OSN Brochure 2019

Digitising broadcasting across the MENA region

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Digitising the viewing experience WRIT TEN BY

CATHERINE S TURM AN PRODUCED BY

CR AIG DANIEL S

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Orbit Showtime Network has undergone a significant digital transformation to cater to its diverse audience. Chief Digital Officer, Jacques Von Benecke, tells us more‌

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he MENA region is quickly becoming recognised as one of the world’s largest TV markets. Impacted by

ongoing demands across GCC countries, the transition towards digital broadcasting is creating new opportunities on a global scale.

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Owned and operated by Panther Media Group and registered in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), Orbit Showtime Network (OSN) has more than 150 channels, as well as exclusive and on-demand content on offer.

OSN is at the forefront of digital innovation, where it has remained steadfast in cementing its position as a leader in the delivery of premium, world class content. Leading its digital shift is Chief Digital Officer, Jacques von Benecke, who has sought to embrace new technologies, implement new initiatives to reflect local demands, and develop longterm partnerships with major studio trailblazers such as Disney, HBO, NBC Universal, Fox, Paramount, MGM, Sony, DreamWorks

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and more. “The culture change that we have to go through is quite dramatic.

We haven’t won that battle yet, but we’re getting there a little at a time,” he says. Taking the business on its digital transformation journey, von Benecke is passionate about driving enormous change across the industry.

“Broadcasting is generally a very slow changing market which doesn’t like adopting new technologies, but the opportunity to change is really big,” he reveals. Upon being appointed in June 2017 to lead innovation initiatives and w w w.o s n . com

Jibility

/dʒɪˈbɪlɪti/ noun

Possession of the skill and tool to plan and map out

Stop chasing the wrong things.

Start your free trial

Business and technology strategy roadmaps made simple.

J IBILIT Y

www.jibility.com

The tool supporting digital transformation for some of the world’s largest companies Executing digital transformation is a complex and difficult undertaking. Success lies in your ability to translate a digital vision into a plan that focuses on the right things at the right time and is easily adaptable to change.

Most organizations have a digital vision but struggle to turn it into an executable plan. They don’t know where to start, and then end up focusing on the wrong things or trying to do too much.

A digital transformation strategy roadmap is like a

J IB IL IT Y

“

The difference between mediocrity and raging success for many organizations is not down to a flawed strategy. It’s down to their ability to translate that strategy into action and then execute it.

bridge between your digital vision and implementation plan. Developing a strategy roadmap can be challenging. Some will engage external consultants to do it for them, but this can be costly. The insights then

”

leave with the consultants and what remains is tricky to maintain given the pace of digital change.

Forward-thinking companies like OSN are using a dedicated tool called Jibility to develop a substantiated digital transformation strategy roadmap that can be rapidly adapted to address changes.

Jibility is a SaaS product that encapsulates the knowledge and experience of world-class consultants in a simple six-step method with pre-defined building blocks for creating your strategy roadmaps. It allows you to truly own your roadmap and – ultimately – the successful execution of your digital vision.

Find out more about how you can use Jibility to build your digital transformation strategy roadmap Visit www.jibility.com or contact us at sales@jibility.com to request a demo.

“ It’s balancing how careful we have to be about what we broadcast. It’s the complexity of the challenge that really excites me” — Jacques Von Benecke, Chief Digital Officer, OSN

set up an overall innovation function, the first thing von Benecke sought to implement was a cloud strategy and an essential enterprise architecture.

While he admits that the business was originally reluctant to broadcast content in the cloud, as well as automating a number of internal processes, his past experience working with JourneyOne to develop effective digital transformation tool, Jibility, enabled von Benecke to utilise its methodology and onboard new technical capabilities.

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CLICK TO WATCH : ‘COMEDY CENTRAL – OSN’ 09 “Digital transformation is not just about

enables me to have a new business

the technology and the process that

model within hours. Jibility strategy

you change, but also about changing

roadmaps is a highly visual bridge

the organisational culture. Jibility is

between our strategy vision and

a simple tool for developing a business

implementation plan that I often use

or digital strategy roadmap in a quarter

to get consensus on new costs and

of the time. The tool helped me to

the timeline – it’s just fantastic.”

effectively model our digital transformation,” he explains. “As we move

CLOUD ENABLED

along our business transforma-

Switching from on premise platform

tion things change, and normally

fashioned in-house to relocating its

changing plans can be a real

platforms in the cloud, OSN has bought

problem. Jibility’s six step process

increased responsiveness across all

and reuse library makes capabili-

its business functions. Its recent part-

ty-based planning easy, and

nership with SnapLogic will also w w w.o s n . com

“ Digital transformation is not just about the technology and the process that you change, but also about changing the organisational culture” 10

