digital broadcast middle east - august 2010
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Digital Broadcast Middle East - August 2010 - ITP BusinessTRANSCRIPT
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8 AUGUST 2010
An ITP Business Publication
OUT OF AFRICA
Th e players behind the world’s largest 3D broadcast
Licensed by Dubai Media City
Hosam El Sokkari’s vision for Yahoo! Maktoob to be a digital one-stop-shop
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CAUGHT RED HANDEDWill conditional access win the piracy war?
THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY
erimatrix.
Which IPTV, DVB and hybrid content security provider has the broadest partner ecosystem for ultimate flexibility?
01www.digitalproductionme.com
CONTENTS
AUGUST 2010
44IBC SHOWCASEA look at new products and technologies
to be unveilled in Amsterdam this year.
38CENSORSHIP: ABRIDGE TOO FAROverlapping broadcast mediums means
shades of grey where regulation is concerned.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...
NEWSYahoo! and Rotana sign content
deal, du waives fees after
technical issues and OSN to
go 3D.
OUT OF AFRICATh ose involved in the largest
3D broadcast ever attempted -
the 2010 World Cup - talk about
their contribution.
COVER STORY:AN OPEN APPROACHHosam El Sokkari talks about
his vision for Yahoo! Maktoob.
MAKING WAVESRadio industry execs seek to
capitalise on the resurgence of
the medium.
CAUGHT RED HANDEDIs conditional access the way to
win the fi ght against piracy?
6
12
20
26
3220
THE MOSTCOMPREHENSIVEFAMILY OFDIGITAL TVMONITORING,MEASUREMENTAND ANALYSISPRODUCTSIN THE WORLD
www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
DPME.COM ROUND-UP
02
EDITOR’S CHOICE
MOST POPULAR STORIES
1 Apple and AT&T sued for negligence over iPhone 4
2 Abu Dhabi TV bags English Premier League rights
3 Blackberry services to be suspended: Etisalat
4 OSN confi rms new HDchannel line-up
5 Al Ahly Television goes to with Harris
Saudi Arabia’s telecoms fi rm, STC has launched
the advanced interactive TV service for its AFAQ
DSL Shamil customers. Th e new service, InVision,
allows customers to watch live TV channels,
pause a programme and replay it later, replay
SAUDI TELECOM LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE TV SERVICE
The online home of:
DA
TE: J
uly 2
8
ALSO ON THE DPME SLATE THIS MONTH...
Omneon’s Simon Eldridge, looks at creating an effi cient unifi ed content management system.
ANALYSIS
UNIFIED CONTENT MANAGEMENTFujairah Media CEO Mekki Abdulla discusses the firm’s diverse plans for the future.
INTERVIEWS
FUJAIRAH MEDIA: SET TO PEAK
3D technology now available to the MENA event industry through Dubai-based MediaPro.
TECHNOLOGY
ANOTHER DIMENSIONAt one time people were happy to receive news that was time-lagged - but is that still the case?
COMMENT
A DIFFERENT KIND OF RUSH
IN PICTURES
PANASONIC’S 3D VIDEO CAMERAS
digitalproductionme.com/analysis
digitalproductionme.com/technology
digitalproductionme.com/interviews
digitalproductionme.com/comment
The world’s largest 3D camcorder, consisting of a digital camera and 3D conversion lens.
clips, and record and retrieve programmes to
watch them anytime for a complete week. It also
provides Video on Demand (VOD) and a control
panel which allows viewers to select the packages
that meet their interests.
SPOT POLL
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF 3D?
41% It’s a gimmick for kids’ fi lms
23% I think it rocks! It’s the future of cinema and TV
18% Not all versions of 3D seem to be as good as one another
10% I saw a few 3D fi lms in the cinema and wasn’t impressed
4% I shelled out on a HD TV and now they want me to buy a 3D one!
4% It has a few nicheapplications, like sports and video games D
ATE
: Jul
y 28
At Harris, we’re delivering the future today.For nearly a century, Harris has pioneered the technologies that drive the world’s leading television and radio
broadcast operations.
Today, Harris is the industry’s total communications leader — uniquely merging traditional broadcast and IT systems
with powerful media software to streamline your current workflow and unlock all-new markets such as 3DTV,
Mobile DTV, digital radio and out-of-home advertising.
Where are we headed tomorrow? Wherever you and your audience want to go.
To learn more, please visit us at www.broadcast.harris.com.
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COMMENT
AUGUST 2010 05
Over the past few months, a number of
major broadcasting brands have an-
nounced either new entries or upgrades
in the Middle East.
Most recently we have seen a signifi cant increase
in activity from Turner Broadcasting. Its Cartoon
Network franchise has opened a production offi ce in
Abu Dhabi at the twofour54 precinct, it has signed a
distribution agreement with local production house
Lammtara for its popular Freej series and also re-
vealed plans for an Arabic Cartoon Network channel.
Turner’s CNN opened a major broadcasting hub
in Abu Dhabi last year. Last month the group’s TNT
entertainment channel was also tipped to make a
regional bow.
When added to the MTV Network International
channels, the Fox stable and several European
ventures, the region now has a great number of
international brands either operating in the region
or off ering content tailored for it.
But what is the overall consequence of this for
local broadcasters and could channels tied to the
major studios and networks in the US start to cling
onto their local rights?
Fox International Channels (FIC) may only oper-
ate its Fox Movies and Series channels at present but
BRAND DESIGNS
TO SUBSCRIBE please visit www.itp.com/subscriptions
JOHN [email protected]
The online home of:
FOR THE LATEST NEWS, ANALYSIS AND REVIEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST CONTENT DELIVERY, MEDIA MANAGEMENT AND NEW MEDIA DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS HEAD TO DIGITALPRODUCTIONME.COM
if it actions in India and Asia are anything to go by
we can expect to see more in the near future.
FIC signed an exclusive multi-year rights deal for
the FTA premieres of 20th Century Fox. A further
increase in the number of international branded
channels and subsequent in-house deals with as-
sociated content providers could make it diffi cult for
incumbent FTA channels to access content.
Local content could also suff er as confi dent, well-
known brands fi nd their feet and their audience in
the region.
Perhaps however, their growing presence is simply
a sign of maturity in the market. Overall the likes of
Fox Series and MTV Arabia have risen the standards
of FTA channels serving the Middle East, fi lling the
bandwidth previously used to support the unsus-
tainable weight of endless vanity broadcasters.
Regardless of your own personal opinion, they’re
here to stay.
06 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
THE BRIEFING
Abu Dhabi Media Company has announced
that football fans from across the GCC can now
subscribe to its coverage of the English Premier
League, adding that a website dedicated to would-
be customers had gone live.
John Dykes, formerly a presenter with
ESPN Star Sports, and Mark Pou-
gatch, who has presented Match
of the Day in the UK, were named
as two of the faces of ADMC’s live
English-language off ering – available
24/7 on AD Sports 5 and 6.
Football fans can now subscribe
to watch all 380 matches live –
available with both English and
Arabic commentary.
In addition, AD Sports’
f lagship English channel,
AD Sports 5, will offer
24/7 coverage of Pre-
mier League TV, the
official channel of the
Premier League.
Th e Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has
said it is still considering whether to pursue the
Middle East radio broadcasting rights for the
English Premier League (EPL), according to the
head of the organisation’s radio network.
Th e company has secured the exclusive TV
and online broadcasting rights for the next three
seasons of the competition. However, it is still
undecided as to the commercial value of EPL ra-
dio broadcasts.
“We are still doing the business plan and con-
ducting the feasibility study of having the EPL on
the radio,” Abdulrahman Awadh, director of Abu
Dhabi Radio Network told Digital Broadcast.
ADMC PLUGSEPL TV COVERAGEDistribution and marketing in full swing as company enters pay TV business
ADMC MULLING RADIO COVERAGE FOR EPL
EPL UPDATEGOOD MONTHMOTOROLAWhile Apple dealt with the fallout of ‘antenna-gate’, device-competitor Motorola announced that its Q2 profi ts jumped 600 percent. Its growing smart-phone business shipped 2.7 million units during that period and is forcasting a total of 14 million unit sales for the year.
BAD MONTHBLACKBERRYThe Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that BlackBerry services in the country will be suspended from October 11, after the failure of repeated attempts to move the services in line with local regulations.
“With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Email and BlackBerry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied,” says TRA director general Mohamed Al Ghanim.
A second English channel, AD Sports 6, will
bring viewers a mix of Barclays Premier League
action and coverage of other sports including
Formula 1, UFL and tennis, all in HD.
Mohammed Najeeb, director of AD Sports
Channels, said: “Th e line-up of Barclays
Premier League programming and the
talent that we are bringing to the AD
Sports Channels are unlike anything
seen before in this region. We are
raising the standard for both Ara-
bic and English audiences, and
off ering more than just games
and analysis.”
He added: “We are proud
to be able to name such
a prestigious line-up of
talent for our shows.
If the football was not
enough to keep people
watching, then the
talent alone certainly
will be.”
“ADMC is looking at it commercially, given
the choice of having the EPL on radio but with
no sponsorship or without the right revenues, it
wouldn’t do it. Abu Dhabi radio covers a num-
ber of sports including the UAE football league.
According to Ipsos, during the last six months
when the UAE league was broadcast, there was a
big jump – around a factor of three – in the reach
of Abu Dhabi radio. Th at shows that sport has a
place here in the market,” revealed Awadh.
Th e EPL radio rights are currently unattached
in the Middle East and North Africa however,
international radio coverage is geo-blocked and
unavailable in the region.
Mohammed Najeeb,director, AD Sports Channels
www.digitalproductionme.com
THE BRIEFING
AUGUST 2010 07
OSN will close its Bahrain offi ce within the
next six months, according to a report by a
local paper.
“All service facilities will go on as usual and
none of our highly-regarded customers will
face any problems,” an anonymous offi cial
was quoted as saying by the Gulf Daily News.
When contacted by Digital Broadcast,
OSN revealed that widespread job losses are
not expected.
“Th e majority of the staff in the Bahrain
headquarters will be off ered positions not
only in Dubai but also throughout the
OSN network of offi ces throughout the
region,” says a spokesperson. “OSN will
WOHLER TECHNOLOGIES OPENS EMEA SERVICE CENTRE IN FRANCE Wohler Technologies says the new service centre, serving customers in the EMEA terri-tory, will act as the fi rst line of second- and third tier support.
“This new service centre gives our custom-ers an added degree of confi dence,” said Carl J. Dempsey, president and CEO, Wohler.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
BROADCAST BUSINESS
FEW STAFF TO GO AS OSN CLOSES BAHRAIN OFFICENew positions offered to staff within operator’s parent companies in the Middle East
Dubai is a perfect radio market. It’s a perfect storm for radio and the medium is currently getting a far lower share of the advertising budget than it should. STEVE SMITH COO, ARN
BAHRAIN GOVERNMENT DISSOLVES MOCIThe Bahrain government announced plans to establish a new media authority in the place of the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI).
The existing MOCI will be renamed the Ministry of Culture. Broadcasting and other media will be served by the newly established Information Affairs Authority (IAA).
ARABSAT CUTS ETHIOPIANCHANNEL AFTER DISRUPTIONSSatellite operator Arabsat suspended the Ethiopian Television (ETV) channel after it was alleged of repeatedly interfering with Arabsat signals broadcasting Ethiopian Satellite TV.
A third jamming attempt at the end of July prompted the operator to take action and shut down transmission of ETV.
Khalid balkheyour, CEO and president, Arabsat.
also work with KIPCO and MAWARID
[owners of the company] to provide more
job opportunities across their respective
business networks.”
Th e two companies declared that both
the Dubai and Bahrain facilities would re-
main open following the merger.
Speaking at the time of the merger OSN
CEO Marc-Antoine d’Halluin said: “It has
been a delicate exercise to negotiate this
merger. It will take us at least a year-and-a-
half to properly integrate our platforms. Th e
goal is to integrate from a content and tech-
nology perspective. Staff lay-off s have not
been discussed as yet.”
Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, CEO, OSN.
08 www.digitalproductionme.com
THE BRIEFING
Rotana and Yahoo! Middle East have announced
an online content partnership that will see a range
of Rotana content including movies, live
events, TV channels and radio off ered on
the Yahoo! platform.
Th e announcement is the fi rst major
local content deal announced by Yahoo!
Middle East since its merger with Mak-
toob to form the Yahoo! Maktoob venture.
“Th is is an exciting and important
development for Yahoo! Middle East
as we continue to strengthen
and support Arabic content
on the internet, and intro-
duce more innovative and BRO
AD
CAST BRIEFS
YAHOO! AND ROTANA SIGN CONTENT DEALPartnership will extend Rotana online reach by around 35 million
THE BRIEFING
DU WAIVES VIDEO CONTENT FEE AFTER TV BLACKOUTUAE telco du announced it would waive the US$20 charge for unlimited video on demand (UVoD) by way of compensa-tion for the blackout of services experienced last month.
Technical diffi culties at du resulted in the loss of a signifi -cant section of the company’s television channels on July 12, which the company acknowl-edged with an SMS apology sent to all subscribers.
Du then sent SMS mes-sages to customers offering the new UVoD service for free until the end of September, an extension of the original introductory free offer.
The SMS, said: “We trust that your du TV service is now fully restored. In view of the inconve-nience caused, we are waiving the monthly charge of $20 for UVoD and extending the service to all du TV customers from now until September 30.”
The UVoD service, which ex-pands on the company’s existing VoD initiative, gives customers unlimited access to movies, TV series, dramas, documentaries, music, lifestyle, kids shows and religious programming.
The proportion of TV shows (excluding news and live sports) that were made available online in the US during the 2009/2010 broadcast season. SOURCE: www.clicker.com90%
QUANTEL APPOINTS MIDDLE EAST SALES DIRECTORThomas Birner, Quantel director of sales for Cen-tral Europe, has been
appointed to cover the Middle East. In his new role, Birner is responsible for building Quantel’s market presence throughout the Middle East alongside his existing responsibility for Central Europe.
“The Middle East is a thriving, dynamic and highly innovative market with many exacting broadcast requirements – speed to air, effi ciency, multi-channel content distribution and the move to HD broadcasting,” explained Birner.
FRONT PORCH ADDS TO EMEA WORKFORCEFront Porch Digital expanded its staff with the addition of two re-gional sales managers
for EMEA. Noelle Prat-Vong (pictured) and Nicole Jacquemin are assigned to expand the installa-tion base for the company’s SAMMA products for migration of video content into digital format.
“The addition of these positions to our sales team is absolutely necessary so that we sustain our strategic successes within the EMEA video migration market,” said Rino Petricola, Front Porch Digital’s senior vice president and managing director.
MOVERS & SHAKERS
AUGUST 2010
locally relevant content and products for our
consumers in a highly engaging platform,” said
Ahmed Nassef, VP and managing direc-
tor, Yahoo! Middle East.
Yahoo! Maktoob claims to have a
monthly reach of 30-35 million, making
it one of the largest Arabic language on-
line platforms worldwide.
“As the region’s largest entertainment
company for Arabic content, we are always
looking to sustain a healthy
growth in our audience
numbers,” stated Yousef
Mugharbil, president of
digital media, Rotana.
BROADCAST BUSINESS
Yousef Mugharbil, presidentof digital media, Rotana
Du’s Samacom Teleport facility.
march new ad indd 1 16 02 2010 14:42:42
010 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
BROA
DCA
ST BRIEFS
OSN TO LAUNCH 3D THIS SUMMERPay TV operator OSN will begin offering 3D content this summer, the company has announced.
Video on demand (VOD) content will be pushed to the company’s new set top boxes, which are currently being rolled out to customers.
“OSN will bring 3D to the market this summer,” said Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, CEO, OSN. “3D movies will be sent to the new Showbox – branded Showbox HD – for users with 3D-enabled TV sets.”
Speaking at a confer-ence hosted by The National newspaper, d’Halluin said that activities like this are intrinsical-ly linked to the future success of the company.
“The current generation are used to getting content online for free from many different sources. The challenge facing the pay TV industry is fi nding a way to get them to spend money on televi-sion,” he claimed.
“The answer is a combina-tion of having the right technol-ogy and the right content. Technology wise, it is important to offer the best – HD is a given, 3D is also important. If operators can bring value to the customer, then they will be hap-pier to consider paying for it.”
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) is restor-
ing and digitising a unique video archive, in-
cluding the Sheikh Zayed Archive and more
than 30,000 pieces of fi lm and video of unseen
footage that records the foundation and devel-
opment of Abu Dhabi.
The company has appointed broadcast ser-
vices company DMA Media to preserve the
archive, much of it recorded before the forma-
tion of the UAE, for future generations, it con-
firmed in a statement.
Some of the footage has degraded to a danger-
ous level and could be lost forever without ur-
gent intervention now, said DMA Media’s CEO
Rob Beynon.
Turner Broadcasting, the US network behind
CNN, has said it plans to launch an Arabic-lan-
guage version of its entertainment channel TNT
for broadcast across the Middle East.
Th e news came just one week after the Time
Warner-owned unit said it is to transmit a free-
to-air Arabic edition of its popular Cartoon
Network, in a bid to bolster its presence in the
Middle East.
“In terms of launching another channel, I think
it’s likely,” Chris Groves, senior vice president of
business aff airs and managing director for the
Middle East, Turner Broadcasting, told Digital
Broadcast’s sister publication Arabian Business.
ADMC TO RESTORE, DIGITISE VIDEO ARCHIVE
TURNER COULD LAUNCH TNT ARABIC: EXEC
SATCOMMS MARKET
YAHSAT SIGNS PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY VETERANSCapRock Communications will provide Abu Dhabi-based satellite fi rm Yahsat with customised voice, video and data services, the companies have announced.
The deal has been signed with Yahsat’s subsidiary Star Satellite Communications and will see CapRock provide the design, equipment and installation of a private custom satellite service throughout the Middle East, built on its Com-mandAccess network.
“By leveraging the CommandAccess network, Yahsat’s customers will benefi t from fi eld proven capabilities that are specifi cally designed to meet extreme environmental conditions,” said David Myers, EVP and general manager, Cap-Rock Government Solutions.
THE BRIEFING
NILESAT 201 PREPARES FOR LAUNCHThe fi rst of Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat’s new genera-tion of satellites will be
launched on August 4, according to Arianespace.The launch services provider confi rmed that the
satellite would be one of two payloads on board the Ariane 5 rocket for its next mission.
The hardware arrived in French Guiana on a chartered cargo plane and has been moved by road to the launch site.
Nilesat will operate direct-to-home TV and high-speed data services from the craft at its orbital position of seven degrees West. It has an anticipated operational lifetime of 15 years.
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012 AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com
VOX POP
OUT OF AFRICABroadcast technology fi rms deployed on the ground at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa discuss their role in the event, the largest 3D TV broadcast operation ever attempted.
AUGUST 2010 013www.digitalproductionme.com
VOX POP
Th e transition to 3D is underway, and
we intend to be leaders in every aspect.
Our sponsorship of the FIFA World
Cup allowed us to leverage our 3D technol-
ogy and premier products with dazzling
content to produce a unique and totally
compelling viewing experience. 3D viewers
around the world felt as though they were
inside the stadiums in South Africa, watch-
ing the games in person.
All the feedback we’ve had has been very
positive. As with all new technologies the
key to its success is the availability of con-
tent. As more and more 3D content comes
available I’m sure 3D TV will take off .
LEADING THE TRANSITIONMARK GRINYER head of professional services, Sony UK
SENSIO 3D technology, which
involved coding live images - enabled
soccer fans all over the world to view
25 FIFA World Cup matches live, in 3D and
on the big screen. Over the 30 days of the
championship, more than 4,500 screenings of
the tournament’s most popular games took
place in 33 countries. Th is milestone event,
coordinated in just two months, was made
possible by the continued growth of the SEN-
SIO 3D Live Global Network, which already
comprises more than 700 theatres. During the
World Cup, SENSIO facilitated FIFA’s access
to the 3D Live network, working with part-
ners across the globe to manage end-to-end
business and technical aspects required for
successful delivery.
Th e World Cup audience was the
largest 3D TV audience so far
because it was also the fi rst such
broadcast. Th e largest audience
to watch live and in 3D, how-
ever, was the much larger group
of viewers who gathered to watch
in cinemas. With an average of
200 seats per screen for 25 games across 475
screens, digital cinemas boasted, by far, the
largest audience. At kickoff , the availability
of 3D TV technology still remained quite
limited. SENSIO’s 3D Live Global Network,
however, gave fans a fast, easy, fun, and
inexpensive way to experience the World
Cup in immersive 3D. Until the 3D TV market
matures further, over another 12 or 18 months,
the cinema will remain the best place to watch
popular live 3D events.
Huge sporting events with enormous
potential audiences are a signifi cant driver
for investment and innovation. With the
assurance of high ratings and corresponding
ad revenues to support these development
eff orts, media companies can test new
technology – and even use it as a
marketing tool – during such
popular events.
I have no idea if it was a success
on the TV side of the business,
but I know it was a hit on the
cinema side. Audience feedback in-
dicated that live 3D screenings in cin-
GLOBAL NETWORKRICHARD LABERGE executive VP, CMO, SENSIO Technologies
emas provided good image quality and a strong
sense of being at the match. Th e interactivity
and communal experience of watching matches
added to fans’ excitement and involvement in
the game. In any case, the World Cup created
momentum behind 3D overall, encouraging
content producers to learn more about how 3D
is captured and delivered.
As more live events are covered, complement-
ing rising 3D studio production, the increased
supply of 3D content will spur growth of the
3D TV market, as will greater, more aff ordable
availability of 3D TV sets for the home.
Around 25 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup
South Africa matches were produced
using Sony’s 3D professional cameras,
which provided coverage of the action
unprecedented in depth, vividness
and excitement to people around
the world.
From 2010, Sony will be incorpo-
rating 3D compatibility into a wide
range of consumer products such as
BRAVIA LCD TVs, Blu-ray Disc record-
ers and players, VAIO laptops and Play-
Station3, to provide a multitude of ways
in which 3D content – from 3D movies to
stereoscopic 3D games – can be enjoyed
in the home.
Without doubt it was the largest live 3D
TV audience. Eleven TV networks took
the signal globally as well as more than
500 cinemas.
45003D screenings of the
World Cup’s most popular games took place in
33 countries.
014 AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com
VOX POP
Globecast provided a comprehensive array of
services to rightsholders and non-rightshold-
ers for worldwide distribution.
For rightsholding broadcasters, Globecast
provided dedicated HD and SD uplink and
downlink paths as well as fi bre links and as-
sociated compression from the international
broadcast centre (IBC) in Johannesburg to
their studios around the world. Th e company
had as many as 19 systems (uplinks, down-
links and fi bre systems) operating at the IBC.
A studio and stand-up position with fi bre
links into the IBC was built and managed by
us for one major European broadcaster.
Outside the IBC, we off ered HD and SD
SNG trucks and fl yaways, international
and domestic fi bre links, studios, camera
crews and playout for both domestic and
international delivery via satellite and fi -
bre. For contribution of feeds we deployed
a fl eet of 12 SD and HD SNG uplinks to
stadiums, team hotels and training camps
in every corner of South Africa.
Globecast also sold more than 300Mhz of
satellite capacity (equivalent to more than
eight transponders) on the IS709, W7, W3A
and Measat satellites and more than 1300MB
of fully redundant, networked SDH fi bre con-
nectivity (equivalent to more than 6STM1s)
over the six-week period.
In partnership with APTN we secured 10
live stand-up positions – including views of
the stadiums in Johannesburg, Cape Town,
and Pretoria – for use by worldwide non-
rightsholders throughout the tourna-
ment. A relatively new service was
3D delivery. Globecast distrib-
uted the 3D signals around the
world as well as distributing
3D pictures to cinemas within
South Africa.
