Butheina Kazim, founder of Dubai's only arthouse cinema, on what led her to start an alternate film culture in the UAE
THE CINEMA AFICIONADO
ISSUE 144 | SEPTEMBER 2022 Licensed by Dubai Development Authority
One of the big concerns within the industry is that IP and cloud solutions are not entirely as solid as we would like them to be. While many vendors claim their solutions are rock solid, and this may be so when they operate in isolation, they often throw up new challenges when part of the daisy chain. As an end user from Doha pointed out in one of our articles this month, when you dig deep, you start to see a lot of holes that haven’t been plugged and this opens a Pandora’s box.
Vendors who go beyond their own proprietary solutions to collaborate with other industry players and test their products in various environments are gradually emerging as the winners in this race. Often, however, broadcasters find that they are forced to stick to solutions from one company to avoid integration challenges. The journey is paved with uncertainty, with multiple new skills required, several unknowns when integrating with legacy equipment, and the fear of a blackout in the course of a transition. No one wants to add to that complexity with a solution that fails, and this is where solution providers need to back their marketing claims with products that will deliver irrespective of the environment they are placed in. At IBC 2022, we hope to see a whole new generation of adaptable products that cater to new and emerging broadcast scenarios.
BroadcastProMEwww.facebook.com/BroadcastProME@BroadcastProME
Some of these pain points were discussed extensively at a panel discussion we hosted as part of the BroadcastPro Tech Summit and at our roundtable with Edgio, both of which are now available in this issue.
Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director
Judging by the press releases that arrive in our inbox daily, there will be a lot of new launches at the show this year. See you in Amsterdam.
Welcome
After a two-year hiatus, I believe most of us are really excited about heading to Amsterdam for IBC this year. Much has changed in the last two years, and I’m certain this will be reflected in some of the technology launches we witness at the show. I hope to see some new launches around IP and cloud, remote production and more software solutions, among others.
Let’s create a vibrant online broadcast community! THE CINEMA AFICIONADO On month'sthis cover… Butheina Kazim, founder and Managing Director, Cinema Akil Subscribe online at: GROUP Managing Director Raz raz.islam@cpitrademedia.comIslam+971(0)43755471 Managing Partner Vijaya vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.comCherian+971(0)43755472 Director of Finance & Business Operations Shiyas shiyas.kareem@cpitrademedia.comKareem+971(0)43755474 EDITORIALEditor Vijaya vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.comCherian+971(0)551053787 Sub Editor Aelred Doyle ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Sandip sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.comVirk+971(0)509291845+44(0)7516993862 DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Designer Percival Manalaysay MARKETING & EVENTS Events Producer Paul paul.godfrey@cpitrademedia.comGodfrey+971(0)43755470 Social Media & Marketing Executive Gladys gladys.dsouza@cpitrademedia.comDSouza+971(0)43755478 Events Executive Minara minara.s@cpitrademedia.comSalakhi+971(0)44332856 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION Data & Production Manager Phinson Mathew phinson.george@cpitrademedia.comGeorge+971(0)43755476 DIGITAL SERVICES Abdul Baeis Umair Khan FOUNDER Dominic De SousaPublished(1959-2015)by The publisher of this magazine has made every effort to ensure the content is accurate on 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 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. CPI Trade Media. PO Box 13700, Dubai, UAE. +971 4 375 5470 cpitrademedia.com © Copyright 2022. All rights reserved.
1September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROINTRO
THE SKY IS THE LIMIT. HYPER-DENSITYlawo.online/edge-videoSDI/IPCONVERSION 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
3September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROCONTENTS COVER STORY – SCREEN QUEEN Inside this issue 05 NEWS Dubai TV uses data for decisionmaking; MAF inks distribution deal with Universal Pictures International; Eros partners with Arabia Pictures Group; TOD now on Samsung smart TVs; StarzPlay launches sports streaming service; KSA's biggest TV production to date; and more 14 COVER – SCREEN QUEEN In conversation with the woman behind Dubai's only arthouse cinema 22 FIRST LOOK – FIRDAUS STUDIO BY AR RAHMAN Designed in collaboration with AR Rahman, Firdaus Studio at Expo City Dubai does the city proud. We take a tour 28 OTT IN THE LIMELIGHT Industry experts gather in Dubai to discuss the challenges and aspirations around OTT with Edgio, formerly Limelight 36 CASE STUDY – DOHA Al Araby Tech chief on why the media house chose Telestream as a major partner for its relocation from London to Doha 40 FIELD TEST Veteran Resolve user Nina Sargsyan puts version 18 through its paces 52 THE FUTURE IS FAST Senior execs discuss why FAST is trending globally 58 VIRTUAL PRODUCTION Part 4 of this series examines motion tracking in detail 64 CLOUD-GROUNDGROUND-CLOUDA look at common practices for cloud production 1405DUBAI TV TAKES DATA SERIOUSLY September 2022 MOVING TOWARDS A FAST FUTURE NEW LAUNCHES AT IBC 2022 6152 TAKEAWAYS FROM IP AND CLOUD PANEL 46 REVIEW – DAVINCI RESOLVE 1840NEW STUDIO AT EXPO CITY DUBAI 22 OTT ROUNDTABLE WITH EDGIO 28
MKE Upgrade400 your sound. www.sennheiser.com/mke-400 #CreateMore Sometimes, good just isn’t good enough. Enter the MKE 400, an on-camera shotgun microphone that combines portability and performance and sheds a whole new light on the way we capture audio for our video. Features that were traditionally accessories—like a windscreen and shock-mount—are now fully integrated and perform better than ever, freeing up space in your camera bag and on top of your camera itself.
Consumer intelligence company Talkwalker and Dubai TV Channels Network (part of Dubai Media Inc) have published a case study that shows how real-time consumer intelligence data expedites decision-making.
Talkwalker helps Dubai TV Channels
This new deal realigns the release of UPI movies in the Middle East and will see Majid Al Futtaim release titles such as M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Knock at the Cabin, the Super Mario Bros. movie, Renfield, Fast & Furious 10 and Trolls 3 next year. It builds on Leisure,CEO,LebanonallwillFourpartnershiplongstandingUniversal’sdistributionwithdistributorStarFilms,whichcontinuetoreleaseUniversaltitlesinandCyprus.IgnaceLahoud,MajidAlFuttaimEntertainment & Cinemas, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Universal Pictures International (UPI), which has a long legacy of producing andfilmscinemagrowworkingtopopularblockbustertheirlookacclaimedsuccessfulcommerciallyandcriticallymovies.WeforwardtobringingimpressiveslateoffilmsandmoviefranchisesthebigscreenandtogethertotheMiddleEast’sindustrywiththatattractalargediverseaudience.”
Universal Pictures International and Majid Al Futtaim ink distribution deal
Majid Al DistributionFuttaimhas signed a new distribution deal with Universal Pictures International (UPI), the international distribution arm of Universal Pictures.
Heba Al Samt, Digital Media Department Director at Dubai TV Channels.
intelligence,Talkwalker’saboutsocialHebaAl
The case study includes the main challenges that Dubai TV Channels’ digital media department team faced in finding a robust, centralised reporting tool that allows the extraction of real insights from social media data. Creating content that engages and entertains the audience is imperative for the team at Dubai TV Channels, as it is a major multimedia and creative accessibleentertainmentensuringcheer.loversthataregionofchallengingStarzPlay,CommercialTV,EastestablishmentservicesintheMiddlewithaportfoliospanningradio,printandSVOD.DannyBates,ChiefOfficeratsaid:“WearethestatusquosportsstreaminginthewithStarzPlaySports,platformlikenootherwillprovidesportsmorereasonstoWearededicatedtothatthebestsportsisreadilytooursubscribers.”
Speaking Samt, Digital Media Department Director at Dubai TV Channels, said: “Talkwalker’s tool is a beneficial and qualitative addition to the digital transformation journey pursued by our Digital Media Department of Dubai Channels. We believe that the use of innovative social intelligence will help us accelerate our data coverage and hence make the right data-driven decisions.”
make data-driven decisions
Effective February 1, 2023, Universal movies will be released in Saudi Arabia, the GCC and Egypt by Majid Al Futtaim Distribution, a major regional film distributor and a subsidiary of Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas.
Ignace Lahoud, CEO, Majid Al Futtaim Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas.
5September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PRONEWS
The Dubai TV Channels digital media team leveraged consumer intelligence to increase social media engagement by 83.7% YoY on Facebook, by 210,000 likes on Twitter (14.3% increase YoY), and by 2.4m likes on Instagram (151% increase YoY).
6 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PRONEWS
Palestinian actor Eyad Hourani stars in post-apocalyptic thriller Jamie Cooke, GM of Warner Bros. Discovery CEE MENAT.
BeIN Sports teams up with Twitter ahead of 2022 World Cup
Palestinian actor Eyad Hourani, known for his role in Omar, which was nominated for Best TheapocalypticroleinLanguageForeignFilmOscar2013,hasaleadinnewpost-thrillerPact.TheRokuChannelhaspickeduptheseriesfromQatar-basedKataraStudiosandTaipei-andLosAngeles-basedOrganicMediaGroup.Ithasjuststartedshowing across North America, with a Middle East debut in mid-2023. This Qatar-funded sci-fi series follows a band of andtheythefamilyinguyHouranidrivesaescapeitstrugglingsurvivorstomaketosafetyandtheMiasma,mysteriousfogthatvictimsinsane.playsagoodtryingtosurviveateam,withastrainedpastbreakingpointasseekthecauseofcureforthefog.
Following his appointment as GM of Warner Bros. Discovery CEE, Baltics, Middle East, Mediterranean and Turkey (CEE MENAT) earlier this year, Jamie Cooke has announced his leadership team that will drive the future of the business in CEE MENAT and EMEA-wide Pay TV Networks and Creative Agency. Cooke said: “I have spent the last few weeks getting to know the key leaders across the combined business and learning as much as I can to make the best decisions for our structure and strategy moving forward. As we have a large and complex region, it’s reassuring to see we have so much talent and skilled people across the board. Therefore, I’m pleased to announce today my leadership team who, together with their respective teams, will support me in driving the business of Warner Bros. Discovery forward in our region.”
Lee Hobbs will handle the EMEAwide Pay TV channel business (including Discovery Channel, TLC, HGTV and ID brands), and will take on responsibility for the newlook EMEA WBD Creative Agency servicing multiple content and channel brands. Mabelie Bruijns will be responsible for Communications across the combined region and payTV networks business in EMEA.
The 2022 World Cup’s official broadcaster, BeIN Sports, has partnered with Twitter to share content during the event, which begins on November 20 in Qatar. It will share content for regional audiences across Twitter, highlighting the biggest moments and providing brands and marketers with association opportunities via Twitter Amplify sponsorship. Each match will be highlighted through content clips, match recaps and in-studio analysis aired through @beINSPORTS, for a total of 320 videos.
Roni Patel will be responsible for managing Content Licensing for the combined region and the Nordics. Andrei Grigorescu will be responsible for Ad-Sales for the combined region, and Francesco Perta will be responsible for Business Development and Distribution. For MENA and Turkey, Grigory Lavrov will lead Trade Marketing across the combined region and Channel Management for TLC and DMAX in Turkey and Fatafeat in the Middle East.
Warner Bros. Discovery announces CEE MENAT leadership team
Abdulelah Alahmary, Chairman of Arabia Pictures Group. Pradeep Dwivedi, Group CEO of Eros Media World. Roua Almadani, CEO of Arabia Pictures Group.
7September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PRONEWS
As part of Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government plans to transform its film industry into a major economic contributor by investing approximately $6.9bn in the sector. Saudi Arabia has been encouraging households to increase spending on cultural and entertainment activities, which has increased from 2.9% to 6% of GDP. The introduction of Web3 and blockchain technology will help accelerate this growth further.
Eros has entered into a strategic partnership with Riyadh-headquartered Arabia Pictures Group (APG), which caters mainly to the MENA region and is focused on content production. Eros and APG will explore strategic and business opportunities in film production, technology and Web3 spaces, with the aim of exclusively catering to the Indian entertainment industry. The partnership aims to tap into Vision 2030, the Saudi Arabian government’s strategic framework to move away from dependence on oil. Eros is the first Indian media company to explore actionable opportunities. Together, the companies will explore investments in content production, such as end-to-end production, line production and distribution. They will also seek to introduce new technologies that can further the growth of the media and entertainment sector. They are already in advanced stages of testing movie archive digitisation and virtual location scouting technologies. With new-age blockchain and related technologies transforming businesses worldwide, the joint entity will focus on building an environment that supports decentralised and autonomous new economy growth, creating a more equitable and empowering ecosystem for the entertainment community to thrive in.
Pradeep Dwivedi, Group CEO of Eros Media World, added: “Saudi Arabia is a strategic market for global organisations like Eros Media World. We aspire to be a front runner in not only getting a foothold in this burgeoning market but also contributing to the economy through our expertise. This partnership is significant as it allows us to understand the market and introduce new concepts and technologies that are crucial to the growth of the sector in the region. Cultural similarities between India and Saudi Arabia will help accelerate this process and create value for stakeholders.”
According to a Gartner report, by 2030, blockchain will be the foundational technology for 30% of global customers, with a $3.1tn economy.
Abdulelah Alahmary, Chairman of Arabia Pictures Group, said: “The MENA region is keen for creative mediums such as arts and films to play a more prominent role in shaping the economy. This presents a great opportunity for us to use our combined strength and contribute to the sector’s growth. We are collaborating in the East with Eros’ expertise in the new-age Web3 and blockchain space to give us an edge, and I am certain that we will build an ecosystem that will transform the media and entertainment industry in the MENA region and beyond towards the West.” CEO Roua Almadani added: “We have always been aspiring to partner with India, the top entertainment creators in the world, and now the dream has come true. This cooperation will create various job opportunities in entertainment production and filmmaking and help discover young talents in the film industry in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.”
