BroadcastPro ME January 2019

Issue 103 | JANuARY 2019

Publication licensed by Dubai Production City

a clear-cut path Three editing facilities on their success in post winning strategy Boosting sports broadcast with AR

space & satellite New lauNches across meNa

TV shopping reimagined Citruss TV gears up for 2019 at Dubai Studio City facility with Blackmagic Design

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GROUP Managing Director Raz Islam raz.islam@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5471 Editorial Director Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5472 EDITORIAL Editor

Welcome

Vijaya Cherian vijaya.cherian@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 55 105 3787 Assistant Editor Supriya Srinivas supriya.srinivas@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 4 375 5478 Sub Editor Aelred Doyle ADVERTISING Group Sales Director Sandip Virk sandip.virk@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0) 50 929 1845 +44 (0) 773 444 2526 DESIGN Art Director Simon Cobon Designer Percival Manalaysay MARKETING Marketing Manager Sheena Sapsford sheena.sapsford@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5498 CIRCULATION & PRODUCTION Production Manager Vipin V. Vijay vipin.vijay@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5713 Distribution Manager Phinson Mathew George phinson.george@cpitrademedia.com +971 (0)4 375 5476 DIGITAL SERVICES Mohammad Awais

I don’t know about you but grocery shopping or meandering through traffic and waiting endlessly for a parking spot so I can purchase a household appliance never ever held any charm for me. I suppose it's the same for many others going by how Citruss TV has bucked the recession trend in the region.

The Dubai-based shopping channel, which was recently renamed Citruss World of Shopping under its new majority stakeholder Shark Shopping, one of the three biggest home shopping majors in China, had a windfall last year and its biggest target audience is 35-45-year-old Arab women.

The channel has had more than a decade-and-a-half to perfect the art of discovering what sells on TV. With a well-stocked warehouse, well-organised logistics, an excellent after-sales service and the ease of purchase even on WhatsApp, it has fared well.

And now, a month ago, competition has opened up next door in the guise of Ellay.com. It will be interesting to see how the

new entry, said to be a partnership with German home shopping network HSE24 Group, will fare in this market.

That aside, some of us will be prepping for CABSAT 2019 as this magazine reaches your desk.

One thing you can do in advance is send us information about your participation and the products you intend to showcase at the Middle East's largest broadcast show. With the vast potential of Saudi Arabia to be explored, CABSAT promises exciting new avenues of growth.

2018 may have been tough but challenges often compel us to think creatively and I'm certain this will result in several new ideas this year.

In 2019, BroadcastPro will also have several new events around new topics never addressed before in this market. Stay tuned for more details.

Until then, I wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.

Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director

Sadiq Siddiqui FOUNDER Dominic De Sousa (1959-2015) PRINTED BY Printwell Printing Press LLC, Dubai

ISSUE 103 | JANUARY 2019

Publication licensed by Dubai Production City

A CLEAR-CUT PATH Three editing facilities on their success in post WINNING STRATEGY Boosting sports broadcast with AR

Published by

SPACE & SATELLITE NEW LAUNCHES ACROSS MENA

TV SHOPPING REIMAGINED Citruss TV gears up for 2019 at Dubai Studio City facility with Blackmagic Design

Licensed by TECOM to registered company,

On this month's cover…

Let’s create a vibrant online broadcast community! @BroadcastProME www.facebook.com/BroadcastProME BroadcastProME

Amr Moustafa, Head of TV Operations and Production at Citruss World of Shopping

CPI Trade Publishing FZ LLC whose registered office is 207 – 209, Building 3, Dubai Studio City, Dubai, UAE. www.cpitrademedia.com © Copyright 2019 CPI. All rights reserved.

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While the publishers have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information in this magazine, they will not be held responsible for any errors therein.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 1

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PROCONTENTS

Inside this issue 05 NEWS Twitter to showcase Asian Cup; DISCOP MENA shifts dates; Ramadan titles at Mena.TV, NiS demos Tazmeen dubbing platform; Spacetoon brings Pinkfong to MENA and more

January 2019 aSiaN cup from SpEcial oN tWittEr NEWS arouNd mENa

buyiNg actioN at dicm

14 mENa coNtENt markEt Dubai International Content Market hosts 700 visitors over two days

16 lEt'S gEt ShoppiNg

14

05

A tour of the brand new studios at Citruss TV as regional TV shopping picks pace

thE all-NEW citruSS tv Studio

diScovEriNg NEW local pathS

23 digital aNd local Discovery MENA's Nahla Elmallawany on creating local content and engaging digital audiences

26 thE rigourS of poSt Experts from Dejavu, Real Image and KKDD Films on the state of postproduction in the region

16

23

vox pop - makiNg thE cut iN poSt

SpacE aNd SatEllitE NEWS

30 augmENtiNg SportS Nic Hatch of Ncam on the growing potential of AR in sports broadcast

32 SatEllitE NEWS Yahsat-Hughes JV; Space programmes by Turkey, Syria; innovations from Arabsat, Eutelsat and Virgin Galactic

32

26 product iNNovatioNS

oN hybrid WorkfloWS

39 product buzz Innovations from RED, Rohde & Schwarz and EditShare

40 hybrid WoNdErS Embrace cloud and onpremise platforms with hybrid workflows, writes Nick PearceTomenius of Object Matrix

39

40 January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 3

PROnews

Twitter expands sports offering by partnering with Goal for AFC Asian Cup Twitter has announced the launch of a two-part Arabic series: #YallaGoal Asian Cup, sponsored by Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and produced by football news brand Goal.

AFC will take place January 5 - February 9.The preview episodes in the second half of December followed TV personality Rawan Daher (@Rawan_Daher) and Saudi football superfan Mohammed Alghamdi (@ Mohammedg84) as they explored Dubai landmarks such as Rashid Stadium –

The preview episodes followed TV personality Rawan Daher and Saudi football superfan Mohammed Alghamdi.

site of the AFC Group E opener on 8 January. They discussed the upcoming tournament, played footballrelated trivia games and showcased what fans in Dubai can do. Commenting

Netflix to boost 2019 library with African originals Netflix will commission original series from Africa in 2019, Erik Barmack, Netflix VP of International Originals, said last month. This is part of its intention to make its content library as diverse as its worldwide audience.

Netflix is planning to offer users outside the US and Europe original content highlighting their local stars. Its first Arabic original, Jinn, a six-episode series based on Middle East folklore, is expected

to debut next year.

2018 marked the debut of Sacred Games, its first original from India, and the company has six more original shows from India either planned or in production.

It also purchased Lionheart, its first original Nigerian film, in September.

The company projects that within years, “Half of the top 10 mostwatched shows in a given year are going to come from outside of the US.”

on the initiative, Issam Kazim, CEO, DTCM, said: “The eyes of all football fans in Asia will be on the UAE for the 17th edition of the AFC Asian Cup as a record 24 nations go for

glory, and Dubai will play an integral part by hosting 11 matches at its two venues – Al Maktoum Stadium and Rashid Stadium. We are hugely excited to be staging AFC Asian Cup 2019 matches in Dubai and #YallaGoal Asian Cup will have football fans covered.”

The live episodes will include reviews and previews of the key fixtures, with a focus on the UAE and Saudi national football teams, video and datadriven content, as well as exclusive interviews from Goal Arabia.

Shock Middle East appoints Cameron Plant as new Group MD

DISCOP MENA moves dates to focus on Ramadan programming

Shock Middle East has appointed Cameron Plant as its new Group Managing Director, effective immediately. Speaking about the appointment, Shock Middle East Group Chairman Raed Zidan said: “Cameron Plant comes with extensive international radio and media experience, and we wish him every success in his new role.”

DISCOP MENA has announced a shift in its 2019 dates. The event, initially slated to be held in February 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, has now been shifted to December 15-17, 2019. Patrick Zuchowicki, CEO of DISCOP Markets, said: “Ten years ago, we chose to hold DISCOP MENA at the end of February at a time when Ramadan took place in the fall. By moving dates, and for the next ten years, we want to give the region’s broadcasters, premium cable channels, mobile operators and streaming platforms more time to pick and choose Ramadan content with widespread appeal in the Arabic world.”

Cameron Plant.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 5

PROnews

Mena.tv Content Hub kickstarts Ramadan campaign with new titles Mena.tv Content Hub, a ChannelSculptor venture, kickstarted its Ramadan initiative at the Dubai International Content Market (DICM) last month. The dedicated Ramadan 2019 section of mena.tv hosts 20 brand-new titles that are in production or not yet seen by the Arab world.

The aim of the initiative is to enable TV content rights holders and producers to directly market their content to broadcasters and OTT platforms for Ramadan 2019.

“The Ramadan 2019 campaign solves the two main challenges that the industry faces as the Holy Month approaches: timing and deal transparency,” commented Heba Korayem, Head of Broadcaster Relations at ChannelSculptor.

“With the help of mena.tv, broadcasters and networks can now browse Ramadan 2019 titles much sooner, gain a buying edge over their competitors, and plan their programme grids for the Holy Month more effectively. At the

Heba Korayem is Head of Broadcaster Relations at ChannelSculptor.

same time, these buyers know they are contacting the rights holders directly, without paying additional commissions to middlemen that too often don’t add any value to the deal.”

The platform has a variety of titles, but those related to the Ramadan campaign have been placed in a separate section.

“Unlike other titles listed on the website, the Ramadan projects are a mix of finished and unfinished

MBC Action acquires MENA Formula E rights MBC Action has acquired the rights to beam Formula E races across MENA for the next two seasons. Alongside live coverage of the final practice session, qualifying shoot-out and the E-Prix itself, MBC Action will also show post-race highlights and programming between races, including preview segments and the Street

Racers magazine show.

MBC Action has acquired the rights to cover 19 territories. The network will also air the new Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY support series – the first production battery electric vehicle category using modified road cars – live across its channels. Riyadh hosted the Middle East edition at Ad Diriyah.

