NEWS

DMI selects Eurovision to provide live satellite transmission from Expo 2020

Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI), the host broadcaster of Expo 2020 Dubai, has chosen Eurovision Services to provide daily live satellite transmissions from the event on the Eurovision Global Network.Eurovision Services kicked off six months of free live satellite transmissions for broadcasters worldwide with the Expo 2020 Dubai opening ceremony on September 30. The live transmissions will continue every day throughout the event, from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

With the service, broadcasters in the 192 nations represented at Expo 2020 Dubai will receive live signals, whether they are in the Middle East, Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific or Europe.

The live transmissions will be distributed using the Eurovision Services WorldFeed service, which offers access to the live satellite transmissions free-of-charge for editorial use. The files will also be available for download for 30 days after each transmission on the Eurovision Services WorldLink VOD platform. This gives broadcasters flexibility in planning their coverage of the first World Expo in the MEA and South Asia region, with a programme of events covering 182 days from an Expo site twice the size of Monaco and where, for the first time ever, each participating nation has its own pavilion.

Rashed Amiri, Deputy CEO of Channels Affairs, DMI, said: “We are delighted to work with Eurovision Services for delivering the Expo 2020 to global audiences.”

Jorge Simao, Eurovision Services ME Bureau Chief, added: “I’m delighted that DMI and the Expo 2020 organisers have placed their trust in us for this use of our WorldFeed/ WordLink service. Never before have we had six months of daily WorldFeed transmissions available free-of-charge on our network, alongside the many sports and news events that we also cover.”

Expo 2020 Dubai will run from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Sangeeta Desai.

New interim CEO at OSN

Patrick Tillieux, CEO of OSN since December 2018, stepped down from his role last month for personal reasons. Faisal Al Ayyar, Chairman of OSN (Panther Media Group Ltd), has announced that Sangeeta Desai will serve as Interim CEO, effective immediately. Desai has been a non-executive director on the Board for over a year. She was Group

COO and CEO of Emerging

Markets at Fremantle; prior to that, she was COO of Hit Entertainment.

Ayady’s Ergo Media Ventures invests in Film Clinic

Egyptian firm Ergo Media Ventures and Egyptian production company Film Clinic (Company) have entered into a definitive agreement that will see Ergo own a 49% stake in the company. This transaction is Ergo’s first investment since its establishment.

Ergo’s investment will be used to transform the company into a professional, institutionalised, endto-end visual media production and distribution entity. The investment will be a combination of equity used to restructure and build the company, and debt to finance its projects.

Ergo’s investment in Film Clinic aims to institutionalise film production and support local visionaries to become regional champions and help develop their footprint in the region. It also seeks to create an entity that can cooperate with global players to produce and export quality Egyptian content to the rest of the world.

Yas Creative Hub reaches 95% completion mark

An aerial view of Yas Creative Hub.

Yas Creative Hub, the home for Abu Dhabi’s media, gaming & entertainment sector, is nearly complete. Twofour54 Abu Dhabi announced that the first units will be ready to hand over to tenants by the end of this year.

The 270,000sqm sustainable development will be home to a diverse group of global companies, local and independent businesses, and freelance professionals. With the number of jobs in Abu Dhabi’s creative industry expected to triple to 16,000 by 2031, Yas Creative Hub has been purpose-built to meet the future needs of this sector and is one of the assets being developed under Abu Dhabi’s AED 30bn ($8.17bn) investment strategy for the Culture and Creative Industries (CCI).

With construction on the project reaching 95%, twofour54 released the first official images of the campus. It also revealed continued high demand for units, with 93% of GLA already leased.

The company said the 600+ firms set to make Yas Creative Hub their home include more than 270 SMEs and startups. There will be more than 5,500sqm of production and post-production facilities, as well as an AD Gaming Hub. Yas Creative Hub will include six purpose-built studio facilities equipped with cutting-edge technology that enables world-quality broadcast, including the region’s first glass-walled studio, which will offer an incredible outlook across Yas Bay Waterfront.

Irdeto enhances security for Jawwy TV’s Android STBs

Intigral has implemented a range of security and antipiracy tools and services from Irdeto for its Jawwy TV platform. Intigral will combat content piracy and protect customers from malicious applications by implementing Irdeto Keys Credentials (K&C) and App Watch on their Android TV set-top boxes.