Eros partners with Arabia Pictures Group to explore content opportunities
A new partnership will see TOD, beIN’s streaming platform, available on Samsung smart TVs. TOD has exclusive access to beIN’s sports programming and
Belgian company THEO Technologies has appointed Esteban Galan as Sales Director for LATAM, South Europe and MEA. THEO Technologies helps companies around the globe to power high-quality online video experiences to their viewers. Prior to this, Galan worked as Senior Manager of Broadcast Technical at Expo 2020 Dubai. Galan has worked extensively in broadcast platformproductionsinGames,andasbighassportsdigital-telco-mediainbusinessinnovation,technology,productandmanagementtheconvergedandindustries.Heworkedonseveralglobalevents,suchtheOlympicGamestheEuropeanwithexpertisevariouskindsofandOTTdevelopment.
oneentertainmentbestTVs,onclusivenowchannels,WithacrossintohelpsTODSamsungour“WeSalesVPthewillWorldbigpopularfivethetheDolby4K/UHDcontentand‘Entertainment,’customisedentertainmenthourshasportfolio.entertainmentTheplatformmorethan35,000ofpremiumcontent.TODoffersthreepackages:‘Sports,’‘AllIn’.ItssportsisoffereduptostreamingwithAudio.Additionally,platformcomeswithabilitytoconnectuptodevicesandsupportssmartphonesandscreens.AseparateCuppackagebeavailablewithincomingweeks.JohnPaulMckerlie,MarketingandatTOD,said:areexcitedaboutpartnershipwithasitbringstoabigscreenandusmakeinroadsourusers’homestheMENAregion.beIN’sportfolioofconsumerscanstreamTOD’sex-contentselectiontheirSamsungcomprisingtheinsportsandonplatform."
A pic of Egyptian actress Hend Sabry, who plays the lead in the Netflix show Finding Ola Esteban Galan.
“The Arab world, including Egypt, is ripe with talent,” Naoum said. “What they need is concerted effort and professional support to nurture their growth. Women in the region in particular need this kind of incubation and technical support to gain access to opportunities that advance their professional growth in an industry where their presence is still limited. Sard is trying to achieve this through the work we do, and through partnerships with organisations like Netflix that help steer talent in the right direction.”
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Esteban Galan joins THEO Technologies as Sales Director
TOD now smartSamsungonTVs
The five-day programme in Cairo will include storytelling classes, creative expression sessions and talks by entertainment professionals.
Netflix and Sard tie to launch writing programme in Egypt
Netflix has partnered with Sard, a dedicated hub for scriptwriters in the Arab world, to train women in creative writing and develop their storytelling and creative expression skills through the ‘Because She Created’ writing programme. This is designed to incubate 20 women from outside Cairo and expose untapped talent to the creative tools and industry insight needed to advance creative and professional development.
The ‘Because She Created’ writing programme is part of the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, which aims to create new opportunities for underrepresented communities within the entertainment industry through training and upskilling initiatives.
Sard was founded by awardwinning writer Mariam Naoum in 2016 as a safe space for aspiring screenwriters to improve their writing skills.
Elegantly Designed Professional Broadcast Deck HyperDeck Shuttle HD is perfectly designed for the desktop. This means the front panel can be operated with a single hand! The design is the same depth and angle as ATEM Mini Extreme, so they match perfectly when used together!
New HyperDeck Shuttle HD
HyperDeck Shuttle HD is a recorder and player that’s designed to be used on the desktop! That means it’s more than a master recorder as it can also be used as a clip player. You get support for ProRes, DNx and H.264 files in NTSC, PAL, 720p and 1080p video formats.
HyperDeck Shuttle includes a control panel that’s very fast to use. The buttons are similar to a traditional broadcast deck. Simply press the record button and you instantly start recording the video input to a file! It will record in the file format that has been set in the record menu. There are other buttons for playback, to cue to the start of the clip and to move to the next clip.
HyperDeck Shuttle HD US$545 SRP excludes duties, shipping and sales tax. tha s it s
Learn more at www.blackmagicdesign.com/ae
Plus SD cards, UHS-II cards and USB-C external disks can be used for recording and playing media.
Scrolling media is fast as the machined metal search dial has a natural inertia, and the soft rubber surface feels nice to the touch.
Traditional Broadcast Deck Controls
Supports SD Cards and UHS-II Cards
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. Plus, it’s even possible to record to a disk you’ll use for editing, so you don’t need to waste time copying files before starting post production.
The desktop HyperDeck that’s the perfect live production clip player and master recorder!
Record to External USB-C Media Disks
HyperDeck Shuttle supports recording to common SD cards and UHS-II cards so you don’t need expensive custom media. When using H.264, the files are so incredibly small you get very long recordings even on smaller low cost cards. This means you can record up to 157 hours of H.264 in 1080p59.94 on a 1 TB card. That’s over 6 days of recording in HD using a single 1 TB card!
Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, CEO of Doha Film Institute, said: “The Ajyal Jury Experience is a one-of-akind cultural initiative that brings together young people from across the world for a week-long celebration of film that will not only enhance their understanding of the world but also help build their interpersonal and professional skills. Ajyal, over the years, has allowed the youth to explore new horizons of creative and cultural understanding, and we take great pride in our global Ajyal community.
DFI invites aspiring young jurors to Ajyal Film Festival
Fans have exclusive access to Italian Serie A through AD Sports Premium 1 and AD Sports Premium 2. All year round, StarzPlay Sports will bring premium international and regional tournaments such as the Coppa Italia, the Supercoppa Italiana and the Dutch Eredivisie. It will be the home of the Indian home series and the Pakistan Super League, Frank Warren boxing, the EuroLeague and EuroCup basketball competitions, the PGA Tour and many more sports, leagues andThetournaments.sportsservice will offer round-the-clock global sporting events through live on-demand events and bespoke live channels bringing subscribers uninterrupted live coverage in all 19 countries that the platform operates in, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. All live events will become immediately available to watch on demand once the event has ended, enabling users to catch up on the live action they missed at their convenience.
The Doha Film Institute (DFI) is accepting applications from aspiring jurors for its special 10th edition Ajyal Film Festival from October 1-8, a “tribute to the nation in a historic year”, with the World Cup taking place in Qatar in November and December. The festival has an expanded programme, with one event dedicated to the jurors in October and a public event from November 22 to December 16 that will coincide with the World Cup. People aged eight to 25 are invited to register for the Ajyal Jury Experience to explore the world of cinema through curated film screenings, workshops and discussions.
“This year, as we mark a special 10th edition to coincide with the global event that Qatar is hosting, we look forward to welcoming our vibrant team of over 500 Ajyal jurors to come together across physical and cultural divides, instilling a sense of empowerment to build a brighter future and bringing us closer together as a global
asRamyStudiosAnghaminamesAl-Kadhinewhead
Streaming service
StarzPlay launched StarzPlay Sports, an allnew service dedicated to sports lovers, last month.
10 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PRONEWS
StarzPlay launches sports streaming service
appropriatefeatureprogrammeevaluateBader8-12),segmentsintoMembersMuseumsfees2501.completed150birdcanSeptemberJuryRegistrationcommunity.”fortheAjyalprogrammeisopenuntil21.ApplicantsbenefitfromanearlydiscountedfeeofQAR($41)forregistrationsbeforeSeptemberThestandardfeeisQAR($69),withdiscountedforsiblingsandQatarCulturePassatQAR200($55).AjyalJurorsarecategorisedthreecompetition–Mohaq(agesHilal(13-17)and(18-25).Theywillacuratedfilmcoveringfilmsandshortfilmstotheirage.
Anghami has named Ramy Al-Kadhi as the new Head of Anghami Studios. He was previously Sales Manager at Anghami before moving to its new music-oriented arm, Anghami Studios. In his new role, he will head the studio to leverage Anghami’s wealth of data, connection with talent and technology to create content for brands. Al-Kadhi, as a part of Anghami Studios, has already worked with PUBG Mobile, DEWA, Pepsi, Mars Company, L’Oréal and Chalhoub Group, among others.
Music streaming platform
MBC Studios, the in-house premium content production arm of MBC Group, has announced the production of Rise of the Witches, which it claims will be the biggest TV series ever made in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The fantasy adventure has a homegrown Saudi cast and the largest ever Saudi budget for special effects. Supported by NEOM, it is being filmed on three purposebuilt studio sets, including Saudi Arabia’s biggest purpose-built backlots.
Based on the best-selling Saudi mythology books by Osamah Almuslim, the series, set in ancient Arabia, tells the story of an epic war between two rival witch covens led by Afsaar and Da’ja’a. Growing up in a world dominated by male magicians who want to prevent women from having access to magical powers, they secretly learn the arts and go on to form their own groups in order to protect themselves and gain power. But can they join forces?
The predominantly Saudi cast is led by Ida AlKusay (Afsaar) and Sumaya Rida (Da’ja’a), and the series is directed by Declan O’Dwyer and Craig Pickles, with production led by Dominic Barlow and MBC Group’s Zeinab Abu Alsamh as Executive Producer. The ten-part Shahid Original will stream on Shahid later this year.
Riedel restructures EMEA teams
In Q2, WBD’s HBO Max, HBO and Discovery+ subscribers combined were 92.1m, up 1.7m from the previous quarter. That’s up 22% from 75.8m on a proforma basis versus a year earlier. HBO Max
Riedel Communications is restructuring its EMEA sales and system consulting
Warner Bros. Discovery will officially merge its HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services into a single offering, Jean-Briac Perrette, CEO and President, Global Streaming and Games, said in an earnings call.
Valent joins Riedel as Head of System Consulting EMEA after serving in various technical management roles at sales managers locally, while the new reporting structure will bolster
consistency, efficiency, better SuccessRiedel’sExecutivetothecontinuity.transferknowledgeandserviceBasedinUK,ValentreportsCraigThompson,DirectorofnewCustomerDepartment.
From left: Jürgen Diniz-Malleck, Sales Director EMEA, and Ilona Valent, Head of System Consulting EMEA.
After its rollout in the US as a single service in the summer of 2023, WBD plans to take the unified HBO Max-Discovery+ platform to Latin America in autumn 2023; Europe in early 2024; Asia Pacific in mid-2024; and additional markets in autumn 2024.
From left: Ida AlKusay and Sumaya Rida.
salestoHersystemsmanufacturersbroadcastinginternationaltechnologyandintegrators.teamwillcontinuesupporttheregionaldirectorsand
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Rise of the Witches biggest TV series to be made in Saudi Arabia
SalesbutexistingresponsiblewillEast,ofactingJürgenbusiness,Riedel’sdirectorsengineerbydedicatedconsultingregionalreorganisedtheitsarchitectureteamtosupportongoinggrowthinEMEAregion.Whilesaleswillbeinsixlargerunits,systemwillformaEMEAunitledexperiencedsystemsIlonaValent.SixregionalsaleswillshapefutureEMEAheadedbyDiniz-MalleckasSalesDirectorEMEA.IntheMiddleAhmedMagdcontinuetobeforhisterritory,nowasRegionalDirector.
mergeDiscovery+andtoin2023
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 Thecollaboration.Summitis 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 BroadcastProworkplaces.
Content/Nominations Vijaya Cherian | +971 4 375 vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com5472 Sponsorship/Table Booking Raz Islam | +971 4 375 raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com5471 Sandip Virk | +971
About the Summit
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. 50 929
sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com1845 2022 Summit & Awards Contact Us We look forward to hearing from you.
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).
Venue Westin Mina Seyahi Date 08 Nov Website broadcastpromeawards.com
2022 Awards Categories 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 SpecialSatellite Segment SATELLITE OPERATOR OF THE YEAR SATELLITE SOLUTIONS PROVIDER OF THE YEAR © 2022 CPI Trade Media. All rights reserved. STRATEGIC PARTNERKNOWLEDGE PARTNER ASSOCIATE SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR SILVER SPONSOR ASSOCIATE SPONSOR NETWORKING SPONSOR ENDORSED BY PRESENTED BY PRESENTED BY Nominate now Nomination deadline 24 Sept 2022
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.
About the Recognise.AwardsReward. Reinvigorate
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.
“We started Cinema Akil as an experiment. It was the heyday of the city’s bustling art scene,” she says. “Outside of the film festivals, there was no real chance to discover and access such films, even specialty films from the region.”
There are movie fans, there are film lovers, and then there are cinephiles – such as Butheina Kazim, founder and MD of Cinema Akil, a trailblazer in the heart of Al Serkal Avenue that has been bringing unconventional films to the city for the last three years.
As Dubai’s cultural landscape shifted, Kazim noticed an evolution in cinema preferences. Numerous festivals such as the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), Abu Dhabi Film Festival and the Gulf Film Festival were emerging, stoking an interest in films that were alternatives to those showcased in legacy cinemas and multiplexes.
events were among the biggest commercial casualties of the pandemic as they came to an abrupt halt when the shutters were pulled down on thousands of creative businesses. Defying the odds, Cinema Akil pulled through bravely as Butheina Kazim, the creative mind behind it, poured her energy into devising alternate strategies. The intrepid entrepreneur not only galvanised the city’s only arthouse cinema through one of the most difficult periods in the entertainment industry, but also retained it at its current address in Al Serkal, as well as in the hearts of Dubai’s cinema lovers.
BroadcastPro ME talks to the woman behind Dubai’s only arthouse cinema
Kazim was convinced that “this had a lot of potential” and that the time was
THE CINEMA AFICIONADO
Born in 2014 out of a heady mix of passion for cinema, love for Dubai and a “little bit of insanity”, Cinema Akil is a labour of love. Derived from the Arabic word ’akal’, meaning the brain or mind, the name is meant to portray cinema as the embodiment of wisdom and intelligence. At the time, Dubai’s art and culture scene was rapidly unfolding with Al Serkal Avenue having gained a foothold, Art Dubai established, and art galleries mushrooming across the city.
14 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROCOVERArt,filmsand
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“We started with a limited sixweek programme featuring handpicked films. These were meant to be a kind of a smorgasbord of the programme Cinema Akil would showcase once it moved to a permanent location. From there, it was a spiral effect. A lot of people showed up – they were very interested and engaged. There was a lot of conversation and we knew we had tapped into something that was missing in the city,” says Kazim jubilantly. From there, things started moving quickly. Together with Al Serkal Avenue, Cinema Akil’s embryonic partner, Kazim drew up plans for a full-time operational brick-andmortar arthouse cinema. It would be another four years before her dream took shape at Al Serkal. “It took longer by intention, because we were benefiting from the experience of the nomadic set-up.”
16 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROCOVER ripe to start the arthouse cinema movement in Dubai. Thus was born Cinema Akil. Starting off its journey as a ’nomadic cinema’, the pop-up cinema screened a variety of international films in different locations. Events were nonticketed, with free screenings made possible through sponsorships or commissions. Classics such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Dial M for Murder, Satyajit Ray’s Pather Panchali and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son were some of the first films to be screened.
The move to a 365-day setup was huge in terms of both programming and funding. For Kazim, Cinema Akil had never been a theenterprise.commercially-drivenSinceitsinception,platformhadgraduallybuilt Cinema Akil presented a three-week retrospective of the films of Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige earlier this year.
