessions include ‘The Future of Sports Presentation’, ‘Content Production – The Producers’ Gallery’, ‘The Future of Broadcast’, ‘Hyper-Personalisation with Piksel’, ‘Social TV Audience Measurement Monetisation with Pay Wizard’, and a seven-person panel discussing ‘Automation, Delivery, Security and Analytics – the Four Pillars of Next-Generation Connected TV’ that will feature Vidya S Nath, Research Director – Digital Media Practice, Frost & Sullivan; Mukund Cairae, CEO, Zee Entertainment – Middle East; Moustapha Bekheet, Head of Mazika at ARPU+, OT Ventures; Dr. Naser Refaat, Rotana, Technologist & Business Strategies Executive and Acting CTO; Carlos Tibi, CEO, ICflix; Dr. Yaser Bishr, Executive Director – Development & Strategy, Al Jazeera Media Network; and Stephen Smith, CTO – Cloud, Imagine Communications.
Other notable speakers include Raffaele Annecchino, General Manager, Viacom; David Amodio, Digital and Creative Leader, Channel 4; Caroline Frost, Media & Entertainment Editor, Huffington Post; Martyn Suker, ITV UK’s Director of Production Innovation; Mariano Bosaz, Group Director – Digital, Coca Cola Co., Colin Morrisson, Vice President – TV & Media Business, Ericsson; Jamie MacKinley, Senior Vice President, Pay Wizard; Matthew Kwok, Senior Producer of Monday Night Football, ESPN; Neil Berry, Executive Vice President, Piksel; Miles Weaver, Programme Innovation Strategist, Piksel; Christina Mixon, Digital Manager, NBA Entertainment; Ralph Cochrane, CEO, The Creative Grid; Masood M Sharif Mahmood, CEO, Yahsat; Dr. Raed Khusheim, CEO, Selevision; Sami Boustany, CEO, Yahlive; Karim Sarkis, Former Head of TV, Abu Dhabi Media; Sanjay Raina, General Manager, FOX International and Vince Mifsud, CEO, Scribble Live.
Conference attendees will also receive an exclusive state-of-the-industry report worth USD$3,495 on ‘Trends in Broadcast and New Media Video in Middle East and North Africa’ prepared by Frost & Sullivan, the Knowledge Partner for CABSAT 2015. With video content now widely available on alternative media besides television, the exclusive White Paper will include case studies and key findings on MENA-wide video consumption, market penetration, content types, drivers and restraints, innovative business models and technology and market trends.
“With total advertising spend in entertainment and media across the Middle East and Africa due to increase from USD$43.5 billion in 2014 to USD$65.9 billion in 2018, the enhanced conference and knowledge exchange elements at CABSAT 2015 will accelerate the show’s position as the region’s leading industry platform for media companies to better understand innovative, best-practice business strategies to evolve their products for the benefit of viewers and consumers,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC, the CABSAT organiser.
The Middle East Post-Production Training Conference will boast two full days of world-class training presented in partnership with Future Media Concepts, Dubai Studio City and the Dubai Film & TV Commission. The Conference’s world-class speakers include Richard Harrington, President and Founder, RHED Pixel, and Jeff Greenberg, President, J. Greenberg Consulting, both certified instructor for Adobe, Apple and Avid; as well as Robbie Carman, Vice President & CTO, Amigo Media LLC, and a certified instructor of Apple Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro, DVD Studio Pro, Aperture, Motion and Color.
The trio’s tutorials will cover timelapse photography, video compression, LOG and RAW video, green screen production and web video production strategies, as well as technical guidance on software programmes such as DaVinci Resolve, Blackmagic Design cameras, GoPro cameras, Apple Final Cut Pro X, Premiere Pro, Sync Sound Workflow, Adobe Photoshop for broadcast graphics and video, and Avid Media Composer.