— Jacques Von Benecke, Chief Digital Officer, OSN

ensure its hybrid cloud architecture is

unloyal because within two clicks they

maintained and data can remain avail-

can sign up to Netflix or Amazon. Satellite

able, while seeing the business gain

customers are loyal because it’s a pain

increased agility in responding to evo-

to change your satellite subscription,”

lving customer requirements. “If we

adds von Benecke. Gaining an acute

give customers a dire experience they

awareness of customer behaviour, age

walk away. This is the big difference

groups, and the way customers consume

between satellite customers and digital

content, OSN has sought to fully trans-

customers. Digital customers are very

form the customer experience. New

digital tools whichwill deliver increased

ers want everything now, on every

reliability, scalability and improve

device, for free. Here, we struggle with

performance across its channels, which

internet adoption and digital payments.

will filter into its aim to deliver value-

Credit cards and debit cards are not

added services at every stage. “Under-

widely used in theMiddle East where

lying technology platforms are getting

cash is still king, and people assume

more stable by moving into the cloud.

everything’s paid by credit card. It’s all

We are now focusing on how we can

about balancing that with how careful

change consumer habits and the

we have to be about what we broadcast.

customer experience when they interact

It’s the complexity of the challenge that

with our content,” he explains. “Custom-

excites me.”

EXECUTIVE PROFILE

Jacques von Benecke As Chief Digital Officer at OSN, Jacques von Benecke is the driving force behind the digital transformation agenda in the IT, Innovation, Broadcast and Business Intelligence teams at the MENA region’s leading entertainment network. Since joining OSN in 2017, von Benecke’s key objective has been adding a world– class OTT capability to OSN’s premium suite of products and services. He has been responsible for implementing OSN’s cloud strategy — moving OSN’s digital products to the cloud to ensure the broadcaster has the scalability, reliability and performance required for not only the digital future, but also to fight against piracy and to adopt dual CDN and ABR streaming that will take customer experiences in the Middle East to new levels. von Benecke is a specialist in innovation and automation, introducing blockchain, IoT and machine learning to the organisation as a part of the current digital transformation at OSN. w w w.o s n . com

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Heavily reliant on local telco infra-

where they are only starting to allow

structures across the Middle East,

cinemas back into the country. They

emerging markets such as Egypt and

have concerns regarding the type of

Jordan as well as North African emerg-

entertainment people can access, so

ing markets like Algeria and Morocco

proactively monitor this the entire time.”

present ongoing challenges, with 2G

However, such a diverse customer

networks still in operation. “Dubai, for

base has no doubt presented significant

example, is significantly advanced,

challenges, leading OSN to look towards

but in Saudi Arabia it is a very different

technology to not only drive increased

story – and the two are neighbours.

efficiencies and enable further cost

A large part of the region tries to copy

savings, but also to support its efforts

Dubai, but it depends on how wealthy

to remove content which would not

the country is and how conservative

meet the standard of each country.

the culture is,” observes von Benecke.

Partnering with Amazon, the business

“Saudi Arabia is by far the strictest,

has utilised machine learning to develop

Alexa Language Helper, which uses

tread,” he says. “By building a platform

natural language processing to

with the use of Google Machine Learning

recognise voice, turn it into text and

and GreyMata, we are doing some

enables the removal of content such as

really interesting things.”

nudity, as well as conversational topics which would prove undesirable.

AT CUSTOMERS’ FINGERTIPS

“We’re also working with GreyMeta

Overhauling both its front and back-end

regarding a product that can view our

capabilities, the introduction of a private

content and screen it for all the legal

blockchain has seen OSN utilise smart

compliance that we have to look out for.

contract technology with local content

There are a lot of complexities around

providers, enabling customers to go

what is acceptable content in each

online, register to become a content pro-

country. Some of it is legal, some of it

vider and create a smart contract on

is cultural, some of it is religious, and

Ethereum blockchain. Customers can

so it’s a very fine line that we have to

then submit content, while OSN will

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curate and scan it to ensure it is acce-

gain access to our editing suite and

ptable to distribute. “As people consume

more. We can use blockchain as

it, we essentially write records into this

a barter system.”

immutable ledger, and as the provider

Looking to advance this further, OSN

of the content, customers can see

will look to develop this as a basis for

who’s viewed the content, the time it

a rewards system. If customers buy

was viewed, how long for and on what

a family subscription, for example, a blo-

device,” states von Benecke.

ckchain will be created for the whole

“By developing our own cryptocurren-

family, providing trust and increased

cy to support this, we have disconnect-

security with regards to customer data.

ed it from a legal monetisation value,

It will also work to provide increased

which allows us certain flexibility with

transparency with partners, such as

short form content. Every time some-

Disney and HBO.

body watches, we’ll provide one coin,

“Every time somebody views our con-

whereas if long form content is provid-

tent or we air it on a live channel, we

ed, such as a movie, this is far more

have to record how many people are

valuable and we’ll maybe give custom-

viewing it to pay our licensing fees. If

ers 100 coins. This can be turned into

we use a blockchain, that data is imme-

money or credit to upgrade services,

diately there. Studios can look at the

2009

Year founded

1,000+

Approximate number of employees

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C O M PA N Y FACT S

• OSN partnered with JourneyOne to utilise digital transformation tool, Jibility, taking the business on its transformation journey • Heavily reliant on local telco infrastructures across the Middle East, emerging markets such as Egypt and Jordan as well as North African emerging markets present ongoing challenges 16

• Von Benecke has spearheaded OSN’s ambitions to overhaul outdated ways of working and promote cross collaboration

ledger and know where we are, so at the end of the year there’s none of this forwards and backwards negotiation about licensing numbers.”