Cinema Akil’s shabby chic interiors, draped with damask patterned wallpaper, ooze oldworld charm. Cinematic heritage appears in the form of the forty plush red seats salvaged from the Golden Cinema (Dubai’s longestrunning single-screen theatre, which closed in 2017) that fringe the main hall on the left and right. While the ambience is reminiscent of a bygone era, the equipment is state-of-the-art. Kazim made sure the acoustic treatment was top-notch and the projectors the best in the industry. The middle of the hall features mismatched movable settees, a deliberate design element to allow Kazim’s team to configure the space
“Through our corporate tieups and pop-up sponsorships, we were able to raise the capital needed. Having strong partnerships through the years helped to offset a lot of the initial start-up costs that we incurred,” she says. But just as Cinema Akil was gaining popularity, the pandemic hit. One element that helped Cinema Akil get through Covid-19 was its versatile interior. “The days of a dark room cinema and black box that operate only during screening hours are gone. Right from the beginning, it was very clear to us that we have to be more than a cinema. We designed Cinema Akil in a way that allows the space to be utilised for a lot of different activation and monetisation opportunities for our partners and clients. During the pandemic, this became a big focus for us – rentals as well as leveraging the space and footfall around us to create unique, memorable experiences for our clients.”
“The future of cinema is no longer the big screen, the multiplex or large tubs of popcorn ... Now it’s about understanding the community, building a relationship, and becoming part and parcel of the local experience that will sustain cinema”
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Butheina Kazim, founder, Cinema Akil
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17September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROCOVER up a “committed and captive audience” and an equally solid reputation. The move from the lean operational structure of a pop-up to a full-time set-up was not cheap, is all she divulges about the investment required.
“We’ve always been feminists – it is in the DNA of Cinema Akil. We try to have a bigger representation of women filmmakers and give a platform to women’s voices, especially women of colour and from underrepresented communities”
Kazim’s cinema is versatile but committed to movies. It has a finger on the pulse of its audience but also holds its own in the world of film. And this has been the recipe for its success. Truly unique, its approach isn’t something Kazim has copied from legacy theatres or modern multiplexes, and is symbolic of the changing face of the movie-going experience. As its founder says, “The future of cinema is no longer the big screen, the multiplex or large tubs of popcorn. Those days are gone when one film screens across all the theatres and dominates the box office for four weeks or longer. Now it’s about understanding the community, building a relationship, and becoming part and parcel of the local experience
Butheina Kazim, founder, Cinema Akil Cinema Akil was designed to be a versatile space that can be transformed to accommodate other events when film screenings are not taking place, says Kazim.
18 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROCOVER as needed. “It was an intentional decision to have a space that we could play around with. The kind of malleability the interiors have allows them to transform very quickly for any kind of activity that’s suited for an intimate space and involves the use of a screen as part of its main experience.” In addition to its infrastructural versatility and Kazim’s zeal, resilience also came from longterm allies. Al Serkal Avenue was supportive. The art and culture district opened up its outdoor space for Cinema Akil, allowing it to host alfresco screenings and create a unique ’under the sky’ screening experience. With indoor seating capped at 30%, the outdoor arrangement gave a muchneeded impetus to ticket sales.
19September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROCOVER that will sustain cinema.” Community building was one of the reasons British arthouse cinemas were able to keep their projectors turning where large multiplexes failed. They were able to bounce back because people believed in the role they played in their communities. Kazim, too, has created a sense of community at Cinema Akil. “We have a very close and direct relationship with our audience. And this was something we designed from the get-go. The team isn’t there just to run the cash register or punch tickets. We are very interested in what we are doing.” For Kazim, it’s not just content that is key, but also how it’s being presented. Kazim points to the time when Cinema Akil featured You Will Die at 20 and drew out the Sudanese diaspora. Then there was the controversial film Neverland, with a debate after the screening.
“There are different ways you can watch it, but there’s something about being able to watch it in your city on the big screen and then have a discussion about it in a public space – that is what we’re addressing. It’s a combination of all of these ingredients, and not just making the films available.” At the time of this interview, Cinema Akil was running the Cinema of Commoning, a travelling programme of films collectively curated by cinemas in Berlin, Bangkok, Jakarta, Istanbul, Dubai, Santiago, Cluj and Luanda. In the wake of the pandemic, OTT streaming services boomed, but this didn’t daunt Kazim. In fact, she doesn’t believe they pose a threat to cinema. “There is the magic of the silver screen and an element of romance about going to the cinema that can’t be replaced. Plus the communal aspect is very important too. We saw during Covid that it wasn’t just about access – people were yearning for the community.” Cinema Akil, did, however collaborate with OTT platform Mubi during the first three months of the 2020 lockdown. Kazim describes this as a “symbiotic inevitable relationship”. The interesting aspect about the OTT platform is that it views itself as a “continuation” of the arthouse cinema experience, in terms of not only the content but also the theatrical and communal experience. “Their distribution model is based on maintaining a theatrical component. So there’s a film exhibit, after which it goes live on their platform,” explains Kazim. Despite the presence of OTT Cinema Akil includes Emirati films in some of the film programmesitorganises.
“We always had this shared belief that there’s an untapped market here. We’ve managed to bring films that, if we didn’t exist and they [distributors] didn’t exist, would probably never hit the screens here.” However, films, a venue and a distribution network would all be useless if the target audience didn’t exist. “These kinds of films need a certain kind of appetite.
One of Kazim’s challenges in the early days was “understanding the audience here, and what their curiosities and interests entailed”.
The cinemaarthouseaims to give more visibility to female filmmakers, and CInema Akil attempts to bring filmmakers to engage with the audience after a screening. It’s as if we are taking a bet on the taste of our audiences here.”
20 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROCOVER platforms and multiplexes, some films rely solely on platforms like Cinema Akil to reach their target audience. Kazim gives the example of Dog Man, Cold War, Pinocchio and Elizabeth – a Portrait in Parts (for which Cinema Akil has exclusive release rights in the UAE). It’s here that Cinema Akil’s relationship with distributors also comes into play. Over the years, Kazim has built up strong connections with distributors such as Gulf Films, Phars, Falcon Films, Four Star Films, Moving Turtle and Front Row Filmed Entertainment –the longest partnership.
“We sometimes forget how much richness comes from the different cultures in Dubai. People don’t talk about how much knowledge and cinema literacy comes in from all the countries that make up the population of Dubai. If you’re an Egyptian, you have the entire cinema history of Egypt in your consciousness. We have the opportunity, advantage and pleasure of reaching out to these different communities, speaking to them and bringing to them something that they trust. Some people come to watch a film because they’ve heard that Cinema Akil is showing it.”
Cinema Akil is also Kazim’s way of giving back to Dubai and the UAE. A member of the Network of Arab Alternative Screens (NAAS), it regularly showcases Emirati films, especially in its pop-up activations. In its first year of operation, Cinema Akil hosted a dedicated Emirati programme curated by filmmaker Khalid Al Mahmoud, and it has shown the majority of big Emirati films, including Abdulla Al Kaabi’s Only Men Go to the Grave. The closure of several film festivals in the UAE left a gaping hole in the
“We sometimes forget how much richness comes from the different cultures in Dubai. People don’t talk about how much knowledge and cinema literacy comes in from all the countries that make up the population of Dubai”
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For Kazim, the “history of our time” and the way we “understand ourselves and cement things in our mind” are represented in film. “When you curtail the filmmaking cycle, there is a sort of loss of faith in the filmmakers and in the importance of what they are creating.” She calls for a stronger film ecosystem in the country through setting up film schools, festivals and even more arthouse cinemas.
In any Arab film programme that Cinema Akil puts together, it makes sure there’s an Emirati film. It has also taken Emirati films overseas, showcasing them at events such as Berlinale. Kazim is also mindful about using Cinema Akil as a platform to champion female Emirati filmmakers.
“We’ve always been feminists – it is in the DNA of Cinema Akil. We try to have a bigger representation of women filmmakers and give a platform to women’s voices, especially women of colour and from underrepresented communities.”
While women filmmakers, actors and directors have higher representation in the UAE than in other Arab countries, she believes there is still a lot that can be done, and Cinema Akil is actively contributing to this.
Butheina Kazim, founder, Cinema Akil Emirati film scene, as they were big parts of the support system in terms of funding structures, exhibitions and awards.
Going forward, Kazim wants to “go back to the original plan of Cinema Akil … we had only one good year of full operations before we went into the pandemic. For the past two years, we’ve spent more time hustling and programming in survival mode, and a lot of our original plans to scale and develop were shelved. So this year is about delivering on that promise and going back to the basics, building infrastructure and creating new long-term opportunities for cinema experiences,” she says, signing off optimistically.
21September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROCOVER www.pebble.tv Your expert partner for hybrid cloud playout and IP transition Visit us at IBC 2022 | Hall 8 | Stand B75
22 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROAUDIO
Catering to an international audience, the location at Expo City Dubai is its other main selling point. Modi calls it a “destination recording facility”. Away from the city, he claims it is the ideal spot for creatives and musicians.
The studio is part of a greater vision – as Dubai aimed to become a melting pot for the arts, culture and movies, it was conceived as a hub for the region’s music industry. In addition to creating a world-class recording studio, Dubai would also debut an all-women’s orchestra, the first of its kind, at Expo City Dubai. Thus began the journey of sister entities Firdaus Studio and Firdaus Orchestra.
“Musicians like to cut away from the hustle and bustle to focus and do their work. This studio has a space of its own so artists can focus and get creative. They can stay nearby at the Rove Hotel, Expo City, which is just a five-minute walk from the studio, work when they like (the studio is open 24/7), and then get back to the hotel. There are also multiple restaurants around catering to different tastes, and that’s a big advantage.”
The multi-million-dollar Firdaus Studio by AR Rahman at the Expo 2020 site, now called Expo City Dubai, boasts many firsts. It is the region’s only music studio to be mentored by Grammy- and Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman, and Dubai’s only certified Dolby Atmos HE studio. In an interview with Vijaya Cherian and N Nomani , studio designer Aditya Modi shares details
Firdaus Studio was designed by Aditya Modi, founder of Modi Digital and a sound engineer for more than two decades. A long-time associate of AR Rahman, he was the chief designer of his studios in Mumbai and his home studio in Dubai. According to Modi, Rahman visualised Firdaus Studio as a place where “international artists and different kinds of music and cultures” could come together in an “inspirational space that is beautiful to work in and has excellent equipment and people to work with … Firdaus Studio has been essentially designed to cultivate and promote music in the region.”
Firdaus Studio’s concept is part of the Expo 2020 legacy, which continues to showcase Dubai as a cultural hotspot.
The studio is Dubai’s first certified Dolby Atmos HE (home entertainment) music studio. “We have to be futurecapable and deliver to what the industry demands right now. Dolby Atmos is a huge part of that demand,” says Modi. Firdaus Studio extends far beyond this, however. One selling point is that “it’s an excellent orchestral recording facility with superlative equipment including top-of-therange microphones, preamps and consoles”, Modi elaborates.
The only challenge Modi faced with bringing Firdaus Studio to fruition was the pandemic. As supply chains around the world came to a standstill, the studio had lead times of one to two years for a lot of the equipment it needed, and the company had to juggle quite a bit. “Eventually we did manage to get top-of-the-line equipment within the timeframe, but the logistics were challenging,” says Modi.
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Being fully owned by Expo 2020 Dubai, the planning and execution of the studio building was facilitated by the expo team, which spared no effort and offered a whole team of contractors and subcontractors to undertake the design and construction of the building. “My input was in the building, its usage, the acoustics and AV installation, partial design of the air conditioning, the whole workflow of the space, and other related aspects,” explains Modi.
DUBAI’S OWN RECORDINGDESTINATIONSTUDIO
Steering away from the tradition of dark, dimly-lit studios, Firdaus Studio is a well-lit large space with glass panels that looks out onto manicured green spaces, based on Rahman’s desire to ensure a oneness with nature. “The mandate from AR was that it should look good, feel good, sound good, it should be large and technologically advanced, and
Hosting the likes of Coldplay and Lindsay Lohan in the past, the Live Room can facilitate all audio requirements including PA, wireless systems and FOH engineering.
The Live Room’s Inhouse Ayrton lighting sets the stage for live performances, from private showcases to ticketed events.
Featuring a complete playback environment with a Christie 4K Projector, a 25ft x 14ft SeymourScreen Excellence cinema screen, a Dolby Atmos immersive sound system and collapsible step-style seats that can be wheeled in and built up when required, the Live Room transforms into a cinema. Apart from film screenings, this is great for musicians recording film soundtracks, as it enables them
Both Firdaus Studio and Firdaus Orchestra are available for commercial hire. The studio can record up to 80 musicians at once (a full orchestra) and boasts best-in-class audio equipment, in-house instruments and microphones from Aston, AKG, Neumann, Sennheiser and Shure. Next is the studio’s performance mode.
24 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROAUDIO host multiple modes – we have three modes in this studio.”
“All the audio, video and networking are interwoven. The building is almost alive in a creative way” Aditya Modi, founder, Modi Digital Aditya Modi designed most of AR Rahman's studios in Mumbai and his home studio in Dubai.
Firdaus Studio’s infrastructure is matched to the three ‘modes’ it offers in its double deck facility, with the Live Room the main focus on the ground floor. This is primarily designed to record music, whether from a larger orchestra, a small band or a single vocalist. This space is the ‘home’ of Firdaus Orchestra, where it practises and does most of its work. Mentored by Rahman, the 50-woman-strong orchestra is made up of 23 nationalities from across the Arab world and aims to be at a par with institutions such as the London Symphony Orchestra, Budapest Symphony Orchestra and Prague Philharmonic Orchestra.
Firdaus Studio also boasts a complete broadcast environment with a fixed 4k video multi-camera set-up for live streaming needs. Movable acoustic panels on the ceiling and four motorised curtains at the windows allow reverb and liveness to be modulated.
“Depending on the number of people performing, we can open or close the panels to create the specific sound signature that we are looking for,” explains Modi. “The curtains perform a similar function as the movable panels that we have on the truss on the roof on the ceiling. It’s basically to change the reverb time and change the acoustics. In different modes, we require different configurations for the panels and the curtains. In the cinema mode, for instance, we draw them closed to reduce the liveness of the room and make the space more dead. And during the recording mode we want it relatively more live, or during the performance mode we would open up all the curtains. When you open them up, it becomes more live, more reverberant, and adds to the reflections. It’s what we call adaptive acoustics. The curtains are a part of that, as are the panels that move on the tracks.”
The 12,000sqft space comprises a Live Room, a Control Room, an Auxiliary Control Room, four large isolation booths, and multiple green rooms and lounges where guests can relax, prepare and re-focus. Two performances can be recorded simultaneously.
25September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROAUDIO to hear their music in a real-world environment. In this mode, the movable panels are opened up, making the room more ‘dead’.