6 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

works, as some of them are still in the preparation phase, with only a synopsis and proposed actor names available. The artwork and promos will be uploaded as and when they are produced,” said Korayem.

A number of regional production companies, including Eagle Films, Rotana and Cedars Art, as well as broadcasters such as Majid TV, Ro’ya TV and Al Aan TV, have listed their works on the website.

These dramas are also targeted at global audiences, as part of mena. tv's mission to promote Arabic content in international markets.

The Ramadan 2019 titles featured on mena.tv will also be promoted at the NATPE Content Market in Miami (USA) in January 2019.

The Ramadan campaign offer is priced at $750 per title and lasts for six months, until the Ramadan buying season is over.

ChannelSculptor also celebrated its tenth anniversary in Dubai last month with a small gathering of industry professionals.

Morocco's King appoints Latifa Akharbach as President of High Authority of AV Communication Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has appointed Latifa Akharbach as the new President of the High Authority of Audiovisual Communication (HACA).

Akharbach replaces Amina Lamrini El Ouahabi. The HACA is responsible for all audiovisual communication services in the country, including the granting of licences for AV as well as the allocation of radio frequencies

for broadcast programmes.

Akharbach is a Moroccan diplomat and journalist.

She previously served as Morocco’s Ambassador to Tunisia, prior to which she was Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. She also headed the Higher Institute of Information and Communication (ISIC) for 20 years, and was co-CEO of state-owned radio channel SNRT.

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PROnews

Viacom International expands digital footprint across Turkey and Africa Viacom International Media Networks is expanding its digital footprint across Europe and Africa. The media house has announced new distribution deals with key multiplatform players abroad. New partnerships include the launch of MTN in Africa, the MTV+ Prime Video channel in Germany and Austria, and SVOD deals

with Vodafone in Turkey.

Commenting on the expansion, Raffaele Annecchino, President and MD of Viacom’s Southern and Western and EMEA business cluster, said: “We are pursuing a diversified and extensive multiplatform strategy. We are working with Amazon in Germany, MTN in Africa and Vodafone,

as we continue to evaluate each market for new opportunities and unlock value through both traditional and non-traditional distribution partners.”

The Turkey deal is a multiyear distribution agreement with Vodafone SVOD content, versioned in Turkish, from Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and TeenNick, exclusively

available on mobile via the Vodafone TV app.

In Africa, in partnership with Arial View Nigeria Limited and MTN, Viacom will launch several global brands, including Nickelodeon, MTV, MTV Base and Comedy Central, on MTN’s Shortz streaming platform for Nigerian subscribers.

Six Senses Zighy Bay chooses Exterity to enhance in-room entertainment Six Senses Zighy Bay Resort in Oman has deployed Exterity’s hospitality-focused interactive TV portal ArtioGuest to provide its clientele with better in-room entertainment.

In 2018, as part of a major upgrade to offer guests in-room infotainment experiences, Six Senses Zighy Bay deployed ArtioGuest.

Exterity’s IPTV system was originally installed

by Rashed Al Mazroui for Technology and Information Supplies (RAMCO), a major system integrator of IT/IP solutions.

The initial upgrade moved the legacy IPTV platform, delivering 50 satellite channels, over to a new Exterity system that added full HD capability and a more modern integration with the existing video-ondemand service. In total, the resort upgraded the

service received on 140 TVs across the premises.

In 2018, senior management decided to improve the in-room guest experience further with ArtioGuest.

Speaking about the installation, Chakib Dhahri, IT Manager for Six Senses Zighy Bay Resort, said: “The technology and Exterity have never let us down.

For the future, we are looking at other options, such as music on demand and 4K TV channels when they become available.”

Designed as a seamless

8 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

extension to the existing Exterity IP-based infrastructure, the resort updated each villa’s TV screens with additional Chromecast capabilities, integrated in a single ArtioGuest interface.

Now guests are able to connect their own devices to the TVs in each villa, including access to their own subscription video services such as Netflix, as well as enjoy additional HD channels including options for French, German and Arabic languages. The system is also integrated

with the Opera property management system to automatically set up welcome messages and allow each guest to see current billing information.

Walid Tabet, Middle East Regional Sales Team Leader at Exterity, added: “Six Senses offers a fully customisable portal that seamlessly delivers live TV and VoD services.

The fact that Six Senses is looking for more ways to work with Exterity in the future confirms the success of the ArtioGuest deployment and reinforces that tech-savvy hotel guests expect the highest quality in-room entertainment and service experiences.”

The Exterity solution at Six Senses’ Zighy Bay Resort includes the ArtioGuest, the AvediaServer central management system and AvediaPlayer media players.

PROnews

NiS offers dubbing management system New Interactive Studio (NiS), a Syrian voice dubbing company, launched dubbing management system Tazmeen at the Dubai International Content Market (DICM), held in Dubai last month. NiS also used the occasion to launch the Interactive Grid, a new platform to promote the development of the voice dubbing industry and create an active global network using Tazmeen.

Tazmeen manages dubbing processes from and to any language in the world, with a special focus on languages in the Arab world. It has been used successfully to execute multiple projects simultaneously while providing end users

The NiS team with CEO Nabil Al Dakkak (left) and co-founder Kenan Al Oulabi (right).

with detailed production progress reports. Tazmeen contributes to all stages of the dubbing process, from script preparation, to setting up and recording, to sound processing and casting. NiS claims that it can dub content for

Spacetoon brings local versions of Pinkfong songs to MENA Spacetoon Group has partnered with Pinkfong, the educational arm of SMARTSTUDY, a South Korean educational entertainment company, to bring Baby Shark and other songs by Pinkfong to MENA. The Baby Shark song has garnered more than two billion views on YouTube.

Alongside this. Dubaibased Arabian Licensing Company (ALC), an independent brand licensing agency that first introduced the licensing business in MENA as far back as 1979, has snagged the master licence for all categories of Pinkfong

and Baby Shark.

In addition, Dubai company Global New Age Media (GNAM), a major provider of educational media, also announced that exclusive rights for the ticketed and non-ticketed activation of Baby Shark and Pinkfong in the region have been contracted to Spacetoon Event, its events subsidiary.

Spacetoon Kids TV will create an Arabic version of Baby Shark in cooperation with Pinkfong. The programme will be featured on Spacetoon’s linear and digital media platforms.

Arab audiences at four times the current speed, at a quarter of the cost.

Commenting on the launch, Kenan Al Oulabi, co-founder of NiS, said: “NiS experience in this field started with the Turkish series in 2008,

E-Vision launches Spirit of the Union channel

E-Vision, a fully owned subsidiary of Etisalat, launched Spirit of the Union, channel 47, on eLife to commemorate the 47th National Day. The channel, which featured the UAE’s past and its culture and traditions through various documentaries, interviews and patriotic songs, was broadcast until the end of last month.

where we dubbed and executed a multitude of series in various languages, the most important of which are the Ertugrul Resurrection series and Valley of the Wolves, as well as an Indian series titled Madhubala.”

NiS CEO and principal founder Nabil Al Dakkak, who is also the creator of Tazmeen, added: “Tazmeen will be the central nerve of the voice dubbing companies in this part of the world. NiS offers dubbing services for all production requirements, including movies, dramas, documentaries and animations in classical Arabic, Syrian and Egyptian dialects, Turkish, Persian and Kurdish.”

Zain launches Amazon Prime Video in Kuwait Zain, a digital service provider in Kuwait, has launched an exclusive Amazon Prime Video offer for the first time in Kuwait.

Zain will provide its customers with movies and TV shows on its network, including Prime Originals and TV series. Postpaid and prepaid Zain customers can subscribe to Prime Video without the need for a credit card or additional payment methods, the release stated.

The primary collaboration between the two companies was announced during Zain’s participation at GITEX 2018 in Dubai last October.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 9

PROnews

Image Nation felicitates filmmakers at Arab Film Studio 2018 awards Hind Anabtawi, Mariam Al Awadhi and Salma Sherry emerged as the winners of the 2018 Arab Film Studio programme at an awards ceremony on 11 December.

Hind Anabtawi secured the Best Film – Narrative award for Moderately Satisfied, a 10-minute film about an estranged daughter and her relationship with her dying mother. The Best Film – Documentary award went to Mariam Al Awadhi for Mum, in which a girl voices her emotions regarding her non-Emirati

Participants in the Young Filmmakers programme at the awards ceremony with Image Nation executives.

mother and the uneasiness of having a mixed background.

Salma Sherry received the Best Script award for Aida Wants Gelatti, with a production grant of $27,225 to make her script a reality.

Etisalat doubles speeds on eLife plans for free Etisalat has doubled its broadband speed across the board on its ‘eLife Unlimited’ plans.

The entry-level plan will now offer speeds up to 100Mbps. The unlimited Sports and Entertainment plans

offer speeds up to 250Mbps, and Premium plans offer speeds of up to 500Mbps and up to 1Gbps. This is the first time 100Mbps has been offered in a baselevel plan in the UAE, the company claimed.

Turkcell expands with Metrological platform Turkcell has chosen Metrological to deliver a personalised Turkcell TV App Store for all Turkcell TV+ subscribers.

Using Metrological’s Application Platform, Turkcell will source localised and

international content from Metrological’s library of more than 300 TV apps.

Turkcell will use Metrological’s back office for real-time monetising and optimising of the app lifecycle.

10 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

To date, more than 120 emerging filmmakers have participated in Arab Film Studio and these films have been screened at film festivals around the globe.

Image Nation CEO Michael

Garin said: “Each year, the quality of projects created during Arab Film Studio is incredibly impressive. It's very gratifying to see the depth of talent and passion these young filmmakers bring. The region’s film and entertainment sector is becoming a significant driver of the creative economy. Arab Film Studio is a platform for rigorous training and reflects Image Nation’s commitment to meeting this need for home-grown professionals with world-class skills.”

