BroadcastPro ME June 2022

ISSUE 142 | JUNE 2022

Licensed by Dubai Development Authority

MENA SPORTS DISRUPTERS

Stakeholders adopt innovative strategies to shift sports broadcasting into full throttle in the region

STUDIO HEADPHONES

Superior linearity – like a perfectly calibrated Neumann loudspeaker system | High-precision imaging with razor-sharp localization | Manufactured to extremely tight tolerances

NEW:

Also available

Open Dynamic Headphone

Closed Dynamic Headphone

Sound and mix compatible with Neumann KH-Line speakers

Excellent isolation allows working in noisy environments

Reference-class sound quality for mixing & mastering

Monitoring, editing, mixing. On the road, at home, in the studio.

For more information visit www.en-de.neumann.com/ndh-30

PROINTRO

GROUP Managing Director Raz Islam raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5471 Managing Partner Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5472 Director of Finance & Business Operations Shiyas Kareem

Welcome

shiyas.kareem@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5474 EDITORIAL Editor Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787 Sub Editor Aelred Doyle ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Sandip Virk sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 50 929 1845 +44 (0) 7516 993 862 DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Designer Percival Manalaysay MARKETING & EVENTS Events Producer Paul Godfrey paul.godfrey@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5470 Social Media & Marketing Executive Gladys DSouza gladys.dsouza@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5478 Events Executive Minara Salakhi minara.s@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 433 2856 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION Production & Distribution Manager Phinson Mathew George phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5476 DIGITAL SERVICES Abdul Baeis FOUNDER Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015)

In BroadcastPro, we are always celebrating the heroes of our industry or writing about stars and celebrities who are furthering the MENA region’s content and TV market. But this month, I am so delighted to announce that we have a mini celebrity of our own in the BroadcastPro household, starring in a very important role in the upcoming season of Vikings: Valhalla presently being shot in Ireland. Although I am sworn to secrecy and can say nothing further, keep a lookout for a little ‘un there.

In the meantime, the co-location of DISCOP with CABSAT seems to have done a world of good, with the show attracting a large number of producers, buyers and investors into a space that previously was primarily a hub for engineers and broadcast and satellite professionals. It was good to see the elusive half of the industry – the producers, directors and filmmakers who often spend half their life on a plane flying to Cannes, film festivals or content markets – come instead to the show. Bravo to CABSAT for embracing various parts of the industry whole, and I believe they will slowly bring the AV market into its fold too.

CABSAT was a resounding success this year and has inspired other global shows to follow suit. It is a strong

reflection of the courage Dubai has also shown in opening its doors to the world and welcoming everyone in.

No doubt, we have had our fair share of woes. The untimely death of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan cast a pall of gloom over the country but we have remained resilient in the past under a visionary leadership and we shall continue to forge ahead with that same grit.

This issue captures some of what took place at CABSAT, but more importantly it brings to the fore some fantastic discussions around cricket and sports perceptions among Arab broadcast professionals. As the world of entertainment embraces gaming, virtual production and new technologies, so do we. BroadcastPro passionately seeks out the best professionals in each of these fields and brings you exclusive features designed to point you in the direction of new market trends. Our virtual BroadcastPro Tech Summit on June 15 and 16 will aim to continue on that path. Don’t forget to register.

Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director

Published by ISSUE 142 | JUNE 2022

Licensed by Dubai Development Authority

The publisher of this magazine has made

On this month's cover…

Let’s create a vibrant online broadcast community!

every effort to ensure the content is accurate on

@BroadcastProME www.facebook.com/BroadcastProME BroadcastProME

the date of publication. The opinions and views expressed in the articles do not necessarily reflect the publisher and editor. The published material, adverts, editorials and all other content are published in good faith. No part of this publication or any part

MENA SPORTS DISRUPTERS

Stakeholders adopt innovative strategies to shift sports broadcasting into full throttle in the region

MENA sports stakeholders.

of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publisher in writing. Publication licensed by Dubai Development Authority to CPI Trade Publishing FZ LLC. Printed by Printwell Printing Press LLC.

Subscribe online at:

CPI Trade Media. PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE. +971 4 375 5470 cpitrademedia.com © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 1

POWER UNLOCKED

FreeSpeak II

Integration of wired and wireless

Flexible & Future-Proof

Hybrid Workflow

Speaks Dante

Easy to Use

HelixNet Integration

PROCONTENTS

Inside this issue 05 NEWS CNBC Arabia picks Pebble; Arab Telemedia Group chooses Vectorbox; Rotana renews contract with Arabsat; MAD Solutions buys stake in US arthouse; Red Sea Film Festival announces new CEO; Front Row to co-produce Hicham Ayouch’s Abdelinho; Ithra promotes Saudi film and talent at Cannes; Muvi Cinemas launches new studio arm, announces CEO; and more IP STUDIOS FUTURE OF SPORTS SUMMIT 12 Experts discussed how TV and cricket have helped build new heroes in the game 18 Our first Arabic panel, supported by IP Studios, discussed sports tech and broadcast in MENA

June 2022 CNBC ARABIA CHOOSES PEBBLE

05

ARABSAT AND ROTANA RENEW DEAL

06 INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS DISCUSS CRICKET AND SPORTS IN MENA

22 BUILDING A

VIRTUAL FUTURE Power League Gaming, MENA’s full-service gaming and esports activation agency, has invested in a $1.5m virtual production studio. We take a look at the kit deployed at PLG's studio

12 GAMING AGENCY BUILDS VIRTUAL STUDIO

VIRTUAL PRODUCTION LINGO – PART 2

28 VIRTUAL PRODUCTION – 2 In the second part of this series, Matthew Collu discusses how terms like assets and volume take on completely different meanings within a virtual production context

34 CABSAT 2022 WRAP-UP

22 CABSAT CONCLUDES SUCCESSFULLY

28 KOREAN DRAMAS ARE ALL THE RAGE

A brief overview of the discussions that took place at the show

40 GUEST COLUMN Khulud Abu Homos sheds light on Korean dramas and why they are a big hit with audiences in the region and worldwide

34

40 June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 3

Date

From 14 June

Venue

Website

Online

broadcastprotechsummit.com

VIRTUAL

Digital transformation, remote production, cloud and broadcasting, IP and evolving technologies within OTT

2022

About the

Agenda

BroadcastPro Tech Summit

Digital transformation

IP integration

Where do we stand

How far in the game are we?

Covid-19 did lead to a huge uptake in streaming services, but it also delivered a big blow to film and TV production companies as well as cinema chains, spurring them to transform their operations through digital solutions.

What does digital transformation entail from a technology, corporate culture and employee POV, and what opportunities does it create with the emergence of 5G, the deployment of cloud services and virtualisation?

With many companies in a state of technology debt, where they are struggling with legacy products and processes brought on by building on layers of proprietary equipment over the years, the transition to IP brings them to one central question – where do we begin and how do we make it happen without breaking the bank? Experts will attempt to demystify areas that continue to confound engineering teams and perhaps offer new perspectives to ease the journey to IP.

Cloud migration

OTT

A luxury or necessity?

Moving FAST in an OTT world

The adoption of cloud services is no longer a luxury but a necessity but how do we address migration, connectivity, budget, integration and interoperability? Industry practitioners will discuss best practices to accelerate cloud adoption.

FAST services have dramatically altered how linear channels are created, distributed, and consumed. Experts will explore how these services will enable broadcasters to experiment with new TV formats, use data to serve different ads to different households and how FAST can potentially help democratise the world of content delivery.

Contact us

The broadcast industry has witnessed significant change in recent times with the entertainment experience continuously adapting to accommodate new and changing viewership behaviour, and technologies going through a parallel recalibration and advancement to keep pace with market needs.

This event serves as a platform to monitor and explore these shifts, and better understand how the industry is re-evaluating its strategies to meet growing market demands. The digital transformation journey continues to be on the agenda of several corporate organisations with cloud, IP, remote production and other technologies getting the attention that is due to them.

Industry professionals will discuss the market status quo, the challenges they face, the strategies in place and where we are headed.

Content

Sponsorship

Sponsorship

Vijaya Cherian | +971 4 375 5472 vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com

Raz Islam | +971 4 375 5471 raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com

Sandip Virk | +971 50 929 1845 sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com

Event Partners Event Partners BRONZE SPONSOR

Register now Register for free and stay connected

14 – 15 June 2022, Online

Get in touch

Complimentary

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

Thank you to all our amazing partners and sponsors for your support.

BRONZE SPONSOR

BRONZE SPONSOR

PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY

PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY

© 2022 CPI Trade Media. All rights reserved.

PRONEWS

CNBC Arabia picks Pebble for playout Dubai-based broadcaster CNBC Arabia has selected a Pebble Automation and Integrated Channel solution to handle the playout of its 24-hour channel.

Working with channel partner Qvest, following a comprehensive demo delivered on-site as well as in-depth technical discussions outlining their specific requirements, Pebble provided a tailored solution to work cohesively with its current workflows, making efficiencies where necessary to streamline operations.

The solution, similar to those Pebble has already delivered for sister CNBC companies around the world, offers operational flexibility, a high level of redundancy and best-of-breed graphics for complex live news items and breaking news specials.

From left: Samir Isbaih from Pebble with Shabbir Hussain at CNBC Arabia.

“Our solutions control more than 400 channels across 17 countries at around 70 sites in the Middle East,” said Samir Isbaih, Pebble’s VP Sales, Middle East and APAC. “Pebble has market leading solutions that are flexible, robust and secure.

Together with Qvest, we were able to demonstrate this effectively with bespoke

demonstrations and existing use cases, and we’re proud to have provided expert support for CNBC Arabia, helping them find a bespoke solution that suited their requirements.

I am thrilled that they are the latest addition to our international customer base.”

Qvest GM Ahmad Hadi Al Kayal noted that the “partnership with Pebble

… resulted in successfully designing a key project” for CNBC Arabia.