“The Dolby Atmos tends to have a lot of speakers, and when you go into a room you don’t want to be over-burdened by the technology, where it visually seems like too much is going on. Technology should be just a tool; it shouldn’t be the main thing.” Modi is candid about fatigue. “Ear fatigue exists no matter what equipment is used. The high-end equipment at Firdaus Studio delays ear fatigue compared to other regular facilities, but it does not eliminate it. An engineer should know when to stop and when to take breaks, and manage his time, health, work and passion.”
Bhaskar Pal (third from left), Content Lead – India, MENA and Africa, Dolby Technology India Pvt Ltd, shares details about the Dolby Atmos set-up at Firdaus Studio.
The music performed in the Live Room is recorded in the state-ofthe-art Control Room on the first floor. Featuring an analogue-digital hybrid workflow set-up, it consists of a Neve 5088 console and Avid S6 digital control surface and is certified for Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos HE 7.1.4 mixing. Dubbed a “sonic paradise” by Neve, it is ideal for advanced production and mixing sessions. It has multiple ATC, Genelec, Eve Audio and Kii3 monitors available and is equipped for all playback monitoring formats –9.1.4 immersive, 7.1, 5.1 and stereo. The 40-channel 5088 is fully loaded with Shelford 5052 mic preamp and inductor EQ, and 5051 inductor EQ and compressor modules.
“It has this technology where musicians can feed in MIDI notes and the piano will play back those MIDI notes on its own. It’s not an electronic piano, because it has real hammers and strings,” Modi elaborates. It can also receive computer-generated notes, which it then plays back with a “human feel”.
Given all these capabilities, the question of a fourth mode –shooting mode – has cropped up. Although Modi and his team didn’t consciously plan it, Firdaus Studio has become an attractive spot for bands wanting to shoot music or other kinds of videos. “We didn’t plan for a shooting flow initially. We thought it would be more of a side function rather than a fullfledged paid-for service,” says Modi. In terms of usage, all of Firdaus’ modes are in equal demand. Industry professionals at the launch of Firdaus Studio.
In a personal aesthetic decision, Modi has hidden most of the speakers from view.
The hybrid mixing console, another feature of Firdaus Studio, allows artists to combine the superior sound quality of the analogue workflow with the ease and flexibility of use of the digital workflow. With the latter nonnegotiable for a future-forward studio with Dolby Atmos capability, the studio’s desk frame – custom-built by Sounds Fishy – seamlessly integrates the 5088 into two sections, with the S6 in the centre for digital mixing capabilities.
The studio’s centrepiece is the ivory Steinway and Sons piano. Handpicked by Rahman, a pianist at heart, it is among his favourite pianos. The Steinway at the studio is a Spirio | r Model D concert grand that takes over a year to manufacture and is Steinway’s biggest piano. Retailing at nearly $1m, it can also record and play back.
The studio’s standout feature is its integration. “I haven't personally seen a studio that is so well integrated,” says Modi. “All the audio, video and networking are interwoven. The building is almost alive in a creative way. However, you want to record or mix, from out-of-the-box to outright weird, any requirement can be delivered. We have used IT networking-style solutions for audio and video. Audio over IP or video over IP have blended the whole studio in a way that most people have never experienced before.”
The pandemic also spurred Modi to provide a cloud solution for intercontinental recordings.
“We have to be futurecapable and deliver to what the industry demands right now. Dolby Atmos is a huge part of that demand”
Aditya Modi, founder, Modi Digital
“Due to the pandemic, people stopped travelling and we had to think of a way for people to sit at their home in Mumbai or Los Angeles and still record using Firdaus’ facility. We figured we could use the cloud to bring all the elements together and make that happen as one real-time recording.”
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The studio’s centrepiece is the ivory Steinway and Sons Spirio piano, handpicked by AR Rahman for this facility.
Data backup has three levels: on-site hardware backup, off-site hardware backup and cloud backup. AVI-SPL, expert in unified communications (UC) applications, AV devices and IT services, is the company behind all the high-tech integration.
In its current set-up, Firdaus Studio’s facilities and technology are potentially unrivalled globally, claims Modi. Going forward, there are plans to introduce a strong educational chapter including workshops, sound engineering courses and collaborations with leading cultural institutions around the world. In keeping with the vision of its founders, Firdaus hopes to be at the epicentre of the music recording industry.
28 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022
PROOTTIfthepandemic changed the way we lived and worked, it also changed the way we entertained. Lockdowns and work-fromhome have had an impact on the way we consume content on television and OTT platforms. While the world goes back to ‘normal’, the changes in the media sector are here to stay. Discussing these changes in depth were Mike Cohen, Senior Solutions Engineer at Edgio; Barry Mehdizadeh, CTO, Mawarid Media & Communications Group; William Sharp, CTO, Intigral; Dr Naser Refaat, CTO, Rotana TV; JP McKerlie, VP of Sales and Marketing, TOD/beIN Media Group; Karim Morgan, Head of Digital Technology, Asharq News; Omar Alzoubi, Senior Manager – Engineering Systems, DMI; Omar Othman, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Al Aan TV; Rida Mourtada, Head of Product, StarzPlay; and Shabbir Hussain, Director of Operations and Engineering, CNBC Arabia. How did the pandemic affect content consumption? Work-from-home mandates drastically increased viewership and the use of OTT platforms. Not only did the lines between weekday and weekend viewership blur, but peak daytime viewing hours also changed. Working from home meant people were expected to be available and work more hours. “Around the clock became more common,” stated Othman. Content consumption was observed well into the early hours of the morning, especially on mobile devices, because viewers were not bound by office hours. This tendency prompted many TV networks to introduce night shifts for operators, to keep pace with the changes in peak viewing hours. “Customers’ freedom of flexibility changed the entire operational model of our platforms by changing the shift of the people in charge of content OTT transformed the digital landscape for brands, content creators and broadcasters – and the pandemic transformed OTT. A recent roundtable, hosted by BroadcastPro ME in conjunction with Edgio (formerly Limelight), explored the changes that have swept across OTT platforms. Sarah Nathan summarises the discussion
OTT VIDEO DELIVERY: ANDCHALLENGESASPIRATIONS
“We noticed that talk shows were up and people were looking for more of such content,” commented Hussain. The TV channel is looking to build a centralised digital window to give customers a single access point: “We want customers to be able to access us on one platform rather than three or four different platforms.”
“Content is king, but the experience has to rule as well. The whole journey has to be flawless”
Omar Othman, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Al Aan TV
How did CDNs help? Although the UAE and Saudi Arabia have infrastructure in place to accommodate fixed broadband access, the issue facing broadcast companies and providers is cost, especially when telcos are the gatekeepers. “Paying that very high cost for very little added value to the end user does not justify the investment,” Morgan stated. Alzoubi suggested that a hybrid workflow concept could reduce costs.
Entering countries where infrastructure is significantly lacking is a greater challenge for content providers. Sharp pointed out that Egypt, a market coveted by many, is still paying for gigabytes of bandwidth. Content providers cannot afford to diversify bit size to cater to smaller cities, especially when piracy is prevalent. “You can reduce bit size and reduce picture quality, but at what sacrifice to the customer? They can find that content running on parallel streams,” said Sharp. All agreed that the ideal way forward with CDNs is a hybrid approach, with some CDNs faring better in some geographies.
29September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROOTT operations,” Morgan explained. At CNBC Arabia, the ambiguity between peak and lull hours gave operators more insight into website traffic and customer preferences, which guided their content upload.
With increased viewership came the hunger for new content, which broadcasters struggled with. McKerlie described the conflict as a classic case of “demand went up, supply went down”. For instance, Rotana TV contracted 48 films in 2021 but only 12 made it to the big screen. The media house also received demand for subtitled content from international markets.
“Edgio runs one of the largest distributed global networks and was able to support its customers in the Middle East covering areas such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel, Oman, Lebanon and Turkey,”
The impact of the lockdown on company operations
Alzoubi mentioned that during the pandemic, DMI met viewers’ needs by ensuring that all production requirements for the network’s various linear channels as well as its Awaan OTT digital platform were maintained using video conferencing during live productions and some others, with 4G technology. Furthermore, special programmes dedicated to keeping the viewers updated on the Covid situation were also produced. This was carried out successfully even though there were strict protocols such as travel and social distance in place.
The speakers agreed that many platforms and broadcasters were not prepared to scale with the unexpected spike in demand. While many teams looked at remote production, the likes of DMI, StarzPlay and Rotana TV moved scheduling and playout redundancies to the cloud. Othman stated that it was difficult to build “strategic partnerships with new clients via Zoom, Teams or other platforms”, and Cohen added that this was just as true for new hires in a company. However, Mehdizadeh pointed out that the pandemic “was the time for us to reinvent and rethink where we’re standing and how to move our business models and platforms forward from a technical side, or even start new projects”.
Morgan noted that instead of creating new content to populate portfolios, collaborating with other platforms also helped bring their content to viewers. On another note, short content supply led to low-popularity content getting viewing time. Also sought after were education and edutainment channels, since children were not attending school in person.
“The objective was to make it free: how do you remove education channels from the paywall? We were trying to figure out how to get something available on guest mode as consumption outside of a subscription,” commented McKerlie.
Morgan stated that he has never been able to reduce OTT latency below 20 seconds, but since sports broadcasts are often only available on a handful of platforms, the element of exclusivity attracts and retains viewers. The ultimate solution might simply be for sports viewers to silence push notifications if social media platforms are removing the suspense, suggested Othman.
30 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROOTT said Cohen. “We see a tremendous potential in this region and provide unparalleled client care, extending value every step of the way. We continue to expand our infrastructure as end user expectations and demands continue to grow year over year. Apart from helping OTT and broadcasting companies, Edgio is also helping some of the top telcos and ISPs in the region improve their infrastructure needed to deliver the best-quality digital experiences to their end users.”
Alzoubi commented here that with many looking at OTT as their preferred platform for consuming content, latency has become a critical factor, especially during live events. With traditional broadcast having set the benchmark high in terms of latency and look and feel, viewers expect nothing less of streaming platforms. He added that latency on OTT may potentially be reduced by using different options such as reducing segment size, different protocols and so on.
Quality of service, error rates and buffering must be considered.
Sharp, however, cautioned that hybrid models must not be taken for granted. “You have to actually do the work to make sure you’re feeding your multi-CDN correctly. It’s not just an off-the-shelf product.”
Latency and sport Streaming live content, especially sport, has given rise to an ongoing battle with latency. While satellite networks delay feeds by up to 10 seconds, OTT delays can range from 30 to 90 seconds. Given that a best-case-scenario feed lags a few seconds behind satellite networks, Sharp asked whether there is a viable low-latency option. With several forms available – free-toair, satellite, cable, OTT – yet no significant progress, he believes there is no solution to latency.
Taking a similar stance, Cohen questioned whether approaches today are futile and heading in the right direction: “Is there much of a difference between three or four seconds and 90 seconds? If one second is too late, then maybe we’re spending our time wrongly.” Latency is acceptable in entertainment such as sport, he added. The likes of betting, stock exchanges and banking, however, do not have such a luxury. With seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel, battles with latency can simply increase costs. “If satellite is my reference and quality. Sharp commented that maintaining quality, especially when streaming to multiple countries, calls for the cooperation of other factors.
“How capable is your customer at receiving this whole latency stream? Are they on the right device? Are network conditions favourable?” Yet broadcasters appear to be making efforts in the right places, since viewers tend to favour continuity of delivery over quality of video. As the exclusive streaming platform for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, TOD is gearing up to manage abundant viewership. Handling peak viewership during coverage of the UCL Final in January and the opening days of Ramadan was practice. Although the network managed, McKerlie acknowledged that the football event is difficult to replicate: “It’s relatively unprecedented.” TOD now has two months to scale up and prepare to host a significant number of users and handle more load. Scaling was accelerated at StarzPlay last year, during the IPL held in the UAE. The SVOD service introduced different monetisation models with premium multiple offerings. “We had to scale up because the number of people who came in just before the live events was unbelievable,” recalled Mourtada. “We had to make sure that not only were our streaming platforms not down, but also payment gateways. The main challenge I always have a difference of seconds, why should I invest additional cost and CapEx into that?” posited Mehdizadeh.
The sacrifice of lower latency is reduced
“At every touchpoint, there’s a question about information. Who owns subscribers when partnered with operators? Where does information about subscribers sit? What’s the billing relationship?”
Barry Mehdizadeh, CTO, Mawarid Media & Communications Group
J O I N U S AT I B C2022 V I S I T O U R S TA N D 1 . B 3 7
“You can reduce bit size and reduce picture quality, but at what sacrifice to the customer? They can find that content running on parallel streams”
William Sharp, CTO, Intigral Mike Cohen, Senior Solutions Engineer at Edgio.
32 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROOTT was application architecture.” Othman agreed, pointing out that confusing and complex registration procedures might deter customers without their ever seeing a portfolio of content. “Content is king, but the experience has to rule as well. The whole journey has to be flawless.”
Aside from vertical scaling, broadcasters must consider horizontal scaling, an inevitable accompaniment to sports events.
“It can sometimes be a challenge for networks to provide that depth across all the different people wanting to watch from around the world.”
The key to monetising content
JP McKerlie, VP of Sales and Marketing, TOD/beIN Media Group.
Barry Mehdizadeh, CTO, Mawarid Media & Communications Group.
“We’re seeing how far we can push delivering content through Web
With younger generations wanting more engagement and interactivity than older generations, today’s monetisation models adopt a personal, one-on-one approach rather than regarding TV as a big screen in front of a family, said Cohen. “Younger generations lean into entertainment, but older generations want to lean back and watch what’s on the screen.”
Based on customer behaviour during and after the pandemic, digital platforms with integrated education and edutainment channels, e-commerce, the metaverse and IoT smart home solutions are some of the new monetisation avenues, suggested Mehdizadeh. In December, Mawarid Media launched a hybrid set-top box operating on a fully hybrid IP with DTH IP and DVBTV. “It came down to how you can bring valueadded services that engage the customer and keep them in your ecosystem.”
Referencing Ipsos surveys, Refaat mentioned that in 2020, 70% of advertising was accounted for by FTA channels, while digital hosted 30%. This year, the figures have switched. Rotana TV is capitalising on the shift by using FAST to overlay ads into normal TV sets and redirect viewers to other digital worlds, such as e-commerce domains. With the rise of Web 3.0, the company aims to give customers not only an engaging experience, but also the means to be storytellers.
Rida Mourtada, Head of Product, StarzPlay. Dr Naser Refaat, CTO, Rotana TV.
Cohen noted that livestreams by fans in stadiums can increase traffic, and said he observed this particularly during cricket matches.