Ncam has new VP of Sports and Broadcast

GatesAir announces new EMEA appointment

Andy Giles joins Pebble Beach Systems

Phil Ventre (in pic) has joined Ncam as VP Sports and Broadcast.

Ventre will lead the Global Business Development and sales function for the Sports, Esports and Broadcast sectors. Ncam has also appointed Ben Dair as Head of Product Management to develop and deliver solutions for the company.

GatesAir has appointed Peter Timmons as Business Development Director across EMEA and India.

Timmons will focus on new and existing customer and partner relationships, with an eye on strengthening brand visibility and market share region-wide.

Pebble Beach Systems, an automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, has appointed Andy Giles as the company’s new Sales Manager for Europe and South Africa. Giles previously held senior positions at Snell & Wilcox Ltd and Amberfin.

PROnews

Sheraton Kuwait chooses Sennheiser for upgrade Sheraton Kuwait has chosen Sennheiser's latest wireless conferencing system for two of its conference facilities and several meeting rooms.

The audio specialist’s ADN-W system has been deployed to deliver audio conferencing with secure wireless connectivity.

Eng Mohamed Monieb, Maintenance Manager at Sheraton Kuwait, explained: “We conducted a test between ADN-W, our existing system and another manufacturer’s solution. This showed superior sound quality, and

The audio specialist’s ADN-W system has been deployed at several areas within the facility.

addressed our concerns around interference.”

Ryan Burr, Head of Technical Sales & Application Engineering, System Solutions at Sennheiser Middle East, added: “Sheraton wanted to use the system in multiple rooms throughout their premises. Through

meticulous planning and modelling, we settled on permanently locating the antennas and control units in three of the rooms and then providing a floating system with accompanying wireless microphone units that can be easily moved between meeting rooms as required.”

Abu Dhabi locations in new Ryan Reynolds film Netflix and Skydance Media have completed principal photography in Abu Dhabi on 6 Underground, an actionadventure feature film directed by Michael Bay and starring Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Corey Hawkins, Adria Arjona, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Lior Raz, Payman Maadi and Dave Franco.

Filming began in Italy on 20 August, continued to Abu Dhabi on 12 November, and moved to sites in Al Ain, Liwa and Ras Al Khaimah before completing principal photography on 5 December in Abu Dhabi city centre.

24 locations were used during the 27-day shoot in Abu Dhabi.

Director Michael Bay

A total of 24 locations were used during the 27-day shoot in Abu Dhabi.

said: “The UAE, and Abu Dhabi in particular, has provided diverse backdrops that have added to the richness of our production.

I look forward to returning to the UAE to spend time exploring all that the country has to offer. This has been a fast-paced and dynamic production, and Netflix and Skydance have been fantastic partners.”

“Making this movie was an experience I will never forget,” added Ryan Reynolds. “I was impressed with the local crew and artisans we’ve met throughout our journey. Together, we’ve made an exciting movie with equal parts action and humour that will appeal to a diverse audience.”

RCF Group acquires DPA Microphones Italian RCF Group has acquired DPA Microphones. With the acquisition, CEO Arturo Vicari stated that the company can now offer the complete audio chain to professionals, from microphones to speakers.

NEP Group acquires AV specialist BSI NEP Group has acquired wireless AV specialist Broadcast Sports International (BSI). The acquisition of BSI adds wireless capabilities to NEP Group’s line of specialty capture services. In addition to Bexel and Fletcher, other NEP acquisitions over the past two years include SIS LIVE in October, FilmGEAR’s business Showcare in August, Big Picture in July and Telerecord in June.

Inside Secure to acquire Verimatrix Inside Secure has entered into an exclusivity agreement to acquire Californian firm Verimatrix, Inc. With the acquisition, Amedeo D’Angelo, Chairman and CEO of Inside Secure, said: “Verimatrix is the perfect fit to strengthen scale and reach of our value proposition in end markets that are fast shifting towards software and cloud-based security solutions, while video content consumption is becoming multi-device and multi-format. We look forward to combining both businesses to offer our clients the best value proposition in security, starting with entertainment and moving towards IoT and connected cars, and to continue to create value for our shareholders.”

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 11

PROnews

Majid TV brings Arabic version of Pablo around the World to MENA Majid TV, owned by Abu Dhabi Media, has catalysed the start of an international animated production named Pablo around the World. The plot revolves around a young autistic boy named Pablo whose drawings come to life and enable him to face the real world with confidence.

It is the first children’s series to feature a central character with autism.

Majid TV secured the rights to Pablo from UK distributor Cake Entertainment earlier

this year, and localised it for its Arabic-speaking audience.

“Pablo is about an autistic child, and we could have potentially just dubbed it with any Arabic voice,” Ahmed Abdelhamid, Head of Programming at Abu Dhabi Media, told BroadcastPro. “Instead, we scouted for an autistic child to dub Pablo’s dialogue, so as to be as authentic to the role as possible. We also regionalised the design and graphics in the production.

FREEJ to be broadcast in Japan

a Art Production, has Dubai-based company, Lammtar television channel.

MX o Toky the to s licensed the serie

FREEJ, a UAE 3D animated series created by Emirati Mohammed Saeed Harib, will be dubbed into Japanese and broadcast in Japan next year. Harib’s Dubai-based company, Lammtara Art Production, has licensed the series to the Tokyo MX television channel, where it will air weekly with a reach of up to 15m households.

Abu Dhabi licensing consultant Makiko Oi Allum,

currently establishing a company at TwoFour54, facilitated the project.

Japanese actress Atsuko Takahata heads the Japanese voice-over ensemble, voicing the character of Umm Saeed.

Takahata is known for her wide body of film roles as well as for voicing iconic anime characters. She is expected to put the Japanese spotlight firmly on the debut of FREEJ.

12 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

The company's regionalised approach has inspired a global movement, said Ahmed Abdelhamid of Abu Dhabi Media.

“When we sent our version back to Cake Entertainment and the producer, they liked it so much that they created Pablo around the World and started to compile regional versions from around the world to be part of this programme. That’s where we have made a difference.”

The TV channel also has big plans to launch two new shows next year and aims to distribute its exclusive programmes on OTT and inflight entertainment platforms.

Reel Palestine at Cinema Akil Cinema Akil has announced the return of Reel Palestine’s annual film festival, which will run January 18-26, 2019.

Films will be screened at Cinema Akil’s venue at Alserkal Avenue in Dubai

and Warehouse 421 in Abu Dhabi. The festival will include at least two screenings each day, talks and a market with Palestinian crafts and flavours, organised by the not-for-profit Reel Palestine.

beIN appoints Martin Aurenche as VP of Sports Content beIN Media Group has appointed Martin Aurenche as VP of Sports Content, responsible for the group’s media rights acquisitions and distribution around the world. The move comes weeks after Yousef Al-Obaidly was appointed as CEO of the group by Chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, signalling a new phase of development for the global media company.

Aurenche, a lawyer, has been responsible for

securing the rights to many of the games for the network and will now lead and manage beIN Media Group’s Central Acquisitions Team globally – responsible for both rights acquisition and distribution. He will principally spend his time in the key group offices in Paris, London and Doha, but will also focus on the group’s important interests and operations in the Americas and Asia.

PROevent

More than 250 buyers from 35 countries attended the market, and engaged in 845 meetings with the exhibitors.

Dubai International Content Market hosts 700 visitors over two-day event The Dubai International Content Market (DICM), formerly called MYCONTENT, concluded last month with more than 700 visitors in attendance, according to Index, the event organiser. Index also said in a statement that more than 250 buyers from 35 countries attended the market, and engaged in

845 meetings with the exhibitors.

The conference brought together 20 local and international speakers, who spoke about the challenges facing the content market locally and internationally. Exhibitors included OSN, Rotana, Egyptian Media Production City, MBC, Netflix, Twitter

14 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

and Etihad Airways, showcasing their latest projects and ventures.

Speaking about the event, Vlad Borovina, Project Manager of DICM, told BroadcastPro ME: “The MENA region is a huge market of 20+ countries with more than 1,000 broadcasters and numerous SVOD platforms. Many of

PROevent

The conference brought together 20 local and international speakers.

Besides exhibitors from the region, DICM also attracted new exhibitors from Canada, the UK, France, Nigeria, India and Japan.

the region’s 75 telecoms companies are also delivering content services.

With the opening of the Saudi market, home to one of the biggest untouched markets, it’s obvious that MENA is on everyone’s agenda. In the Middle East, there is no place like Dubai in terms of logistics, safety, facilities, technology and travel. If we are to have such an event, it needs to be in Dubai.”

Speaking about the changes to the structure of the event and the venue, Borovina added: “We have made a lot of changes in the past year, and we are happy to see the positive reactions from our participants. Despite launching the

event quite late in the year, the turnover was impressive from both exhibitors and non-exhibitors. This was possible thanks to strategic partnerships established with the likes of Dubai Media City, DFTC, BroadcastPro Middle East and mena.tv, which created a solid and healthy base for this event to grow in the coming years.”

Besides exhibitors from the region, DICM also attracted new exhibitors from Canada, the UK, France, Nigeria, India and Japan, among others.

“We have expanded our target audience to Central and Eastern Europe in terms of buyers, creating

a diversity of interests for the twoday event. We also allocated more resources to the matchmaking platform, which is managed now by my colleague Irina Deaconu, who comes with many years of experience in this key element of organising an exhibition.

