DUBAI: Advancements in network capabilities offered by local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are opening up new doors in the way content will be delivered to consumers. Over-The-Top (OTT) services, content delivered through internet connection, have been a rising global trend and are rapidly changing how broadcast content, video and entertainment media is consumed. That was the message delivered by senior representatives in the radio and television industry at the SATEXPO conference, an expansion of the three-day CABSAT exhibition which kicked off Tuesday (March 21) March 21-23 March at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Mustafa Tell, Director of Broadcast Operations for Arab Radio & Television, said: “The advancement of the Internet in our market has opened up the doors for OTT in the region. This has been the catchword for a couple of years now and it will continue to grow. We need to find a way to embrace OTT and to take advantage of what OTT presents to us. It also opens up for traditional TV makers in our region to step up and enter the market.”
The rise of OTT services in the region has delivered new challenges to traditional TV and broadcasting companies as a new means of content creation and delivery, and monetization methods enter outdated business models. Additionally, companies now face competition from new sources, with regional powerhouses such as Netflix introducing their services and taking up a share of the market. Added Tell: “It is a big challenge for traditional TV; a challenge that most traditional TV executives in our region have yet to understand and react to in the right manner. The biggest challenge for us in the region is this will open the doors for regional players to come and compete in the market. We already have Netflix operating in many countries in the region. Others will join soon.” The satellite sector in the MENA region is set to grow at a significant rate. Driven by demand from the maritime, communications and military sectors, industry analysts are reporting double digit growth over the next 5 years.
As a result, the SATEXPO Conference will address the future of satellite communications for not only the TV and broadcasting sectors but also other major satellite industries including space, maritime, aviation, telecommunications and government. Industry experts speaking at the event include the UAE Space Agency, Virgin Galactic, BBC and Al Jazeera who will discuss both new and existing commercial challenges and opportunities in the MENA region’s vertical satellite markets. The event will cover applications for all satellite communications, earth observation, satellite imagery, hybrid network technologies, mobile satellite services and security, and space. Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Events & Exhibitions Management, DWTC, said: “There is nowhere else in the region that you will find a congregation like the line-up of leaders in the satellite industry speaking at SATEXPO this year. These experts have valuable insight on issues surrounding our market, and as an industry that is in constant flux with new technology being introduced at a rapid rate, local companies need to adapt and mimic global standards.” CABSAT 2017 welcomes thousands of regional and international visitors involved in the creation, management, distribution and monetization of content to explore pioneering products, technologies and regional investment avenues.