5G as an enabler 5G networks are increasingly prevalent in the region and have been an enabler for OTT and entertainment, said Mehdizadeh. “Content is there for 5G. From a technology perspective, 5G gives much more flexibility and opportunity for add-on features and more functionalities.”
Regional infrastructure also reduces the effectiveness of 4K. “Pushing streams at 50 or 60mbps on a big stream on the Middle East’s network is so expensive and you won’t see added value,” Morgan argued. “Content providers won’t do it.”
Al Aan TV’s Khabbir programme already does that, with creators and viewers invited to submit content for professional teams to support and guide them in editing and designing final pieces. These are then published on the platform, giving the content exposure. While the concept resembles YouTube, Khabbir “gives an educational element to help youth and aspiring content creators”, explained Othman. Morgan said the future lies in offering hybrid models which allow switching between TVOD, SVOD and AVOD.
Dr Naser Refaat, CTO, Rotana TV
“We’re seeing how far we can push delivering content through Web 3.0 into the likes of the metaverse, theatre and all such augmented reality”
A cost-effective alternative that offers viewers a comparably enjoyable experience and better resolution is HDR, suggested Cohen. However, the concept is still new to the region – Rotana TV only began producing films in HDR last year. Seeing few to no dramas and programmes in the format, Refaat stated: “You can’t worry about delivering in HDR with no content in HDR.”
Shabbir Hussain, Director of Operations and Engineering, CNBC Arabia.William Sharp, CTO, Intigral. Omar Alzoubi, Senior Manager – Engineering Systems, DMI. Karim Morgan, Head of Digital Technology, Asharq News. Omar Othman, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Al Aan TV.
3.0 into the likes of the metaverse, theatre and all such augmented reality,” elaborated Refaat. “You need to build loyalty and get customers hooked onto your content to see it not just once, but many times.”
Not only does 5G lower latencies, it also offers greater capacity and higher speed capability. Hence it can handle 4K footage wirelessly, which will enable many broadcast services, mainly for remote production and faster content delivery. This will enhance and benefit live sports and news coverage, chipped in Alzoubi. Morgan said streaming sports live directly from camera feeds to an organisation’s infrastructure via 5G instead of satellite has been done in the region successfully. With
What’s the latest in tech? TV manufacturers and camera controllers are continually gunning for 4K; however, these solutions might not be financially viable in the region. Morgan recalled that at his former employer, streaming major sports events racked up an extravagant bill. Since 85% of content consumption was recorded on mobile devices, the investment was ultimately unjustifiable. “It makes more sense as a marketing strategy than from a technology perspective.”
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PRO
34 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROOTT significantly higher bandwidths available, 5G removes the need for on-site SNGs and crews, saving on labour and set-up costs. However, 5G has more to offer that the region has yet to capitalise on, said Morgan. “I don’t see the advantage in terms of consumption on mobile phones, because ultimately you’re still pushing streams at very limited bandwidths and not taking advantage of what the network is fully capable of. From an enduser perspective, the technology’s not being used at full capacity.”
Sharp highlighted that this conflicts with today’s trends. At Intigral, analytics are moved around in the cloud through STK/SDK with other vendors and ultimately brought back to the originating country for processing. “We’re having to work around legislations to process data in the country, yet the data’s already in the country. It’s fine to protect the data, and we understand how sensitive it is, but we have to realise that data is essentially everywhere today and we have to come to terms with the cloud.”
“We had to make sure that not only were our streaming platforms not down, but also payment gateways.
The success of 5G in the region is market-specific, pointed out McKerlie. Referencing Iraq, where 4G was only established in 2013, he said: “Operators really struggled with a business case to support the investment, and it became a protection strategy as opposed to a use case.” Sharp commented that Kuwait and Bahrain face similar challenges. Although they are increasingly using mobile networks for content delivery, as opposed to rolling out new fibre, revenue is small. “It has to be economically viable, and that’s one of the biggest challenges. With telcos being the gatekeepers to successful 5G integration, you definitely need a good collaboration between content providers and telcos.”
The main challenge was application architecture”
Cloud The discussion then moved on to the cloud and its many benefits. Hussain pointed out that with SaaS integrated, cloud services can increase scalability and decrease costs. However, the region’s data sovereignty policy is a major deterrent for broadcasters hoping to unlock the full potential of the cloud.
Rida Mourtada, Head of Product, StarzPlay
The roundtable concluded with speakers agreeing that the pandemic has had a serious impact on content demand and supply, but has also compelled broadcasters to think out of the box to ensure immediate scaling up and scaling down as required. They agreed that to be able to accommodate large volumes of viewers at some points, taking a hybrid approach and looking at cloud-managed solutions will become increasingly important – and those who still refuse to see that will be left behind.
“The continuous discussions with management, partners and vendors in this region is about where the cloud sits, how to access it and how to get returns from it,” said Mehdizadeh. McKerlie elaborated: “At every touchpoint, there’s a question about information. Who owns subscribers when partnered with operators? Where does information about subscribers sit? What’s the billing relationship? Where is billing information held?”
PROCASESTUDYLaunchedinJanuary
In 2021, the Al Araby shareholders committee, in consultation with its board of directors and executive management, decided to move the broadcaster’s headquarters from London to Lusail City in Qatar, to better serve its Arabic-speaking audience. In January 2022, the broadcaster launched a second channel, Al Araby 2, with the existing Al Araby TV channel becoming Al Araby: News. Now, with more than 400 staff, Al Araby is one of the largest TV networks in the MENA region. Lusail is a planned city on the coast just north of the capital Doha. Lusail Stadium is the largest arena for the 2022 World Cup, with a capacity of 80,000, and will host ten
When Al Araby decided to relocate from its London HQ to Qatari home ground, the plan to partner with Telestream on the tech infrastructure was a big part of that decision.
Ali Husseini , Director of Broadcast Operations & Creative Services at Fadaat Media, Al Araby, explains why TELESTREAM FOR HQ RELOCATION
2015 in London, Al Araby is a general public television network broadcasting a variety of programmes and news shows in Arabic, covering society, politics and culture for the MENA region. Owned by Arab media investment company Fadaat Media, it aspires to play a leading role in media production, new media and social media services. Fadaat Media itself is a Qatari company that also owns the pan-Arab daily Al Araby alJadeed (‘The New Arab’) and its online editions.
36 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022
AL ARABY PARTNERS WITH
Al Araby needed highly reliable PTP timing, so it ordered a system consisting of Telestream SPG8000 sync pulse generators and ECO8000 automatic changeover devices to serve as the Grandmaster and follower timing generators in both studio and SDI areas. Telestream sync pulse generators reportedly provide highly accurate, stable and reliable timing in both SDI and IP broadcast facilities. The family of SPG and ECO products offer a sync solution for broadcasting and production environments around the globe.
“We are building one of the largest-scale IP installations in the Middle East. Perhaps in Europe and the [US], this ... is more commonly implemented, but [here] it is still limited”
“It was a no-brainer to partner with Telestream. We are building one of the largest-scale IP installations in the Middle East,” he elaborates. “Perhaps in Europe and the United States this type of installation is more commonly implemented, but in the Middle East it is still limited. So it really gave us confidence to have a partner like Telestream in our infrastructure, and we’ve expanded the use of their solutions to timing, monitoring, video file handling, video archive and content management.”
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matches including the final. It is also the site of the F1 racetrack, and the first Doha Grand Prix was held there in 2021. The solution The new broadcast centre in Lusail City is based on an IP infrastructure where possible, predominantly 25Gb with some 40Gb used in high-volume areas.
Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations & Creative Services at Fadaat Media, Al Araby
Around 10% of the system still relies on SDI routing. For example, feeds from several of the 35 cities Al Araby: News reports from arrive via satellite –though a planned second phase of the relocation project is set to convert these feeds to IP as well. With this move and migration of capabilities, the Al Araby team knew a hybrid workflow supporting both IP and SDI infrastructure would be required.
When the network started planning the technical design and fit-out, Telestream products became a core part of the discussion, says Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations & Creative Services at Fadaat Media, Al Araby.
Vantage services provide media capture, transcoding, media metadata processing, media analysis and content assembly, with Vantage connectors enabling seamless, API-level integration with third-party systems. Lightspeed Live Capture allows users to check captured assets (even if they’re still capturing) directly into Avid or Adobe-based NLE systems. Whether editors are using Interplay, Media Composer or Adobe CS, they can grab growing files captured by Lightspeed Live Capture and begin editing right away.
Telestream PRISM waveform monitors are used in all Al Araby’s technical areas, including the edit suite, Master Control Room (MCR) and transmission area. “IP is still new, and it can be complicated. We needed waveform monitors that support both IP and SDI, and that are flexible enough to be used in different locations. PRISM was 100% compliant with our requirements for operational and technical areas: accuracy, reported data and the flexibility of the profiles.” Content management is a core aspect of the Al Araby system. The content archive in London, for instance, is scheduled to be migrated to a new on-premise storage system in Doha. A critical part of this system is the Telestream DIVA, which will enable the migration of the existing content while maintaining continuing operations between the two cities.
One of the reasons for choosing Telestream was the confidence Al Araby had that the solutions provider would “take the time to find and develop a solution”, should challenges arise. “We ordered the SPG system early, as it is at the core of the infrastructure,” notes Husseini. “Global supply chain issues caused delays in the supply of these critical system elements, but Telestream helped expedite delivery and keep our project on schedule.”
38 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROCASESTUDY
“I’ve been using Vantage since 2010. At that time, this layer of workflow orchestration, transcoding and end-to-end media handling was something we could only dream about,” says Husseini. “For anyone who wants to build a robust workflow for video handling and transcoding, especially in multiple formats, Vantage works. It adds value to fast-paced environments like news and sports, allowing us to produce multiple formats quickly and easily. And when we need to make changes, we just draw a new workflow on the Vantage workflow designer,” he adds.
“On a personal level, I have been a heavy user of Telestream for the last 15 years, and in my opinion, if you want to build a sustainable, rock-solid news channel, you have to consider a wide array of Telestream products as an essential part of your infrastructure –especially since the acquisition of DIVA and Tek Video into the company. We have confidence that a big part of our infrastructure will be dealt with professionally and with excellent support, as Telestream understands exactly the type of demanding workflows that are involved in a news environment. Telestream were not just equipment suppliers, but true partners on this project,” he concludes.
Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations & Creative Services at Fadaat Media, Al Araby
In the second phase of the relocation project, Husseini and his team intend to tackle the integration of cloud-based services with their existing workflows. “We will look at DIVA to migrate existing archives to cloud storage: both the new local on-premise archive in Doha, which will be migrated from London to Doha, and then also from Doha as a secondary copy for long-term preservation into the cloud.”
Al Araby has deployed a centralised Telestream Vantage media processing platform – three nodes running on Telestream Lightspeed G8 servers –for all aspects of its file-based media workflows, from content ingest to Avid news systems, encoding of finished content for broadcast, online and OTT delivery, and preparation of archive content.
Results
“We are already well-established with our own archive and our own DIVAs in London,” says Husseini. “At some point, we will need to migrate our content to the new products. This is something we’re looking forward to working on with Telestream, on how we’re going to migrate this data and how to create automated workflows to extract the right metadata for easier searching.”
PRO
“We are already wellestablished with our own archive and our own DIVAs in London. At some point, we will need to migrate our content to the new products”
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There are some new upgrades within DaVinci Resolve 18 that surely elevate the software to a new level, making the workflow for editors, colourists and even audio engineers smooth and seamless. It has quite a few enhancements and upgrades to already existing features; overall, there is a performance upgrade, making the software run smoother with GPUs. The overall GPU acceleration allows brush strokes to be updated in real time, giving users speed in their workflow. Depending on your personal set-up, there is a smoother output in playback and overall software performance. The one notable change is the renaming of Database. As DaVinci Resolve users know, when you open up the software, you have your Databases available to you. Blackmagic has renamed this Libraries, a more accurate description – a small change but a welcome one. Blackmagic Cloud Along with the new enhancements, this release also comes with a powerful new feature: Blackmagic Cloud. This new collaboration tool is a major game changer. In the new world of remote and hybrid working, it makes it super seamless
MAGIC IN RESOLVE?
Veteran DaVinci Resolve user Nina Sargsyan recently had the opportunity to test the just-launched version 18. She shares her experience with BroadcastPro ME
PROREVIEWIhavebeenusing
MORE
40 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022
DaVinci Resolve from Blackmagic Design for the last few years, and every time I try a new version, I come back with a feeling of satisfaction that Blackmagic has listened to user feedback and delivered – but does the newest iteration continue to meet that standard? Let’s find out.
Nina Sargsyan is Creative Director and Video Editor at DBN ProductioninDubai.
The collaboration goes one step further by allowing users to see who is on the project and what page they are on. The only lock on the timeline in collaboration mode is the Edit page; this is quite handy, as it prevents changes from happening to the other shared timelines, eliminating the risk of unwanted changes. But what is great is the fact that in one project I can be colour grading, while my teammate in the UK works on adding effects within the Fusion page, saving us both time through not having to do things individually. The chat feature makes fast communication easy, and when a change is made to a project, a small Refresh icon appears next to the collaborator’s name. I can then refresh, see the changes made and move on. All in all, this new collaboration tool makes working within the software and projects so much faster. Add the free sign-up and the nominal fee of $5 per Project Library, and Blackmagic seems to have hit the nail on the head with this one.
Finer details
Some of the finer details added to the Edit page, Colour page and Audio page have made the software and projects smoother and easier. To start with, the Edit page includes a huge upgrade to the Multicam feature. Previously, users had a limit of nine angles. As an editor for so many years, I know the ability to view multiple angles at once is very important, especially in complex projects. In this release, users have the ability to view 25 angles, making editing any complex multi-cam project smoother. The addition of Power Bin is also a major life saver. I have always used the Power Grade tool on the Colour page, but now the Power Bin on the Edit page makes editing across multiple projects a breeze. It works just like any other bin on the page, except that I have access to whatever I put in the Power Bin on every other project of mine. For example, I have a text layer that I have animated with fade in and fade out, and I like my text size, settings, etc. I then want to use the layer in another project, but don’t want to go through the hassle of replicating everything. I simply put that text layer into my Power Bin, open up the other project – and voila, there it is. Now I simply drag and drop it onto my timeline and move on. When I edit in Adobe Premiere Pro, I typically have to keep juggling between projects to get certain settings. This ends up eating into a lot of time. For someone like me who edits a lot of interviews,The upgrades in DaVinci Resolve 18 are aimed at giving end users a more seamless experience.
41September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROREVIEW and easy for people from all over the world to work together. What’s so great is that this feature is free to sign up for, which means no subscription fees. Users create Project Libraries on the cloud, which can then be shared with others. There is so far no limit to the number of users that can join and work on a project.