“As the only one in the region focused 100% on buyers and sellers, there is a huge responsibility to deliver a successful platform for media professionals to meet and network. We have already started planning the 2019 edition, and we will share all details with the industry shortly,” Borovina concluded.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 15

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PioNEEriNg TV shopping in MEnA

With one of the top home shopping platforms in China purchasing a 51% stake in Dubai-based Citruss World of Shopping, MENA home shopping channels have picked up pace. BroadcastPro ME takes an exclusive tour of the new Citruss TV studios in Dubai Studio City Within seconds of browsing through the Citruss World of Shopping website, my Arab friend decided she wanted the Balzano airfryer. The compelling visuals of grease oozing out of traditional fryers, as the presenter extolled the virtues of healthy cooking, appealed to her current eat-healthy goals.

At the newly appointed studios of Citruss TV in Dubai Studio City, we see the air-fryer, along with samples of jelabiyas (traditional attire for Arab women), mixers, beauty products and slimming pills, among other staples of home shopping television.

As Amr Moustafa, Head of TV Operations at the 14-year-old channel, takes BroadcastPro ME on a tour of the new studios to explain the Blackmagic equipment he has recently had installed, there is no mistaking the real hero of the story. It isn’t the new studios or even China’s Shark Shopping, one of China’s top three home shopping majors, which has purchased a 51% stake in Citruss TV, marking the very first overseas acquisition in the Chinese TV shopping industry.

It is, unmistakably, the Balzano air-fryer and the 400 other brands Citruss TV stocks in its warehouses and markets on its network. In 2017, the Dubai home shopping channel received 600,000 calls, increasing in 2018 to 720,000 calls (at the time of going to press). Despite the entry of rival brands such as ellay.com, Moustafa says,

16 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

“We have enjoyed year-on-year growth of around 40% and these are numbers only for the five Gulf states of KSA, UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.

“We have a spot on Nilesat and Arabsat,” explains Moustafa, who has been with the channel since 2011. Having cut his teeth in the equally brutal world of music and sports broadcasting, he recognises the critical importance of placing the shopping channel in the appropriate content bouquet. “We launched our HD channel on December 9 on Arabsat 12111 Mhz. We also have two spots on MBC transponders, with four channels – the daily 2.5-hour slot on MBC4, with an hour in the afternoon and 1.5 hours in the night.”

For the product-savvy Arab woman aged 35-45, the product-sourcing team at Citruss TV, also housed in the boutique studio, scan the globe for exclusive products.

“A lot of our high-sellers are exclusive,” reveals Moustafa. “These products are available only with us in the region and we also offer after-sales service. Lately, we have been doing very well with high-end brands such as Versus from Versace, among others. Colourful jelabiyas are a huge hit. The big challenge for any home shopping TV network is establishing credibility with the buyer. We have to make sure the product is really good, the price point is correct for the market and after-sales is a guarantee.”

Much like its online retail counterparts, Citruss

PROCOVER

The new studios at Dubai Studio City are a stepping stone to going live with real-time interaction with home shoppers, explains Amr Moustafa, Head of TV Operations at Citruss TV.

Snapshot • Client: Citruss World of Shopping • Location: Dubai Studio City • Objective: To equip and integrate a full-fledged editing and broadcast facility for Citruss TV in Dubai Studio City • Systems Integrator: UBMS, Dubai • Key Distributor: MediaCast for Blackmagic Design solutions • Key suppliers: Blackmagic Design, Fujinon, ATEM, Smart, Hyperdeck, SmartView, Audio Technica, DataVideo, Marantz, Hyperdeck, Tally

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 17

PROCOVER

From left: Sahl Beldi, Marketing Manager at UBMS; Amr Moustafa, Head of TV Operations and Production at Citruss World of Shopping; and Riad Obaid, Territory Sales Manager at MediaCast.

TV has a straightforward moneyback return policy. Payment can be made by credit card or cash on delivery, among other options.

“Viewers can just WhatsApp a screen grab to us to place an order,” says Moustafa, underlining the ease of making a purchase.

There are challenges, however, that MENA-based home shopping TV networks must contend with.

While recent figures show that more than a quarter (29%) of Middle East consumers shop online, the majority are aged 1525 and use mobile devices to do so. In response to evolving trends, the Egypt-based technical team at Citruss TV has developed an app for mobile devices, and a global online web portal handles e-commerce.

But the soul of operations is linear television, with presenters making a case for the latest vacuum cleaner or kitchenware by Jordanian celebrity chef Manal Al Alem.

While admitting that more eventbased buzz needs to be created for the shopping channel, Moustafa

“Citruss TV was at a major crossroad, needing to relocate to new studios and to upgrade from SD to HD with 4K-ready infrastructure” Sahl Beldi, Marketing Manager, UBMS

Kit list • Cameras & Production Switchers: Blackmagic URSA Broadcast • Lenses: Fujinon • Video Mixer & Switchers: ATEM • Talkback: ATEM talkback converter 4K, with CCU software (DaVinci) to control the camera • Recorders & Routers: Smart Videohub, HyberDeck Studio Pro 2, CFast memory card and card reader • Audio System: Marantz Soundlive12 • Intercom System: DataVideo with beltpacks, headsets and Tally light set • Headphones: Audio Technica • Display Systems: SmartView 4K • Lighting: LED fresnel lights

18 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

highlights the efforts being made. “To create word-of-mouth publicity, we have influencers who recommend us, and we have invited our shoppers to our studios for makeovers and daylong shopping with our presenters.

The biggest challenge for home shopping channels, besides getting exclusive deals, is to have credible presenters who can persuade viewers to buy a product.”

With the average basket valued at $160, products are aimed at Arab women in Saudi Arabia, followed by the UAE and Kuwait, among other GCC countries. While people do not necessarily sit down to watch home shopping, Citruss TV enjoys MENA-wide visibility, positioned as it is with popular MBC channels.

Acknowledging that viewership has almost doubled since the slots were purchased, Moustafa reiterates: “When viewers browse between the MBC channels, they come upon our home shopping channels.”

A pioneering name in home shopping in the region, Citruss TV had an unlikely start when Michael

PROCOVER

With five cameras for Studio A and three for Studio B, including a shoulder cam, Moustafa's team shoots between eight and nine products on a given day.

Trueschler, a German investment banker, decided to partner with Belgian MBA graduate Nicolas Bruylants to start a home shopping TV network in 2005. Despite initial scepticism from broadcasters and the market, the network has demonstrated successful rounds of funding, with independent investment and financial advisory firm Valoris Capital acquiring a 30% stake in 2014. Saudi broadcaster MBC recently extended its partnership with Citruss TV. The 2017 investment by China’s Shark Shopping saw Citruss TV invest in an integrated production studio and headquarters, and Chinese expertise is already making a mark.

“Our buyers have access to exclusive products from Shark’s inventory, and we have our presenters and crew travelling to their studios in Beijing to shoot segments of the show.

More products will lead to more productions, more shows and more sales,” adds Moustafa.

At the time of the acquisition of the 51% stake, Shark Shopping President Jason Kong said that the group would focus on furniture, kitchen and home appliances

“The biggest challenge for home shopping channels, besides getting exclusive deals, is to have credible presenters who can persuade viewers to buy a product” Amr Moustafa, Head of TV operations, Citruss World of Shopping for Middle Eastern consumers, at prices 20% cheaper than the local market. “We’ll bring in new products from China and will also export products from the Middle

MBC Group has signed a five-year MoU with Citruss World of Shopping to enhance the existing TV shopping experience, promote branding across multimedia platforms and to promote investment opportunities mainly in MENA. MBC Group CEO, Sam Barnett (l) seen here with Jason Kong, Chairman of Citruss World of Shopping.

East to China that are in demand there,” he is reported to have said.

In the 14 years since Citruss TV made its mark as the region’s first home shopping TV channel, the company has built partnerships with local suppliers in the five Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait.

The channel’s 24/7 call centres are in Lebanon and Jordan and the technical support team is in Egypt.

“80% of our sales comes from Saudi Arabia. Aramex is our partner and they give us space in their warehouse. They deliver the product as well and that lends tremendous credibility with the end user,” says Moustafa.

As we walk through the very busy Citruss TV studio, which houses nearly 110 people including Chinese COO Samuel Pang, the product is never far from the discussion.

“Not everything works,” reveals Moustafa as we take in the samples stacked in the buyer’s department. TV shopping experts will tell you that a product needs to be demonstrable, a problemsolver and easy to understand, among other factors. Also, with customers bombarded with myriad options, Citruss TV needs to offer its viewer “the best option”.

The company has a rigorous three-month testing phase, he says.

But to an audience that typically

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 19

PROCOVER

watches only 17 channels on average, despite hundreds on offer, the likes of Citruss TV will have to up their game. Also, beyond the productsavvy older female demographic, Citruss TV needs to be relevant to younger consumers. “We have a website, a mobile app and we have social media presence, but we would like to be bigger than what we currently are,” admits Moustafa.

The de rigueur question about the economic downturn elicits a surprising response: “We have seen an increase in business. It seems people always want to shop, and with WhatsApp, we have made it easier than ever for the audience to make purchases.”

Currently employing 140 people across five countries, he believes permanent crew will grow as the number of productions increases. The new studios have opened exciting new possibilities for his team.

He says: “The previous residents of the studio had cut the studio in half and built two studios. The UBMS-installed control room allows me to switch between the studios.

I have five cameras for Studio A and three for Studio B upstairs, including a shoulder cam. On any given day, we shoot between eight and nine products. While we are shooting down below, the products for the next shoot are being prepped in the studio upstairs. Home and fitness products will be in Studio A, and Studio B will be dedicated to jewellery, fashion and beauty.

We have currently suspended work on Studio B as we are looking for an appropriate video wall.”

Moustafa hopes the new studios will be a stepping stone to the ultimate dream of every home shopping channel – to go live and interact in real time with the end users so that viewers know “we don’t Photoshop anything and what they are seeing is the real deal”.

The studios are equipped with Blackmagic URSA broadcast cameras and Fujinon lenses.

The UBMS-installed control room allows the Citruss TV crew to switch between the two studios.