SERVING BROADCASTERSALAN HIRD CEO, Globecast South AfricaCEO, YahLive
Globecast had the responsibility for
delivering the 3D world feed, both inter-
nationally and locally, and although there is
still some work to be done on the standards
of 3D to ensure the best possible quality is
delivered to the consumer, we were able to
experience fi rst hand the excitement and
interest generated by the 3D pictures.
If you count both rightsholders and non-
rights holders, Globecast served more than
40 broadcasters. It is diffi cult to estimate the
audience but World Cup pictures delivered by
Globecast probably number over a billion.
While a major event is not really the time to
be too innovative one could say that Germany
2006 was when HD came of age and South
Africa 2010 saw the emergence of 3D. Of
course, any innovations that were introduced
at the World Cup were extensively tested prior
to the tournament.
By and large the coverage of the
tournament was a success, par-
ticularly when you consider that
the World Cup came shortly
after a major recession with
economies and the industry
still feeling the pain.
Globecast served over 40 rightsholders and non-rightsholders during the world cup and estimate that an audience of over a billion saw their pictures.
300MHz of satellite capacity,
sold by Globecast throughout the
World Cup.
AUGUST 2010 015www.digitalproductionme.com
VOX POP
Nevion’s role was to provide HD connectivity
to the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg,
South Africa. As South Africa’s satellite uplink
service provider, Telemedia needed a solu-
tion that could address SuperSport’s need to
transport content between its Teleport and
SuperSport’s editing studios.
All the Flashlink modules are designed
with low power consumption in mind, and
also designed to work without fans so they
were well suited to the high South African
temperatures and the likelihood of electrical
interference, as they can withstand heat up to
55 degrees Celsius.
Flashlink enabled Telemedia to downlink
the HD feeds from satellite at their earth
station and then send the HD feeds, via
Flashlink equipment, over a fi bre network to
SuperSport studios.
As a direct result of this project’s success,
Telemedia has now made this a permanent
installation and will partner with Nevion to
expand their networks to support most South
African broadcasters with uncompressed
video transport for distribution and primary
contribution links.
With high defi nition becoming the de facto
standard for any high quality video, the
demand for bandwidth to carry
such video is rapidly increasing.
Sports coverage requires high
quality video feeds with no
visible distortion. Maintain-
ing HD connectivity between
studios and broadcasters is
critical throughout key events like
HD THE DE FACTO STANDARDEBBY JOHN sales director, Nevion
the Olympics and the World Cup,
and this generally leads to an increase
in R&D investment as broadcasters make
sure their products fi t the project.
Broadcasters want solutions that
will not only provide the video quality
consumers want, but also deliver value
by maximising content throughput while
ensuring signal integrity, so providers are
always going to be looking to improve on
their off ering.
Th e TV coverage was very successful as
evidenced by the massive global audience.
For us, 3D is not an issue. Nevion is at the
forefront of video transport and our products
transport the content, whether it is 3D or not.
Th e advent of 3D will surely change the
landscape even more as the tech-
nology dramatically increases
network requirements and
bandwidth cost. Broadcasters
will need to really embrace and
be ready for the new challenges
of 3D and other technologies as
they start to play larger roles.
Riedel delivered the digital
radio network infrastructure
including the central switch, 14 base
stations and more than 3,000 mobile
radios (TETRA and conventional). In
addition it provided 80 Riedel RiFaces,
700 Artist Intercom control panels, 2000
Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom
ports, 300 Performer digital partyline
beltpacks, 100 RockNet 300 modules, 20
MediorNet Frames, 40 venue based HD
over Fiber links, 10 helicopter wireless
video links with Riedel Conductor RF
telemetry system for the helicopters
Furthermore it made use of some
new MediorNet software features at
the World Cup. MediorNet was used to
transport 20 HD-SDI signals including
the world feed between the technical
operation centres (TOC) in the stadi-
ums and HD OB trucks outside.
Stability and redundancy is always
an important factor when planning
our installation. The World Cup or
the Olympic Games are no exception.
Large-scale events always demand
for special solutions. Of course this also
includes new innovations and tech-
nologies. Nevertheless the focus of the
company’s work lies always on reliability
and system stability.
As far as I can judge from a German
broadcast perspective, the event was a
great success. The coverage was really
LARGE-SCALE RADIOMARC SCHNEIDER director rental projects, Riedel Communications
great; we had three major broadcast
networks – including the two main
public broadcasters – fully involved in
this event.
55The degree of heat, in
Celsius, Nevion’s Flashlink modules
can withstand.
016 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
ON A ROLLExclusive data developed for Digital Broadcast shows the growing popularity of pan-Arab TV as the advertising platform of choice in the Middle East, writes PARC analyst M Shaharyar Umar.
sion as an eff ective way of communicating the
message of an advertiser hold true in the MENA
market, the ad spend per capita, or say ad spend
on TV per viewer, in the region is much lower
than in the west.
Most expect the presence of a people meter in
the region to change the media landscape.
Th e leading advertisers in the region, in the
absence of a people meter, do seek externally
audited data using Computer Aided Telephonic
Interviewing, CATI of which – unfortunately for
the industry – there are not many suppliers for
important markets in the region. For most mar-
kets, the data is not externally audited, with the
exception of in Saudi Arabia.
A transparent measuring system will boost
spending on television in all likelihood, but the
ad spend per capita in the region on other media,
namely daily newspaper, weekly and monthly
magazines, is also lower compared to other devel-
oped nations demonstrating that the absence of a
people meter is not the only obstacle to higher ad
revenues for broadcasters.
According to recent TGI survey conducted by
PARC, in Saudi Arabia 32.7 per cent of the total
adult population strongly agree that there are too
many adverts on TV.
After a slow start, internet usage has grown sig-
nifi cantly since 2000. According to a TGI survey,
the key markets in the region witnessed a double-
digit growth of internet penetration in 2009.
Coupled with the increased use of the web and
the desire for greater interaction, low cost social
media is now a focus for marketers. Interestingly,
according to TGI Net survey conducted in KSA,
UAE and Kuwait 32.3 per cent of the total adult in-
ternet users in the region responded that that they
watch or listen to TV while surfi ng online. Hence
internet complements - and not competes - as
with television viewing in the region at present.
M Shaharyar Umar is an analyst at the Pan Arab Research
Center (PARC). The views expressed in the article are those
of the author, and not necessarily those of PARC.
T he mushrooming growth of free-to-air
(FTA) channels in the region coupled
with the extended list of thematic TV
stations is enriching the viewing experi-
ence for end consumers and helps television fi nd
favour as a platform with advertisers over other
media vehicles.
Whilst ad spend in the region for all major me-
dia doubled from 2005 till 2009 from US$5.5 bil-
lion to $11 billion, the proportion of that money
dedicated to television surged in the same period
from $2.2 billion to nearly $5.9 billion. Th is
equates to 163 per cent growth. Even during the
challenging year of 2009 it was television that
was instrumental in keeping the total ad spend
in the black. Total ad spend for major media ve-
hicles grew from $10 billion to $11 billion during
2009, whereas television grew from $4.4 billion to
$5.9 billion.
Th e spend on pan-Arab media constitutes
around 78 per cent of the total TV spend in the
region as advertisers focused on reaching multiple
markets rather than targeting specifi c areas
through local channels. Th is fi gure has grown
from 72 per cent in 2005. As a proportion of the
advertising spend across all platforms, pan-Arab
TV made a substantial gain as the recession
struck. Th e percentage grew slowly between 2005
and 2008 from 30.5 to 33.4 per cent before jumping
to 42.6 per cent in 2009.
Television viewership in the region is signifi -
cantly aff ected by major political events, world
sports and scheduled occurrences like school
holidays and Ramadan. Th e average time spent on
TV even changes signifi cantly during these events.
Even when taking these out of consideration, the
public are spending more time on TV than ever
before. Earlier, during 2005, an average adult Arab
consumer in Saudi Arabia used to spend around
250 minutes on TV - in 2009 it was close to 300
minutes. In markets like Egypt where TV penetra-
tion is very high, the trend is the same.
Although the basic factors supporting televi-
Although the basic factors supporting television as an effective way of communicating the message of an advertiser hold true in the MENA market, the ad spend per capita, or say ad spend on TV per viewer, in the region is much lower than in the west.
M SHAHARYAR UMAR
analyst, Pan Arab Research Center
(PARC)
ANALYSIS
www.digitalproductionme.com 017AUGUST 2010
ANALYSIS
TV SP
END
IN U
S$ M
ILLIO
NS
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
PAN ARAB TV MEDIA
ALL MARKET TV MEDIA
12,000
10,000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
12,000
10,000
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
20092008200720062005
20092008200720062005
20092008200720062005
ALL MARKET TV MEDIA AND PAN ARAB TV MEDIA
PERCENTAGE OF PAN-ARAB TV SPENDVS TOTAL SPEND ON ALL MAJOR MEDIA
PAN ARAB SPEND VERSUS ALL TV SPEND
TV SP
END
IN U
S$ M
ILLIO
NS
TV SP
END
IN U
S$ M
ILLIO
NS
PERCENTAGE SPENT ON PAN ARAB TV MEDIA
TOTAL TV MEDIA SPEND
PAN ARAB TVMEDIA SPEND
TOTAL TV MEDIA SPEND
30.5% 31.3%32.6%
33.4%42.6%
$2.2 billionPan Arab TV advertisingspend in 2005
$5.9 billionPan Arab TV advertisingspend in 2009
163%Growth in Pan Arab TV spend from 2005 to 2009
250Minutes the averageSaudi Arab adult watchedTV in 2005
300Minutes the averageSaudi Arab adult watchedTV in 2009
32.7%Percantage of Saudi adultsthat agree that there aretoo many adverts on TV
$10 billionTotal advertising spend forall media vehicles in 2005
$11 billionTotal advertising spend forall media vehicles in 2009
32.2%Percantage of Saudi, UAE and Kuwaiti adults that watch or listen to TV while surfi ng online
018 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
OPINION
After distancing Rotana from the project, it was
speculated that the channel could perhaps be oper-
ated in conjunction with one of News Corporations
many newscasting branches, given that the Prince is
the largest shareholder in the company outside of the
Murdoch clan.
When it was revealed last month that Sky News
was planning an Arabic channel, it appeared at fi rst
glance that the two projects were one and the same,
given that News Corp owns 39 per cent of the UK-
based channel.
Th e Sky News scheme, however , is a 50/50 joint ven-
ture with an unnamed Abu Dhabi-based businessman.
“Th e Middle East is undergoing rapid economic
and social development and is becoming an increas-
ingly attractive region for media investment,” said
John Ryley, head of Sky News.
“Discussions are progressing well and we look
forward to bringing a new approach to Arabic-
language news.”
Th e region now faces the prospect of four competi-
tive, well-fi nanced, locally based, Arabic-language
news stations.
Th e consequences of this may be most keenly felt
by the two existing market leaders. However, with
Al Jazeera seemingly focused on the international
distribution of its English-language service, it may be
undeterred by the new entrants.
Sky News has received plaudits in the UK for
its accessible style and reputation for breaking
news. Existing channels could be forced to raise
their game.
The addition of a great number of state-fund-
ed Arabic news channels from France, Rus-
sia, Iran and the US have made little impact
on the established leaders in the fi eld.
Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya remain dominant in
terms of audience, infl uence and resources.
Th e raft of stations that emerged in the past three
to fi ve years have been launched with clear agendas,
to promote their country’s own slant on the news.
Viewers are well aware of this and generally choose
one of “the big two”.
Now though, this selection could become the
“big four”.
Th e announcement in April that Prince Alwa-
leed is to launch his own news channel caused a
few ripples in the industry given the vast personal
fortune that could potentially be made available to
the venture.
“It is something I will be doing personally [be-
cause it] needs a lot of investment up front,” said the
Prince, speaking at the time of the announcement.