Shabbir Hussain, Director of Operations & Engineering, added: “Pebble was a perfect fit for upgrading our playout solution. Their team carefully listened to all our existing operation workflows and new requirements, and tailored the solution to cater to our needs. We were confident that Pebble was and is the right choice, knowing they have delivered many projects globally and at our sister CNBC channels.”

Director of Finance and HR at CNBC Arabia Subimol George added: “We’re very happy with the Pebble solutions ordered. Both Pebble and Qvest were the expert partners we were looking for to transform our playout solutions.”

Arab Telemedia Group chooses Vectorbox for new launches Arab Telemedia Group has deployed a new state-ofthe-art digital broadcast solution from Vectorbox.

As part of ATG’s plan to launch multiple channels with a variety of Arabic content, the new solution will enable the broadcast of live or satellite channels, as well as VOD platforms. For decades, Arab Telemedia Group has produced premium Arabic content for a wide fan base, adding broadcast and streaming to its mission of advancing with speed with

the ever-growing market and technology of the entertainment industry.

Subsidiary Arab Telemedia Networks has completed the technical installation of the Vectorbox playout system, aiming to advance the launch of its new channels and platforms. The activation of the system will ensure the upgrade of the broadcasting environment and production to provide outstanding content to the various Arab Telemedia

channels, including the free channels of YouTube, programmed broadcast channels, live broadcasting channels and the Hekaya VOD platform.

The new technology will support a faster, more reliable way of communicating with the content creators and providing their content in both live and on-demand frameworks. This is to ensure an intuitive and seamless user experience, as well as transparent and protective treatment

with global content owners and distributors.

This is part of the Group’s plan to make its huge library of series and movies accessible to the world audience, while ensuring industry standards are met and the content is the highest quality. ATG CEO and Producer Talal Al-Awamleh commented that “the company is keen on keeping up with the latest digital technology” so as to ensure keeping the bar high for products it delivers to the public.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 5

PRONEWS

Rotana Media Group renews contract with Arabsat for another three years Saudi media network Rotana Group, which runs the majority of its broadcast technical operations from its headquarters in Egypt, has renewed its long-standing strategic partnership with Arabsat for another three years. This will see Arabsat carry all of Rotana’s 14 HD channels exclusively, while eight SD channels will be carried on a non-exclusive basis. Rotana has 26 channels, of which four are encrypted and also available on other platforms.

The agreement was signed between Eng Alhamedi Alanezi, newly appointed CEO of Arabsat, and Dr Walid Arab Hashem, CEO and Vice President of the Rotana Group, at CABSAT this year. Rotana has taken two transponders from Arabsat, one of which carries its HD channels and the other its SD channels. This new deal will also see Rotana extending interactivity for

From left: Eng Alhamedi Alanezi, CEO of Arabsat, and Dr Walid Arab Hashem, CEO of Rotana Group.

HD and SD channels through Arabsat.

“We have embedded HPPTV interactivity transmission only on Arabsat, as well as added ad replacement features,” Dr Naser Refaat, CTO of Rotana Media Group, told BroadcastPro ME. “All FAST (ad replacement/DAI) features will be available, allowing us

GTV Media Group welcomes director Gerry Blaksley

Gerry Blaksley.

Dubai-based director Gerry Blaksley, known for his work on Jetman, Fittest in Dubai and We’re on Top of the World for Emirates, has joined GTV Media Group as Creative Director. Blaksley has

received global recognition for promoting Dubai as one of the top destinations in the world. He has worked with numerous celebrities including Will Smith, Tom Cruise and Lionel Messi, as well as with global brands such as Paramount, Mercedes, Red Bull and Sony, for whom he is an ambassador.

“Gerry is a fantastic addition to our team of producers and editors, and we are already discussing first projects with our clients in the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” commented GTV CEO Tewe Pannier.

6 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

to replace ads based on territory and content. Moreover, HbbTV gives us the edge in monitoring our programming grids and testing the performance of our content for each channel in real time. It will allow us to monetise this through interactive pop-up ads, and opens a new interactive dimension in the satellite distribution space.”

In other news, Arabsat also announced a contract with Thales Alenia Space to build Arabsat-7A, a fully flexible software-defined satellite (SDS) based on the Space Inspire platform, which will enable seamless telecom mission and services reconfiguration of the new satellite, instant in-orbit adjustment to broadband connectivity demand, and superior video broadcasting performance.

SynProNize acquires two Arabic drama series for Africa and Asia SynProNize has acquired two premium television series: Al Ekhwa (aka The Siblings), which will be licensed into Ghana, and Haramlek (aka Seraglio), which will be licensed into Bangladesh.

In Al Ikhwa, events revolve around five brothers who inherit their father’s estate after his death.

Haramlek, by comparison, is a period drama.

Hasnaa Descuns, SynProNize co-founder, said: “SynProNize has believed very strongly in the potential of Arabic content to travel to and be monetised in various countries. Our clients and their audiences who have sampled Arabic content

have come back wanting more, which is why we shall continue our acquisition of content from the Middle Eastern markets and partner with production houses from the region to maximise returns from their content.”

Haramlek is a period drama.

Introducing ATEM Constellation HD

New live production switchers with standards converters on all 3G -SDI inputs, DVEs, multiviews and more!

Introducing the world’s most powerful HD live production switchers! ATEM Constellation includes advanced features such as DVEs, advanced chroma keyers, media players, multiviews and more! The built in Fairlight audio mixer includes a compressor, limiter, 6 band parametric EQ and expander on each input. Plus it includes the free ATEM Software Control for Windows and Mac.

Includes Multiview with Labels, Tally and Meters

Standards Converted 3G-SDI Inputs!

Broadcast Transitions, DVE, Stingers and More!

The ATEM Constellation HD family features models that have up to 40

ATEM Constellation HD includes a wide range of broadcast quality transitions

independent 3G-SDI inputs, with each input featuring its own dedicated up and

such as mix, dip, wipe, and more. All transitions can be customized in the

cross converter. That means it’s possible to convert any 1080p input source

system control menus with adjustments for border color, border width, position,

to the video standard of the switcher! That means each switcher SDI input

direction and a lot more! The ATEM Constellation switcher also includes a

can run a completely different television standard and it all just works!

powerful digital video effects processor for DVE transitions.

Customizable 3G-SDI Outputs

Choose from 3 Powerful Models!

The ATEM Constellation HD family have a massive number of fully independent

ATEM 1 M/E Constellation HD .....................US$1,075

3G-SDI outputs. These SDI outputs are very powerful because you can independently route any SDI input or any internal source to each SDI output.

That’s perfect for running independent feeds to stage screens, recorders and streaming processors. Plus all SDI outputs include RP-188 timecode, SDI camera

The built in multiview lets you monitor multiple sources on a single monitor.

All external SDI inputs, plus all internal video sources can be routed to any view. The multiviews are fully customizable and can be set to 4, 7, 10, 13 or 16 simultaneous views. You can also get a tally indicator, source label and VU meter overlay on each view.

ATEM 2 M/E Constellation HD .................... US$1,835 ATEM 4 M/E Constellation HD ................... US$3,995

control, tally and talkback.

Learn more at www.blackmagicdesign.com/ae www.blackmagicdesign.com/ae SRP excludes duties, shipping and sales tax.

Learn More!

PRONEWS

MAD Solutions expands into US with stake in D Street Releasing MAD Solutions has extended the global reach of its theatrical distribution operations for Arab cinema after assuming an equity ownership stake in revived New York City arthouse distributor D Street Releasing.

Under the new partnership, MAD Solutions intends to release five to seven films each year by top-notch storytellers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and other Arabic-speaking countries to North American audiences.

D Street Releasing, largely dormant in recent years, is a division of D Street Media Group, a production, distribution and music publishing company with affiliate operations in the

US, Germany, Ecuador, Argentina and South Africa.

MAD co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab met D Street founding CEO Dexter Davis and partner Silvana Santamaria at last year’s inaugural Red Sea International film festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and discussed bringing greater attention to stories from the Arab-speaking world and Africa to North America.

Davis said: “After taking a break from the theatrical distribution business, I’m extremely excited about this reboot with visionary partners Alaa and Maher, who both bring with them a wealth of regional experience, creative connections and marketing

knowledge to the company.

This historic partnership will give US audiences the opportunity to understand better our Arab brothers and sisters through powerful stories. Breaking stereotypes and prejudices is a key part of our mandate, and with the support and resources from MAD Solutions, I believe we can achieve that goal.”

The relaunched company has already acquired five titles to release theatrically in 2022 and is actively looking for a few more “gems”.

Karkouti remarked: “It’s great to be based in Egypt and be able to gain an important foothold in the American distribution marketplace through D Street Releasing.

We’ve learned so much operating and growing MAD Solutions, and believe we can draw on that accumulated experience and honed skill sets to advance the agenda Dexter and Silvana have for acquiring content from the Arab world, especially those exciting voices now coming from Saudi Arabia.

“Arab cinema is just the starting point. I know there are many films from Africa and Europe that never make it to the US, and we certainly want to pick up where the company left off and open new theatrical pathways to good stories from everywhere.”

Both Karkouti and Diab will join the board of D Street Releasing.

KSA’s Ithra promotes Saudi films and talent at Cannes The team from Ithra (The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture), one of the largest film producers in Saudi Arabia, was at Cannes to discuss the changing landscape of filmmaking in Saudi Arabia and to showcase two of its latest projects.

They presented two Ithra-produced films to industry professionals at the Cannes Film Market’s Short Film Corner – Ali Saeed’s Old Phone Number and Swing, directed by Raneem Almohandis.

Behind the scenes for the production of Valley Road.

Anti-Cinema, Ali Saeed’s documentary feature with Hassan Saeed, brings Saudi’s film history to the big screen; it also picked up the Ithra Content Commission

8 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

Initiative and is slated for release later this year.

Ithra Film Productions is also releasing two narrative feature films. Sea of Sands is produced by Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy,

and Valley Road is directed by award-winning independent Saudi filmmaker Khalid Fahad. Both films are slated to be released next year. Another prominent upcoming release is a documentary by first-time director Abdullah Saharty on the cultural significance of the Arabian camel, its impact on reshaping the peninsula and its future.