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PROCOVER

Dubai’s UMBS builds new Citruss TV studio

The project required ground-up redesign of the production workflow, from cameras and lenses to camera control, signal routing, switching and recording for post.

Implementation of the turnkey solution from scratch, including testing, commissioning and training stages, was completed in two weeks.

Dubai’s United Broadcast & Media Solutions (UBMS) completed the implementation of a turnkey Blackmagic Design-equipped broadcast studio for Citruss TV in Dubai Studio City last month. The project was designed to equip Citruss TV’s post-production and live broadcast facility with lighting, studio integration, online video editing, digital broadcast cameras, camera support systems, video server, character generator, recorders, audio system and wireless microphones, with players and an end-to-end routing system. The project was installed and integrated

by UBMS with the assistance of MediaCast, Blackmagic Design's distributor for the Middle East.

Elaborating on client requirements, Sahl Beldi, Marketing Manager at UBMS, says: “Citruss TV was at a major crossroad, needing to relocate to new studios and to upgrade from SD to HD with 4K-ready infrastructure.

All this needed to be delivered on a tight schedule and on a budget.

Simplicity of operation and workflow was also a consideration, so we needed to design a solution that met all of those requirements.”

With the contract awarded in August 2018, the live test took place on October 25, 2018. During our visit to the Citruss TV studio, Amr Moustafa is fulsome in his praise of the fast and efficient execution from the UBMS/MediaCast team.

Commenting on the client’s priorities, Beldi says: “Citruss TV’s main priority was delivering high-end picture quality to its viewers. This required ground-up redesign of their production workflow, from cameras and lenses to camera control, signal routing, switching and recording for post.”

Throwing light on the division of work between regional Blackmagic distributor MediaCast and UBMS, Beldi says: “MediaCast is our trusted partner in projects involving a complete turnkey Blackmagic Design solution. UBMS provided the overall system design,

with input from MediaCast on key elements. The UBMS team performed the installation and MediaCast assisted with some post-installation configuration and training for specific Blackmagic Design products.”

Offering an overview of the solutions deployed, Beldi says: “We fitted out both Studio A and B with new LED lighting and lighting control. The PCR/MCR control room is fitted with a complete Blackmagic Design 12G 4K-ready solution. The studios are equipped with Blackmagic URSA broadcast cameras and Fujinon lenses, and the supporting infrastructure includes Blackmagic ATEM 4K broadcast switchers, HyperDeck recorders, SmartView monitors and scopes, with Newtek playout, ingest server and graphics.”

The UBMS team implemented the new turnkey solution from scratch, from consultation to design and to the final stages of installation, configuration, testing and training.

Acknowledging some challenges with civil works, Beldi says: “Implementation, testing, commissioning and training stages were completed in only two weeks. The live test happened on October 25, and the system went into full live production use the following day. The timeline for the project was tight, so the project management aspect was important.

Efficient scheduling, planning and managing resources ensured it was delivered on time, on budget and passed system tests quickly.”

The current studios are a stepping stone to bigger things, Moustafa asserts. “As a shopping channel, you have to understand that every single category of product that you sell has specific needs in the studio.

For vacuum cleaners, I need carpets, ceramic tiles, etc to show that it can work. For fitness equipment, I need space for the equipment, the presenter, a guest and two models behind her. For fashion, I might need catwalk space.

A bigger studio in the future would complement these new studio spaces.”

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 21

CABSAT.COM

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PROcOntent

An average of 800 bespoke pieces of content are produced each year for digital platforms and content is tailored for each platform, explains Nahla Elmallawany of Discovery MENA.

360-DEgrEE content experience

Discovery Channel MENA draws on its success with Fatafeat to create original long-form content for its pay-TV channel TLC HD, and bespoke short-form content for digital platforms. In conversation with Nahla Elmallawany, Head of Content, Discovery MENA Tell us about the 360-degree approach you have adopted to creating content for Fatafeat.

We first applied it during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In 2018, our Fatafeat Ramadan strategy was truly 360, with a diverse line-up of locally produced shows on the linear channel, plus a fan-focused digital strategy.

But we now apply the ‘360’ model to all our campaigns on Fatafeat. Whether it’s producing new shows for linear,

including the the series May’s Kitchen, Matbhakna Al Arabi (Our Arabic Kitchen) and Ma’a Sou Atyab (So Delicious), or the digital-first content we produce (more than 800 shortform videos in 2018), our strategy is to ensure we’re always engaging with our Fatafeat fans across every touchpoint.

How has the digital opportunity impacted your workflow?

We started with short-form recipes and now we’ve customised

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 23

PROcOntent

our production and editing based on the digital platform the content is showcased on.

We have adapted our deliverables around digital. Our in-house crew produces bespoke digital content as part of its workflow with the allotment of additional time. With this strategy, we have a fan base of half a million on YouTube, around 700,000 subscribers on Instagram and around five million on Facebook, among others. To keep our fans engaged, we now produce an average of 800 bespoke pieces of content each year for digital platforms, and each platform has its requirements: with Instagram you have glossy, magazine-quality style of production; on YouTube, it is more spontaneous; and with Facebook you have articlestyle content with recipes, and so on.

Our digital platforms also offer immediate feedback from the audiences. If a video performs better, we analyse what aspects helped – from the recipe and talent to the editing style, among other aspects.

We are able to monitor and fine-tune our content based on feedback.

We have recently signed a partnership with Snapchat as part of their ‘Discover’ feature; they have a very collaborative approach towards content creation. What has allowed us to move so strongly into digital is the permission from management to ‘fail forward’, otherwise we won’t learn and grow. Moreover, something that works today may not tomorrow. Trends evolve. We have permission to experiment, so there is a certain fearless approach to our new initiatives.

For Ramadan 2018, the Fatafeat offering was expanded with the intro duction of a lifestyle series presented by professional life coach Leila Alma eena.

Social and Digital Initiatives • 325 original digital shorts from nine TV talents • 280 digital shorts (Hands and Pans format) • 200 digital cut-downs from year-round shows.

• 30 Iftar menu videos for each day Social users reached: • 30.2m fans reached • 3.5m fans engaged • Total social media video views: 37m video views • Fatafeat Play (VOD platform): One million Fatafeat Play video views Website statistics: • 8.2m sessions, 4m from Saudi Arabia • YouTube Statistics: 175k + subscribers

for the second season. In the third season, the host Darine El Khatib takes us through little-known facets of life in Jordan over 10 episodes.

While the show is in Arabic, there are English subtitles catering to the mixed audience TLC reaches out to.

You are working with local partners on My World to You. Tell us more about the content creation process.

We are working with Jordan-based broadcasters Roya TV. We wanted a local partner, because they know the hidden gems in the country and they know how to facilitate logistics. The Roya TV crew is working under our supervision – our executive producer flew in and attended the shoot. Overall, it is a very collaborative approach.

These partnerships are a win-win for both pay-TV and FTA channels such as Roya. We share expertise and we cater to different audiences. While we can have the programme premiere on pay TV, the content can air on FTA channels after a period, to a different audience. For us, it’s important that we bring locally relevant content to Arab audiences, that’s why we’ve invested in producing 300 hours of original longform programming this year alone.

Host Darine El Khatib takes viewers through little-known facets of life in Jordan over 10 episodes of the Arabic travel show My World to You on TLC HD.

You launched the third season of the Arabic travel show My World to You on TLC HD, the lifestyle and entertainment channel. What can viewers expect in this season?

With our series My World to You we concentrate on one country per season. The first season covered Thailand. We focused on Tunisia

24 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

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PROPOstPROductiOn

ThE rigours of postproduction magic

With production and post-production services typically offered under one roof in the Middle East, three regional executives offer their thoughts on thriving in a challenging market

While robots are editing movie trailers and plug-ins are automating the grading process, the deft skills of a manual colourist are not in danger of being usurped anytime soon. In fact, the skills of a colourist or for that matter a proficient rotoscoper, and the transformations he or she can engineer with the tools at hand, almost seem like magic for clients. That’s often part of the problem, says Kinjal Tanna, owner of KKDD Film Production LLC in Dubai.

The time-consuming and labour-intensive process of postproduction is rarely appreciated and understood even less.

Tanna elaborates: “The basic challenge for a company like ours is getting a good post-production team set-up that will be able to manage the post – and then educating the clients.

A favourite theme among clients is ‘let’s just shoot and fix it in post’. There are limitations with 3G, rotoscoping and other

26 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

such ‘magical’ technologies in terms of replicating or moving things and it is hugely time-consuming. For instance, three seconds of a particular movement that needs to be replicated is actually the mastering, cutting and moving of 75 frames.”

After a six-year working break in Mumbai where he produced around 65 commercial films, Tanna has returned to his home base of Dubai with a revamped studio, KKDD Film Production LLC, that has facilities for both production and post-production. Apart from the occasional featurelength film, the company has been doing a lot of hair and skin commercials, with the films being shot in Bangkok and Mumbai for the Middle East market. And with clients that are increasingly price-sensitive, companies such as Tanna’s have come up with ingenious solutions.

“A lot of times we end up doing rotoscoping for packs

PROPOstPROductiOn

“A favourite theme among clients is ‘let’s just shoot and fix it in post’. There are limitations [with post]” Kinjal Tanna, owner, KKDD Film Production LLC

when clients say that the offer has changed or a pack design has changed. At times, we shoot using a plain hand. However, any movement of the hand makes the post-production work tricky. The main challenge is to explain to the client that we are not being difficult but there is a lot of work involved.”

The issue with clients is echoed

by Neelay Shah, Managing Director at Dejavu Fz LLC. Established in Dubai in 2007, Dejavu has won prestigious awards, including two Bronze Lions at Cannes. While it

began as a post-production company centred around editing and visual effects, films followed, and today the company has more than 50 staff and offices in Dubai, Beirut and Mumbai.