Using K&C for STBs, Intigral has built a trusted identity into each of Jawwy TV’s STBs to ensure that only those Android TV STBs authenticated and approved by Jawwy TV can connect to its network and access its services.

Irdeto-managed root of trust provides Jawwy TV’s STBs with built-in flexibility, enabling operators to future-proof their video platforms by rolling out new updates, services and security features to meet content owners’ requirements. Irdeto will handle the end-to-end lifecycle management of Jawwy TV’s STBs, including the secure generation, provisioning, renewal and even revocation of operatorowned and third-party supplied security keys and certificates, to ensure only authorised STBs run on the Intigral network.

Irdeto App Watch will be used to monitor any illegal consumption of content or malicious apps that can impact STB performance. Irdeto will also provide Intigral with global and regional reporting on piracy data for apps and plug-ins.

Netflix still from Galb'Echaouf by Abdessamad El Montassir.

AFAC and Netflix support 240 Arab TV and film freelancers

Netflix and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC) will support 240 freelancers in the film and TV sector across 12 countries in the Arab world, under the AFACNetflix Hardship Fund. Launched in June 2021, this emergency relief fund, valued at $480,000, offers individual grants of $2,000 each to people operating in the Arab region’s film and TV community who have been affected by the pandemic.

By the closing of the call for applications on July 15, 492 applications had been received from individuals from 17 countries. Of the 240 beneficiaries of the fund, 97% are freelancers in the film and TV sector. They hail from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen.

The New HyperDeck Studio

Get broadcast quality H.264, ProRes and DNx files recorded to SD cards or SSD media!

HyperDeck Studio lets you record broadcast quality video files directly onto SD cards and SSD media! The new redesigned HyperDeck Studios feature modern design with more codecs and quieter cooling. All models now support recording to H.264, Apple ProRes or DNxHD files with either PCM or AAC audio. For ISO recording, there’s even built in timecode and reference generators for syncing multiple units!

Elegantly Designed Professional Broadcast Deck

The new HyperDeck Studio models have been totally redesigned with dozens of new features! The Pro models feature a machined metal search dial with increased mass and a soft rubber surface that feels nice to the touch. Plus the search dial features an active clutch, just like a traditional broadcast deck! With dual media slots, you can change cards without interrupting recording!

Record to External USB-C Media Disks

If recording to other types of media is required, the USB-C expansion port lets you plug in an external flash disk for recording. USB-C flash disks have unlimited capacity because they can be physically larger than an SD card or SSD. Just move the disk over to a computer and instantly start editing! There are also menus for managing external disks on the built in LCD. Popular ProRes, DNx, H.264 and H.265 Files!

HyperDeck supports the most popular codecs in use today! All models include DNx and ProRes file formats. However all models also include H.264 in quality up to 10 bit 4:2:2 when recording in NTSC, PAL, 720p, 1080p and true 1080i interlaced formats. While the 4K model adds H.265 when recording in Ultra HD. The Plus and Pro models have ProRes 4444 for fill and key playback!

Advanced Broadcast Connections!

Depending on the model HyperDeck Studio features a wide range of video and audio connections such as 3G-SDI, 6G-SDI or 12G-SDI. All models include HDMI for connecting to televisions and projectors. There’s even a dedicated SDI monitoring output on the Pro and Plus models with on screen status. The 4K model has 10G Ethernet for extremely fast network file copying!

HyperDeck Studio HD Mini ............................ US$545* HyperDeck Studio HD Plus ..............................US$765* HyperDeck Studio HD Pro ...........................US$1,095* HyperDeck Studio 4K Pro ............................US$1,645*

Accedo powers Arabic SVOD service

MENA streaming platform TenTime has used Accedo to expand the availability of content on its SVOD service to connected TV platforms, delivering international (dubbed in Arabic) and Arabic series and movies, in addition to its original productions scheduled for an October 2021 launch.

The TenTime connected TV apps were developed and launched using Accedo Elevate, a costefficient templated video solution designed for portability and rapid time to market. Elevate is a fully functioning app solution with a library of core UI and service components comprising an advanced application framework.