To share a Project Library, there is a fee of $5 per library per month, but this is a one-time payment per library. So, for example, I make a library and share it with a teammate working in the UK. They pay $5 and download that project, and once we are both done with it, we close down that library so there’s no further fee to pay. It is important to note that there is no media within the cloud server, so users working together remotely on projects must have the media present within that project on all sides.
Nina Sargsyan, Creative Director and Video Editor at DBN Production
42 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROREVIEW the Power Bin is perfect, as I don’t have to keep going back and forth when I want to add names, etc to my timelines. I just drag and drop, saving a lot of time. The Colour page has also gotten a few enhancements worth taking note of, especially when it comes to masking. One of the major updates takes advantage of the Neural Network introduced way back in version 16 of DaVinci Resolve. The new Object Mask in the Magic Mask panel is a game changer. This little tool gives users the ability to select an individual handy forward/backward tracking button, then adjust the colours via your node tree – nothing else within the scene will be affected. This gives users the ability to be creative in so many ways and create interesting looks. In a recent project, this came in handy. I wanted to make the colours of flowers pop out. Typically, I would select the Hue curve tool and enhance the colours within the flowers; however, this time I wanted to make sure nothing else in the background with slight blue in it would be affected. I simply used the Object Mask, selected the flower area, and was done. I was able to cleanly colour and enhance only the blue flowers.
Another addition, the Depth Map, is a crucial tool we didn’t know we needed until it emerged. Taking full advantage of the neural network AI, it analyses the scene in 3D and creates a depth map showing the background, middle and foreground in the form of a greyscale map – the foreground will be bright white, the middle will be off-white, almost grey, and the background will be dark grey and black. If I want to colour grade something more object using the selector tool; the AI engine then calculates the similar-looking area and makes sure the selection is accurate. After that, you can use the Depth Map uses AI to analyse a scene in 3D and creates depth with background, middle and foreground shown as a greyscale map (below).
“I think Blackmagic has really thought about how its users – colourists, editors, audio engineers or even VFX artists –perceive their workflows”
43September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROREVIEW you from switching to the Fusion page, or using other software applications such as Adobe After Effects to manually add a logo. There are other small enhancements; for example, the Beauty effect now has an added Ultra Beauty option giving colourists more control over detail recovery, texture recovery and the strength of the beauty filter, with more room to finesse the effect. Previously, I intensely in the foreground, for example the sand in a beach scene, I apply the Depth Map, wait for it to be generated, then colour that foreground sand more intensely. As you can see in the example, the beach sand is very saturated, and you can see that reflected in the depth map. Additionally, if I want to make the horizon more blurred, I can then choose to affect only the middle portion of the map, add a blur effect – and done. I have manipulated the scene with a few small steps. This is a very powerful tool, as it gives users the ability to be more deliberate about their colour grading and saves quite a bit of time from no longer having to apply a window mask to that section, then grade it. The only caveat is that Depth Map is slightly more processor-intensive.
Surface Tracker brings a new world of possibility to the Colour page. Users can now easily add logos or graphics, and even cover up certain elements of a frame. The tracker works by analysing the depth within the scene, then creating a mesh with multiple tracker points. Using those, you can easily attach a logo to the side of a moving car, for example. This is a handy feature to have on the Colour page, as it saves
Now, however, Blackmagic has given us the ability to drag one audio timeline into another; this comes into your timeline as a precomposed file. When you decompose the file, all those effects are in your current timeline, with all its settings and placements. This is especially handy when working on projects that require similar audio; instead of getting lost in the world of copying, pasting and re-adding, just easily add in the timeline and continue with your work.
PRO
44 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROREVIEW had issues where sometimes the models within my scenes looked far too pasty and I kept having to adjust back and forth to find the right balance. Now, however, it's easier for me to adjust the smaller details, creating a smoother finish to my look and grade. Despill is another great addition. This tool makes cleaning up images faster and easier; working on the RGB colour scale, users can now remove any colour spill. When keying green/blue screens, the Keying panel prevously offered a despill section, but it wasn’t always that handy. With this tool, cleaning up the spillover of any colour is now super easy.
Another cool new feature is Fast Noise, a handy effect giving users the ability to create fractal noise effects, adding noise to a scene and even mimicking the movement of waves and heatwaves. Simply add the effect to your desired node and adjust the settings as required. Every editor knows that audio can make or break an edit. Adding effects, music and even vocals is an essential part of bringing any scene to life. When working on multiple timelines, you come across some effects that can be used in multiple edits. Typically, we copy-and-paste them between timelines, or even re-add them into timelines and rework everything and the settings.
Overall, I think Blackmagic has really thought about how its users –colourists, editors, audio engineers or even VFX artists – perceive their workflows. Using that knowledge and insight, it has upgraded the software to make a tool that is truly all-in-one and a major contender in the world of production.
The new Object Mask in the Magic Mask panel is a game changer, says Sargsyan.
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46 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROTECH
IP technology and the move to the cloud remain hot topics for broadcasters and production houses. At the recent BroadcastPro Tech Summit, industry experts explored new opportunities, existing challenges and novel ways to address them.
Exploring the opportunity to move to cloud is even more relevant since the recent announcement that AWS is expanding its presence in the Middle East. After Azure and Oracle, Amazon is deploying three data centres across the UAE. This local presence will lead to lower latency, ideal for broadcast applications, and address the requirements for a sovereign cloud that many public broadcasters have.
To better investigate this move to IP and cloud, the BroadcastPro Tech Summit featured four media professionals from production companies and broadcasters. The panel explored the opportunities and challenges of adopting these new technologies.
MOVING TO IP AND CLOUD: CHALLENGESANDUPTAKE
Raad Haddadin, Senior Vice President of Technology with Arab Telemedia Group in Jordan, shared how his group has ambitious plans to launch a linear satellite channel and OTT platform. Peter Van Dam, CEO of AV Consulting, a production company which does extensive work in Saudi Arabia, described how the Kingdom is enabling remote productions by rolling out a nationwide IP infrastructure. Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations and Creative Services with Fadaat Media, detailed how SMPTE 2110 and cloud services allow
Nicolas Hans, Partner at Broadcast Solutions MEA, who moderated this panel, shares some of the key takeaways from the discussion
PROTECH 47September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com |
According to the annual Devoncroft Big Broadcast Survey released last April at NAB, IP and cloud are the top two areas of spending for broadcast and media organisations around the world. The adoption of IP technology and the move to the cloud, however, are two distinct trends.
Where IP technology, a decade ago, was about implementing file-based workflows, today it focuses on replacing baseband signal distribution with IP-based audio and video streams. It seeks to change SDI routers to Ethernet switches and replace proprietary equipment with IT servers. In a broadcast facility, this means trading HD-SDI cabling for SMPTE-2110 signals over fibre. In remote bureaus and production galleries, it is about swapping SDI over coax for NDI over Ethernet. When it comes to distribution and remote contribution, deployments replace dark fibre with MPLS data links, and replace point-to-point DVB satellite transmission systems with encoders that use the public internet. The move to cloud is a different story. It’s about moving servers, storage, switches or even edit suites to third-party cloud service providers (CSPs). This ’lift and shift’ of on-premises infrastructure comes down to replacing capital expenditure with operating expenses: the acquisition of IT servers is replaced by the renting of computing power from CSPs or vendors.
Cloud enables new workflows – if you can afford it The adoption of cloud technology greatly varies by industry, Haddadin explained. “It depends where you work as a CTO. When you’re working in a news environment, it’s different than when you are working in a postIP core with SDI gateways. Today, that’s probably the best you can do for news and sports channels.”
“Check
Designed as a digital-first platform, Al Mashhad adopted a hybrid architecture. “We never considered putting our core headquarters in the cloud,” explained Srinivas Kuppa. “We considered a full IP implementation; however, because of supply chain issues, we had to revisit our aspirations and adopt a hybrid approach.” The core of the channel relies on standard SDI infrastructure, while contribution and distribution leverage IP. Bureaus take advantage of NDI and SRT contributions.
“We need to create more content and people still want to have quality ... we can’t count on people building OBs and big galleries that we only use a few days each week ... that will not serve anyone in the long run”
At Arab Telemedia Group, a regional production house operating for forty years, in-house IP infrastructure remains file-based, as detailed by Raad Haddadin. “We are already working with 2K and 4K, and we recently invested in a post-production system which gives us the ability to produce in 6K and can even take us up to 8K.”
Peter Van Dam, CEO, AV Consulting LLC
secure.
Raad Haddadin, Senior Vice President of Technology, Arab Telemedia Group
As a live production house, AV Consulting witnessed first-hand how IP technology is enabling hybrid remote production in Saudi Arabia. “I was one of the drivers behind the new media network in Saudi,” explained Peter Van Dam. “This media network was the first phase of combining OB trucks on-site and on-location with remote production facilities. To do so, the infrastructure needs to be there. The first part that was put in place is an MPLS network between the main sports and entertainment venues of 10Gbps. The set-up is redundant with main and backup links and can scale with cloud vendors to make sure that your data is fully Because most of the time, they tell you that ‘our servers are secure’, but they never mention whether the data is secure”
48 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROTECH workflow reengineering at Al Araby’s new facilities in Doha; and Srinivas Kuppa, Head of Technology with Al Mashhad, a new digital platform recently announced by Tony Khalifa, explained the challenges of designing and implementing a new channel from scratch.
Established in London in 2014, Al Araby TV is consolidating operations in Doha and betting big on SMPTE-2110. “We are running a complex project,” explained Husseini. “We took advantage of our move to really explore the benefits of IP and the cloud. We all claim that we’re going 100% IP; unfortunately, it doesn’t exist. I can say that we are about 92% there. The infrastructure is still based on a hybrid model that combines an up to 40Gbps. On top of that, we have 3Gbps internet connectivity in most venues. This combination is ideal for us to start focusing on cloud-based production.”
IP is mainly opening new opportunities in terms of distribution: “We are using our thousands of hours of archived content to launch a new channel, which will mainly leverage all our library of TV shows. This free-to-air channel will also have a very strong presence on all OTT, TV and mobile platforms. We’ll explore various business models: VOD, SVOD and subscriptions.”
So regardless of whether the content is in London or stored in Doha, the low-resolution proxy copy will be available on the cloud and remain accessible to everyone. We will use the linking stitching method between these low-res proxies and the highresolution files available on-premises.”
This move was motivated by logistics and the need to improve legacy workflows. “In my career, I did two types of digitisations and moved hundreds of hours of content across continents, and each time it was a painful and costly transition,” explained Husseini. “But the drive was the workflow. In a typical ENG operation, a correspondent shoots in the field, edits on his or her laptop, and uploads the package eventually using a file accelerator. Then a media manager downloads it, approves it and checks it into storage to make it available to other journalists.
Cloud and IP deployment: A Pandora’s box “One of the challenges when implementing IP and cloud in your operations is the unknown,” the drastic decision to move the channel’s archives to the cloud. “We started an initiative with one of the leading partners in the market to extract media from our archives, clean it, create fresh metadata based on our requirement, and upload the corresponding proxies to the cloud.
At Al Araby, Husseini took set up in the cloud. As for storage, at the end of the day you still need to have it on-premises, because when you are producing 2K, 4K –and right now we have 8K cameras – you can imagine the file sizes that you need to store. The cloud is too dependent on how stable the internet speed you have is, not to mention the cost of storage. When it comes to post-production, producing movies, TV shows and documentaries, storage-wise it’s not the best option for us.”
With this cloud platform, we want archives to be accessible to everyone.
“The Super Bowl was a production for the Saudi Sports Company (SSC) and was aired on MBC and across several OTT platforms. The production and commentating were completely done in the cloud. This gave us great scalability and flexibility. The footprint was very small. We had two technicians onsite and a small production team. We were on location five days prior to the event. We made fifteen- to twenty-minute contributions each day leading to the competition and ran a five-hour production on game day. We integrated local live feeds with remote commentary via the cloud, and it all worked fine.”
For live production, cloud brings flexibility, as Van Dam illustrated.
Content creators, contributors, correspondents … anyone who wants to access the media will have access to it. You create your rough cuts, your marks, your EDLs, and then the cloud platform will do the stitching and linking back to base.”
For post-production facilities the cloud remains too costly, according to Haddadin. “You can have some servers and some edit workstations
Ali Husseini, Director of Broadcast Operations and Creative Services, Fadaat Media “Vendors should focus more on a solutioncentric approach than a centricproduct-approach”
Srinivas Kuppa, Head of Technology, Al Mashhad
“One of the tricky parts is when correspondents are looking for archived material. They usually leave black inserts in their package. They send it back to base. The archivist and the media manager will find a new, archived piece. They will put it in the headquarters and then it will be sent for playout and distribution.
“One of challengesthe implementingwhenIP and cloud in your operations is the unknown. We call it the Pandora’s box effect”
49September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROTECH production or entertainment environment. It depends on what your business requirements and budgets are. It also depends on the city or country you are working from: the internet is not stable in all countries. Eventually we will shift to the cloud.”
50 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROTECH explained Husseini. “We call it the Pandora’s box effect. When you are building from scratch, you explore every single product, every single workflow and map the right tools to each workflow. Many industry vendors will claim that they have the end-to-end solution, but none do. When you start digging deep inside these workflows, you start to discover issues. One of the challenges is that you need to know when to stop, because it can be endless and you can keep on going forever. So my advice is to focus on the foundation, focus on the infrastructure, make it scalable and future-proof, and release new workflows as distinct work packages in an agile way.”
For Kuppa, the road ahead is clear. “Cloud is coming. IP is coming. It is a migration, the path that we must adopt. Be ready for it. That’s my advice. Be ready. Be prepared with smart metadata and get ready for the future. It’s coming.” on the cloud within the same data centres, the gaps will increase.”
Collaboration is key Asked what advice they would give to CTOs and technical teams transitioning to IP and cloud, panellists had different takes.
For Van Dam, research and innovation are key. “Keep on trying, keep on testing, keep on checking. Don’t stay with one vendor, but look at the other ones. Look at possible combinations and work together with vendors. Don’t give up, and try to push yourself and the people around you. That’s the main thing. Keep everybody in the loop and keep everybody alert and challenge them. Let them try, let them fail. Let them try again. I believe the risk is decreasing with most of the platforms that we can use today. The real risk is that we are getting more channels, we are getting more OTT platforms. We need to create more content and people still want to have quality, and we can’t count on people building OBs and big galleries that we only use a few days each week and that will not serve anyone in the long run.”
For Haddadin, bandwidth costs and data security are the priorities.