To sustain a business, you need to combine production with postproduction, asserts Shah.

“As a production house, it gives us an edge. With your own postproduction department, you can absorb extra costs while quoting. It also adds to flexibility when it comes to time in case the deadlines are tight, which is pretty often,” he says.

As a fee-for-service business with razor-thin profit margins, production houses also face rising staff and capital costs. And then there’s competition from start-ups to contend with. In this scenario, production houses fight to retain customers and talent alike.

One of the key issues for companies such as KKDD and Dejavu is to get the right clients and then manage them, a proposition that might sound simple but has a lot of dynamic issues, says Shah: “With a fixed price quoting system and work that rarely gets done in the allocated budget and time, clients do not want to pay for extra hours that are put in.”

With a portfolio that boasts some of the biggest telcos in the region and sporting franchises in South Asia, he adds: “The ideal scenario for production companies is to have high-margin clients who offer return business. In order to attract them, you need to position yourself to be the best in your niche.”

Post-production work at Dejavu covers the entire spectrum, from the Adobe suite of solutions for editing and DaVinci Resolve for colour grading, to 2D, rotoscoping, VR-related work and

other immersive platforms. For audio, the company works with partners depending on the nature of the job and country they are operating in.

“The audio and the visual have to speak the same language – however, working with different audio partners ensures your work does not all sound the same,” says Shah.

With a movie such as Mamma Mia reportedly having more than 900 shots requiring special effects treatment, the production pipeline is an increasingly demanding place.

This is exacerbated by clients who often cannot pinpoint what they need, requiring multiple re-rendering or re-formatting.

Tanna, Shah and other professionals in the business bemoan the excessive involvement of the regional client to the detriment of the project. “The creative’s word needs to be respected and trusted to deliver for the brand,” stresses Shah. “At times, you have clients who want to have a say on every frame of the film.”

On running a post-production facility in Dubai, Aiham Ajib, CEO and Creative Director of Real Image, says: “Dubai’s post-production industry is generally no different than anywhere else. Keeping our heads above water is probably the most challenging. Our projects come in peaks and troughs, so cash flow is always an issue. We also find that many clients do not really abide by payment terms and that is very stressful on the business.

Budgets are ever-shrinking, so are the deadlines, but our clients want more so we are constantly learning to work faster and better.”

Founded in 1996 in Dubai, Real Image is a well-known name in animation and post-production. The company regularly wins plaudits, including a BroadcastPro ME award, for its visually innovative work.

Giving an overview of the company, Ajib says: “Most of our postproduction services are for in-house

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 27

PROPOstPROductiOn

projects, as our clients generally engage us as an agency that provides video content solutions. We have a staff size of 45 people, including 20 artists who are specialised in VFX, CGI, motion graphics and traditional animation. We also have a corporate video film production department.

Together with our digital compositing team and editing facilities, we have a wide spectrum of creative tools to pick from to develop our video proposals.”

Outlining the solutions the company offers, Ajib says: “We have four FCP edit suites and a Smoke suite.

We also use DaVinci Resolve as an editing tool and a separate DaVinci Resolve studio system for colour grading. For CGI, our 3D and VFX artists use Maya, while the motion graphics artists prefer Cinema 4D. “For digital compositing, it’s mostly up to the artists, typically it is Nuke, AE and Fusion. Our rotoscoping

“The ideal scenario for production companies is to have high-margin clients … to attract them, you need to position yourself to be the best in your niche” Neelay shah, Managing Director, Dejavu Fz LLC and tracking department also uses a range of products, from Nuke, Fusion, Mocha and recently Flowbox. Our traditional animators stay traditional, sometimes working on paper and then transferring to Adobe Flash. For architectural visualisation, we use Max. “We are equipped with one of the most powerful render farms in the region, but we also have a dedicated GPU-based computer using the Redshift rendering system. This has come in handy for

With an inhouse post-production department, companies can absorb extra costs while quoting, says Neelay Shah of Dejavu.

28 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

a lot of the motion graphics work which require fast previsualisation.”

The one-stop service approach is a common feature – most postproduction houses are also production houses, or the other way around.

Explaining this phenomenon, Tanna says: “In other parts of the world, you have specialised post. Dubai is a very competitive market, and for me to be viable, I need to have offline, online and grading in-house. It helps me save cost and gives me a competitive edge.”

Comparing the region with bigger, more established markets, Tanna observes: “When you have a market like India where you have so many feature films and shows being made, an average production studio will have four to five offline suites, five to seven online suites, two grading suites … the scope of work justifies it. Here we do not have that volume of work to justify having a stand-

Clients at times need to be educated on the limitations of 3G, rotoscoping and other such ‘magical’ technologies says Kinjal Tanna of KKDD Film Production LLC.

PROPOstPROductiOn

With clients engaging the agency as a video content solutions provider, most of the post-production services are for in-house projects, says Aiham Ajib of Real Image.

alone post-production house.

“There is an amazing amount of work to be done in Dubai, though,” he stresses. “A lot of the work has shifted to digital. We have clients who have two-week campaigns and they are not looking at a typical $200,000 commercial that will run for six months; they would rather spend 10-15% of that budget for a short period of time.”

Tanna revamped an existing studio and upgraded everything, from Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro (FCP) to the DaVinci Resolve software. “We did a couple of hardware upgrades as well. Today we work on the latest FCP and Adobe platforms. We are fully geared to handle all types of post-production and CG, along with lip sync, radio commercials, jingles, music composition, language dubbing facilities and so on. For colour grading, we have Da Vinci Resolve.”

With skill shortages, rising rent and increased competition among the big concerns, companies are minimising their physical footprint with concepts such as pop-up post

“Budgets are ever-shrinking, so are the deadlines, but our clients want more so we are constantly learning to work faster and better” Aiham Ajib, CEo and Creative Director, real image houses and remote post-production.

Earlier this year, KKDD Film Production became the first regional company to successful attempt remote colour grading on DaVinci Resolve, with colourists in Mumbai postproduction company Nube Studio.

Kinjal recalls: “We worked on a TV commercial. The company in Mumbai uploaded the files with no conversion or generation loss. We had to upload the XML files along with the rushes of the film. Other than having the same XML files and offline edit footage, the timelines also had to coincide perfectly.”

Whereas previously Tanna’s team would have sent reference files to the colourist in Mumbai for the inevitable back and forth before final

approvals, the real-time grading allowed them to achieve their outcome with no loss of control.

“Remote grading increases our reach and gives us the benefit of working with different colourists around the world. We are not restricted anymore, having ironed out the technical issues,” he says.

The incessant pace of rising sophistication in video postproduction has been made more complex by different digital camera technologies. New compression formats, 4K mastering and growing content libraries have not made it easier. Also, with the exponential rise in viewers watching 480p content on smartphones, production houses have to accommodate a wide range of resolutions, formats and codecs to keep up with consumer viewing preferences.

A recent project Shah’s team worked on highlight workflow complexities. “We just did a brand campaign for a regional telco. It was shot in four countries with five cameras. There was a lot of footage, images and time lapses. In addition, on the ground we were collaborating with local crew in those respective countries. We had to deal with footage from Alexa film cameras, digital cameras and still cameras.

To manage, assemble and edit the footage was quite challenging.”

But he keeps going despite perennial issues around budgets and micromanaging clients and agencies: “We do enjoy the adrenaline rush of working to create the best work under deadlines and other constraints.”

Acknowledging these constraints, Ajib of Real Image says: “There is not a single film we’ve done that didn’t come with challenges.

The thing is, we create our own briefs and we’re always trying to outdo the project we had done before – which is like challenging yourself to constantly do more and do better.” Supriya Srinivas

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 29

PROTECH

WhAt’s Next for Ar in sports broAdcAst? Combining game engines, advanced camera tracking technology and AR ingenuity, sports broadcasters are able to produce more realistic and inspiring content, writes Nic Hatch of Ncam

Augmented reality is enjoying significant industry buzz this year, and rightly so with the virtually unlimited possibilities it offers to add visual interest and excitement to live broadcasts, particularly live sports broadcasts.

The enabler for augmented graphics, besides a real-time 3D graphics engine, is of course the camera tracking technology used. Camera tracking positions the 3D graphics in the real world, irrespective of camera movement or lens setting, giving the illusion that the 3D graphics are actually part of the real scene in view.

The most versatile camera tracking systems are those that offer markerless tracking across the full six axes of camera movement (pan, tilt, roll, plus X,Y,Z positions).

Markerless systems track natural features in the environment, whether in a studio or outdoors on location; they build up

30 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

an understanding of the 3D space in front of the camera, and as a result offer a far greater range of applications than systems that require markers to be added.

Two particular uses gaining in popularity with sports broadcasters are tracking for aerial camera systems and tracking for hand-held stabilised gimbals. The first offers the ability, for example, to fly through augmented sports players standing on the pitch. The second offers, for instance, the ability to walk down a line of racing cars preparing to start a race, with the real drivers in the cars and their augmented avatars standing beside them.

So what’s next?

Realism … this is where today’s AR technology is headed: mimicking the quality of feature film VFX, where you can’t tell what is real and what is augmented. Sports broadcasters

PROTECH

are in a constant battle for eyeballs and have really led the way in using increasingly sophisticated virtual elements to present statistics and data in visually exciting ways.

However, the main issue with these virtual graphics has always been that they don’t look entirely realistic.

Lighting plays a key role in bringing a more naturalistic look to AR in sports productions. Virtual objects need to look like they are part of the real-world scene, and good lighting solutions are able to achieve this natural look by capturing elements of realworld lighting (direction, colour, intensity, etc) and rendering them onto augmented graphics in real time. By casting the shadows and reflections dynamically per frame, virtual objects can react ‘naturally’ by adapting to every light change.