The Centre has produced more than 20 films, of which 15 have received local, regional and international awards.

PRONEWS

Red Sea Film Festival Foundation names Mohammed Al Turki new CEO Saudi producer Mohammed Al Turki, previously Chairman of the Committee for the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation, will now be CEO. The Red Sea Foundation is an independent non-profit dedicated to promoting film culture in Saudi Arabia.

In his new role, he will spearhead the growth of

Mohammed Al Turki.

the festival, building on the success of the first edition, which brought more than 30,000 film enthusiasts and 3,000 industry professionals for a 10-day celebration of the best of global and Arab cinema.

Al Turki is an established producer with a career that spans more than 12 years in both Hollywood

Front Row to co-produce Ayouch’s Abdelinho Front Row Filmed Entertainment has joined forces with a team of producers for the production of Abdelinho, a satirical coming-of-age-comedy starring Palestinian actor Ali Suliman. The company also has all MENA rights to the title.

Produced and directed

by Hicham Ayouch (Fevers) and co-produced by Canal+ International, Hecat Studio, FreeMonkeyz and Sihamou Productions, the story follows a young Moroccan fascinated by everything to do with Brazil. He speaks the language fluently, dances the samba regularly and is head over heels in love with Maria, a telenovela heroine.

However, his world is turned upside down when an ultra-conservative televangelist arrives.

“We’re proud to be

joining such a team.

Hicham is an innate storyteller with an understanding of the region’s reality, but also its massive potential,” commented Front Row CEO Gianluca Chakra.

“Abdelinho is a unique film that underscores how fanaticism can limit dreams and creativity, to the point of debilitating societies. Ultimately, the film injects positivity and hope within our cultures here, something which we always strive for, particularly in the Middle

East. Given our position in the market, we will do everything possible to get this film out and be seen by as many eyeballs we can reach.”

Ayouch added: "I'm very happy to collaborate with Front Row, whose enthusiasm about Abdelinho is wonderful; they fell in love with the film and I'm sure they'll do a fantastic job.”

Abdelinho is Ayouch’s fourth feature. The film is in post-production and scheduled for release at the end of the year.

Abdelinho is Ayouch's fourth feature film.

and the Arab world. The organisation hopes to tap into his experience with the industry to drive its strategic and cultural mandate to establish the festival’s position as a crucial springboard for emerging Saudi, Arab and African talent, and also carve a spot in the international festival circuit.

SPI/FilmBox expands deal with Digital Virgo for MENA Turkish broadcaster SPI/FilmBox's deal with long-standing partner Digital Virgo will further extend the reach of its drama hub Dizi across the MENA region. This will see Dizi integrated into DV CONTENT, a catalogue of digital services designed for mobile operators.

The deal will ensure Dizi is now available in Arabic on PlayVOD, Veedz and Unlimited Streaming in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and the UAE. Last year, Digital Virgo brought SPI’s FilmBox Africa, FilmBox Arthouse, Gametoon and Fightbox to multiple countries in Africa.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 9

PRONEWS

SNA launches new Arabic business platform

Sky News Arabia has launched a new digital platform covering breaking business news and providing insightful economic analysis and in-depth reporting for Arab-speakers across the globe. Launched in response to consumer demand for objective and actionable economic intelligence and insights, it will cover all areas of the economy and business.

Head of News Youssef Tsouri said: “The launch of SNAbusiness.com reflects Sky News Arabia’s commitment to provide our audiences with the economic news and analysis they need. We are witnessing an increasing demand for business news at a time when the whole world is in greater need of this genre of information.

Our aim is to provide fast and accurate reporting to our viewers and deliver our brand promise to be your reliable source of economic information.”

Muvi Cinemas announces new CEO for production arm Saudi Arabia’s homegrown cinema brand Muvi Cinemas has launched Muvi Studios, a new production arm, with the aim of making Saudi and Egyptian films, especially for the big screen.

Saudi film veteran Faisal Baltyuor has been appointed CEO of Muvi Studios. Formerly CEO of the Saudi Film Council, he previously led an initiative with the Ministry of Culture to develop the Saudi film

industry before founding the largest specialised Saudi film distribution company, CineWaves Film, in 2020.

Faisal Baltyuor, CEO of Muvi Studios.

He is also a board member of Manga Production and holds several other roles in the Saudi film industry.

Since its launch in February 2019, Muvi Cinemas has expanded to 22 locations across the kingdom, operating 205 screens featuring the latest movie experiences including Samsung Onyx, 4DX, ScreenX, Dolby Cinema and Xperience powered

by CGS technology.

EditShare shares MENA success stories at CABSAT EditShare announced a few of the successful projects it has recently delivered in Sharjah, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. One of Saudi Arabia’s smart cities has deployed its storage management solutions and workflow tools.

Sharjah’s Government Media Bureau has also invested in EditShare to support production of video content and delivery over multiple platforms.

Commenting on the alliance, Rayan Nasser, Sales Director at United Broadcast & Media Solutions (UBMS), the systems integrator for the project, said: “Our customer in Saudi Arabia has some of the most advanced media operations in the Middle East. EditShare’s ability to integrate key editorial tools removes the

10 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

bottlenecks of proprietary systems, enabling us to offer clients the full range of post-production services using their preferred creative tools, while giving them the reassurance of outstanding support from us as an EditShare partner.”

Each system sees EditShare FLOW media management and EFS storage solutions providing streamlined editorial

Said Bacho.

workflows. With its open approach, the EditShare platform allows each user to support a mix of Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, DaVinci Resolve and other post-production tools. EditShare worked in conjunction with UBMS to design, install and support two of its customers.

Said Bacho, EditShare Chief Revenue Officer, commented: “Media companies demand multivendor workflows that can be tailored to their specific production needs.

What is so attractive to our users is that we absorb the complex technical demands, eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring that the creative teams enjoy a seamless, intuitive experience – leaving them free to concentrate on making great content.”

PROCRICKET

CRACKING CRICKET FOR MENA VIEWERS Cricket is the world’s second most popular sport, with an estimated 2.5bn fans globally, but it hasn’t quite reached its full potential in the Middle East. At the IP Studios Future of Sports Broadcasting Summit, MENA stakeholders shared how TV has altered the game and how they are working to raise the profile of cricket in the region. N Nomani brings you the details

With cricket a multi-billion-dollar industry and the Middle East home to a large population of South Asian expatriates, Gulf media entities are looking to cash in on the big opportunity. Neeil Ojha, an award-winning cricket commentator and ICC Level 2 certified cricket coach, explored the sport’s broadcast opportunities and challenges in the region with a panel of senior executives from the broadcast industry.

Ojha was joined by Ashok Namboodiri, Chief Business Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited; Vivek Chandra, Director & Head of Business – MENA, ITW Consulting DMCC; and Sammer Elia, Business Development Director – MENA region, Viaccess-Orca.

Developing cricket for television One key point of discussion at the panel was the inherent storytelling and hero-building aspects of the game, which Namboodiri called the two key tenets of preparing cricket for broadcast friendliness.

“Cricket as a sport is custom-made for building heroes.

It’s primarily because although it’s a team sport, it pits one batsman against one bowler. Every delivery is an opportunity to build a hero, whether you look at the cricketing action or the player reaction or the fan reactions.

It’s all tailor-made for building heroes, unlike football or hockey where you have to look at the quarters or halves to bring in your broadcast stories. That’s one unique aspect of cricket that makes it very broadcast-friendly.”

Storytelling in cricket encompasses how the broadcaster builds the narrative for a series or a particular match. The process starts with the pre-shows, post-shows and midshows, where broadcasters start highlighting the key players of the tournament and whom audiences should watch out

12 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

for. At this stage the look and feel of the broadcast is tailormade for specific markets or franchises and broadcasters to “focus not only on the game per se, but on what the heroes or franchise mean to the fans”, Namboodiri said. “There’s ample opportunity to build that narrative as you go along.”

Cricket also has very sophisticated technical backing across the world. It was first aired on TV in England in 1938, which faced a lot of resistance as the organisers thought it would impede ticketing revenues. The game has seen massive technological innovations since that controversial broadcast.

“It has progressed from covering matches with just three or four cameras and only live, to eight, ten and 20 cameras in the next decade. In the 2019 World Cup, 36 cameras were deployed for covering the broadcast. Technology has evolved significantly, moving from live to replays to AR/VR to all kinds of simulations that can now be done, which makes both storytelling and hero building very possible,” said Namboodiri.

For advertisers, the nature of the game also lends itself hugely to commercial viability. Every aspect of the game, from a change in bowlers to a drinks break to a player walking back to the pavilion, presents itself as an advertising opportunity.

“When you produce cricket for TV, you’ve got to keep track of all these four aspects: the technology, the hero building, the storytelling and the commercial aspect,” summed up Namboodiri.

Chandra seconded this, adding that India’s historic win at the 1983 World Cup is the perfect case study for several reasons. For instance, that tournament changed the commercial outlook of the sport. Within just four years, the game was sponsored by India’s largest company, Reliance Industries.

Chandra attributed this change to hero building and pride.

The 1983 win was a major contributor to both factors, and since then there has only been an upsurge in the commercial

PROCRICKET

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com |

13

PROCRICKET

money as long as it’s a mass sport,” said Chandra. In India, the appeal and reach of domestic matches, such as the under-19s tournaments, is massive.

“There are many brands who support the under-19 level youngsters in the hope that they will become big heroes.”

In the Middle East, local cricket is still regarded as a “second- or thirdtier” sport, though some corporates are keen to sponsor local players and clubs are looking to further corporate cricket in the region.

“I think local leagues in the Middle East are soon going to be at a tipping point from where there is no looking back. What broadcasters need to do is seize the potential this could unlock and get the entire ecosystem in motion” Ashok Namboodiri, Chief Business Officer, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited viability of cricket and its star players. This has been further boosted by franchise leagues, which have played a key role in expediting the hero-building process for cricketers. Players no longer have to wait to play at the national level before earning fame and recognition.