Th e chairman of the Rotana group also said that the
channel would not be part of the network’s stable
but would be independent from the media group.
He also stated that it would have the development
of Saudi Arabia at its core casting some doubt on the
impartiality that the station will possess.
“We no longer have a void in the Arab world as it is
now heavily occupied. Th erefore the new news chan-
nel is going to become an addition and an alternative
for viewers. Our personal aim is to achieve this,” said
the Prince in a further statement last month.
The impending launch of two additional 24-hour news channels is unlike the spate of government backed stations seen in recent years.
NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS
The Middle East is undergoing rapid economic and social development and is becoming an increasingly attractive region for media investment.
JOHN RYLEY
head of Sky News
Breaking the barriers to cost-effective content security
Latens Software Conditional AccessSatellite - Cable - Terrestrial - IPTV - Hybrid - OTT
Latens @ Hall 4 Stand B60
UK – USA – India
www.latens.com email: [email protected]
020 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
COVER STORY
T he initial reaction to the news that Hosam El
Sokkari was to leave his post as chief of BBC
Arabic to join the Yahoo! Maktoob in April
of this year was largely one of surprise.
Afterall, BBC Arabic has been broadcasting in the
Middle East since 1938. Its reputation in the media
world is rivalled by few of its competitors. Yahoo!
Maktoob on the other hand has been in existence for
one year and when it comes to Arabic content on the
internet, is entering uncharted territory.
Despite the obvious disparities between El Sok-
kari’s current and former employers, he believes
there are in fact many similarities in the two roles.
“I spent a long time working for the BBC,” says
El Sokkari, head of audience at Yahoo! Maktoob.
“Making the switch from working for a public
service broadcaster to the commercial sector is cer-
tainly a change, but it has given me an opportunity
to look at the bigger picture of how content provid-
ers work within the Middle East and how Yahoo!
Maktoob can add value for its audiences. Th at is
not very diff erent to what I did at the BBC.”
El Sokkari’s tenure at BBC Arabic included several
landmark achievements for the service. As the fi rst
Arab to hold the network’s top position he oversaw
the re-launch of BBC Arabic TV services as well as the
overhaul of its online off ering and the unifi cation and
integration of its content across all media platforms.
As an active proponent of social media platforms
in the production of news, it is perhaps no surprise
that his next career choice has seen him move ex-
clusively into the digital realm. He is also confi dent
that Yahoo! and Maktoob is well positioned to drive
the internet to the next level in the Middle East.
“It’s no coincidence that people used to call Mak-
toob the Yahoo! of the Middle East,” claims El Sok-
kari. “Th e two companies shared a similar vision and
AN OPEN APPROACHFormer BBC Arabic chief Hosam El Sokkari tells Digital Broadcast about his new role at Yahoo! Maktoob and reveals how the Middle East’s fi rst internet giant plans to open up access to online content.
The level of openness is unique compared to the rest of the industry. We are not trying to monopolise these new digital environments. On the contrary we are working together with anyone and everyone to offer a richer [online] experience.
HOSAM EL SOKKARI
head of audience, Yahoo! Maktoob
an interest in a diverse experience for the audiences,
be it through traditional information content like
news and sports or through community platforms
such as As7ab [friends in Arabic]. Yahoo! also brings
with it products like mail and messenger. At the
moment there is an ongoing process of consolidation
for all of these parts of the business and there will be
new experiences added in the future.”
One of the key new features that to be rolled out
immediately is a video platform.
“Th e hope is to have the video platform live in time
for Ramadan. Th ere is already a deal in place with
Rotana. Th is will allow the site to off er access to Ro-
tana content on an on demand basis. Ramadan is a
month of spiritual activities and also creates a strong
interest from our audiences in entertainment.”
El Sokkari also reveals that an agreement is in
place with Lebanese broadcaster LBC and a number
of other content owners are also in talks to make
their content available on the new platform.
“Talks are ongoing with a number of TV channels
and content providers. Th is comes within the con-
text of a bigger experience that is being built for our
viewers, it not just about putting something together
for Ramadan.”
So what are the company’s plans for monetising
this material?
“Th e content will be off ered free. It will be ad-
supported but not everything on the platform will
have advertising around it. Th e main objective is to
enhance the user experience. Not everything that is
done for the audience has to be directly generating
money,” says El Sokkari.
Despite the absence of pressure to derive rev-
enues from all of its content, El Sokkari says there
are already sponsors and advertisers lined up to
work with the company on both its video platform
www.digitalproductionme.com 021AUGUST 2010
COVER STORY
022 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
COVER STORY
and throughout the Ramadan content as a whole.
Th e common responses from broadcasters when
approached by third-parties to host online content,
are ‘why do we need you’ and ‘why should we split
our online revenues’.
Yahoo! Maktoob claims that its approach is more
altruistic than potential partners may assume.
“Th ere are talks with diff erent parties but it is
nothing exclusive. Th e goal is to develop an open
platform, there is no requirement for exclusivity. I
have come across instances when I have been talk-
ing to partners that have been in doubt as to whether
keeping their digital environments would be best or
whether they should partner with us. I have to
reiterate that its not exclusive. Broadcast-
ers can keep their own platforms and
Yahoo! Maktoob will drive traffi c to
those properties and raise awareness
of their existence on the web through
our extensive reach in the region.
Both parties benefi t and more impor-
tantly, so will the audience.”
Th e number of viewers currently
reached by the services off ered by each is esti-
mated at between 30-35 million per month, making it
one of the most important Arabic internet properties.
“Th e combined reach of Yahoo! and Maktoob
represents around 90 per cent of the Arabic speak-
ing internet population. Th ere are people using the
Maktoob platforms and those using Yahoo! services
such as email. What the company is proposing is
benefi cial to any partner that would like to give
more exposure to its content or would like to
raise the awareness of its audience via new online
platforms. Some of the big players are very well
established in the traditional environments but lots
022
of people don’t know that they even have a digital
off ering for example,” explains El Sokkari.
Th is open approach is something that Yahoo! has
employed internationally and it will not deviate
from this path in its partnership with Maktoob.
“Th e level of openness is unique compared
to the rest of the industry. We are not trying to
monopolise these new digital environments. On the
contrary we are working together with anyone and
everyone to off er a richer [online] experience.
As an example, El Sokkari notes that despite
operating its own social media platforms, the group
does not shut out its rivals.
“Facebook off ers users a very unique experi-
ence and this is why if you go to Yahoo! front
pages you will see that we are integrat-
ing these into our own. People have
the ability to use Google mail and
integrate it as part of their experience
with Yahoo!, for example.”
Th e technical infrastructure
required to operate the video platform
is in place with much of the work being
carried out internally.
“Th e technical expertise in Maktoob is unique,”
claims El Sokkari. “Th e way the company has
grown in the region, acquiring the knowledge
base, the people and the skills, has been extremely
unique. It created everything from scratch. It is
no coincidence that many of the developers and
technical staff that were working for Maktoob are
now working in IT developing other properties for
Yahoo! not just for Arabic. Th ey are very good devel-
opers, designers and savvy engineers.”
Yahoo! Maktoob is now in the process of re-
cruiting staff for its Arabic Audience team with a
El Sokkari says the company is now developing its mobile strategy with multi-platform content co-productions on the cards.
91%Yahoo! Maktoob’s reach throughout 22 countries
in the MENA region.
Making the switch from working for a public
service broadcaster to the commercial sector
is certainly a change, but it has given me an opportunity to look at
the bigger picture of how content providers work within the Middle East
and how Yahoo! Maktoob can add value for its
audiences. That is not very different to what I
did at the BBC.
HOSAM EL SOKKARI
head of audience, Yahoo! Maktoob
024 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
COVER STORY
managing editor and senior editors, producers and
journalists for sports, news, business, entertainment
and front page content being put in place.
“Th ey will not only be based in Dubai. Th ere will be
a presence in other parts of the Middle East, there are
already offi ces in other parts of the region.
“Th e Middle East is a culturally cohesive region
with shared interests in diff erent types of news and
other content. Th ere will be a degree of localisation
applied to certain markets. What we are planning to
do is to off er both experiences through an all-Middle
East, Arabic experience across the region and then a
targeting approach that would allow users to get the
local content that might be of interest to them based
on their location. Th e site will be intelligent enough
to understand what they want, where they are and to
provide them the news that would serve them best.
Th e dual approach does not deny them the richness
of the content available on the whole of the site.”
As well as acting as a content portal providing
news, video, music alongside email and social media,
El Sokkari also expects the company to become more
engaged from a content production angle.
“Th ere are talks already about live events coverage,
whereby a richer, more engaging experience can be
developed. Yahoo! Maktoob would also look to co-
produce and work with other production houses in
the region to create something that would
work on a number of platforms, similar
to some of the products that I have cre-
ated for the BBC in the past. It widens
the reach and it gives people more of
an integrated and cohesive feeling of
media. Th e dichotomy that people see
between traditional and digital media is in my view
non-existent.”
As part of this approach the company is already
working on a strategy to exploit the mobile market
and the penetration levels that the platform enjoys
throughout the Middle East.
“Th ere are already discussions with the telcos and
the company enjoys a longstanding relationship with
a number of them. Yahoo! sometimes powers their
websites with products such as messanger as well as
content,” says El Sokkari.
Broadband penetration is critical to the level of
success that Yahoo! Maktoob can enjoy given that
it limits the number of potential customers for rich
media applications.
“I think the market is changing and there is a lot of
investment in diff erent parts of the region to improve
the infrastructure to allow for a richer broadband
experience. Th ere is already a lot if interest in video
consumption online in diff erent parts of the region,”
says El Sokkari.
Independence from platforms, technology and the
complex issues of rights and licensing lies the main
focus, according to El Sokkari.
“It’s about audience, audience, audience. Th e one-
way communication channel and the monopoly that
the media has had on the tools of information is no
longer there. Th ere is a unique opportunity
to engage with people. Yahoo! Maktoob
is not doing this for the sake of making
platforms or because it like the inter-
net. It is not really about the platform
or the method of distribution, its about
what they consume and how.”
$164mThe amount paid by
Yahoo! for the Arabic portal Maktoob according to the
company’s SEC fi lingsin the US.
El Sokkari says Yahoo! Maktoob will act as a content portal providing news, video, music alongside email and social media and has not ruled out playing a part in live-events.
I think the market is changing and there is a lot of investment in different parts of the region to improve the
infrastructure to allow for a richer broadband
experience.
HOSAM EL SOKKARI
head of audience, Yahoo! Maktoob
And the winner is...
RAI Amsterdam Conference 9-14 September : Exhibition 10-14 September
www.ibc.orgIBC Fifth Floor International Press Centre 76 Shoe Lane London EC4A 3JB UK T. +44 (0) 20 7832 4100 F. +44 (0) 20 7832 4130 E. [email protected]
The IBC Awards are made up of four categories:
• IBC Innovation Awards
• IBC International Honour for Excellence
• IBC Exhibition Design Awards
• IBC Conference Award
IBC’s awards are really special – because they reward the people and projects who make a difference in our industry. Creative, technical and commercial: IBC looks to recognise those who have changed the way we work with media.
Register n
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www.ibc.org/register
Join us on the red carpet on Sunday 12 September for the awards which really matter in our industry.Previous winners include: The Metropolitan Opera –New York, ESPN, MENOS, ASBU, Jeffery Katzenberg – Dreamworks Animation, Walt Disney Pictures, NBC Universal, KLPD for Amber Alert
IBC’s highest award, the International Honour for Excellence will be presented, and the winners of the IBC Innovation Awards will be announced.
The IBC awards ceremony is a fast moving, sparkling event which can be guaranteed to include some surprises – last year we enjoyed a unique 16 minute preview of the 3D movie Avatar, three months before its release.
026 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
RADIO
T he Middle East has a very unique radio
market. Th e region had satellite TV
before it had FM radio stations. Th e BBC
had an Arabic-language station running
as far back as 1938 but it is only recently that the
format has enjoyed a boom – one that has sur-
vived the recession.