Similarly, providing the illusion of depth in a virtual set between an augmented object and a presenter that interact together has proven very difficult to achieve – up to now. New tools on the market allow presenters to interact seamlessly with their virtual surroundings for a more realistic visual experience.

Now, the presenter can walk completely around an AR object/ character, and the graphic will act as if it is really there – appearing at the right depth in front of the presenter or disappearing behind them.

These two advances in AR technology enable a seamless blend of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’, much as in big-budget VFX productions.

This is the direction sports broadcasting is taking – using high-quality innovative graphics and differentiating content to create new and inventive ways to engage with viewers.

As we know, sports broadcasters love statistics and analysis, and AR now allows some incredible ways of presenting them. Let’s take golf as an example. Thanks to AR, we can now analyse the golfer’s swing, the impact

“Realism … this is where today’s AR technology is headed: mimicking the quality of feature film VFX, where you can’t tell what is real and what is augmented” Nic hatch, Chief executive Officer, Ncam of the club on the ball, the angle of the ball departure, the direction the ball will fly in, the acceleration … or for football, we can replay goals in a virtual environment that simulates the real pitch, showing the angles of the kick to goal from any perspective.

AR can also perform ‘teleportation’, offering an interactive interview with someone who can’t physically get to the studio.

Instead of split-screen pieces to camera, we can now ‘beam’ a virtual person to the studio, to interact live with the presenter.

A great example of this was witnessed when Univision Deportes, a Spanish-language American sports network, hosted its fourth annual Sports Awards show, Premios Univision Deportes, which celebrates the accomplishments of great athletes. Footballer Javier Hernandez was unable to attend the ceremony to receive his award as Mexican National Top Team Goal Scorer, so Univision Deportes used the latest AR technology to present a groundbreaking and highly realistic effect that ‘teleported’ him from Europe onto the stage to accept his award in front of a live audience, using a markerless camera tracking system, an HD camera on a TechnoCrane and a graphics production system.

The studio audience watching on monitors was mesmerised by the effect, and the channel received lots of positive social media feedback from viewers at home; such was the realism of the graphic that they could barely tell whether the

footballer was really there or not.

The teleportation effect was so successful that Univision Deportes now uses it for a number of other sports shows. Following a big game, for example, the production team might tele-transport players and coaches from a remote location to its studios, or interview relevant sports personalities in one of the main studios. This AR effect not only enhances the production value of sports shows with visually astonishing effects, but also increases fan engagement.

The broadcast sector is borrowing from the advanced AR technology being developed in the games industry, which requires powerful and high-speed rendering of complex and rich graphics. Game engines like Unreal Engine are also designed to enable the creation of real-world environments, such as grass, trees and lighting, which make the graphics look far more compelling and engaging. Combining games engines, advanced camera tracking technology and AR ingenuity, sports broadcasters are able to produce more realistic and inspiring content with higher fidelity, which in turn adds production value to their content.

The great thing about augmented reality is that it isn’t limited by the real world – this puts AR companies in a revolutionary position to really push the boundaries of innovation and virtual production, in order to expand our viewing experiences.

Nic hatch is Chief executive Officer at Ncam.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 31

Yahsat announces JV with Hughes JV announcement

Yahsat and Hughes Network Systems, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation, have completed a joint venture arrangement to provide greater access to commercial Ka-band satellite broadband services across Africa, the Middle East and Southwest Asia. The JV was announced in September 2018 and was at the time subject to regulatory and other approvals, which have now been obtained.

Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Group CEO & MD of Mubadala, and Charlie Ergen, Chairman of Hughes and EchoStar, along with Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, and Ramesh Ramaswamy, Senior VP and GM of Hughes’ International Division, were present in Abu Dhabi to ink the deal.

Through the partnership, Yahsat will combine its knowledge as a satellite broadband solutions

From left: Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat; Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Group CEO & MD of Mubadala; Charlie Ergen, Chairman of Hughes and EchoStar; and Ramesh Ramaswamy, Senior VP and GM of Hughes.

provider within its current markets with Hughes’ expertise in broadband satellite networks and services. Together, the two companies will provide unserved and underserved communities with reliable, high-speed internet services via Yahsat’s Al Yah 2 and Al Yah 3 Ka-band satellites, using the capabilities of the Hughes systems, designed and optimised for largescale high-throughput satellites. The newly formed JV company will

Turkey announces National Space Agency space programme

Turkey will establish a space agency in Ankara as part of its efforts to develop a competitive indigenous industry.

The space programme is one of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s 100-day action plans and was announced

by Industry and Technology Minister Mustafa Varank.

The space agency will have financial and administrative autonomy. It will be tasked with designing and producing satellites, launching aerospace platforms, and space platforms.

It will be allocated 20% of the space at the Turkish Scientific and Technological Research Council (TÜBİTAK).

32 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

go to market as ‘YahClick (powered by Hughes)’ and will be operational with immediate effect.

The company’s Board of Directors consists of three members from Yahsat and two from Hughes; Masood M. Sharif Mahmood, CEO of Yahsat, will serve as Chairman of the Board and Pradman Kaul, President and CEO of Hughes, will serve as a Board Director.

The JV will provide direct-to-premise services to homes and small- to

medium-sized enterprises, and to community centres and schools served under local government programmes across the focus regions. The agreement also offers community hotspot solutions to make satelliteenabled broadband more accessible to many more users across Yahsat’s global footprint, which covers more than one billion people.

Furthermore, the agreement enhances the trend within the mobile network operator community of benefiting from the efficiencies provided

by Ka-band backhaul and carrier solutions.

In other news, Yahsat also launched its Ka-band satellite broadband service in Brazil last month, to address the country’s shortage of reliable internet connectivity, which traditionally relies on terrestrial internet connectivity.

Syria to develop space programme, build satellite space programme

Syria is looking to develop its space programme and launch its first satellite into orbit, the Syrian Minister of Communications and Technology Iyad Khatib announced recently.

The minister met with staff at Syrian space research agency GORS (General Organisation of Remote Sensing) and was taken on a tour of the facility and shown the

current status of projects.

“GORS should develop a road map for the Syrian space programme, as well as for the launch of the first artificial satellite into Earth’s orbit, like other Arab countries,” the minister said.

Although Syria did establish a space agency as far back as 2014, this is the first official announcement about the country’s plans to develop its space programme.

uae explores joint space projects with Luxembourg

Dr. Eng. Mohammed Al Ahbabi, Director General of the UAE Space Agency addresses the audience.

space worksHop

Following the UAE Space Agency’s signing of an MoU with the government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 2017, a one-day workshop involving both parties was held last month in Abu Dhabi. Leaders and senior officials from the UAE Space Agency, the Luxembourg Ministry of Economy and the space industry attended.

The two parties presented overviews of their policies and projects, along with their planned scientific and technical cooperation on projects of mutual interest.

Representatives also

proposed strengthening strategic cooperation in governance and investment in the space sector.

HE Dr Al Ahbabi said: “Establishing and maintaining close relationships with global leaders in the space industry is crucial for bringing about new ideas for further space exploration opportunities.

The exchange of information and ideas between nations has the potential to result in ground-breaking space projects and research. These workshops are crucial to advancing the space sector locally, regionally and internationally.”

New satellite launch in Morocco sateLLite LauncH

Morocco launched the Mohammed VI-B Earth observation satellite late last year, almost a year after the launch of the VI-A satellite. The new satellite can take images in less than 24 hours with a resolution of up to 70cm. Designed for civil use, and produced by Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime, the MOHAMMED VI-B satellite has an estimated liftoff mass of 1,108kg and will be deployed into a sun-synchronous orbit. It will be used for mapping and land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters and coastal surveillance. The two spacecraft will work together to enable faster coverage of zones of interests.

Konnect Africa links the Congo connectiVitY

Konnect Africa, a Eutelsat initiative dedicated to satellite broadband in Africa, has launched internet access offers throughout the Congolese territory.

With less than 3% of Congolese households having internet access and less than 1% having access to the internet via terrestrial networks, the lack of connectivity remains a major obstacle to the economic development of the country.

Konnect Africa uses the latest satellite technology to provide a concrete response to the digital divide by offering a range of eight internet access offers for individuals and businesses. By working with a large network of local partners specialising in the distribution of telecom and television services to financial services, Konnect Africa has ensured that it covers the country as widely as possible.

Arabsat and Divona provide connectivity for Algerian rally connectiVitY

Arabsat and long-term Algerian telecom partner Divona successfully provided high-speed broadband connectivity for the fourth edition of the Sahari International

Challenge, a crosscountry Algerian rally, in November 2018.

Speaking about Arabsat’s involvement, Wael AlButi, VP and CCO at Arabsat, said: “Arabsat provided these

services as part of our commitment to offer satellite connectivity in Algeria, where broadband connectivity can not only strengthen such events but also ensure economic growth.”

The Sahari International Challenge is a cultural and sports event that takes place over an area of 3,300km, including 2,100 tracks and dunes. The event brings together 127 competitors.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 33

the switch and eutelsat to deliver satellite and fibre video network connectiVitY

The Switch and Eutelsat have joined forces to deliver a satellite and fibre video contribution network. The partnership will provide The Switch’s 800-plus user community of the world’s leading content producers and distributors with the ability to transmit feeds on a minute-by-minute basis to any part of the globe.

Simultaneously, content producers and broadcasters within Eutelsat’s satellite footprint will gain access to The Switch’s extensive global fibre network, including 53 physical points-of-presence, as well as connections to US tech leaders, major global broadcasters and more than 180 sports organisations,

The Switch.

venues and rights holders.

This partnership leverages the resources of three Eutelsat satellites, covering Europe, Africa and the Americas, with The Switch’s global video transport network. Customers will be able to schedule transport to and from each region

via SwitchIT, its patented customer-control software platform. Integration between both systems will enable customers to deliver content faster, more smoothly, to more regions around the globe.