Once they have acquired star status, the next natural step is for brands to commission their endorsement.

Apart from signing established and popular players, some brands also choose to invest in rising stars.

“Brands are okay to invest the

The role of local leagues in growing the sport Although historically international competitions have drawn more attention than domestic ones, this has changed in recent times, with local leagues mushrooming around the world. The Twenty20 format, designed to maximise entertainment and in turn revenue, has gained immense popularity. Apart from boosting the popularity of the game itself, local leagues play an important role in widening the footprint and intensifying the reach of the game.

Namboodiri shared how the Tamil Nadu Premier League has now become a pipeline for feeding into the IPL as it actively scouts talents and promotes the sport across the state.

“Cricket tends to grow in pockets.

In Tamil Nadu, virtually every district now is represented either by a franchise or by a player. Local leagues present greater opportunities for young players to outshine on that platform. And the sky's the limit when it comes to their careers later on.”

Localising broadcast ITW MENA is working towards localising cricket broadcasts in the region. Making a conscious choice to start at the absolute bottom rung, the company has successfully created a domestic structure with two of the region’s biggest cricket boards, the UAE and Oman, securing broadcast rights for domestic matches on the biggest platforms in India, Pakistan, the UK, the Far East and even the US.

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

Chandra attributes the success of the broadcast to quality: “The team just has to focus on the quality of the game. Once it starts winning, you don’t need to worry about the money, production or reach.”

With a winning team, it’s easier to rope in the sponsors and brands.

For Chandra, Afghanistan is a quintessential example. Notably, cricket didn’t even originate within the country’s borders – Afghans started playing the game in refugee camps in Pakistan. However, today the national team boasts a pipeline of spinners better than anyone in the region and brands are keen to sponsor them.

Apart from quality, several other factors enhance the chances of local leagues being broadcast.

Infrastructure is one big element,

“There are many brands who support the under-19 level youngsters in the hope that they will become big heroes” Vivek Chandra, Director & Head of Business – MENA, ITW Consulting DMCC

PROCRICKET

and in the Middle East stadiums are well maintained. Another element is time zone, and again the Middle East scores on this front as conducive for watching cricket not just locally but regionally as well. The only factor then for cricket teams to work on is building franchises and finding influential mentors. For instance, the IPL roped in popular Bollywood stars, boosting consumption in segments not initially clued into the game.

Namboodiri pointed to the recently concluded IPL, where there was a lot of focus on batting prodigy Shahrukh Khan and speculation around which franchise would nab him, and for how much (he was signed by Punjab Kings for 9 crore rupees ($1.16m). He believes this is an indication for Middle East markets that a little impetus could lead to the development of players, franchises and the sport itself.

“I think local leagues in the Middle East are soon going to be at a tipping point from where there is no looking back. What broadcasters need to do is seize the potential this could unlock and get the entire ecosystem in motion.”

One interesting observation was the absence of Emirati players in local leagues. Chandra attributed this gap to the notion that cricket is primarily viewed as an expat sport, and emphasised the need to make it more inclusive and increase efforts to enlist local players.

Women’s cricket is getting a boost too, with ITW actively seeking ways to broadcast and popularise it. At the time of this discussion, the company was working on the broadcast for the 2022 GCC Women's Gulf Cup, with matches being live-streamed for the first time – a milestone for the rising popularity of women's cricket in the region.

New business models and rights opportunities In recent years, broadcasters have

“AR/VR, multi-feed and watch party premium viewing are ingredients for a successful and engaging experience in sports viewing and a lever for proposing higher subscription for a specific segment of viewers” Sammer Elia, Business Development Director – MENA region, Viaccess-Orca started leveraging AR and VR to enrich content. Apart from enhancing visual appeal with superimposed statistics and player profiles, AR and VR help localise perimeter advertising depending on where the game is being telecast.

During the 2021 football European Championship, global audiences realised they were being exposed to localised perimeter branding. As fans posted replays of their favourite goals on social media, they noticed that the same goal had different brands on the perimeter, depending where it was uploaded from. Cricket is now following suit, with several boards evaluating the option to increase their commercial value.

ITW has been dealing with perimeter branding via AR for a while now.

Chandra recommends a modular approach to perimeter branding, with a company choosing the geographies where it wants its ads to play. This would free up the perimeter for other brands to plug in their advertisements. Chandra predicts this will happen in the next few years, with some of cricket’s biggest boards, such as the ICC and BCCI, due to renew rights soon.

Sammer Elia, Business Development Director – MENA Region at Viaccess-Orca, highlighted another business model the company is discussing with cricket broadcasters: to increase the sport’s footprint while combating piracy and revenue generation concerns, based on a multi-tier subscription model affordable for all viewers.

For example, basic-tier viewers access the match through the league’s social media accounts.

As the subscription tier goes up, access may be more personalised, with top-tier subscribers benefiting from advanced features such as AR/ VR, exclusive player interviews or even targeted reward coupons.

Leveraging AR/VR technology Apart from using AR and VR to enrich content and devise new advertising channels, it can also be used to view or replay action.

Players can benefit from the tech too, by using it for trial games in 3D. Namboodiri pointed out: “AR can play a huge part in training young players. They can face the best of bowlers or the best of batsmen in an AR situation. They can gain access to lecture demonstrations or access real-time play.”

Viaccess-Orca is deeply involved in AR/VR tech for sports and has developed a suite of products for the industry. Employing VR in cricket is very challenging due to the wide pitch and the small ball, but the company has been able to successfully leverage it for specific action replays or

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 15

PROCRICKET

training of one specific player, accompanied with stats displays.

It also offers several premium functionalities to enhance the viewing experience, such as ‘multi-feed, multi-live viewing’ – the option to watch from various angles, following a specific player, a specific action or an overall view of the game. Friends can host a virtual watch party which includes an advanced qualitative experience in viewing. “In a nutshell, AR/VR, multi-feed and watch party premium viewing are ingredients for a successful and engaging experience in sports viewing and a lever for proposing higher subscription for a specific segment of viewers,” Elia stated.

AR/VR can be used for the entire ecosystem, from broadcast to ground management, including the deployment of leagues and franchises. It can be the tool to get the entire ecosystem to crank up successfully.

Piracy and illegal streaming With cricket broadcasts now streamed live, broadcasters are faced with the challenge of piracy and convincing people who don’t want to pay for content to convert to paid subscriptions. Stemming the flow of pirated content is a critical business aspect that Viaccess-Orca has been helping

broadcasters deal with. Cricket boards and leagues are “stoked” about protecting their revenue-generating content; Elia cited the IPL, which has been cracking down on pirates not just for visuals but for audio rights as well.

Viaccess-Orca offers a comprehensive threefold anti-piracy solution. In the first step, it aims to create some frustration at the level of basic research.

That means trawling the search engines for pirated sites in order to dereference them and delist them. This is relevant for non-exclusive rights holders who are just looking to disappoint people searching for pirated content. Along with this, its advanced piracy fighting algorithms take down pirated videos, an

Neeil Ojha, an awardwinning TV anchor and radio presenter who also heads Sport at Fun Asia Network, moderated the discussion.

16 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

important service for companies who hold exclusive rights for broadcast or telecast original productions.

Finally, the most advanced service is to fight piracy in upstreaming with a host of advanced tech that combines dereferencing with SEO strategies, a constantly enriched library of apps and pirate sites and services (for all sports and any revenue-generating content), watermarking, and other technologies to harden the app perimeter (such as blocking screen recording and app cloning).

Elia pointed to a combination of practices in support of Viaccess-Orca’s anti-piracy offer, including agreements with hosting companies and legal services to empower execution of copyright enforcement. Elia summed up the approach to anti-piracy in three steps: technology; maintaining an up-to-date library of piracy sites; and legal agreements with the whole ecosystem, whether it is the hosting companies or legislators.

The future of cricket in the MENA region is looking bright, with a lot of potential not just for broadcasters but also for players and leagues.

The narrative is being shaped by innovation, the role of broadcasters in building the sport, leveraging technology for enhanced playing and viewing experiences, inclusion, and subscription models.

TRUE INTEGRATION

Automation

Streaming

Music Scheduling

Traffic

Peace-of-Mind

Mobile

rcsworks.com

© Copyright 2022 RCS. All Rights Reserved. RCS Sound Software and their marks and logos are registered trademarks of RCS.

PROPRODUCTION

18 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

PROPRODUCTION

MENA SPORTS PRODUCTION – THE MISSING LINKS BroadcastPro ME teamed up with Abu Dhabi-based media company IP Studios to host a discussion in Arabic – a first for the market – on MENA sports production. Sarah Nathan brings you the highlights

The IP Studios Future of Sports Broadcasting Summit held its first Arabic panel discussion, exploring the progress of sports organisations in the region and the steps taken to ensure international success.

Moderated by Mohammed Yehya, Founding Director of IP Studios, the panel saw Fouad Darwish, Palms Sports PJSC CEO and Managing Director; Roland Daou, Media Mania Managing Partner; and Yusuf Mohammed Buti, Twofour54 Head of Technology and Engineering, discuss the latest trends in 5G and AI technology, the future of traditional broadcast and strategies to attract future generations to sports broadcasts.

What does the newest technology bring to the table?

Broadcast companies are capitalising on the rising popularity of 5G in the region. The technology allows operations that previously generated just two hours of content to produce up to seven hours of content from multiple locations.

“Content is king,” said Yehya. “5G is a cost reduction method that will help us produce more content.”

Daou commented that Media Mania has been investing in 5G for years and reaped the benefits after the pandemic hit the Middle East. “We’re airing via 5G for both broadcasters and streamers. If the infrastructure in the UAE wasn’t prepared for 5G, we would not have been able to reach that level.”