Today there are around 350 FM radio sta-
tions in the Arab world, according to the
Arab Advisors Group. Half of these stations
are privately-owned and many of these – as
well as some of the state-owned channels –
are operating on commercial terms. And for
many of these, business is booming.
“Dubai is a perfect radio market. It’s a perfect
storm for radio and the medium is currently get-
ting a far lower share of the advertising budget
than it should,” says Steve Smith, COO, ARN. “At
present it is only getting a three per cent share of
the total advertising spend, that means there is
still a lot of growth to be had in this industry.
“Take Dubai as an example, it’s multicultural,
that means it has many diff erent target markets,
radio stations can be specifi cally created to target
that culture. Th e traffi c here means, on average
people are commuting for two hours a day, that’s
a good chunk of time that radio has a monopoly
on their attention, radio fares well there,” claims
Smith. “Online listening is going through the roof
in this region too. Demand is strong and if the
quality is there, people will keep listening when
they get to work and are increasingly listening at
home via the internet.
“ARN had a very good year in 2009 – radio fared
well in general – and it has some good growth this
year as well,” says Smith. “We’re up on last year
and we’re happy with the progress.
While the recession cut swathes out of mar-
keting budgets, there were still budgets
to be seized in what became a case of
survival of the fittest.
“Luckily for us we could foresee some of
what was coming and we made a lot of changes
before the recession really hit the Middle East.
ARN put its focus where it was going to get the
best return. Any recession will do that, it will
refocus the company,” claims Smith. “So it was
a great time for some people to step up and take
on new responsibilities.
“It enabled ARN to consolidate. It is now in a
strong position. It’s gained share, from both an
audience and an advertising point of view. Th ere
have been some fundamental changes, on our
sales side in particular. Th e sales operation is very
diff erent to what it was two years ago.”
Th e UAE is one of the most active radio mar-
kets in the region and the success is not limited
to the stations under Smith’s helm at ARN.
Th e Abu Dhabi Media Company’s (ADMC)
radio network is also under a period of expan-
sion, benefi tting from what it also views as a
very prosperous market for the medium.
“Radio is very strong in this region. Th ere are
230 million people listening to the radio regularly
and already there are 78 million people listening to
the radio through the internet,” says Abdulrahman
Awadh Al Harthi, director of Abu Dhabi Radio Net-
work. “Th e terrestrial networks for FM and MW are
still relied upon heavily at the moment but in the
next 10 years, radio will be predominantly internet
based. Th ere have been trials in Europe of technolo-
gies such as DRM and in the US there is HD radio
and also subscription based satellite radio. Th ere
are high costs with the initial infrastructure for the
networks and then the receivers for the listeners
can also be too costly.”
MAKING AVESWhile all eyes have been focused on the emergence of HD and rising ad revenues through the recession, radio has enjoyed its own successes through the downturn. Top regional radio executives tell Digital Broadcast what’s next for the medium.
The terrestrial networks for FM and MW are still relied upon heavily at the moment but in the next ten years, radio will be predominantly internet based. There have been trials in Europe of technologies such as DRM and in the US there is HD radio and also subscription based satellite radio.
ABDULRAHMAN AWADH AL HARTHIdirector, Abu Dhabi Radio Network
www.digitalproductionme.com 027AUGUST 2010
RADIO
028 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
Al Harthi explains that consumer habits are
already spelling out the future for radio.
“No one is buying dedicated radio sets any-
more, they are listening to the radio via their cars,
through their phones, computers and other inter-
net connected devices. Wireless internet access is
the future for radio,” adds Al Harthi.
In preparation for this transition the network is
already leveraging ADMC’s signifi cant digital divi-
sion to develop online homes for its radio brands.
“Star FM is already available on the internet
and we are currently revamping the websites for
our fi ve radio stations so soon each will have a site
capable of off ering streaming too,” he says.
Al Harthi says that the network – like ARN – had
a good year in 2009 revealing that it exceeded its
sales targets by between 10 to 15 per cent.
“It’s still early this year but we have continued to
meet our own targets and the performance is fi ne
even when concerned to last year,” says Al Harthi.
“All the stations are doing well. Qu’ran Kareem
has the highest listenership across the UAE,
Emaraat FM has the highest listenership among
UAE nationals. Before the morning show on Abu
Dhabi Classic FM was even launched there was a
sponsorship deal in place.”
Al Harthi believes the formula for success in ra-
dio broadcasting is fairly straightforward.
“If the content is creative and innovative,
then the ad revenue will be high.”
Both ADRN and ARN are in part
government owned, however, both are
operated commercially and suggestions
otherwise are inaccurate says Smith.
028
There are 230 million people listening to the radio regularly, with approximately 78 million people now listening to the radio through the internet.
“Even though ARN is government owned – or
to be more accurate the government is a major
shareholder – it is a commercial business. I have
only ever worked in a commercial business and this
looks very much like any commercial business I’ve
worked in before,” he says. “ARN is all about gaining
more share of advertising and that won’t change in
the near future as far as I am concerned.
“I think a lot of people – from a listener point
of view – probably don’t even realise ARN is
government owned. Again, it comes back to
the fact that – no matter who you are owned
by – if you’re entertaining and you’re relevant
to the listener then you’ve got a real future,”
says Smith.
“I don’t view see public radio as a threat. Th ere
is room for both and there is a need for public
radio in every market.”
Th e TV advertising market has become severely
fragmented with only a handful of channels cur-
rently profi table, is there a danger that a deluge of
radio channels could emerge.
“Th ere can be as many community stations as you
like, if it’s not entertaining and if it is not of high-quali-
ty, people won’t put up with it. Th e audience is used to
great content, great music. If it is great quality, it can
work. But if it’s just a mish-mash of diff erent formats
and the like then if you haven’t done your
homework you are going to miss the mark.
“If everyone was given a license – and
I don’t think that will happen – it could
really hurt an industry, it gets far too
fragmented but I don’t think that will
happen here in this market.”
TUNING-INThe average cost of ad spot on FM radio station in the Middle East has continued to climb in recent years.
From a starting point of US$101 in 2006, the price rose to $125 in 2009, according to data from the Arab Advisors Group.
Prices for commercial sta-tions were typically found to be higher than those of government operated stations. Pan-Arab stations were able to command signifi cantly higher fees than local ones.
Unsurprisingly, the times of the day when the price peaks match those of rush-hour traffi c.
“There are three peak timings throughout the day 0700-0800, 0800-0900 and 1900-2000 when advertis-ing rates reach their highest levels,” said Issa Goussous, senior research analyst, Arab Advisors Group. “Most listeners in the region do so in their cars on the way to and from work.”
RADIO
346Number of FM radio
stations broadcast in18 Arab countries.
030 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
RADIO
And this point brings Smith to the issue of
industry regulation.
“Codes of conduct are required in every market.
In Dubai there is a good morality basis that all the
stations adhere to, those codes of conduct are in
place and adhered to. Th ere is a responsibility on
the media owners to ensure that they are befi t-
ting, or that whatever content they are providing
is of a certain standard. From a radio perspective,
all the competitors are producing some pretty
good content that is not off ending any particular
social group and now that’s a good thing.
“I’ve worked in markets before where that hasn’t
been the case and it leads to some real issues. Th ey
have got it right here, there is a general consensus
about where the line is when it comes to moral-
ity but there needs to be a code of conduct. An
industry body would help of course. ARN has a
responsibility as the largest radio network – in the
absence of an industry body – to set the stan-
dards, and that helps the entire radio industry.
Th e hope is that if ARN is doing things better, the
whole radio industry will shift,” claims Smith.
Th e radio market certainly still has room for
growth in the Middle East in terms of the percentage
of total ad spend that it claims and also in the num-
ber and variety of station broadcasting in the region.
“I think there are a few opportunities in the
market. Th e Hindi and English markets are well
served but there are other opportunities in this
market and there are some great opportunities
going forward… but we’ll keep those pretty close
to our chest. Th e amount we have invested in
research means that we know the market pretty
well, very well now and there are areas in this
market that could very much be entertained from
a new frequency,” says Smith.
“Sport will be a very important component for
Dubai as it grows. Th ere are some major competi-
tions to be hosted here in the future. Th ere are a
number of players in the region looking to host
the Olympics and of course this is a football mad
region. Sport will play a big role and could perform
well across all media formats.”
So does this mean that ARN would consider bid-
ding for the radio rights to major sports competitions?
“Th at would depend on cost,” says Smith. “Of course
we would pay for the rights if and when we see it fi ts
and the audience really want it. Th is is an area where
I think we’ll see a whole lot of opportunities and it is
defi nitely something that is one our agenda.”
Meanwhile, ADMC has already acquired the
exclusive TV broadcasting rights for the English Pre-
mier League, but does have any plans of adding radio
coverage to its multiplatform broadcast plans?
“We are still doing the business plan and feasi-
bility study for having the EPL on the radio and we
need to make our mind up about whether we take
the EPL on air or not,” says Al Harthi, who also
confi rms that the radio rights are not part of the
package that it has already acquired and would
require an additional investment.
“We have been broadcasting the UAE Football
League and according to Ipsos research done dur-
ing the past six months, the reach of Abu Dhabi FM
triples when the matches are on,” reveals Al Harthi.
Whether or not radio networks can monetise bum-
per audiences induced by sports content remains to
be seen. With the EPL TV services available online
from next season, it is hard to say whether an FM-on-
ly audience could deliver suffi cient numbers. Th is will
be made even harder as so many EPL matches take
place outside of the typical Middle East rush-hour
commuting periods, when listenership peaks.
Online listening is going through the roof in this region too. Demand is strong and if the quality is there, people will keep listening when they get to work and are increasingly listening at home via the internet.
STEVE SMITH
COO, ARN
ADRN and ARN – home of the Catboy and Geordiebird breakfast show – are in part government owned, but are operated on a commercial basis, according the Steven Smith, COO, ARN.
www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010 032
CONDITIONAL ACCESS
033AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com
CONDITIONAL ACCESS
T he evolution of the pay TV industry is hav-
ing serious consequences for the compa-
nies providing the conditional access (CA)
products that protect the content they
have invested in from being accessed illegally.
Th e emergence of a growing number of IPTV
and hybrid architecture networks has created a
market for software based CA systems, rather than
the smartcard based hardware systems that have
dominated previously.
As well as the pressure created from the number
of operators opting for software systems, hardware
only manufacturers have also had to content with
codeword sharing – a successful form of piracy that
as until recently running rampant – as well as the
technological challenges created form having to
keep up with the new services that operators want to
provide their viewers.
“From a global perspective, I believe that the
future of smartcard-based pay TV systems is
fairly limited,” says Pierre Hunter, VP sales EMEA,
Verimatrix. “Th e company has seen its customers
replacing them in one of two ways: either with
secure low cost system-on-chip security in set top
boxes (STB) and increasingly with the deployment
of hybrid network topologies. Smartcards will be
favoured by traditional broadcast only operators
in satellite environments. Ultimately, new deploy-
ments of this technology will be phased out.”
Albert Tzulman, SVP, sales and marketing at CA
provider Logiways, is less pessimistic.
“Smartcard-based CA systems are still the best
solution to secure content, especially on a one-way
broadcast system,” he says.
“Software-only CA can be effi cient for a connect-
ed STB, but it is also easier for hackers to upgrade
these boxes. Th ere are now on the market some
hardware solutions – such as USB dongles – to add
security on top of software-based CA. Th e future
solution is probably the new generation of software
CA linked with IC security features.”
At present as long as both one-way and two-way
networks remain in wide use it is likely demand for
both hard- and software systems will continue.
“Both sides have their advantages and disadvan-
tages and the industry needs to give operators the
choice of what best fi ts their particular operation,”
says Christopher Schouten, advanced products
marketing director, Irdeto.
In addition to its hardware solutions for one-way
networks, Irdeto also claims to make the only soft-
ware only system without a return path.