As the industry increasingly moves away from satellite, the company is looking to TVKey from Nagra. Replacing traditional satellite boxes with a USB stick, it will cater to the growing demand for digital streaming services.

“Rather than having to battle with two or three remotes, we’ll just take over your TV and say, ‘here’s the OSN service in your TV’ or ‘here’s the Netflix content in your TV,’ and you can drive it all with one remote, or by voice, as new TVs are going to be voice activated,” adds von Benecke.

With a plethora of digital tools on the market, access to visual content anytime, anywhere, continues to fuel the need for products and services which are not only secure and robust, but increasingly diverse. Partnering with transcoding leader Bitmovin has afforded OSN the ability to make its services accessible via tablets, iPads and more, without losing any form of quality across its digital applications.

“Bitmovin take our movies, undertake all of the encoding and condense files to be as small as possible without losing quality, so it can stream even on a low internet speeds. In this region, we struggle so much with internet and mobile connection, and Bitmovin have w w w.o s n . com

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the best technology and use machine learning to find the best compression ratio. They look at each frame. If it changes a little, they apply a much higher compression ratio, and if things change a lot, they would compress that frame only a little. With this variable compression they maximise the reduction in file size, without reducing any of the quality,” he explains.

For sports content in particular, use of augmented and virtual reality technology (AR and VR) is also picking up speed at OSN. Working alongside 18

Microsoft with HoloLens to look at adopting similar tools within its sales channels, customers can experience the differences between high definition content and standard quality content.

“The platform is basically three screens which reflect the different qualities of content we have available. You can also access augmented reality through the platform, where we would see sports people that are in the match and the recent statistics for those sports people: how many wins, how many loses, etc.

It’s probably going to become much more of a reality next year, where we will work with companies that have 360-degree videos to allow customers

to change the angle of what they’re viewing. Following on from things like Netflix’s Bandersnatch, where you can change the path of the movie to different endings, and thus deliver a complete personalised experience, it’s a very exciting time.”

By exploring new innovations to transform the digital experience, von Benecke has also spearheaded OSN’s ambitions to overhaul outdated ways of working and promote cross collaboration across the business. Responsible for facilities management and building management, OSN’s working spaces have been redesigned, with ‘tribes’ of people with similar skills or complementary skills bought together to drive each area of the business, leading to a number of advantages.

CONTENT VARIETY OSN remains renowned for its diverse content, its focus on the customer and its strong partnerships with leading studios. However, although it has advanced significantly by bringing experts on board to support its modernisation, the introduction of Saudisation has presented several challenges. Moving away from westernised content, the company w w w.o s n . com

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has turned its attentions towards lau-

the first (and only) company in the world

nching more Turkish and Arabic

to put the Netflix application on our sat-

content, as well as new genres and

ellite boxe – you could argue that in itself

content for women and children to

is a very big digital transformation.”

become increasingly inclusive and

Looking towards the future, OSN

cater to the needs of local citizens.

would like to personalise and localise its

“From a technology point of view,

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recommendations to our customers.

with the adoption of 4G and 5G we are

Turning towards innovative startups

going to have a customer base that is

such as Covatic, who are “doing amazing

going to shift increasingly into digital.

things” will see the business gain the

Investing in the cloud and building new

ability to run machine learning algorithms

platforms will help us navigate this,”

on mobile devices to deliver the next

adds von Benecke. “If something inno-

level of information regarding how cust-

vative is coming out, we want to remain

omers interact with OSN’s content and

at the forefront. We have new partner-

its digital platforms while on the move.

ships with Discovery and Netflix, we’re

“Integrating this information with what

“ Jibility is a simple tool for developing a business or digital strategy roadmap in a quarter of the time” — Jacques Von Benecke, Chief Digital Officer, OSN

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“ Following Netflix’s Bandersnatch where you can deliver a complete personalised experience, it’s a very exciting time” — Jacques Von Benecke, Chief Digital Officer, OSN

customers like to watch while they are traveling between meetings or on their daily commute, we can make sure users don’t waste their precious time searching for videos to watch, we will have them pre-downloaded and ready for you,” explains von Benecke.

“We’re not afraid to compete with Netflix.

Netflix may have all the Netflix originals, but we have live, linear channels. We have real TV on our TV platforms, not just video. We cater for a much wider age range. There are a lot of people who prefer to watch the news on their particular news channel and watch it at a very specific time, rather than watch video content.

I would say that the company would like to go down that direction where we address a wider audience and provide an increasingly digital focus.

“We can now start focusing on the customer experience, on the technology and on the content. We are changing from relying on sport and western content to having a completely different content focus.

Although customers haven’t seen it, these changes have gone on and they are really going to feel the difference.”

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T +966 11 4796505 www.osn.com/en-sa/home