Similarly, Twofour54 is seeing its partners profit from the high-speed internet connections and zero latency that accompany 5G. When hosting sporting events, partners are no longer obliged to spend time preparing lighting, OBs or venues; instead, 5G cameras, with their speedy response times, allow them to broadcast directly to the

studios. However, for TV stations to take full advantage of systems, they must think outside the box, Buti pointed out.

“Their production and creative teams have to come forward with creative ideas to benefit the customer, the organisations and themselves. They could sell ideas to video gaming entities, for instance, and obtain a revenue stream. They could use artificial intelligence to model future games by having the system build an online game based on a past match.”

With this in mind, Twofour54 has continually invested in artificial intelligence, using it for translating and subtitling. Because the systems and cloud are available, “AI is an indispensable part of any present system,” Buti said. “Whether it is related to graphics or augmented reality, capturing information or analytics, it’s there.”

Media Mania has also invested in AI to reduce costs and raise the bar for production. The technology allows its partners to air from multiple places without having to install large equipment that consumes resources and time.

“Technology helped companies like Media Mania offer prices that are acceptable and of a reasonable budget and produce the best content, rather than incurring immense costs that might deter sponsors and discourage producers from investing,” said Daou.

What happens to traditional broadcast?

The discussion turned to whether the emergence of 5G technology and increased use of remote production is a death knell for OB. “There is no longer a need for producers, directors or sound engineers for OB, just a centralised unit,” posited Yehya. “If we are able to cut half the price because of 5G, will anybody want traditional OB services anymore?”

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com |

19

PROPRODUCTION

Butti commented that although Twofour54 does “collaborate with production companies to lessen the cost they might incur with investments in OB vans”, an abrupt switch from OB was unlikely. “It’s an evolutionary process. If a company has invested in OB, they need to get a return on their investment and won’t suddenly make the shift. Also, they are probably very comfortable with OB technology.”

Daou concurred. “5G will lighten the load of two or three elements. It is replacing SNG, but it cannot replace OB.” The team also discussed, in this context, whether uptake of linear

“There is no longer a need for producers, directors or sound engineers for OB, just a centralised unit.

If we are able to cut half the price because of 5G, will anybody want traditional OB services anymore?”

Mohammed Yehya, Founding Director, IP Studios

television would slow, with interest in OTT peaking. Buti said the region is unlikely to shift its trend by 50% or 60% in the coming decade, based on current figures: “98% of households in the UAE have broadband and fibre. In other countries in the Arab region, the number drops to 12%.

That means many viewers from the region still rely on broadband and fibre as their primary choice. Television will persist for quite some time.”

Daou predicted that a blend of the old and the new will be the way forward. “TV is going to stay around, but there will be a combination of TV, social media and new technology.”

What does the future of sports promise and need?

Although the region’s regulations don’t permit betting, local sporting events are being capitalised on and integrated into international betting systems, said Yehya. “They’re generating massive revenue.” Internationally, revenues from sports betting have increased 127% over the last year, according to the American Gambling Association’s latest report.

On the prevalence of betting, Darwish agreed: “Betting plays an integral part in sports organisations.”

He highlighted that betting in the US is regarded as a business enterprise rather than an organisation’s move.

Nonetheless, it is a strategy that may benefit the region. “If the time is right and if there is a new law that might allow us to manage sports similarly to the West, it will help lawmakers of sports associations pay more for promotions and marketing.”

Over recent years, Gen Z has increasingly relied on social media for immediate consumption of entertainment, which Daou considers a worthy way to appeal to them. “There is a new generation, and we need to form a link between us and them. Social media helps us do this and is bringing these two generations together.”

IP Studios has already witnessed the benefits of integrating social media into

20 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

“Betting plays an integral part in sports organisations … If the time is right and if there is a new law that might allow us to manage sports similarly to the West, it will help lawmakers of sports associations pay more for promotions and marketing” Fouad Darwish, CEO and Managing Director, Palms Sports PJSC events, having seen the huge impact of having influencers and celebrities anchor combat sports events. Ticket sales rose from approximately 2,000 to 50,000, and pay-per-view raked in over 100,000 customers.

Yehya suggested that social media has handed athletes the reins. “A star athlete is now an influencer in their own right – they have different channels where they can share how they live and work with many advertisers for promotions.

Sports are now intertwined with

PROPRODUCTION

entertainment, and this could generate more revenue.”

Darwish, however, remarked that such an approach could potentially stereotype generations and blind organisations from available options. “I have complete conviction that we can reach the generation we are living with now in ways outside of social media.” He suggested that reliance on talent has supported previous athletes and organisations, referencing Pelé and Muhammad Ali as prime examples.

While they did not live in an age of influencers and social media, their skill invited viewership – the sport was the entertainment.

However, he did not disregard social media as an effective way to advertise: “We have to think

“The region needs content. If we join ventures where there is a sponsor paying money, we can take production to another level. We need sponsors to believe in us” Roland Daou, Managing Partner, Media Mania

of alternative strategies to increase awareness of sports, besides social media and just a love for sports.”

Instead of social media and influencers, Palms Sports is entering the realm of esports to attract Gen Z and owns a percentage of an online platform, said Darwish. Of esports and gaming, he said: “There is no doubt we’re a part of it. We’re looking into it and have been trying to join with companies to be partners or buy more stakes.”

Twofour54 is working with Abu Dhabi Gaming and other partners to develop an infrastructure for e-gaming in the emirate, and will soon have its first virtual studio. “We can offer services for esports and e-gaming and all their features, such as graphics.

E-events will be hosted through the virtual system to reinforce and integrate normal sports,” said Buti.

While more people have shown interest in esports in recent decades, percentages have remained the same because the population has grown, Buti said. However, Daou was optimistic about these percentages and that over time, interest will rise even further.

“We need time for people to grow accustomed, and esports are now common. Our generation would play the Atari as the electronic game of our day, and today’s is e-games.”

Beneath all these strategies lies an integral force of nature to which the region must surrender – time.

Darwish pointed out that international entities have amassed their success over time, citing the UFC as a perfect illustration. “It took it 15 years to emerge as a recognised organisation and make its way to the TV screen.”

Although the region might have the production capabilities and infrastructure, he said sports organisations must play the long game. “We have the same ambition, progression and commitment as international sports, but everything needs its fair share of time. You can’t bring a sport that is foreign to the region and expect people to flock to it.

They have to be assimilated, educated

“AI is an indispensable part of any present system. Whether it is related to graphics or augmented reality, capturing information or analytics, it’s there” Yusuf Mohammed Buti, Head of Technology and Engineering, Twofour54 about and guided towards it.”

Under these conditions, Darwish is confident that Palms Sports’ martial arts team will prosper. “I promise you the UAE Warriors, with the support of our leaders and partners, will reach a worldwide level and see a return on both a financial and promotional level.”

Like Yehya, Daou believes the region’s sports organisations are close to rivalling the performance of international associations. The missing puzzle piece is a sponsor.

“The region needs content. If we join ventures where there is a sponsor paying money, we can take production to another level. We need sponsors to believe in us.”

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 21

PROSTUDIO

PLG RAISES THE STAKES

Power League Gaming, MENA’s full-service gaming and esports activation company, has upped its game with a state-of-the-art $1.5m virtual production studio designed to give it an edge over the competition. PLG’s Product and Production Director Arnor Jonsson and Tech Director Gisli Gudnason share an overview of the technologies used at the facility with BroadcastPro ME As one of the region’s largest esports and gaming events operators, PLG has reinforced its market leadership with the opening of a sprawling 10,000sqft corporate headquarters in Dubai Production City, with offices as well as studios. Previously based in Dubai Marina, PLG used to outsource its studio requirements to various outlets around the UAE. Spurred by the pandemic and the restrictions that rental facilities presented, the agency finally decided to create its own studio.

Seeing the limitations of physical sets and the huge opportunities that virtual productions presented, with more sturdy and robust technologies to back those decisions, PLG decided to go in for a virtual production studio.

Virtual production was the perfect match for the ‘Arabic first’ company that actively seeks to engage Arabic audiences. PLG then took a leap of faith with a $1.5m investment into its own facility, which houses a flexible virtual studio that boasts multiple green screens and presenter stages, allowing quick turnaround between productions.

“We’ve seen a huge increase in content creation, with brands turning to us to target the Arabic-speaking gaming market,

22 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

in particular through game launches and activations, talk shows and sponsored competitions,” explains Arnor Jonsson, Product and Production Director at PLG. “Content for these channels has to be fresh and engaging, so we required an agile solution that could support our growing client roster and their production needs.”

But was putting in place a virtual production studio easy?

“We are still learning,” explains Jonsson.

“It took months of research into various aspects of virtual production just to be able to launch our first live-streamed broadcast. Even a simple thing as lighting could potentially pose a challenge when it comes down to virtual production.”

This is where Technical Director Gisli Gudnason stepped in, spending countless hours researching virtual production for e-gaming just to determine the correct start point. “I don't know how many hours of YouTube videos he watched. Then there were online seminars and video tutorials on Unreal Engine by Epic Games,” says Jonsson.

One of the key technology investments PLG made was in Blackmagic Design technology.

“Our entire studio is designed around Blackmagic’s URSA Broadcast camera

PROSTUDIO

Arnor Jonsson is Product and Production Director at PLG.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 23

PROSTUDIO

Multiple URSA Broadcast cameras, each equipped with an URSA Studio Viewfinder, capture the action taking place in the studio.

and the ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher,” Gudnason elaborates. “We typically run oneto-three camera set-ups either on a physical set or virtual. For the virtual set, we are now using Aximmetry to be able to create virtual moving shots with one static camera directed at the talent.”

Multiple URSA Broadcast cameras, each equipped with an URSA Studio Viewfinder, capture the action taking place in the studio. The live signals are then fed over SDI into virtual environments created with Unreal Engine. “It’s imperative that live and virtual content are

stitched together seamlessly in these content packages; both the brands and the gamers watching expect the highest production values,” Jonsson explains.