“Th ere have not been any software based solutions
other than the one we launched last year that is suf-
fi cient to address the needs of a one-way broadcast
networks and that because most of the software
systems today have been predicated on the presence
of an IP return path,” says Schouten. “In situations
where that IP return path is available then a software
solution is superior from a logistics perspective but
in the millions and millions of legacy devices that
are out there on one way networks smart cards will
continue to play a crucial role in content protection
now and for the foreseeable future.”
Schouten also makes the point that the presence
of a broadband network determines whether the
option of using a return path based system is pres-
ent, noting that this is an issue outside of the main
urban centres in the Middle East.
Latens has a diff erent background to many of its
contemporaries in the CA industry as it has always
been a software-based developer since its inceptionn
CAUGHTRED HANDEDThe fi ght against piracy has scored some signifi cant wins in the past 12 months.Digital Broadcast speaks to some of the top conditional access vendors to assess just how long the pirates might remain sunk.
The pirates are winning, because piracy is still increasing. Even if hackers need more and more sophisticated infrastructure, they also have more and more customers. CA systems are regularly hacked and updates are immediately available on internet.
ALBERT TZULMAN
SVP, sales and marketing, Logiways
034 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
in 2003. Th e company continues to be bullish on its
prospects moving forward.
“At the time of our launch, existing CA providers
said [software based CA] was not safe and would
not be accepted by the operators. Latens has seen
all its competitors follow its example in respect
to software security for IPTV,” says Andrew Pons,
marketing manager, Latens. “Gradually more are
following the example of using software only CA for
one-way broadcasts. Th erefore given that smart-
card piracy is rampant in the Middle East it can
only be a question of time before smartcards are no
longer part of a CA solution.”
As well as a technological advantage, Pons also
says that the business model behind software based
security also creates extra incentives for the system
to withstand attacks from pirates.
“Th ere are three parties in the piracy war,”
explains Pons, “the hackers, the operator and the
CA supplier. If a smartcard system is hacked the
hackers win because they are now able to distribute
the CA keys around the world using the internet. Th e
supplier of the smartcard CA also wins because the
operator requires a new smartcard solution, which is
good business for the supplier.
“Th e operator on the other hand loses, fi rst it has
to make a loss on the subscribers that are now paying
the hacker instead of the operator, and it has to pay
the smartcard supplier to develop a new set of cards
that are supposedly safer. Th is can take up to two
years meaning it is constantly losing revenue,” he says.
Using a software-based system means that a “vir-
tual” card swap-out can be done almost instantly in
the event of a hack. Th e incentive to be hacked, thus
triggering a new card and hardware deployment is
therefore removed.
Regardless of the system proposed, the operators
and the vendors need to be able to beat the existing
forms of piracy in order to make any kind of prog-
ress. But who is winning the battle at present?
“Th e pirates are winning, because piracy is still
increasing,” says Logiways’ Tzulman. “Even if hack-
ers need more and more sophisticated infrastruc-
ture, they also have more and more customers.
CA systems are regularly hacked and updates are
immediately available on internet.
Th ere is no unhackable system. It’s all about
time. As a CA vendor we sell time to our customers,
time before eff ective piracy is developed and they
lose revenue. Hackers are more and more or-
ganised; they are international crime organisations
with worldwide connections. Th e sophisticated
labs, required to hack some CA systems, cost more
than $15 million. It is a very profi table business for
them,” he notes.
“Core security technology is developing rapidly
but any CA vendor that claims their system is
unhackable should probably feel distinctly uncom-
fortable,” says Verimatrix’s Hunter. “Th ere is huge
money behind piracy but companies like Verima-
trix also help to enable the even larger revenue
stream behind legitimate content consumption
and are working diligently to stay at least one step
ahead of the pirates.”
Hunter’s Verimatrix colleague Steve Christian,
the fi rm’s VP of marketing, agrees.
Pierre Hunter of Verimatrix says the future of smartcard controlled TV is limited, but Albert Tzulman from CA provider Logiways says it’s the most secure option.
TRA TAKES ACTION IN THE UAEThe UAE became the fi rst country to protect pay TV channels’ rights on the internet after the Telecom-munications Regulatory Authority (TRA) took action to block keyword sharing.
In collaboration with both the country’s telecoms providers, the TRA suc-cessfully blocked keyword sharing data transferred on its network. It is thought to be the fi rst time that such an operation has succeeded anywhere in the world.
“The UAE gives utmost importance to Intellectual Property to ensure the most advantageous economic environment through sup-porting owners of property rights. This step will protect consumers against this type of fraud and it will limit infringement of Intellectual Property Rights and viola-tion of federal laws,” said H.E. Mohammed Al Ghanim, director general of the TRA.
A warning was also issued that the unlawful use of telecom services can harm consumers and the national economy and it urges con-sumers to take caution while purchasing satellite receivers to ensure their legitimacy.
CONDITIONAL ACCESS
www.digitalproductionme.com
CONDITIONAL ACCESS
036 AUGUST 2010
In recent times, loopholes in the legal defi nition of piracy, where the rules are only applicable to devices that are pirated as such, like fake cards and not devices becoming illegal once download-ed, have come to light. This has meant it has become increasingly diffi cult to track down and prosecute these boxes as downloading most of the time occurs at home, even if it is very clear to the com-munity that these so called “free to air” boxes are widely bought because they are easy to install pirate fi rmware on.
Europe has been widely believed to be ahead of the rest of the world, hav-ing developed the first valid approach to tackle the issue of piracy 10 years ago, thanks to legislation protecting all access control systems, thus stand-ing separately to copyright legisla-tion – the only legal recourse in many countries for prosecution.
This was brought into effect in the European Directive issued in 1998 which covers both broadcasting (TV and radio) and interactive services using some form of CA system. This Directive was intend-ed to be applicable in any of the 27 full member countries, however, sentences for offenders can still vary substantially between countries.
Moreover, the law needs to be reviewed now in light of a number of necessary improve-ments, not least the need to be able to encompass within the defi nition of pirate ma-terial these devices that have two sorts of use.
In addition to techno-logical innovation and legal ac-tions, there is a third frontier
to tackle the issue of piracy that relates to removing or reducing the commercial incentive. Vendors of CA systems are required to develop and support new business models that allow operators to generate more revenue from new content and new ways in which is it is delivered to subscribers.
Awareness about the subject of piracy has to be further shared at all levels, at courts, customs, police, governmental and institutional levels, and last but not least at consumer level. New innovative business models are needed to accompany this awareness and educate end-users.
AEPOC is pushing international cooperation, which is vital to mounting a more effective defence against global TV piracy. The group is backing joint ac-tions gathering all CA providers and pay TV operators in Europe and are present on the commissions where the directive is reviewed.
Collaboration on an international level and solidarity between the mem-bers of an association is imperative in successfully tracking down and bringing to justice the highly developed sub-culture and value chain of suppliers, fi nancers and distributors that is at the
heart of pay TV piracy. Finding proof has always been the key
stumbling block.To entrap the whole indus-
trially organised worldwide network behind the hackers will require a concrete effort to reverse engineer
the hackers’ methods. This is why it is necessary that all
the anti-piracy associa-tions worldwide join
forces and share their investi-gations and experience.
CLOSING THE LOOPHOLESChristine Maury-Panis, executive VP, general counsel, Viaccess and VP of the industry lobby, APOEC discusses some of the legal and legislative issues underpinning successful anti-piracy efforts.
“Content piracy is still big business. But it would
be extremely unrealistic of anyone to make any
claim about any security system being unhackable
for all time. In general, we tend to describe the world
of security as an arms race,” says Christian. “A small
but important set of key security systems vendors
are pitted against a wide range of amateur and pro-
fessional forms of attack. Th e important thing in any
such continuing fi ght is to try and stay at least one
step ahead of the latest threats and to be proactive
about changes to your strategy and implementa-
tions in order to reduce the impact of any security
issues that do emerge.”
Irdeto’s Schouten is far more optimistic about
the industry’s progress against the pirates, particu-
larly in the Middle East.
“I defi nitely feel that we are wining the piracy
war at this point, but not purely on the basis of
technology,” he says. “Th ere is a strong cooperation
required between us and our customers and the lo-
cal authorities in regions around the world. You can
see through our cooperation with associations like
Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance (AAA) in the Middle
East and with local and regional regulatory authori-
ties that we can win battles,” Schouten points to the
recent example of the UAE Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority blocking code word sharing
internet traffi c in the country (see left).
“It’s a combination of technology, cooperation, leg-
islation, regulation and enforcement. We would never
assume that we permanently had the upper hand,
we have to be vigilant. It is a game of cat and mouse.
With the fi rst generation of technology more than 15
years ago perhaps, the CA industry put it out in the
fi eld and started counting its money without realising
that this was going to be of that nature.
“Th e industry learned that lesson a long time ago
and now it can never aff ord to sit back and assume
that it has won,” concludes Schouten.
With so many solutions available on the market
testimonials and third-party testing can is critical.
“For any commercially signifi cant conditional
access or content protection solution, the content
owner’s acceptance and belief in your brand is cru-
cial,” says Verimatrix’s Hunter. “Access to content is
one axis of diff erentiation, and having a strong track
record and a proactive engagement with content own-
ers is important to gain their confi dence and facilitate
licensing agreements for their content. It is vital for
operators to select a CA partner that has a good rela-
tionship with the major studios and broadcast content
sources and that can support the specifi cs of the vari-
ous revenue models that they intend to deploy.”
The Middle East & North Africa’sONLY monthly magazine for the broadcast and production industry
Official Title
FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:
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ABRIDGE TOO FARAs the broadcast sector continues to overlap with the world of telecommunications, the respective industries disparate regulatory frameworks collide, exposing the lack of uniformity and clarity for
those delivering video content, writes Sonya Shaykhoun.
CENSORSHIP:As the broadcast sector continues to overlap with the worrrrld offfff telecommunications, the respectiveindustries disparate regulatory frameworks collide, exposing the lack of uniformity and clarity for
those delivering video content, writes Sonya Shaykhoun.
www.digitalproductionme.com038 AUGUST 2010
LEGAL
LEGAL
039AUGUST 2010www.digitalproductionme.com
W e are now in the throes of the Digital
Age that began in the early 1970s and
is characterised by abundant publica-
tion, consumption and manipula-
tion of information, especially by computers and
computer networks. Today, means of communication
– the multi-functional mobile phone for example –
have reached levels that were deemed science fi ction
in the 1950s and 1960s.
Th e MENA region has not escaped the global
Internet, Communications and Technology (ICT)
revolution on all fronts. Th e rise of satellite televi-
sion in the early 1990s shook the region, introduc-
ing foreign TV via pay satellite platforms. Th e ICT
revolution sparked twenty-fi rst century Arab private
fi lm production and numerous fi lm festivals across
the MENA region.
Consequently, media zones have sprouted up in
Dubai, Jordan, Syria and Egypt and the erstwhile
government-dominated, regional telecommunica-
tions sectors have transformed into private entities
and all manner of communications companies have
taken root leading to a myriad of novel uses for ICT
developments. Now, the ICT industry is booming in
the MENA region and the satellite industry contin-
ues to fl ourish. For example, Arabsat’s net profi ts
rose by 198 per cent from 2008 to US$91 million last
year, it recently launched two new satellites and has
plans to launch a sixth satellite in 2011, proving that
there is still a great demand for satellite capacity. Th e
abundance of satellite channels and the sweeping
reach of the satellite footprint, as well as the ap-
pearance of digital television, the Internet, mobile
television and IPTV, have all made content available
to an unprecedented number of people in the region.
Content is now also available through a diversity of
non-traditional platforms in the MENA region. A re-
cent Informa Telecoms & Media report forecast that
by 2014, more than 70 per cent of MENA households
will be equipped with cable, IPTV or satellite services
with the latter dominating. Mobile phones are multi-
functional and mobile TV is developing in the MENA
region with telecommunications networks such as
Zain and Viva providing content to subscribers.