To fight this effect, Srinivas Kuppa suggested, “Vendors should focus more on a solutioncentric approach rather than a product-centric approach. Why I say this is because different vendors have different types of expertise and have a variety of solutions. If their solutions do not interconnect with each other of the time, they tell you that ‘our servers are secure’, but they never mention whether the data is secure. They tell you that ‘our system is stable, your servers are stable, everything is secure’, but what about the data itself?”
“Make sure there is no interruption in service, and compare the cost of deployment in the cloud with the deployment of on-premises hardware. What’s more, check with cloud vendors to make sure that your data is fully secure. Because most Nicolas Hans, Partner, Broadcast Solutions Middle East and Africa, moderated the discussion.
For Husseini, training is key. “I think that vendors need to invest more time into free open-source learning platforms – make these available, allow for tests and trials to help people familiarise themselves. They need to set up more conferences and more accreditations for technology and operational staff. Technology can be very advanced and proven, but if you don’t find the right people to operate it, why should you need it?”
C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
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MOVING TO A FAST FUTURE ‘Gone are the days of linear’ used to be the conversation. With the growth of FAST, will the conversation now be the reinvention of linear?
What is FAST? Quickly gaining traction, Free Adsupported Streaming Television combines the experiences of linear TV and streaming platforms. FAST allows viewers to access content for free by leveraging advertising revenues to support its service. Zayat described it as the revival of linear channels and traditional TV: “Consumption behaviour on traditional linear TV is dropping significantly. FAST has come as a solution to breathe life back into that traditional TV experience.” She also pointed out that FAST covers multiple verticals and can be extremely niche. “If we’re talking about cooking, FAST can focus on desserts. If we’re talking about movies, it could focus on certain genres, like action.” Mathew characterised FAST as a tactical move by FTA operators to infiltrate the world of streaming. “Technically, FAST is a way of monetising free linear channels and free content which was previously on a satellite, on a streaming platform. It’s a mode of content monetisation which linear people have found out about and are now stepping into the streaming space with.” He added that it is an obvious technological successor: “We all feel technology is a disruptor; it is a disruptor only for the business it controls, but for the larger audience for whom we are trying to create an ecosystem, it is absolutely an enabler.”
PROPANELInrecentyears, the growth of streaming platforms and the tentative future of linear have been discussed extensively. Taking the stage now is FAST – a marriage of the two concepts. Exploring the FAST model, its monetisation opportunities and its place in the Middle East were Manoj Mathew, Territory Head of Zee Network Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey; Sanjay Raina, Global Media & Entertainment Professional and StartUp Advisor; and Zahra Zayat, Chief Commercial Officer at evision by e& life (one of the specialist business pillars of e&, formerly known as Etisalat Group), in a panel moderated by Sumit Suri, Managing Director of U-TO.
Raina pointed out that FAST could be the solution for streaming businesses
A recent panel hosted by BroadcastPro ME explored the wave sweeping the media world.
Sarah Nathan reports
53September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROPANEL
54 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROPANEL seeking new ways to make money, especially amid projections that platforms are unlikely to host over 1.4bn subscribers globally by 2027. “The struggle platforms are facing is making money. There is an ARPU issue; in a streaming business, you’re not making more than $7 or $8 on average.”
Sumit Suri, Managing Director, U-TO
Zayat agreed that content is the key to driving engagement. Because FAST attracts viewers of all ages, the objective should be “a relevant portfolio of FAST channels that cover the different segments that we are serving, supported by a line-up of on-demand content”. Besides showing increasing signs of subscription fatigue, consumers in the region are usually unwilling to pay. This amplifies the call for high-quality content and channels. “The channels have to be relevant enough for the segment we are serving,” she said, adding that FAST can also be helpful in repurposing content. “It brings back to life unexploited on-demand content which people have forgotten about but is actually really attractive.”
Content in general entertainment can also be repurposed to retain viewers; for instance, FAST channels could show the funniest moments in comedies or the best sequences in action films. Advertising on FAST
With the gradual decline of traditional TV comes advertisers’ reluctance to run campaigns on linear channels without being able
How to run FAST FAST is effective in retaining viewers aged 18-34, but Raina pointed out that this success is contingent on quality of content. Commending Pluto for its efforts, he said: “FAST service has worked on Pluto TV because the quality of content is amazing and has been utilised by an 18-to-34 audience. Content has to address those aged 18 to 34, both males and females, to give them the propensity to come back to television. A FAST platform in this part of the world has to be very audience-driven.”
FAST is also slowly reinventing the notion that younger generations have lost contact with traditional linear TV, said Zayat. While streaming has primarily appealed to younger generations and linear TV has retained older people, the hybridity of FAST has attracted a range of age segments, especially young adults. Raina views FAST as an opportunity to put TV remotes back in the hands of young adults, much needed in the region.
He also explained how FAST may prosper in markets resembling India’s, where consumption of homegrown content and quality of content are both very strong, and questioned whether the quality of FTA content in the region is acceptable. “The Middle East is some miles away. We are very good at importing formats, but how many formats go out from this part of the world?”
“First, let’s create a viable content- and audience-led FAST service, which delivers well. The money will be premium if you deliver a premium content experience”
Raina and Mathew agreed that sports is a category ready for FAST. Sports fans often turn to YouTube or Instagram to catch highlights of the latest matches, even after watching live coverage. To leverage FAST effectively, Mathew said that repurposing content could retain viewers. “Can we create a FAST environment where a viewer would come back to see used content? Can we put something on FAST channels and keep viewers in this ecosystem? We’re trying to fight viewers going across to completely different social media platforms.”
“Your linear business is supposed to attract both advertising and a younger audience, who are already quickly abandoning ship. If business doesn’t move and cut across to younger audiences, that’s a big problem, especially in this part of the world.”
Sanjay Raina, Global Media & Entertainment Professional and Start-Up Advisor
“Ownership of the customer is not something that platform owners are willing to share”
“A lot of advertisers will tell you that advertising on linear is no longer part of their marketing strategy. The willingness to pay for advertising on traditional linear TV has dropped significantly. The introduction of FAST might be a good opportunity to bring advertisers back to the table to reach audiences.”
However, Raina highlighted a unique benefit of FAST that programmatic advertising cannot offer. Referring to the latter as “a crass violation of advertisers’ money”, he explained that ads may end up on obscure, rarely accessed websites and fail to build an audience. “In a FAST service, you’re in a finite zone with a finite number of channels on a platform.”
Zahra Zayat, Chief Commercial Officer at evision by e& life
55September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROPANEL to track performance. Zayat has observed first-hand that generally linear channels have lost their appeal to advertisers and believes FAST might be a good opportunity to uplift advertising performance.
Advertisers seeking viewership sit on one end of the boardroom table; customers seeking high-quality content sit on the other. Mathew pointed out that the sign of great advertising is storytelling: “Advertising is content in and of itself. Can you tell a story within 10 or 30 seconds?” Under this approach, control falls to marketers and creative agencies. He stressed that audiences must instead be the leading factor: “It is the joint responsibility of quite a lot of people, but as providers of the platform and an ecosystem, we need to also be fair and transparent to our audience, who comes first. If we do not have an audience with us, we do not have viewership in the first place and there is no chance for monetisation. We have to realise that advertisers come to us because of our audience, and not the other way around.”
FAST allows companies to track audiences and viewership, which benefits all parties involved, said Raina. “You can feel the click, you can see the audience, and you can follow the trail. You can know who is and isn’t watching, unlike linear television.” However, Mathew pointed out that the success rate of call-to-action advertisements on both linear and digital channels is under 5%. Unless ads are brand campaigns, viewership statistics may ultimately be of little use. Accompanying the benefits of FAST advertising is the matter of whether advertisers should be charged higher CPMs. Zayat believes it ultimately depends on the scalability of FAST. “Today, you’re competing with social media and programmatic advertising. FAST presents a similar opportunity for advertisers to track and launch their marketing campaigns. It depends on its ability to scale to reach audiences that are relevant and fit for that specific campaign, whether it is awareness or conversion.”
FAST channels are also great monetisation opportunities for telcos, said Zayat. FAST offers a lean-back experience with an extended viewing period for customers (where the average number of hours spent on FAST channels is higher than on traditional linear TV). This entails additional bandwidth and data consumption – a perfect opportunity to leverage money from upgrades on data consumption and plans, beyond simply advertising. “When we want to address the masses and provide an entry service to lead people to premium subscriptions later and bring in a higher ARPU, FAST gives you the entry,” she explained. “Advertising is just one leg of a much bigger table.”
Mathew further emphasised that keeping the audience at the forefront of all FAST decisions is crucial, as companies can become preoccupied with the corporate aspects of advertising deals. “Somewhere down the line, through the process of business, we forget about serving particular audiences and they become our stakeholders. We get confused within our corporate boardrooms somehow.”
FAST has come as a solution to breathe life back into that traditional TV experience”
Raina agreed that the primary focus of FAST should be audiences and shared his concerns that the region might be swayed by talk of money. “My worry is that the Middle East will take the monetisation route, because if advertising revenues are nosediving at the rate of 18-19% a year, people will suddenly go into a boardroom to do something. In that scenario, they’ll create a FAST service which tries to address falling monetisation but not falling audiences. First, let’s create a viable contentand audience-led FAST service which delivers well. The money will be premium if you deliver a premium content experience.”
“Consumption behaviour on traditional linear TV is dropping significantly.
“We cover a very segmented and fragmented market in terms of languages, nationalities, user behaviour and experience. There is no product that is fit for all in this market, and it’s not that straightforward to bring a product that is free as well as fit for all.”
Advertising expenditure through SVOD in the GCC market amounts to $3.1bn a year, and digital platforms host 7.1m subscribers, said Raina. “This clearly tells you that there is a huge appetite for these numbers to be mixed in such a way that a beautiful advertisingled platform can really exist.”
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“We’re also exploring the maximum ad inventory available on the channel per hour,” explained Zayat. “We’re setting the time not to exceed around six minutes per hour. These are baby steps.” Raina suggested that an independent metrics body like BARC in India or CFlight in the UK could level the playing field for FAST and traditional broadcasting. “If we are able to put together an independent metrics body that also monitors digital in the region, then one doesn’t have to worry about privacy of data.”
Zayat agreed that regulatory bodies are a necessity, though Mathew highlighted a significant difference in the Middle East. “When we talk GCC alone, we’re talking about six countries; when we talk MENA, we’re talking about 21 countries. We have our own set of major challenges because there are different geographies, different tariffs and different laws and regulations, including transparency laws.”
PROPANELPrivacyofcustomer
At evision/e&life, FAST is on the horizon. The company is trying to build a product that covers FAST channels and on-demand content to achieve scalability across the region. “FAST is part of our strategy to expand across MENA and Pakistan,” said Zayat. However, the company is keeping an important stipulation in mind – the region does not tolerate a one-size-fits-all approach.
“Can we create a FAST environment where a viewer would come back to see used content? Can we put something on FAST channels and keep viewers in this ecosystem? We’re trying to fight viewers going across to completely different social media platforms”
Manoj Mathew, Territory Head of Zee Network Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan and Turkey
“Ownership of the customer is not something that platform owners are willing to share,” pointed out Suri.
Alongside regulators, evision/ e&life has the TAM service, an audience measurement system and reporting tool that allows advertisers to analyse certain viewership data. “We are trying to develop reports that will instil confidence in advertisers by helping them see what base they’re going to be reaching and how to build on the consumption and user behaviour trends that we see,” said Zayat. An understanding of customer preferences is the key to unlocking the essence of FAST services – ad personalisation. At evision/e&life, the objective is to offer advertisers segmentation and filtration criteria and insight into customers’ interests, based on past user behaviour. To help advertisers deliver customised content to their target customers, the company is experimenting with technology on the back end of its platforms, to ensure relevant advertisements are shown to relevant consumers.
PRO
Mathew claimed that ZEE’s Arabic OTT platform, Weyyak, carries FAST content without the official label of being a FAST channel. Raina pointed out that 65% of GCC viewers are under the age of 35. “That’s massive and that’s brilliant. There is a huge appetite for FTA content consumption in the GCC.” In fact, a lot of content goes abegging and is ultimately sold on Vicom Ltd. He suggested that such content can be accrued under linear or on-demand FTA non-subscription models, and concluded: “For the purpose of generating more revenue, FAST in the Middle East is a must and can do very well.”
In an effort to create an ecosystem that will fully engage audiences, ZEE TV also plans to experiment with FAST, especially after the success of its ZEEFlow and ZEE1 channels.
FAST in the Middle East Given the monetisation opportunities that FAST promises, will the region welcome it with open arms?
data Before entering boardroom discussions and financing campaigns, advertisers need assurance that the return on their investment will be worthwhile. Projections of how many viewers and touchpoints they may reach is the perfect bait. Yet the biggest challenge is identifying which end consumers watched advertisements, and understanding the preferences of those that did.
MEDIA IN MOTION: TRACKINGUNDERSTANDINGSYSTEMS
Motion capture is thus a workflow with a simple definition, but with numerous use cases, types and utilisations across the creative spectrum. Simply being able to capture the movement of something through a volume of space and to transfer that data in real time to a digital counterpart presents us with an entire universe of potential.
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PROVIRTUALPRODUCTIONIntherecentdecadesofdigitalstorytelling, whether in gaming or filmmaking, the incredible technological feat of performance capture has become commonplace in our virtual ecosystems. The subtlety and nuance of a completely digital, fantastical avatar was either added meticulously by an artist or concocted as a retrofuturistic concept that belonged only in the far reaches of a fictional future. Nowadays, it’s not only a viable means of content creation but accessible too, with no better example than the new virtual production workflow.
“While there are a number of existing options for camera
Motion capture is a way of tracking and capturing the motion of an object – sometimes a prop or part, other times a living creature like you or me. This is done in a couple of ways. The most common with in-studio production is through infrared light and small markers that reflect to specialised cameras collecting the data. The second is a much more recent solution: a series of accelerometers are lined across the surface of an object, then translated back into rigid body data. This allows wireless motion capture, but can be far less detailed in its capture.
In the fourth part of this series, Matthew Collu looks in-depth at two of the more prominently used types of motion capture in a virtual production environment
Over the years, as this technology has developed to serve various purposes in various industries, different products and pipelines have hit the market. All have attractive benefits and intriguing use cases, but perhaps a quick definition of the practice would prove helpful.
tracking, the one to be selected is one that can be deployed without limiting production,” says The Other End’s Head of Virtual Production, Kevin McGeagh. “Crews need to be comfortable performing their duties without interference while still ensuring a stable, accurate output.”
Much as virtual production is a product of astute reconfiguration and inventive, creative problemsolving, so too are the many motion capture solutions. This broad term covers a multitude of ways to attack a creative endeavour, and even more ways to bring something from synapses to screen. The real challenge is choosing the solution that works best for you.