The ATEM Constellation 8K with ATEM 2 M/E Advanced Panel form the heart of the production gallery, allowing the PLG team to handle sources in multiple formats, as well as delivering multi-layered live mixes which incorporate gameplay, statistics, studio content and remote feeds from players across the region. The team also relies on the switcher’s multiple M/Es to reduce latency, while the inbuilt chroma key is used to further blend the studio elements into the virtual environment.

Jonsson gives the example of a recent

24 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

competition for which the company designed a dynamic environment based on the game that players were battling in. PLG placed its presenters and commentary desk at the heart of the event, all in real time.

“Footage from the studio had to be crisp, with plenty of detail to maintain the authenticity of the presenting team’s segments within the game,” he says. “In order to create exciting shows that give audiences the full gameplay experience, we rely on features such as SuperSource, which helps us bring lots of elements onto the screen simultaneously.

Blackmagic’s DeckLink I/O cards

PROSTUDIO

played a significant role in our content design, providing the foundation for overlays and bespoke brand components for our clients.”

The studio’s audio, video and graphics solution were delivered by local systems integrator UBMS, which also provided relevant product training and workflow consultancy.

For audio, PLG employs a Behringer Wing with stagebox and Dante.

“The solution’s modular nature has dramatically simplified how we transition from one production to the next, making it easy to reset studio acquisition for the next show, and then we can quickly upload the graphics and backdrops needed. Major brands already know that the future for their marketing lies in online and gaming content, and our facility gives us a huge advantage, not only in terms of speed but also in broadcast-grade

“It’s imperative that live and virtual content are stitched together seamlessly in

these content packages; both the brands and the gamers watching expect the highest production values”

Arnor Jonsson , Product and Production Director, Power League Gaming production values,” explains Jonsson. vMix, Unreal and Aximmetry form the bulk of PLG’s IT infrastructure, with 80% of its content live streamed on YouTube and Twitch (and occasionally Facebook).

For esports production, on-screen assets such as leaderboards, as well as the main in-game production, are run through vMix, which is also used to create the in-game ecosystem. This includes all the observers that watch the games, to show

the audience different perspectives from different players’ points of view during the broadcast. Aximmetry also enables the studio to create virtual moving shots with one static camera.

“For GFX, video playout and remote callers, we use vMix on one PC, and then we have other vMix machines that run the main game observing, replay or other tasks needed for a specific project. The game-observing PC is connected with SDI into a video hub and then into the constellation,” clarifies Gudnason.

PLG opted for JP Cooper media controllers for replays. All the produced content is run through vMix on specially built PCs that run at high frames per second (fps) and are then rendered out of Unreal (140fps) into Aximmetry (1080p 60fps). This is because everything is live-streamed in 1080p 60fps.

Aximmetry offers the chroma

Unreal, vMix and Aximmetry form the bulk of PLG’s IT infrastructure, with 80% of its content live streamed on YouTube and Twitch.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 25

PROSTUDIO

key and layout software for Unreal Engine, which does the rendering in real time. For low latency, all PCs, observer and end game production machines are run through SDI and catch cards into the constellation.

The tech set-up allows augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) elements to be threaded into the production flow with ease.

The production workflow begins with the creation of a virtual set (this could mean placing the main talent into a gaming environment or replicating a studio environment heavily themed around the brand and the game IPs). Three presenters – a host and two game analysts – are also placed into this environment.

Some of PLG’s productions comprise gamers physically present in the studio, while some formats consist of the gamers playing remotely. In both cases, an in-game production team (usually comprising four observers) watches the games from multiple angles while a replay operator manages the instant replay action.

Other team members include a graphic playout operator, a video playout operator, a vision director, an audio operator, a floor manager, a talent manager and the main call-out producer. For games held in the studio, LED and lighting

“Our entire studio is designed

around Blackmagic’s URSA Broadcast cameras and the ATEM Constellation 8K live production switcher” Gisli Gudnason,Tech Director, Power League Gaming operators and hair and makeup artists are present too, just as in a traditional set-up.

The PLG studio is also equipped with an LED screen that doubles up as a video wall. The studio hasn’t yet made an investment in a customised screen and plans to collaborate with other virtual production providers such as the neighbouring Fractal Systems, which has a custom-built LED screen designed for virtual production, should the need arise.

However, it does intend to invest in motion tracking systems to be able to track the camera in real time on its virtual sets. The agency is currently waiting to receive the Mo Sys motion tracking system, which will serve as the star tracker for its five-metre (expandable to eightmetre) Jimmy Jib crane. With the motion tracking system in place and gradual additions and advancements, PLG hopes to maintain its position as a leader in virtual production for gaming in the region.

Although the facilities are built primarily for the agency’s own productions and

26 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

shoots, it also lets them to sports brands with similar needs. Features such as a massive studio floor that allows easy construction of physical sets, a permanent infinity wall that can be used as a green screen, highly skilled crew, cameras and equipment enable the agency to offer a 360-degree solution to content creators, at economical prices.

So far, the studio has been let to some of the biggest gaming publishers in the world, including Riot, EA Games and Tencent. It is the preferred partner for EA in the region, in terms of content and live streams. PLG has successfully launched EA Sports FIFA for the past six years, while also running multiple campaigns with them in terms of content and production throughout the year. Other clients include KFC, Adidas and Michelin. Recently, PLG also partnered with Lenovo to create the Legion Africa Cup. Using Unreal Engine, the agency rebuilt the map from the Counter-Strike game, which was then used as the analyst’s studio.

For the virtual sets, the concept and creative direction are led by PLG’s in-house designers. For the actual design, PLG partners with external agencies or freelancers. “We start with 3D mock-ups of the game’s environments, which are presented to the client. If the client agrees, then that is taken in for design by an Unreal designer,” explains Jonsson.

PLG offers a full suite of gaming services. From creative strategy, social media and live broadcasts to tournament operations and management, the 30-member agency, 22 in the UAE and eight in Egypt, does everything in-house. The studio’s flexibility in both live and virtual components has facilitated an incredible work rate for the company, and the studio has been in almost constant use since its launch. Despite being in operation for over a year, Jonsson says: “It's still a work in progress.” – Vijaya Cherian and N Nomani PRO

PROVIRTUALPRODUCTION

28 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

PROVIRTUALPRODUCTION

VIRTUAL VERNACULAR: TERMINOLOGY IN VIRTUAL PRODUCTION – PART 2

In the second part of this series, Matthew Collu takes us through some terms used in media that have entirely different connotations in a virtual production environment With each new leap in technology and technique, a new lexicon of terminologies usually arrives alongside it. Some terms are similar to existing phrases, others are entirely new and contextualised only by the advent of the new practice itself.

Then there are those that share an existing name but adopt a different meaning. In an age of seemingly daily technological breakthroughs, navigating a developing and unfamiliar landscape can be confusing, not to mention wildly intimidating. There is no better example than virtual production, one of the most significant visual effects breakthroughs in recent memory.

Having much experience on the production and research side, I’d like to lend that expertise to define virtual production terminologies and act as a sherpa through this foggy vista of visual effects. However, describing every new term would take this from an article to a dictionary. Instead, my focus is on three essential aspects: similar, new and deceptively the same.

Assets Let’s start with the similar, shall we? Assets are defined as anything added that wasn’t there in the original shot or frame, known as a plate. Say we’re shooting a blockbuster with a mighty warrior battling it out with a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon atop a massive stone bridge. The only physical components of this shot are the actor and the ground on which they’re standing. In post-production, the assets are the dragon, and possibly a set extension or matte painting to further the look of the setting.

All these are needed to complete the final image, but none were there in the original.

Assets range from 3D visual effects and models to 2D backgrounds and extensions, all added after principal photography. Virtual production's foundation is the same, but the execution and context differ slightly.

With virtual production, those incredible environmental aspects usually added in post-production can now be captured and controlled during principal

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 29

PROVIRTUALPRODUCTION

With the ideal combination of equipment and execution, virtual production serves as an advantageous means of content creation - especially for shoots with larger subjects placed amidst a variety of locations that could prove difficult to shoot in practically.

photography, by using real-time game engines. Assets in this context are components that make up a larger digital environment as a whole – itself an asset. The towering structures of a castle or distant trees in the surrounding landscape are all individual virtual assets that cement our story in the world. Rather than being elements designed, developed and added in post-production, they’re added in pre-production for on-set, real-time capture.

Volume The concept of volume in terms of virtual production is still somewhat unfamiliar and often confusing, especially to those with no motion capture experience. It doesn’t refer to how loud a sound is, nor the knob used to get a party started – it more closely resembles the metric of measurement. A volume in motion capture is usually a cubic area surrounded by a motion capture system/solution. Inside this volume, the position of objects in the real world can be tracked and translated into a virtual position, for complete control over CG components.

Imagine a large aquarium tank.

Instead of filling it with water, fill it with infrared light. That light fills the space, even though we may not see it, making whatever is in that space move through a pool of photons, bouncing around.

Now, what’s an aquarium without fish?

The fish in this instance are tracked objects within a motion capture environment. They can be props, people or cameras; all are bound by the same perimeters. The LED wall commonly associated with this wonder of workflows is placed within the confines of a volume, along with a camera to be tracked; the resulting one-to-one, real-tovirtual translation results in a perfectly shifting window into a digital world.

Tracking Without assets, your virtual environment is an empty void – no trees to fill an eerie forest or neon-lit alleyways to spook a protagonist. Without volume, there is no dedicated container to supply a lake of light to house your LED wall and any other subjects of choice; but without tracking, there is no way to control your components.

On a traditional film set, tracking means following a subject moving through a shot or scene. In the visual effects world, it means tracking a motion path, mask or pixel to lock an asset perfectly within a moving frame. Tracking in a virtual production environment is an exciting combination – tracking a subject that is the camera itself, to match the perspectives of both physical and virtual, to root the physical talent in the mirage that is the digital landscape. A tracking solution is needed to do this, and to turn a space into a full-blown volume.