With liberalisation of the telecommunications
sector came the need for regulation where previously,
the autocratic nature of Arab governments obviated
the need for regulation and/or censorship in the
telecommunications and video production sectors.
Whilst the marriage of technology and media has
radically improved communications, this conver-
gence has turned the status quo upside down from
a regulatory perspective. Despite the rapid pace of
convergence of media with traditional telephony,
convergence has outrun legislative developments
leaving gaps in content regulation in the MENA
region that need to be handled carefully to exploit
the benefi ts of convergence while maintaining the
regional cultural integrity.
Content production in the MENA region has
a long and rich history, even if sporadic in some
countries. Film production began in Egypt in the late
1920s, mimicking Hollywood and European trends.
Th e Arab fi lm industry developed haphazardly –
often upon gaining independence from colonial pow-
ers – as in the case of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.
Other countries, like Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and
Iraq can also claim to have contributed to the his-
tory of Arab fi lm production.
While Egypt and Lebanon are the long-estab-
lished leaders of Arabic content, other countries,
particularly oil-rich GCC countries such as the
UAE and Qatar are diversifying their economies
and celebrating their cultures by developing their
respective fi lm industries. Abu Dhabi and Dubai
are now at the forefront and are investing heavily in
developing content and the Emirati fi lm industry.
Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) was founded
in 2007. Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of
ADMC, aims, among other things, to: invest $1
billion into feature fi lms in the next fi ve years; de-
velop the Emirati fi lm industry in its totality; and,
hot-house Emirati content, talent, fi lmmakers and
the quality of regionally-produced content (such as
the acclaimed Bollywood fi lm My Name is Khan).
Along with ADMC, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival,
established in 2007, Abu Dhabi’s media zone, two-
four54, founded in 2008, and the Abu Dhabi Author-
ity for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) concentrate
on developing all aspects of the media industry.
Likewise, Qatar’s fi lm industry boasts several
monumental additions, such as the Doha Tribeca
Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute and the
Qatari media group, Al Noor that launched a
$200 million ethically based fund that will invest
in international fi lm projects.
Th e recent increase in Arabic content off sets the
import of (primarily Western) content, which is
Arabsat’s net profi ts rose by 198 per cent from 2008 to US$91 million last year, it recently launched two new satellites and has plans to launch a sixth satellite in 2011, proving that there is still a great demand for satellite capacity.
SONYA SHAYKHOUN
attorney, Charles Russell LLP
040 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
often culturally at odds with Arabic cultural and
religious mores and poses an additional challenge
to regulators as media and technology continue to
converge at lightening speed.
With the development of convergence, the
question arises of who is responsible for content
regulation in the various countries of the region.
In the past, for example, broadcasting regula-
tion dealt with issues of spectrum and national
ownership. Converged regulators are a rarity in
the global communications industry despite the
challenges convergence pose to regulators. In
the MENA region, content regulation tends to be
unsystematic, typically falling under the ambit of
politicised government ministries and agencies
rather than independent regulators, sometimes
rendering content regulation a political and ideo-
logical exercise. Pan-regional eff orts have been
expended to establish a body to regulate satellite
content under the non-binding Arab Satellite
Broadcasting Charter, signed in early 2008, to
ensure that content complies with certain culture
and religion-specifi c ideals.
In July 2008, Egyptian authorities
issued a controversial draft broadcast
law that would establish the National
Audiovisual Broadcasting Regula-
tion Authority under the direction
of the Egyptian government rather
than as an independent regulator (as
required by international law). Th e draft
law requires, among other things, perceived exces-
sive restrictions on content and fails to establish
rules for regulating ownership and for ensuring
competition in the broadcast sector and provides
for harsh penalties (rather than sanctions and
conditions) for those who breach the law. Further,
although reports claim that there is no evidence of
Internet fi ltering in Egypt – except for a selection
of politically sensitive websites that have previ-
ously been blocked – Egypt has been particularly
intolerant of online bloggers and Facebook users
critical of the Egyptian government to an extent
that has lead to arrests, a reminder that Egypt is
still under the emergency rule that began in 1981.
Content regulation is taken seriously in Bah-
rain, too. On 5 January 2009, the Bahraini Ministry
of Culture and Information (MOCI), obviously a
government body, issued Resolution No. 1 of 2009,
pursuant to the Telecommunications Law of Bah-
rain, to block and unblock websites. Th e resolu-
tion requires all ISPs to buy and install a website
blocking software solution chosen by the Ministry,
040
which gives the Ministry full control over the
blocking and unblocking of websites. Th e Tele-
communications Regulatory Authority assisted
in MOCI with this initiative. In May 2010, Bahrain
had a short-lived rift with Al Jazeera leading to
the MOCI shutting down Al Jazeera’s Bahrain
bureau for breaching “media norms” and allegedly
disregarding Bahrain’s press and publishing rules
and regulations. Th e MOCI swiftly invited Al
Jazeera to sign a memorandum of understanding
to defi ne the two parties’ major areas of agree-
ment, thus resolving the issue. Notwithstanding
the MOCI’s recent eff orts to regulate content,
Bahrain is now planning to dissolve its Ministry
of Culture and Information, following the example
of Jordan, Qatar and the UAE, and to establish an
independent broadcasting and media regulator,
the Information Aff airs Authority (IAA).
Th e Media Law (UAE Federal Law on Printed
Matter and Publications 15/1980) requires a
licence to engage in most aspects for publishing,
such as owning a printing press; printing materi-
als and periodicals; circulating, selling or
distributing printed material (as well
as advertising and promotional mate-
rial); working as a media correspon-
dent; or, importing and distributing
foreign books and printed material.
Censorship of print media (particu-
larly foreign media) is a common occur-
rence in the UAE, to broadcast channels,
it is only possible for privately owned broadcast-
ing channels/networks to obtain a broadcasting
licence in either of the media free zones in the UAE,
Dubai Media City and Abu Dhabi’s twofour54. Th e
Media Zone Authority of Abu Dhabi requires con-
tent broadcasters to obtain a licence per the Dis-
semination Licensing Regulations October 2008.
Th e regulations defi ne content dissemination
as “the broadcasting, transmission, publica-
tion, printing, communication or distribution
to the public of any content…irrespective of the
platform, technology or other means used for such
distribution (including audio, visual or audio-vi-
sual media, any form of electronic media or print
publication)”. In particular, the regulations set out
clear guidelines on content dissemination, which
prohibit indecent, pornographic, excessively vio-
lent programming or content that could “violate
the basic social, cultural and religious values com-
mon to the UAE”. Th e UAE’s Telecommunications
Regulatory Authority’s (TRA) Broadcasting Satel-
lite Services Licence Template defi nes “Broadcast-
LEGAL
70%The predicted amount of MENA households with cable, IPTV or satellite
service by 2014.
Converged regulators are a rarity in the
global communications industry despite the
challenges convergence pose to regulators.
In the MENA region, content regulation tends
to be unsystematic, typically falling under
the ambit of politicised government ministries
and agencies rather than independent
regulators.
SONYA SHAYKHOUN
attorney, Charles Russell LLP
042 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
LEGAL
ing Code” as “the code on broadcasting standards
issued by the competent authority in the State, as
amended from time to time”.
Although the UAE’s TRA granted the Emirates
Mobile Television Corporation (a consortium of
government companies Etisalat, du, ADMC and
Dubai Media Inc.) a ten-year mobile TV broad-
casting licence twinning media and communica-
tions, the TRA does not actually regulate content,
which is the National Media Council (NMC)’s
domain. Th e NMC is one of the Established
Councils in the UAE Cabinet, which, according to
the offi cial website of the UAE Cabinet handles all
media aff airs and coordinates the media policy
amongst member emirates amongst other things.
Not all NMC Members hail from the broadcasting
sector – it includes representatives from the Min-
istry of Labour, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and
Community Development, the Ministry of Foreign
Aff airs and the General Authority for organisation
of the telecommunications sector.
Convergence is also a concern for ictQatar,
Qatar’s communications regulator (as the “ICT”
in its name indicates). Its self-proclaimed role in-
cludes protecting consumers and businesses as an
independent regulator and integrating technology
with the fabric of society. It also regulates “non-
operator issues” in the communications sector,
including satellite media broadcast regulation.
ictQatar advocates self-regulation by both broad-
casters and viewers and, according to its website,
Dr. Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, ictQatar’s Secretary
General, expressed this view at a forum held in
Doha on November 2 and 3, 2009. While encour-
aging government institutions to participate
in satellite regulation, Dr. Hessa acknowledged
“what is considered off ensive or inappropriate
is subjective, and since satellite crosses interna-
tional boundaries, it would be nearly impossible
to regulate content.” Self regulation is Al Jazeera’s
ethos, too; the ten-point Code of Ethics promotes
such characteristics as neutrality, transparency,
independence, diversity, journalistic values and
the defence of freedom of the press.
Not surprisingly, Iran and Iraq provide extreme
examples of content regulation. Iran established a
12-member force to police the internet for crimes of
insulting the Islamic system in November 2009; its
team members come from the police and from oth-
er parts of Iran’s security network. Iraq’s new media
rules issued in early 2010 by the Communications
and Media Commission (CMC), whose directors are
government appointees, empower the CMC to stop
transmissions, shut offi ces, confi scate equipment,
revoke licences and impose harsh penalties on TV
stations for charges of incitement that are vaguely
defi ned. Th e rules prohibit the transmission of
statements by groups that promote terrorism (such
as claiming responsibility for attacks).
Approaches to content regulation around the
globe vary. In Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands
broadcasters are entrusted to regulate themselves
whereas others, like Australia, South Africa, the
UK and the US, are obliged by regulators to follow
laws and regulations. Content regulation in the
MENA region refl ects the macro-picture: some
countries regulate content very strictly with a
politicised agenda; others are comparatively re-
laxed. Because of both the ICT developments that
have facilitated convergence and the quickened
pace of regional content creation, establishing a
framework for content regulation in the individual
countries of the region (if not on a pan-regional
level) is crucial. What is clear is that transparency,
consistency and, most importantly, independence
as regards content regulation will become in-
creasingly vital as the MENA region fulfi ls its aim
to become an global ICT industry player.
Media zones have sprouted up in Dubai, Jordan, Syria and Egypt and the erstwhile government-dominated, regional telecommunications sectors have transformed into private entities.
SONYA SHAYKHOUN
attorney, Charles Russell LLP
The UAE’s TRA granted a ten-year mobile TV broadcasting licence to the Emirates Mobile Television Corporation, which is a consortium of government companies Etisalat, du, ADMC and Dubai Media Inc.
044 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
IBC PREVIEW
IBC SHOWCASEEach year, IBC hosts over 1300 exhibitors, 1000 journalists and 45,000 attendees from around the world, making it a premier destination for the unveiling of new products and technologies within the electronic media and entertainment industry. So what can visitors expect in 2010?
OMNIBUS | Stand 8.D41
Omnibus will demonstrate the
iTX Enterprise Suite at this years
IBC exhibition.
According to the manufac-
turer, the suite represents the
fi rst time that broadcasters and
media operators can use on sin-
gle integrated system to unify
and streamline ingest, media
management, workfl ow organi-
sation, schedule management,
asset management, automation,
master control and playout to
TV, radio and the internet.
Th e breadth of the product’s
capabilities at both the produc-
tion and delivery stages provides
users with increased effi ciency,
scalability and speed of response,
claims Omnibus.
Th e suite incorporates ingest
and media management including
scheduled on-demand feed record-
ing from satellite and live sources,
unscheduled ad-hoc ingest,
support for content fi le delivery
services, clip preparation for all
modes of ingest and comprehen-
sive automated tools for managing
the movement of content through
the infrastructure as required dur-
ing the workfl ow process.
Workfl ow management and job
tracking tools provide broadcast-
ers with high levels of data while
asset management capabilities
add rich business metadata to
existing asset information.
The suite also supports eight AES
radio streams from each 1RU server.