It includes key prebuilt features suited for connected TV platforms, such as an EPG grid and the ability to stream live content.

As TenTime is a dedicated place for Arabic communities, Accedo Elevate natively includes both Right to Left and Left to Right language support. The Accedo project team worked closely with TenTime’s staff to customise the video service, integrate the desired feature sets and deploy the video service, leveraging Elevate’s framework capabilities.

Walid Finan, CEO of TenTime, said: “With TenTime, we wanted to build a core platform for Arabic and localised content, something which is currently missing in this market. We knew that it would be essential for us to have our service available across multiple smart TVs; however, with each device having a different operating system and device requirements, this was a challenge. Accedo worked closely with our team and enabled us to navigate those complexities to launch in a very short time frame and on budget.”

Michael Lantz, CEO of Accedo, added: “While there are many OTT services delivering international titles, there is a growing demand for a more localised approach, especially in terms of language. We’re thrilled to be working with TenTime, which is revolutionising the highly dynamic Arab entertainment landscape and delivering a fully localised service for the Arab-speaking world.”

Limelight Networks announces the completion of Layer0 acquisition

Limelight Networks has completed the acquisition of Moov Corporation, which does business as Layer0. This acquisition is a significant step in advancing Limelight’s strategy as an edge-enabled SaaS solutions provider, as Layer0’s tools deliver sub-second web apps and APIs through an all-in-one Jamstack platform.

Ross acquires D3 LED

Based in California, and with remote offices in New York City, D3 has over fifteen years of experience in creating LED displays for some of the world’s most recognised brands. Following the recent acquisition of Primestream, D3 is Ross Video’s 18th acquisition since 2009. The operation will be renamed Ross D3 LED.

CineGouna Platform selects 20 projects for El Gouna Film Festival

El Gouna Film Festival (GFF) has selected 20 projects – 13 in development, six in post and one guest project in post-production – for the fifth edition of the CineGouna Platform. A cash prize of $15,000 and a CineGouna Platform certificate will be awarded to the best film in post-production and the best project in development. The participating projects are also eligible to win grants funded by GFF’s sponsors and partners. The fifth edition will take place in El Gouna, October 14-22. CineGouna Platform activities will run October 16-21.

OSN offers personalised user experiences with Think360

OSN has gone live with Think360 from ThinkAnalytics on its streaming service, providing subscribers with a personalised user experience in Arabic. It is using Think360 with a fully managed service from ThinkAnalytics running on AWS for the revamped streaming service.

OSN chose Think360 for its breadth of personalisation capabilities and support for multiple languages including Arabic for search, recommendations and content intelligence, plus speed to market. It is using the latest cloud-native version of the Think360 content discovery platform, as well as Think360’s ThinkComposer UX engine and editorial campaign management with ThinkEditorial.

StarzPlay to stream AFC matches in UAE

Abu Dhabi Media has signed an agreement with StarzPlay to stream AFC national team and club tournaments, with exclusive broadcast rights for the UAE from 2021 to 2024. For an additional $4.08, subscribers can watch the Asian competitions and subscribe to Abu Dhabi Sports channels (Asia 1 and Asia 2) on the StarzPlay platform.

Snap appoints Julie Bogaert as Head of EMEA Talent Partnerships

Julie Bogaert will support public figures in the region. She will lead strategy, outreach and onboarding efforts with Snap’s talent partners to develop high-impact campaigns. Most recently, Bogaert held the role of Strategic Partnerships Manager at Facebook and Instagram. She has also looked after partnerships for top celebrities like the UK royal family, the Beckhams and Jamie Oliver.

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MBC Group and Animaccord sign multi-platform deal

Masha and the Bear. MBC Group has become the exclusive licensing agent for Animaccord children’s series Masha and the Bear in the region. Its Licensing & Merchandising unit will provide Animaccord with a full 360-support solution, which includes but is not limited to inking consumer products deals and increasing and strengthening the presence of the Masha and the Bear brand via digital offerings, events and on TV. Additionally, the cartoon will be televised on MBC3 as well as on Shahid Kids.