Without going into the different systems and methodologies, tracking solutions

30 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

facilitate the ability to move freely around a space, but also track and translate all the nuance and subtlety of that movement into a digital environment. Effectively, tracking in this context is the glue that holds the whole operation together, for a seamless blend of real-world performance by both cast and crew and real-time virtual sets.

These definitions are just three of the terms and definitions associated with this new and powerful means of production. I hope they act as stepping stones to the new world of virtual production.

Matthew Collu is Studio Coordinator at The Other End, Canada. He is a visual affects artist and cinematographer with experience working in virtual production pipelines and helping production teams leverage the power of Unreal Engine and real-time software applications.

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

W E S T I N M I N A S E YA H I / D U B A I / U A E

Welcome to the MENA region’s leading industry conference and awards ceremony 08 November 2022

About the

Summit The 12th edition of the ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards will be hosted in November, 2022, in association with the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU).

The Summit has, over the years, established itself as one of the region’s leading vendor-neutral events aimed at encouraging knowledge sharing and collaboration between professionals in the MENA region.

Each of the previous editions of the Summit brought together more than 300 professionals from the MENA region.

This event aims to tackle issues related to the latest trends in the marketplace. It encourages the adoption of similar standards within the MENA to ensure that all broadcasters benefit from collaboration.

The Summit is part of our commitment to bring together industry peers regularly through workshops and conferences to share technology intelligence, debate best practices and standards in the industry, discuss international and regional case studies, and take

home a wealth of knowledge that will enable us to make more informed decisions at our workplaces.

BroadcastPro ME is working alongside the Arab States Broadcasting Union and a board of technical advisors to ensure that we offer a comprehensive one-day learning experience for the industry at the Summit.

The Summit will be designed by professionals for professionals.

2022 Summit & Awards

Contact Us We look forward to hearing from you.

Content/Nominations

Sponsorship/Table Booking

Vijaya Cherian | +971 4 375 5472 vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com

Raz Islam | +971 4 375 5471 raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com

Sandip Virk | +971 50 929 1845 sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com

Date

08 Nov

Venue

Website

Westin Mina Seyahi

broadcastpromeawards.com

Complimentary

Register now

Register for free and stay connected

About the

2022 Awards

Categories

Awards Recognise. Reward. Reinvigorate The ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards covers a broad range of categories to reward excellence in various fields across the broadcast workflow, from production and post-production to traditional broadcast and new media platforms.

The Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), an IBC award winner, and the only dynamic pan-Arab organisation involved in establishing and maintaining best practices in the field of

broadcasting, has teamed up with BroadcastPro ME as part of its efforts to tie with a partner that understands the market but also respects the need for integrity and credibility. The winners are selected by a panel of judges from across the MENA region with varying technical skills.

Our partnership with ASBU is designed to encourage greater participation from across the pan Arab market and to ensure that the choice of winners is a transparent and competent process.

BEST TV PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR BEST OTT PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR BEST CONTENT STRATEGY OF THE YEAR BEST STUDIO OF THE YEAR BEST SPORTS STRATEGY OF THE YEAR BEST KIDS’ INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR BROADCASTPROME INNOVATIVE PROJECT OF THE YEAR MENA TRENDSETTER OF THE YEAR SYSTEMS INTEGRATOR OF THE YEAR BEST 2022 TECH IMPLEMENTATION IN OTT STREAMING SERVICE OF THE YEAR BEST RADIO INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR BEST FILM INITIATIVE OF THE YEAR BROADCAST EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR OTT EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

Special Satellite Segment SATELLITE OPERATOR OF THE YEAR SATELLITE SOLUTIONS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR

2022

Event Partners SILVER SPONSOR

NETWORKING SPONSOR

ENDORSED BY

PRESENTED BY

PRESENTED BY

© 2022 CPI Trade Media. All rights reserved.

PROCABSAT

CABSAT 2022: IT’S A WRAP!

The broadcast industry focused on the ongoing issues surrounding consumer mindset shifts in content consumption, as content producers came together on the opening day of CABSAT 2022, the Middle East and Africa’s most competitive event for the satellite, broadcast and filmed content industries

Sheikh Hasher bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Director General of Dubai Department of Information, officially opened CABSAT 2022 .

The event hosted more than 200 brands from 35 countries, with dedicated pavilions for Bavaria, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, amid the region’s transition from content consumption to content creation. Industry leaders including Arabsat, Nilesat, TECOM Group, Turksat, Qvest Media, Ross Video,

34 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

Evertz Microsystems and the Space Agency of Azerbaijan Republic addressed the future of the industry under three main conference pillars: SATExpo Summit, NextGen Content and Content Congress.

The Content Congress opened with a keynote speech from Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Media City,

Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City. He identified the growing number of entrepreneurs and Dubai’s shift to attracting talent as well as corporations as a driver of the media industry.

“We are fostering the right landscape and ecosystem for entrepreneurs to thrive. Over the past year, we have seen an influx of business as they invest here

PROCABSAT

Majed Al Suwaidi, MD of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City, addressed the gathering at CABSAT 2022.

and see the potential of government reforms to support the media sector.

CABSAT has become a platform of potential, especially this year as it offers numerous opportunities with our focus changing to attract not only companies but also pioneering individuals.

“Our commitment going forward is entrepreneurship-focused, and at TECOM Group we take it very seriously. We invest heavily in creating the right infrastructure through our in5 arm, which recently saw the introduction of a new dedicated space to accommodate angel investors, venture capitalists and institutional investors at the heart of in5 Tech Centre in Dubai Internet City.”

The Content Congress saw industry trailblazers explore the latest trends in the metaverse, NFTs, social content, streaming wars, podcasts, vlogging and music content. In attendance were representatives of prominent businesses such as Twitter, Meta, Rotana Media Group, MBC, Starzplay, Disney Plus, Dubai Media City, Creative Media Authority & Abu Dhabi Gaming, CNBC Arabia, Saudi Arabia’s Media Rating Company (MRC) and Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Information and Culture.

Targeting consumers with content A panel discussion attracted leaders from regional and international

broadcasters to discuss how content reaches consumers and the intricate decision-making processes made to ensure consumers are happy and businesses stay profitable when the traditional and digital fight for the spotlight.

Wael Mohammed Al Buti, VP & Chief Commercial Officer, Arabsat, stated that focus on localisation and quality is key to consumer satisfaction on the back of continued satellite adoption. “We have been operating since the 1980s and have become the leading satellite service provider in the Arab world. Usually at Arabsat we don’t look at quantity, but

rather the quality and how we can better serve a specific market. Off the back of new channel launches in Lebanon and Jordan, a recent MENA satellite penetration study we conducted revealed that satellite has a 97% market share in this region.

We have seen an increase in the number of HD receivers being used.”

Also on the panel was Yuliya Fischer, Director at ZDF Studios GmbH, one of the largest broadcasters in Europe. “Our content is predominantly German, but we are looking at co-production opportunities here in the Middle East,” said Fischer, who oversees acquisition and sales in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

“We produced The Killing, The Bridge, etc, which really educated us on what binge-watching is – this was before Netflix and Disney+.

There is an appetite for content not only from Hollywood, and consumer burnout is becoming a thing. If the quality of content is great, there will be people that want to watch it.”

Wael Mohammed Al Buti, VP & Chief Commercial Officer, Arabsat, spoke about content localisation at CABSAT.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 35

PROCABSAT

DISCOP Dubai concludes; coproduction salon big hit at show DISCOP Dubai concluded last month, having attracted 565 participants at its first edition since the pandemic.

The three-day market brought together 89 companies offering content, formats and adaptation rights, and 184 programmers and acquisition and commissioning executives representing 121 MENA broadcasters, premium channels, pay-tv services, OTT platforms and telcos.

A strong focus on co-productions gained a lot of traction during the event. More than 36 compelling films, TV series and animation projects from nine Arab countries were pitched to more than 100 buyers and production partners committed to investing in and promoting Arab creators.

Heba Korayem, Content Market Consultant, H Consult, said: “I’ve personally witnessed four deals being negotiated and closed in just the couple of hours that I was within those walls on the second day. It makes me happy, because that’s investment in Arabic entertainment happening right there. We had some really popular companies hang out at the salon, such as people from Shahid, StarzPlay, beIN, OSN, Dubai TV, Abu Dhabi TV and so on. Equally, we had an amazing turnout from Arabic production houses that came prepared with some solid pitches."

DISCOP Dubai 2023 will take place at the beginning of May, a few days after the end of Ramadan. Final dates will be announced shortly.

36 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

Social media giants to focus on content creators Another panel discussion saw Kinda Ibrahim, Twitter’s Director of Content Partnerships for the Middle East and Africa, and Moon Baz, Meta’s Creator Partnerships Lead for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey, discuss the creator economy boom and the role of social media. Both revealed that their platforms are shifting focus to content creators, an economy valued at $100bn.

Speaking of younger generations, Ibrahim said: “Millennials are cutting cords. Both Gen Z and Alpha are not mobile first, but rather mobile only.

Not only in terms of consumption, but also creation. With only a mobile

Kinda Ibrahim, Director of Content Partnerships, MEA, Twitter.

phone, they can create very engaging content. It’s more relatable, authentic and relevant, which translates as more eyeballs and for brands is more relatable to potential customers.”

Baz noted that video now makes up 50% of user time on Facebook and 20% on Instagram. “We haven’t focused too much on creators in the past, but this is now where we are focusing. Our

Moon Baz, Meta’s Creator Partnerships Lead for MEA and Turkey, discussed the creator economy boom at CABSAT.

PROCABSAT

investment in Facebook Watch and Reels underlines our commitment to creators, and while we already have monetisation tools – ads, subscriptions, paid online events, etc – we are now testing a Reels Bonus Programme in the US as part of a $1bn investment. It will in time be rolled out worldwide.”

Arab HDTV Group concludes meeting with election of new bureau

Linear TV in news of the future Elsewhere, news creators discussed the challenges of adopting subscription models in the Gulf and how such models impact revenues on linear TV platforms. Riad Hamade, Director of Business News at Asharq Business with

Delegates with the Group's new and old bureau members.