Th e system also supports a
mixed frame rate environment
(PAL, NTSC, HD, 60, 25, 30, 24 and
any future frame rate).
It includes a sophisticated
security model for service pro-
vider confi dentiality between
customers, and features the
new OmniBus G4 customisable
desktop environment for techni-
cal areas of the workfl ow, as well
as the rich media SmartClient
interface for Macs and PCs in
a lightweight browser environ-
ment, for easy access from any
web-enabled computer.
www.digitalproductionme.com 045AUGUST 2010
IBC PREVIEW
ROSS VIDEO | Stand 10.A31
Ross Video will be demonstrat-
ing the world’s fi rst eight-MLE
switcher at IBC.
Th e Octane range off ers eight
MLEs, 35 full-screen HD anima-
tion stores, 24 channels of 3D
DVE with warp capability, 96 in-
puts, 48 outputs, 32 full keyers,
12 keyers on the aux bus outputs
and a further 12 DVE key com-
biners giving what the company
calls an unprecedented total of
56 keyers.
At IBC, Vision adds an option-
al internal multiviewer to the
Octane range. Th is multi-head
multiviewer has access to all
internal and external sources.
Source labels with transparency,
full program and preview tal-
lies and user selectable source
assignments make this an excel-
lent and cost eff ective solution
for production control rooms.
Th e entire Vision Series ships
with a new 3G infrastructure
as a standard feature,
fulfi lling the promise of
Vision being a cutting
edge product continuously
evolving with the marketplace.
Stereoscopic 3D capabilities
and comprehensive iMag Multi-
Screen support will also
be shown.
NETIA | Stand 1.A29
Content management system
developer Netia will turn its
attention to convergence at
IBC 2010.
Th e company claims its
products to be at the heart of
convergence off ering effi cient,
fl exible and eff ective technolo-
gies to empower multiplatform
delivery, growing volumes of on-
demand audio and video content
and multiple content formats.
A fully-upgraded suite of
content management products
will be on show that allow
user to streamline all of their
production processes globally
thanks to simple easy to mange
workfl ows and task manage-
ment, claims Netia.
Th e new software suite also
allows users to connect all of
their partners and vendors
within a single production eco-
system, simplifying the sharing
and managing of media assets.
User can now manage all
of the processes within the
production environment –
from editing through post and
distribution – through one
interface. Th e new web-based
interface, built on the Microsoft
Silverlight technology, allows
increased performance and
greater security.
SONNET TECHNOLOGIESStand 7.G03
Storage specialist Sonnet Tech-
nologies will display several new
technologies at IBC 2010. Among
them is the Qio professional
universal media reader/writer, de-
signed for in-studio or on-location
applications. Qio is a convenient,
cost-eff ective alternative to stand-
alone card readers, according to
Sonnet. It features dual P2, SxS,
and CompactFlash slots and can
transfer data from two cards
concurrently, allowing users to
offl oad fi les more quickly and
effi ciently. An included adapter
handles SDHC cards.
Qio moves fi les between any
cards, attached drives, or host
computer with aggregate band-
width up to 200 Mb/s. For quick
migration of data, Qio integrates a
four-port eSATA controller based
on Sonnet’s Tempo SATA E4P
card, enabling users to connect
two Sonnet Fusion F2 portable
storage systems, or up to four
eSATA drive enclosures for access
to as many as 20 SATA drives.
Qio can also connect to a
computer through an included
interface adapter tha extends
the computer’s PCIe bus outside
the box. Th e reader/writer’s SxS
slots also accept ExpressCard/34
adapter cards, including Gigabit
Ethernet, WiFi, USB, and more,
while the P2 slots accept CardBus
adapters. Qio eff ectively sextuples
the number of expansion card
slots available to notebook users,
while desktop users may swap
adapter cards without opening
their computer case.
046 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
IBC PREVIEW
Front Porch Digital will unveil
DIVArchive V6.3, the latest version
of the DIVArchive content storage
management (CSM) system at IBC.
DIVArchive is capable of full
integration with popular media
industry editing and production
tools including Avid Interplay,
Apple Final Cut Pro, and Apple
Final Cut Server. Th e latest release
of DIVArchive off ers integration
with Avid Interplay, making it
easier for users of Avid’s industry-
leading media asset management
system to access content stored
FRONT PORCH DIGITAL | Stand 7.B15
under DIVArchive management,
according to the company. New
DIVArchive features include multi-
resolution object support, sub-clip
partial restore, best-eff ort restore,
advanced Avid asset search within
the DIVArchive user interface, and
full unicode asset support.
Th e V6.3 represents a sig-
nifi cant advance for an archive
system, proven in more than 360
broadcast applications world-
wide, claims Front Porch Digital.
Another new feature for
DIVArchive V6.3 is full Uni-
code support for storage plan
manager, the component that
automatically manages the con-
tent life cycle based on advanced
and fully confi gurable business
rules and policies. By continually
monitoring the digital storage in-
frastructure including connected
broadcast devices, network
connectivity, transcoder engine
performance, and other key sys-
tem parameters, DIVAprotect
guards precious content against
the ravages of data tape and
drive degradation.
IPHARRO | Stand 8.A11
Content identifi cation solution
developer iPharro will showcase
its iPharro MediaSeeker Core
Platform 3.0 at IBC 2010.
Th e platform is the industry’s
fi rst fully confi gurable video
fi ngerprinting engine that can
be quickly and easily integrated
into any pre-existing workfl ow
or serve as the engine behind any
new content identifi cation-based
application, according to iPharro.
MediaSeeker Core Platform 3.0
is a lightweight, scalable video in-
dexing and identifi cation engine
that helps businesses implement
eff ective content identifi cation
and tracking strategies within
any existing media-centric work-
fl ow. At its heart is a fully owned
video fi ngerprinting technology
developed at Germany’s Fraun-
hofer-Gesellschaft.
Th e confi gurable platform gives
users the fl exibility to tweak the
granularity of content compari-
son down to the frame level. As a
result, MediaSeeker Core Platform
3.0 is an ideal solution for the full
range of search applications, from
light to frame-intensive; archive
versioning; content future-proof-
ing; media redundancy preven-
tion (MRP); broadcast monitor-
ing; and numerous other areas,
claims iPharro.
HAIVISIONStand IP701 (Hall 9)
IP network technology Haivi-
sion will give an IBC debut to
the Furnace 5.6, a solution for
end-to-end HD H.264 video-
over-IP distribution.
Th e upgrade includes a com-
pletely redesigned and easy-to-use
interface as well as a newly inte-
grated Conditional Access module.
Th e new CA portal off ers users
a built-in authentication portal
for a direct interface with cus-
tomer LDAP/Active Directory da-
tabase; the ability for customers
to brand their CA portal; the abil-
ity to assign rights and privileges
for live streams, playback chan-
nels, and VOD assets; as well as
VF administrative tools such as
recording, client control and so
on, according to Haivision. Th e
new portal also integrates with
the Stingray set-top box.
Th e solution continues to
support the compact Makito HD
H.264 encoder to manage and
distribute live video to comput-
ers and set-top boxes, to create
scheduled playback channels for
enterprise TV and signage and to
record content and deliver VOD in
a secure, easy-to-use system.
Th e Furnace Portal Server
controls the direct and secure
distribution of SD and HD H.264
video to both the “zero-footprint”
InStream player and the Stingray
set-top box. Th e Furnace Playback
Manager supports scheduled
channels for IP video broadcast
and signage and the Media Server
leverages the effi ciencies of H.264
to enable HD VOD.
047AUGUST 2010www.digitalproductionme.com
IBC PREVIEW
NEWTEC | Stand 1.A49
Satellite communications fi rm
Newtec will showcase its Dual-
Flow technology at IBC for the
fi rst time.
DualFlow is a new technology
allowing broadcasters to migrate
cost-eff ectively from traditional
ASI to IP-based satellite opera-
tion, with effi cient investment
during the transition period.
Aimed at the contribution,
DSNG, and distribution markets,
DualFlow enables two-way IP
interactivity over satellite and
allows operators to choose when
they make the switch to IP by
simultaneously supporting both
ASI and IP, according to Newtec.
Operators can therefore con-
tinue to service clients using
ASI. DualFlow is available as
part of Newtec’s Azimuth sat-
ellite broadcasting modula-
tion equipment.
Monitoring and T&M equip-
ment designer and manufac-
turer Bridge Technologies will
launch several new products and
upgrades in to the market during
IBC 2010.
Th e new VB12-RF is the
most portable comprehensive
monitoring and measurement
appliance available, according
to the manufacturer. Designed
for real-world use by engineers
on the road, the VB12-RF packs
every required broadcast and IP
interface into a ruggedised chas-
sis with a form factor smaller
than that of a laptop computer.
It is smaller, lighter and
tougher than any alternative,
claims Bridge Technologies with
the widest range of built-in inter-
faces for RF, ASI and IP.
BRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES | Stand 1.A30
048 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010
DATA
Consumer electronics manufacturers and
suppliers are accelerating 3D activities, ac-
cording to a new report by IMS Research.
Th e study estimates that 5.99 million
3D TV sets will be sold in 2010 alone with more than
218 million selling in total between 2010 and 2015.
“Within fi ve years the majority of high-end large-
screen TV sets and Blu-ray players are likely to off er
3D capability,” says Anna Hunt, author of the report
and principal analyst at IMS Research. “Th e price
premium of these products over similar 2D equiva-
lents is expected to diminish quickly.”
Among the drivers for 3D technology are the
growing popularity of 3D movies released at cin-
emas, fi erce home entertainment competition and
the aggressive pricing of 3D TV sets.
A recent forecast by DisplaySearch paints a
more conservative future for 3D TV sales. Its most
recent Quarterly TV Design and Features Report
estimates sales of 3.4 million in 2010, rising to 42.9
million in 2014.
Based on this forecast, 3D TV market penetration
is expected to grow from a 5 per cent share of total
fl at panel TVs in 2010 to 37 per cent in 2014.
“TV manufacturers have managed to launch
products very rapidly. We have seen a full range
of 3D TVs in sizes from 40-inch to 63-inch already
available,” says Paul Gray, director of TV electron-
The penetration of 3D TV sets will determine the success of the format. Estimates of these fi gures differ greatly however.FORECASTING 3DDATA SOURCE: DisplaySearch
ics research, DisplaySearch.
“Th rough the fi rst half of 2010, only two fl at
panel TV makers in the US launched 3D TV
products – Panasonic and Samsung,” explains Paul
Gagnon, director of North America TV research,
DisplaySearch. “Based on early indications, the
launch of 3D TVs is similar to Samsung’s rollout of
LED LCD TVs at the beginning of 2009, albeit at a
slightly slower pace. Th is would be in line with our
forecast of just over two million 3D TVs shipped in
North America for 2010.”
A report by iSuppli notes that internet enabled TV
(IETV) will be the focus of consumer upgrades in the
short-term. It estimates 3D TV sales of 4.2 million in
2010 compared to 27.7 million connected TVs.
“Despite aggressive promotions from the
industry and intense consumer interest generated
by the blockbuster Avatar and other titles, the
3D TV market in 2010 will be limited to a small
pool of enthusiastic early adopters,” says Riddhi
Patel, director and principal analyst for television
systems, iSuppli. “In contrast, IETV is entering
the mainstream in 2010. Th is is because 3D is still
dealing with a number of barriers, including cost,
content availability and interoperability, while
IETV provides immediate benefi ts by allowing TV
viewers to access a range of content readily avail-
able on the Internet.”
5.99 millionThe number of 3D TV sets sold in 2010 according to IMS Research.
3.40 millionThe same fi gure according to DisplaySearch.
4.20 millionThe equivalent fi gure from iSuppli.
3D TV SALES FORECAST
3D TV
SALE
S IN
MILL
IONS
10
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
20
30
40
3D LCD
3D PDP
3D RPTV
erimatrix.
Which IPTV, DVB and hybrid content security provider has the broadest partner ecosystem for ultimate flexibility?