Valsoft enters broadcast market with VSN acquisition

Montreal-based Valsoft Corporation Inc (Valsoft), which focuses on acquiring and growing vertical software businesses that provide mission-critical solutions, has acquired media management solution provider VSN Video Stream Networks. This puts Aspire Software (an operating group of Valsoft) in a new vertical and strengthens its presence in Spain.

With this acquisition, VSN becomes the second Spanish company to join the Aspire Software family, after construction solutions leader Telematel. VSN founder and CEO Jordi Utiel will remain with the company to ensure a smooth transition, and the global leadership team will continue to lead the business and drive the product and company forward.

Zee Entertainment to merge with Sony Pictures Networks India Never.no promotes Ed Abis to MD

Sony Pictures Networks India (SPNI) and Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd (ZEEL) have entered into an exclusive, nonbinding Term Sheet to combine their linear networks, digital assets, production operations and programme libraries.

Under the terms of the deal, Sony Pictures Entertainment will inject $1.575bn capital into SPNI to grow the new entity. The proposed merged entity will be led by current Zee CEO Punit Goenka. Sony Pictures Entertainment will hold a majority stake. Never.no has announced that GM Ed Abis will lead the company as the new Managing Director, with CEO Scott Davies stepping into a non-executive role. Abis brings an extensive skill set to his new role, having previously worked for rights holders and brands such as Nike, Manchester United, ITV and Perform/ DAZN. His sales, strategy, operational and commercial expertise, supported by the growing team, will accelerate the company’s development and delivery of a more expansive product range for both broadcast and digital sectors.

Ed Abis. The Way to Your Heart is one of the productions SynProNize has acquired.

SynProNize acquires four Filipino series for distribution in Africa

Dubai-based content distribution and production company SynProNize, led by Nitin Michael and Hasnaa Descuns, has acquired four drama series from GMA Network, a broadcaster and distributor of Filipino dramas for distribution in Africa. They are: A Place in your Heart, Heart and Soul, Legally Blind and The Way to Your Heart.

Nitin Michael said: “The demand for Filipino dramas is swiftly on the rise, and at SynProNize we wanted to ensure that our clients have the best content from GMA to choose from for their channels/platforms.”

Roxanne J Barcelona, VP, Worldwide of GMA Network, added: “All four programmes have performed extremely well in other parts of the world, and we are confident they will resonate well with African viewers.”

DIGITAL 6000

No intermodulation. More channels. More performance.

Digital 6000 opens up new leeway and sets new standards. The system has intermodulation-free operation with an equidistant frequency grid, allowing reliable incorporation of transmission paths even in overcrowded or very narrow frequency ranges. The legendary long-range mode guarantees unrivalled quality. The new Link Density mode doubles the number of possible channels. The range’s own transmitters are designed for any application on stages or in the field of broadcasting. There is a choice of the bodypack SK 6000, the mini-bodypack SK 6212 and the handheld transmitter SKM 6000. Over and above this, the series is compatible with the Digital 9000 series and the camera receiver EK 6042.

Discover more www.sennheiser.com/digital-6000

Kenyan broadcaster enhances news coverage with TVU Networks solutions

Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) has added 10 TVU One 4K HDR mobile transmitters to its existing TVU complement, for more extensive live news coverage, and a TVU VS3500 4K UHD server to support streaming content on the website and social media.

Nairobi-based Philmart, a TVU Networks partner, provided systems integration services to KBC, and training to the KBC editorial, technical and ICT teams on how to leverage the TVU Cloud solutions of TVU Anywhere, TVU Partyline and TVU Producer.

Job Karimi, KBC Manager Tech Operations, said: “TVU is the backbone of our ENG operation. We’re able to report various incidents as they happen and keep the public updated on the latest news within the shortest time possible. We use TVU every day in our daily ENG news production. In cases where we deploy our OB van, we also use our TVU One units to capture critical cut-away shots and to cover areas the OB truck cannot.”

Paul Shen, CEO of TVU Networks, added: “It’s rewarding to see how KBC has utilised our solutions to push their news coverage forward. We expect their media services to continue to break boundaries both locally and globally.”

Canal+ to acquire 70% stake in SPI International

Canal+ will acquire a 70% majority stake in SPI International, a global media company operating 42 TV channels across six continents. Under the terms of the deal, SPI International will keep its current management team and operational structure in place. SPI founder and CEO Loni Farhi and Berk Uziyel will continue to manage and develop the business.