The 15th annual meeting of the Arab HDTV and Beyond Group took place at the Novotel World Trade Centre, Dubai on May 18.

Chairman Hasan R. Sayed Hasan presided over the meeting, with Group Vice-Chair Dr Fares Lubbadeh. More than 70 industry professionals representing Arab national and private broadcasters, regional and international systems integrators, manufacturers, and service providers attended.

Hasan updated attendees on the status and growth statistics of HDTV and ultra-HDTV in the Arab world. He presented figures about HD satellite growth in the Arab world, categorising channels in terms of orbital position, FTA versus encrypted, genre, origin and language.

Since 2009, HDTV channels on regional satellites have grown to 476 unique channels at the end of March 2022, he reported.

On the global level, ultra-HD services, both linear and VOD, are growing relatively slowly, with 234

commercial services (both linear and OTT) globally in May 2022.

Five of these are in 8K (with no growth for the last two years).

Bassil Zoubi, ASBU Director of Technology and Development, briefed the Group about the outcome of the Arab Media Congress held in Tunisia in October. He discussed digital media, multi-platform production and distribution, OTT services, and regulatory and legal issues. Representatives from Quortex, Imagine Communications, Red Bee Media, twofour54, Lawo and Kinetiq looked at developing trends in their various areas of expertise.

According to Group policy of electing a new board after a term of three years, Dr Lubbadeh was elected as new Chairman, with Samir Assiri, Consultant at Saudi Broadcasting Authority, as first Vice-Chair and Dhaker Baccouch, CEO of Tunisian Broadcasting Corporation (ONT), as second ViceChair. The members also called for Dr Riyadh Kamal Najm to retain his role as Honorary Chairman.

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 37

PROCABSAT

Riad Hamade, Director of Business News at Asharq Business.

Bloomberg, identified credibility as a barrier for news outlets in the region to make the jump behind a paywall.

“Most of us haven’t built up the credibility yet – it will take us time.

When you look at examples of established Western media outlets such as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg, they are successful with their subscription packages, but that’s after they have built their credibility, the foundation of journalism and news analysis. As Arab media outlets, we too have to offer something that is so good to make sure people do not question a subscription-based model.”

Considering revenues across platforms, Loubna Fawaz, Head of Content at CNBC Arabia’s TV and Digital division, opined that traditional TV still captures the lion’s share. “Our primary stream of income is coming from traditional TV. We do understand our audience and we do cater to what their needs are; through that, we have built a relationship of trust with our viewers. At the same time, we are

38 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

trying to diversify how we transmit content to cater to a new audience.”

Hamade agreed: “Linear TV is still the most visible for us. However, we are looking at different revenue streams, including live events and our social media platforms, which are other forms of getting information out there. We have to accept that there isn’t just one way to reach people – we cannot just be a TV station, we cannot just be a website. We have invested a lot of money and we want to reach the young, specialist audience.”

Creating original hits for children Executives from studios producing children’s content discussed how certain themes and technologies are seeing continued gains when it comes to content creation, and that successfully creating an original piece of intellectual property (IP)

can mean more flexibility when deciding on how to monetise the characters beyond the screen.

Kamel Weiss, GM and Director of Business Development at Spacetoon TV, said: “The children’s content market is pretty underserved. You don’t see a lot of broadcasters focusing on creating that next blockbuster original. At Spacetoon, we don’t just broadcast content. We license as well as diversify into gaming as a way to bolster revenues and deliver more content to consumers. Originals are the best way to grow a brand and then monetise, because of reduced red tape, a result of others not owning the IP.” Mariam Al Serkal, Head of Majid Kids at Abu Dhabi Media, added: “It took us a while to grasp what makes content stand out. The beauty of children’s content is that it is very flexible and can be dubbed to many languages. We have taken the step of establishing our own in-house studios, which now employ a team of more than 40. This was a great move for us and helps us be nimbler with our original IPs.”

PROCABSAT

SATEXPO Summit speakers discuss space debris Industry experts from the satellite sector looked at some of the ongoing issues surrounding space sustainability and the threat of space debris on the opening day of CABSAT 2022. Running in tandem with the Content Congress, the SatExpo Summit 2022 saw guest speakers from around the world discuss the challenges posed by space debris.

With more than 900,000 pieces of debris in space but only 20,000 catalogued, orbital congestion and sustainable, responsible space management are among the hottest topics in the satellite industry.

Alessandro Cacioni, Director of Flight Dynamics, Inmarsat, noted that a collision with a piece of debris measuring just 1mm can cause power failure. As a result, better tracking and firmer regulation – rather than recommendation without obligation – is essential.

“When I talk about space debris to non-space people, they visualise the movie WALL-E and think there

Laith Hamad, VP, Government and Regulatory Engagement & Board Member, OneWeb NEOM Joint Venture, at the SATEXPO Summit.

is going to be a huge circle of trash encircling our planet – that’s not the case, fortunately,” said Victoria Samson, Washington Office Director at the Secure World Foundation.

“What it is going to do is make certain orbits too costly or risky, so we will lose the benefit of those orbits.”

The panel on space sustainability discussed the responsible management of space.

The impact of losing such orbits can be found in the human reliance on satellites. Whether it is the internet, television or mobile phones, in the words of Laith Hamad, VP, Government and Regulatory Engagement & Board Member, OneWeb NEOM Joint Venture: “Satellites are embedded in our life.”

Cacioni, charged with keeping the Inmarsat fleet secure, revealed that half of all the debris in space has been caused by just three collisions, none of them involving active satellites. Hamad urged government licensing. “Just now satellites must be deorbited within 25 years – that is a long time,” he said, adding that Inmarsat’s fleet is designed to deorbit and uses materials that disintegrate on re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere. “There is huge room for cooperation, but there must be regulations, not recommendations that are not binding.”

June 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | 39

PROGUEST

“Korean culture is similar to the Gulf cultures in the sense that it values its own traditions and customs”

What we can learn from Korean dramas ‘Hallyu’ (Korean wave), a Korean drama phenomenon that spread from East Asia to Hollywood, is leaving its mark in the Arab world as well. In the early 1990s Korean drama was only a national endeavour, but over the past three decades it has created an international fan base with series and formats bought and broadcast across the world.

Although Korean dramas may appear to have no chance of rivalling Hollywood, they have redefined what a successful entertainment industry means by developing their own know-how and investing in their own talent. Even though the language may initially have been a barrier to wider international distribution, that is no longer the case, as fans all over the world have taken to subtitling and dubbing K-dramas.

For the past few decades, Gulf dramas have often been deemed repetitive, melodramatic and the monopoly of a handful of actors and writers constricted by censorship, especially compared to Hollywood.

Leading figures in the industry always felt that as long as we lacked the production environment housed in Hollywood, we would never become a successful industry. Here at Art Format Lab, we believe that such a statement is far from reality.

The Gulf is an incredibly diverse region with locals and foreigners dominating the countries’ populations together. Such a diversity calls for coproduction opportunities and unheardof stories that have yet to grace our screens. Production facilities are

40 | www.broadcastprome.com | June 2022

definitely a factor, but Korean dramas have proved that content is king and without it billions will be wasted.

Korean government reports show that K-drama exports reap an annual average sale of $239m, 50% from annual sales to Asia and the US. Korean culture is similar to the Gulf cultures in the sense that it values its own traditions and customs. Yet the Korean entertainment industry was able to provide national content that travelled internationally without having to compromise its own values and censorship and editorial standards. Their content remains family-friendly, free of foul language and has minimal violent and sexual representation, all factors that contribute to its international expansion and outreach.

Moreover, the Korean entertainment industry decided to invest in local writers, starting with a few national bestsellers, re-plotting their novels into screenplays. The industry then began sending Korean writers abroad to attend international TV screening markets, specifically LA screenings where one can watch over fifty drama pilots a week. Korean writers were not sent there to see what kind of story reaps the most success. They were sent there to see what kind of plots are in the market, in order to create new and unique ones for the local industry. K-dramas also stood out for their format, as a single season contains 16-20 episodes.

K-dramas are also notable for having a story in every genre to suit every taste, from light romantic comedies to historical, fantasy,

sci-fi, action and romance. The Gulf region could look into what South Korea has done to get out of its curse of being stuck in a vicious repetitive cycle of love, romance and revenge.

KSA and the UAE have the potential to break out of some of the barriers existing in developed industries such as Hollywood. Korean dramas proved this to be true, as 90% of their writers are females who also write action series and films, a genre traditionally populated by male writers in the West.

K-dramas also cater to the young and the old by having ample content for teens and young adults through web dramas, proving just as successful as TV series. Young people are more than 60% of the population in the Gulf region, yet we don’t see any content created to cater to that age group. Such a starving market further proves that story development should happen in-house within the market, rather than bringing seasoned writers from other countries such as Egypt, or even another Arab country.

KSA and the UAE are two Gulf countries with the vision to establish a local industry with international appeal. They have the potential to create the next wave in international pop culture. With such rapid economic growth, KSA and UAE entertainment should invest in their local talents and globalise their identities to break new ground in the industry.

Khulud Abu Homos is CEO of Dubai-based production house and distributor ART Format Lab. This article is based on her presentation on Korean drama at CABSAT.

THE SKY IS THE LIMIT.

HYPER-DENSITY SDI/IP CONVERSION AND ROUTING PLATFORM 25/100GbE | 192 I/O (HD-BNC) per 2U | LICENSE-BASED

KEY FEATURES Drop-in replacement for legacy SDI routers via all-in hardware/software bundles IP-native virtualized, highly modular SDI routing system SD, HD and UHD (4x 3G and 12G) on all inputs and outputs Up to 192 SDI connectors (4x 48) per unit Software-defined, flexibly licensable features for budget-effective performance; pay-as-you-go HOME native for time-critical, intuitive operation; Ember+ and REST API control support.

(De)centralized, distributed, remote and cloud operation Based on open industry standards: ST2110, ST2022-7, RAVENNA, AES67 lawo.online/edge-video