Matthew Collu is Studio Coordinator at The Other End, Canada. He is a visual effects 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.
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More recently developed, inside-out motion capture is the same solution found on new-generation VR headsets –rather than infrared cameras pointed in towards an allocated space with markers placed within it, cameras face outwards and track infrared light bouncing around the space. Points of contrast that make up a room or space can be tracked by how and where that light is bounced. Another more advanced and consistent system that leverages this kind of solution is Mo-Sys’ StarTracker. This puts markers on the ceiling above the tracked object, capturing its position relative to where it maps those points out in real time. Both follow the same principle but are different in their capture of the space. Despite seeming to be the opposite of outside-in, inside-out functions have the same issue: they need enough of something to look at. If there aren’t easily identifiable points outside, the system can’t determine its correct location. This is increasingly concerning when contemplating its use with a LED wall accompanied by a ceiling LED rig. I know the sky is usually where you find the stars, but in this situation, not so much. Again, though, this is an easy fix once you understand the inner workings of each kind of solution.
Without some kind of motion capture solution, there is no reliable way to track the camera's position correctly, which means no reprojection of its perspective on a LED wall. Most of the time, you won’t have to worry about not having any tracking. However, the real dilemma is one of choice. Of the many pipelines forged during the advent of this technology, a couple have proven to be the winners when it comes to reliable use during studio scenarios. So instead of explaining every motion capture solution, I’ll shift the focus to two of the more prominently used types in a virtual production environment: outside-in and inside-out. Outside-in
Inside-out
The most widely understood and used solution type, outside-in motion capture is the workflow we’ve all come to commonly associate with the topic. Motion capture cameras are scattered around a volume, all pointed inward to track whatever is marked and moving through a cloud of infrared light. Companies like OptiTrack and PhaseSpace are the largest proprietors of this kind of workflow, which is used well beyond virtual production – from gaming to visual effects, it is found in some of the largest motion capture studios worldwide. It is precisely what the name suggests: motion is captured from outside sources looking in on a volume. However, this means you’re at the mercy of something every good director always wants – coverage. Looking inwards at a select group of markers, the solution can only track what it sees. If anything occludes or covers those markers, tracking consistency erodes quickly. You’ll bounce around like a ping-pong ball in a paint shaker if you're not careful.
AREWE Your community BY THE INDUSTRY, FOR THE INDUSTRY WHERE THE ENTERTAINMENT AND INDUSTRYTECHNOLOGYREUNITE Join us | show.ibc.org IBC2022 BACK AT THE RAI AMSTERDAM | 9-12 SEPTEMBER 2022
New Kiloview products to boost IP transition Stand 7.B60 designed to make live video production effortless. Powered by computer vision and machine learning, the Seervision Suite enables existing robotic cameras to autonomously track the subject and keep it in optimal framing. The Suite also helps integrate full subject tracking and framing. With Seervision's Adaptive Presets, the resulting shots are dynamic and fluid. By expanding the reach of autonomous cameras, the system helps production companies create more compelling content in a safer work environment with fewer people, at an affordable price.
61September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROIBC2022 NEW LAUNCHES AT IBC2022
The Suite integrates directly with a wide variety of pan/tilt heads and PTZ cameras, and its API allows users to keep using all their existing systems while continuing the workflow of their video production. Seervision mainly focuses on automating camera movements or AI-assisted camera operation.
Stand 5.G12
Ateliere Synamedia,partneroneof the world’s largest independent video software providers, plans to showcase the latest Ateliere solutions on stand 5.A69. Ateliere solutions help modernise OTT workflows and supercharge cloud content libraries
Kiloview will debut N50, the latest in its range of high-quality, low-latency NDI converters. A 12G-SDI bi-directional converter for both SDI to NDI and NDI to SDI, the N50 supports the direct transmission of USB to NDI signals by integrating both NDI and NDI|HX (including NDI|HX3) into one converter. This solutionall-encompassingisintendedtostreamline and simplify processes in any professional IP-based video transmission environment, including broadcast, news gathering, sports and live events, as well as facilitate the transition from SDI environments to IP-based ecosystems. Also on show will be the CUBE X1, an embedded device focusing on NDI multiplexed distribution.
The software developed for this camera automation is Villrich Broadcast brings PTZ workflows into focus Stand 12.A22
Villrich Broadcast will demonstrate several solutions that can be combined with a PTZ workflow. One of the systems displayed will be from Canon and Seervision. This setup integrates a Canon CR-N500 PTZ with the Seervision Suite.
Ateliere Technologies,Creativeamajor in media supply chain solutions, is inviting attendees to experience Ateliere Connect and Discover. The cloud-native, multitenant SaaS solution enables customers to manage media assets and the media supply chain from concept to consumer at faster speeds. New advancements in the Ateliere core technology tenets, Deep Analysis and FrameDNA, allow customers to automate deduplication of large content libraries and archives, reducing overall storage by up to 70% as well as reducing cloud costs and carbon footprint. Ateliere solutions run on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and connect directly to cloud services. Leveraging powerful cloud parallel processing, customers can onboard massive content libraries in a matter of days as opposed to months, as well as scale to support significant bursts in workload at a moment’s notice. Ateliere will demonstrate Ateliere Connect, which promises a better way to manage content libraries and connect a media supply chain, and Ateliere Discover, where content owners can power up a fully branded streaming service and orchestrate delivery across their own branded video app or major OTT marketplace in a short period of time.
Telstra offers superlative broadcast delivery with next-gen IDN Stand PD-17
The latest addition to the Qx series, the QxP’s extensive feature set is headlined by its capacity for 25GbE UHD IP workflows and its suitability for portable operation due to an optional V-mount battery plate. Incorporating touchscreen control and external HDMI for a rasteriser output with up to flexibilityrequiredthetobeentheinstruments,16QxPhasdesignedprovideallofcapabilitiesforandease of configuration when working with both existing and emerging production infrastructures. It is thus suitable for workflows involving HD, UHD, SDR, HDR, SDI and IP, as well as conventional and remote productions.
The QxP comes with extensive IP support including SMPTE ST 2110 and 2022-6, along with compatibility with a wide range of 444 and 422, YUV and RGB video formats. For realtime IP production, it provides support for the generation and analysis of HD/3G/UHD/ EUHD 2110 payloads on generic SFP28/25GbE interfaces.
The IDN rounds out TBS’ stable network connectivity solutions, giving customers the flexibility to choose the delivery method that works best for them – satellite, fibre or the internet.
GatesAir has introduced Flexiva GX, a new FM analogue transmitter line that provides radio customers with a power-to-size ratio for power levels up to 10kW. Using the latest LDMOS technology, GatesAir has packed power density into a compact 5RU chassis, providing broadcasters with 5kW and 10kW FM solutions that deliver an overall efficiency rating of up to 76%.
62 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROIBC2022
Telstra’s IDN is a softwaredefined, cloud-based platform enabling the transport of high-quality video content and live broadcast streams to any registered endpoint across shared networks like the public internet. It features over 40 sites spread over EMEA, APAC and North America.
Telstra Broadcast Services (TBS) will launch the next generation of its cuttingedge IDN (internet delivery network) at IBC, to cater to the specific needs of international broadcasters for major event delivery. It expands on the capabilities of this network, based on internet standards with a web-first approach to delivery for broadcasters, and features more automation for efficiency, greater network flexibility, higher bandwidth and lower latency.
More portability with the new Phabrix QxP Stand 10.C01 by GatesAir’s third-generation PowerSmart high-efficiency transmitter architecture. While GatesAir continues to support HD radio and DRM+ digital radio within its Flexiva FM transmitter range, the Flexiva GX series is built for customers fully focused on the benefits of modern highefficiency solid-state technology. Flexiva GX transmitters support N+1 configurations, enabling large national network operators to build flexible and consolidated transmission sites that meet the stringent uptime requirements.
GatesAir to launch FM analogue transmitter at IBC Stand 8.C73 will showcase the QxP, which inherits the flexible architecture and extensive workflow support of the QxL rasteriser. It incorporates a 3RU multi-touch 1920x1200 7” LCD screen and is equally at home on-set in SDR/HDR, grading and shading applications, as well as in QC, MCR, engineering and R&D environments.
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The IDN upgrade follows TBS joining the SRT Alliance, a collaborative community of industry leaders and developers striving to achieve lower-latency internet video transport, last December. This collaboration means TBS is able to more effectively provide broadcasters of any size with the most flexible, cost-effective and robust ways to manage their content.
Digital Nirvana in a SaaS Trance 4.0
FLEX reflects business trends, including the migration to a ‘work anywhere’ environment, with ready access to content wherever creative staff need to be. In adopting cloud storage and processing, it also meets the move toward an OpEx financial model, with cloud hosting and storage fees flexing to reflect the level of business.
Stand 7.A28
aslocalisationcaptioningthethetheautomaticuserscaptioninginputs.usingtimecodesMachine-generatedwillnowbeadjustedspectrogramandmanualThestand-alonepro-windowwillallowtouploadmedia,generatecaptionsanddisplayinpro-captioningwidowusingdesiredpresetsdefinedbyuserortheorganisation.Anextensionofthepro-window,textwillnowbeusedaTrancemodule.
EditShare’s EFS Multi-Site will also be on the booth for the first time. This allows users with multiple locations to leverage built-in file acceleration to synchronise project storage between EFS clusters in different facilities, ensuring ready access to content wherever they choose to work.
EditShare to reveal power of hybrid workflows
63September 2022 | www.broadcastprome.com | PROIBC2022
Dejero will introduce its new EnGo 3 and EnGo 3x 5G mobile transmitters with an integrated internet gateway at IBC 2022, along with its new WayPoint 3 receiver. The EnGo 3 and EnGo 3x combine 5G performance with video quality for broadcast and media production markets, with EnGo 3x supporting 4K UHD transmission and multi-camera production. WayPoint 3 reconstructs video transported over multiple IP connections from select Dejero transmitters, decodes HEVC or AVC, and outputs resolutions of up to 4K UHD. Both transmitters are designed with brand-new RF and 4×4 MIMO antenna architecture to unlock the full potential of 5G connections and ensure optimal antenna isolation. Field crews can use them to transmit broadcast-quality video, quickly transfer large files and 5G transmission and decoding with Dejero at IBC Stand 2.B51 EditShare will showcase how its latest technologies boost quality and efficiency for production and post-production at IBC 2022. The latest suite of EditShare FLEX software solutions for cloud and hybrid workflows will have its first showing in Amsterdam.
Stand 7.A35 instantly set up high-bandwidth access points for multiple devices. In newsgathering and remote production scenarios, GateWay mode can be used to transfer files, connect to newsrooms and MAM systems, and publish content on social media, among other things. Digital Nirvana has announced an upgrade to its Trance selfservice SaaS application, to be released at IBC. Trance 4.0 works within a media company’s own workflow to automatically generate transcripts, closed captions/subtitles and translations for content localisation. Both enterprises and individual users will benefit from new features and capabilities, including elaborate account management, modular rights for users and an advanced pro-captioning window. It can be used as a combined or individual tool for transcription, captioning, text localisation or conformance of existing captions. The improved transcription window can now be used as a stand-alone app instead of as part of a three-step transcription, captioning and subtitling workflow that only generates output after all steps are complete. In addition to media and entertainment content, users will be able to get interviews, meetings, podcasts and more quickly transcribed, reviewed and exported in different formats. The pro-captioning window has undergone a major change to make it both user-friendly and efficient.
cloudpracticesCreatingCloud-Ground:Ground-Cloud-commonforproduction
The key question that broadcasters face in their cloud production transition is: How can I do a complex multi-vendor production completely in the cloud, with comparable latency to on-premises, and get it to a viewer?
While this is a time-tested approach, a lot of equipment sits idle for a large amount of time. In contrast, the cloud allows broadcasters to scale up and down as they need, and to not have to purchase and maintain the worstcase peak amount of hardware.
There are often claims of people doing ST 2110 in the public cloud. That is not possible yet, as no public clouds offer the full Precision Time Protocol (PTP) required. The public cloud is also by its very nature a shared resource, which affects the control users have over it. There will be packet loss, which sometimes can be quite substantial, so it’s important to have a protocol that is tolerant to packet loss or other issues. In many cases, this protocol could be baked into the cloud provider, such as in the case of the AWS Scalable Reliable Datagram (SRD) Protocol, with the underlying workings not exposed to the user. What do we actually want?
The VSF GCCG working group is trying to solve these challenges. Ultimately, I see that work combining with solutions such as AWS CDI to make fully cloudbased live production possible.
Kieran Kunhya is CEO of Open Broadcast Systems
Fundamentally, for live production to work in the cloud, we must get data from the cloud back to the ground and have it work into traditional broadcast workflows, whether that is SDI, ST 2110, satellite, cable or overthe-air terrestrial networks (usually based around MPEG-TS). For this, we need to establish an open standard for multi-vendor cloud production. We also require an uncompressed exchange and an agreed mechanism for going to and from ground to cloud. In any case, 2110 in the public cloud is not the right approach for this environment. It is linear and lockstep – in a software world, that doesn’t make sense. In some cases cloud instances can actually process data cases faster than real time, in others cases marginally slower; this means that with the right buffering and timing, a realtime output can be generated. Transport in the cloud is hard While producing and transporting video content in the cloud brings a number of efficiencies, it is still extremely difficult. The cloud is lossy and if we want to do uncompressed transport, we have to use some sort of protocol that underlies that. Using a protocol provides much-needed guarantees that broadcasters rely on, such as throughput with reliability and latency. How do we solve it? We need to use the efficiencies in large data transfer for big data in the cloud.
“I’m already doing live production in the cloud” Many people think they are already doing live cloud production, but this is not entirely true. For one, many are single-vendor monolithic applications which end up with the ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ problem. For example, the encoding in these products is not as good as that of dedicated encoder manufacturers. While some multi-vendor solutions exist, they mostly use proprietary compressed transports such as NDI. Therefore, we require a vendor-neutral exchange mechanism for video and audio.
64 | www.broadcastprome.com | September 2022 PROGUESTRecentlythere has been a lot of talk about producing television in the cloud; but in truth, most productions are still done onpremises in physical facilities.
AWS Cloud Digital Interface (AWS CDI) is an agreed way to exchange data between Amazon cloud instances, and handles many of these challenges. However, some parts need GCCG input, and one area that needs to be addressed is the delivery of a more detailed timing model – something which sounds simple, but is actually a very challenging technical problem.
There are many technical challenges that the Ground-Cloud-Cloud-Ground (GCCG) group in the Video Services Forum (VSF) is looking to address.
(Note: These are the author's personal views and not the views of VSF.)