Red Sea Film Festival selects 14 Arab films for Red Sea fund

A still from one of the selected projects.

Red Sea International Film Festival has selected 14 Arabic feature films to receive production and post-production funding from its Red Sea Fund. The fund aims to support projects that require immediate and crucial financing and shine a light on important narratives from emerging filmmakers from the Arab world. This round of funding is an accelerator to the official Red Sea Fund initiative, which launched in June and received an encouraging 650 projects.

Dash Media chooses Blackmagic solutions for studio infrastructure

Cameroon broadcaster Dash Media has expanded its content platforms to create two TV channels, delivered from an SDI studio environment built around Blackmagic Design solutions such as the ATEM Constellation 8K and the ATEM 1 M/E advanced panel.

Blackmagic Studio Cameras 4K, equipped with Olympus power zoom lenses, are rigged throughout the studio space, with signals feeding through to two dedicated control rooms. The camera cabling was also prepped in advance, braiding in power, audio, SDI and comms, which allows the camera crew to be up and running in seconds.

Live content is mixed on an ATEM Constellation 8K and ATEM 1 M/E Advanced Panel, paired with an Axel playout system.

An edit suite forms the final element for content production, with a Mac Pro and UltraStudio 4K to add graphics and deliver prerecorded content packages that can be spliced into broadcasts.

At Dash Media's facility in Cameroon.

Mukund Cairae to head new Toonz Media Networks division

Toonz Media Group has created a Strategic Business Unit (SBU) called Toonz Media Networks, and roped in former Zee Entertainment COO Mukund Cairae to helm the new business unit and aid in expanding to more territories in the next two years. Toonz Media Networks will supervise the launch of the Group’s new linear television channels in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and MENA.

Cairae, President of Toonz Media Networks, said: “The idea is to monetise Toonz content in various geographies across the globe, especially in the emerging markets, via our in-house content delivery platforms. Toonz will partner with telcos as well as digital platforms to launch channels in these geographies. This includes both linear and on-demand channels. For on-demand platform, we will start off with the Middle East market.”

He added that each of the new geographies has been identified based on the scope for revenue capturing and effective content repurposing, in order to make it relevant and adaptable to local markets. As part of this, home-grown Toonz content will be dubbed into a slew of global languages including Bahasa Indonesia, Bahasa Melayu, Arabic, Urdu, Thai, French and Swahili.

Toonz will also be actively pursuing content partnerships in these regions to co-create premium content, including esports.

Mukund Cairae.

Abu Dhabi establishes Creative Media Authority to boost creative sector

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler of Abu Dhabi and President of the UAE, has issued a law establishing the Creative Media Authority as part of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, with a mission to accelerate the growth of the UAE capital's multidisciplinary creative sector.

The CMA is part of an $8.17bn, 10-year investment strategy across Abu Dhabi to develop the emirate’s culture and creative infrastructure, with $2.31bn invested over the past five years and a further $5.99bn being rolled out in the next five years. The move brings the CCI industry under one umbrella, as DCT Abu Dhabi now consolidates Abu Dhabi’s multidisciplinary domains such as film and TV production, popular music, gaming and esports with cultural fields such as heritage, visual arts and the Arabic Language Centre among others. The new entity will also oversee a range of talent development programmes to nurture the next generation of skilled professionals.

Al Arabiya and Al Hadath to move operations to KSA from Dubai

News channels Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, both part of MBC Group, are reported to have begun transferring their operations from Dubai to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since last month, based on instructions from Saudi Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), according to newspaper reports.

The Saudi government has a 60% stake in MBC Group as of 2018.

A report in Al Nashra stated that the transfer is expected to take place in three phases, with phase one having begun last month and phase two in January, when production within Riyadh must reach at least 12 hours a day. Although a date has not been confirmed for the third phase, this period will include concluding existing contracts with staff and creating new ones, according to news reports.

The report added that Saudi's Crown Prince expects all Saudi media companies to operate from home ground. MBS also announced last month that no government contracts will be awarded to companies that do not have a regional HQ based in Saudi Arabia.