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CABSAT
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Step into the future of satellite, broadcast and content creation Photo: CABSAT
CABSAT is back – and with it an indispensable guide to the revolution in broadcast, satellite and content creation in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Vaughan O’Grady looks back at last year’s CABSAT and forward to this year’s event – and the growth and change in the industries it highlights.
Pleased to meet you: networking at CABSAT
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N 2019, ON the occasion of its 25th edition, CABSAT, the leading specialist event for the broadcast, satellite, digital media and filmed entertainment industries for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), brought together a large number of members of the creative industries on one platform. Its aim? Nothing less than to guide the region’s industry through the next revolution in broadcast, satellite and content creation. The show housed 456 exhibiting brands and sponsors and 14,172 attendees. Other statistics supplied by the show’s organisers noted that there were 305 delegates and speakers and 1,178 pre-arranged meetings, and that visitors came from about 114 countries. Among the countries supplying most of those visitors aiming to source new products, solutions and suppliers, to network, and to learn about the latest trends and innovations, were many of the countries you would have expected – Saudi Arabia, Oman, Jordan and Bahrain, for example. But Africa was also strongly represented, and not just the North African countries like Algeria, Egypt and Sudan. Nigeria and Kenya sent a number of attendees, and there were smaller numbers of visitors from numerous other countries. 12 Communications Africa Issue 1 2020
All were focused on some or all of the three content sectors covered by CABSAT. The first among these is content creation (which includes production houses, TV companies and producers). The next sector is content production and post-production (which includes professional audio/video/radio playout equipment, storage, cloud and media security, and augmented and virtual reality). Finally there is, of course, content distribution and delivery (which includes satellite carriers, OTT, telcos and regulators). The visitor profile was not too surprising, with TV contributing most visitors – over a quarter – along with digital media, which supplied 23 per cent. Photography, film, audio, radio and e-sports were also strongly represented.
5G advances in the MENA region are reshaping the media conversation And, it seems, many of them made their presence felt online, with Instagram boasting 1.25 million impressions, Facebook 3.1 million impressions and LinkedIn and Twitter also kept busy. A high level of exhibitor satisfaction – some 90 per cent of exhibitors were satisfied with CABSAT 2019 – was an encouraging
signpost for the 2020 show. A number of future trends were identified by exhibitors and visitors at last year’s show. In particular over 50 per cent of exhibitors felt that 5G would have an impact on their business. However, a number of other trends and concerns were mentioned. They included hybrid satellite solutions, artificial intelligence, security technologies, next generation cloud, content rights acquisition, social media, and IPTV/OTT. This year, perhaps, we will find out how accurate those predictions were. Now CABSAT is entering its 26th edition with a newly evolved format that will bring the entire content, satellite, broadcast, digital media and entertainment ecosystem under one roof. Taking place at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), from 31 March – 2 April, CABSAT 2020 will unite the media industry’s creative experts and most sought-after technology suppliers to “unpack and unveil the latest in consumption habits, digitisation efforts and next-gen revenue opportunities being shaped by modern audiences”, as the organisers put it. Reflecting the concerns discussed after last year’s event, for the first time CABSAT 2020 will be hosting a 5G Focus Day, a one-day seminar to explore 5G advances in the MENA region that are reshaping the media conversation. While the advance publicity for the show www.communicationsafrica.com