Michael Antonovich, CEO of Eutelsat Americas,

said: “Having greater first-mile access to literally hundreds of additional broadcasters, venues and content producers in the US and beyond greatly strengthens our position in the media landscape.”

Over the past year, The Switch has invested heavily in expanding its network, products and services internationally, including the launch of The Switch Access, a broadband IP connection enabling lowcost connectivity from anywhere in the world, the addition of strategic partnerships on several continents, and increasing the size of its team to include dedicated personnel in key international locations.

African telecom operators Morocco attracts choose Jupiter System broadband

Three African telecom companies have chosen Hughes’ Jupiter System to power delivery of satellite broadband services for their customers. Botswana Telecommunications Corporation, Satcom Networks Africa Limited (SatCoNet) and an East African telecoms firm chose Jupiter based on its high performance, operational efficiency and better customer experience. Botswana Telecommunications

Corporation is using the Jupiter System to expand its high-speed business broadband service in Botswana.

The first phase of deployment includes hundreds of remote terminals connecting businesses and homes.

SatCoNet, the only native VSAT operator in Tanzania, chose Jupiter to improve its service offering for the market.

The telco in East Africa will implement the Jupiter System for video and broadband service in schools.

34 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

Turksat tests Ultra students to HD 8K

space

space in scHooLs

The Scientific Morocco Association has partnered with the US Embassy in Rabat to host the fifth annual Race2Space competition, aimed at young people aged 15-18.

Applications will be accepted from December 16, 2018 to January 19, 2019. Winners will be announced on March 20 and win an all-expensespaid trip to NASA’s Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama in July 2019.

broadcasting

Türksat has launched an Ultra HD 8K test broadcast channel, via the Türksat 4B and Turksat-3A communications satellites located at the 50- and 42-degrees East orbital locations. The test was successfully carried out with the cooperation of Türksat, Kızıl Elektronik, Vestel and Socionext.

During the process, images of historical locations in Istanbul were captured in Ultra HD 8K, making it possible for realistic UHD images to be obtained.

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nigerian satellite operator chooses newtec modems

Panasonic and TRT World tie for in-flight TV aViation

The NIGCOMSAT HQ.

broadband

Newtec’s technology will be used by Nigerian satellite operator NIGCOMSAT as it expands its enterprise, government and consumer Ka-band broadband services in Nigeria. Following on from its continued success with Newtec’s VSAT platform Newtec Dialog, NIGCOMSAT will deploy a second hub and thousands of Newtec’s

MDM2210 IP satellite modems and MDM2510 IP-satellite modems.

Newtec’s long-term certified business partner Content Oasis Ltd will serve as systems integrator, maintaining the Newtec Dialog platform and the modems installed for NIGCOMSAT. As a multiservice VSAT platform, Newtec Dialog enables operators to

beIN switches to Eutelsat broadcasting

beIN Media Group is migrating its satellite transponder capacity in MENA from Nilesat to Eutelsat. From 1 January 2019, subscribers’ set-top boxes will need to be reconfigured to avoid any interruptions. Most will be reconfigured automatically, beIN Media said.

“The switch provides an increase in platform security and control, and improved resilience overall. These efforts were made to ensure beIN Media Group can

continue to provide its viewers and fans with its library of entertainment, live sport action and major international events in the highest standards available across all its platforms,” the company said in a statement. beIN channels have been distributed between frequencies MHz 11013, MHz 11054 and MHz 12604.The move comes ahead of the pay-TV operator’s coverage of the Asian Cup football tournament, which kicks off on 5 January 2019.

36 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

build and adapt satellite networking infrastructures according to specific needs. With Newtec’s modems, a choice of three return technologies is provided, including MF-TDMA, SCPC and Newtec’s unique, dynamic Mx DMA, which claim to combine the best qualities of both, promising dynamic bandwidth allocation with a high level of efficiency.

Azerbaijan and Iran to co-develop satellite partnersHip

Azerbaijan and Iran will jointly develop a satellite probing the Earth, Iranian Minister of Communications and Information Muhammad Javad Azeri Jahromi announced. Iran also hopes to send its first cosmonaut into space in 2019.

Azerbaijan's Azercosmos OJSC manages Azerspace-1, launched in 2013, and Azerspace-2, launched more recently in September 2018.

Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic), a major player in in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC), will extend TRT World’s live broadcast to many of the world’s leading international carriers, including Turkish Airlines as part of an agreement between the two parties.

“It is important to stay informed and up-to-date on world events. Passengers tune in to different outlets for news and it’s vital to have variety in your sources to have a more well-rounded view of current events. Thanks to Panasonic for making this challenge a lot easier during flight,” commented Fatih Er, Director of News and Programmes, TRT World.

Julie Lichty, Head of Digital Solutions and Services at Panasonic Avionics, added: “Panasonic is proud to offer the world’s only truly global in-flight live television services.

We believe that TRT World is a significant enhancement to our portfolio and will enhance our airline customer passenger experience.”

Virgin galactic inches closer to space tourism

Satcom Direct announces new hire new appointment

The spaceship reached a height of 82.7km above the surface of the earth and achieved a speed of Mach 2.9.

space tourism

Virgin Galactic, in which Abu Dhabi’s Aabar Investments has a stake, successfully conducted a test flight of its rocketpowered SpaceShipTwo space plane, which touched the edges of space before returning safely to Earth.

The landmark flight gives a boost to Virgin Galactic’s space tourism ambitions.

SpaceShipTwo, dubbed VSS Unity, was on board Virgin Galactic’s WhiteKnightTwo aircraft before separating and taking off under its own power. The winged spaceship

reached a height of 82.7km above the surface of Earth and achieved a speed of Mach 2.9.

VSS Unity carried four NASA-sponsored experiments, including a vibration-isolation platform and an experiment that simulates how the surface of an asteroid reacts to an impact in microgravity. Virgin Galactic intends to eventually carry space tourists. Virgin Galactic is the world’s first commercial spaceline, founded by Sir Richard Branson and owned by the Virgin Group and Aabar Investments PJS (Abu Dhabi).

Global VSAT Forum announces new Board new appointments

New members have been elected to serve for a two-year term on the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) Board. Those elected include Yasir Hassan, Director of Transmission

Operations at ARABSAT; Arunas Slekys, VP, Corporate Marketing, Hughes Network; Paul Deedman of Inmarsat; Nick Dowsett of Intelsat; and Keith Johnson of SpeedCast.

Satcom Direct, a business aviation solutions provider, has appointed Evgeniy Pashkov as regional director for EEMEA. In his new role, he will oversee SD’s sales and business development activities in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Russia and the CIS, from his Dubai base. His responsibilities will include retaining and growing SD’s market share, overseeing customer support services and expanding the service portfolio across the regions.

SD and its firms provide global connectivity solutions for general aviation, military, government and head-of-state aircraft.

Intelsat offers FlexAir for military aircraft broadband

Intelsat General Communications LLC has launched FlexAir, a managed end-to-end service offering in-flight broadband connectivity to a wide range of military aircraft to support enroute communications and intelligence and reconnaissance (ISR) applications.

FlexAir’s broadband service uses Intelsat’s global Ku-band satellite fleet and integrates layers of HTS coverage from the company’s EpicNG fleet with its wide-beam satellites, to deliver the added redundancy and security needed for critical missions. It also offers committed capacity for ISR applications such as sensor data, video transmission and communications relay, to deliver immediate access at 3Mbps from the aircraft, with optional scalability to 6Mbps.

BadrSat to be first privatelyowned Saudi satellite sateLLite serVice

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Satellite Company (Shammas) has inaugurated BadrSat, the first privately-owned Saudi satellite. Meflah AlHaftaa, Chairman of

the Board of Directors of BadrSat, confirmed that good offers will be available for satellite channels that opt to move to BadrSat, including the availability of services in Saudi Arabia through Shammas Media City.

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 37

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LTE broadcast by Rohde & Schwarz, Kathrein

Rohde & Schwarz and Kathrein have teamed up to advance the world’s first high-power hightower LTE broadcast and undertook a test transmission last month.

The test saw an R&S THU9evo transmitter go into operation at Bayerischer Rund-funk’s (BR) Wendelstein transmitter station while a special Kathrein antenna was tested at BR’s transmitter site in Ismaning near Munich.

The R&S FeMBMS transmission addresses broadcast applications for video and IP data in HPHT topologies with bandwidths of 5 MHz and 10 MHz. Kathrein and Rohde & Schwarz are investigating large-scale TV broadcasts in the FeMBMS mode over 5G Broadcast networks as part of a Bavarian research project called ‘5G TODAY’. www.rohde-schwarz.com www.kathrein.com

EditShare poised to release Flow 2019

EditShare has released Flow 2019, a MAM solution that simplifies media sharing and collaboration with easy-to-use tools to manage media acquisition, assembly and delivery beyond the confines of the facility.

Flow currently supports on-premise storage vendors such as Avid ISIS/NEXIS, as well as any SMB shared storage.

It also connects to archive providers such as Amazon S3, Generic S3, StorageDNA

and Masstech FlashNet. The new version improves storage compatibility with new support for Amazon Glacier, Archiware P5, Backblaze and Microsoft Azure. Flow connects siloed storage pools to facilitate file ingest, asset tracking, search and retrieval, storyboarding, media transcoding and migration policies, as well as delivery for editors, colourists and creatives everywhere. www.editshare.com

RED Digital Cinema launches Dragon-X RED Digital Cinema launched the Dragon-X 5K S35 camera last month, and also announced that the DSMC2 Production Module and Production Kit will be out soon in 2019. The DSMC2 Dragon-X camera uses the Dragon sensor technology found in many of RED’s legacy cameras, with an evolved sensor board to enable RED’s enhanced image processing pipeline (IPP2) in-camera.

RED’s DSMC2 Production Module is designed for professional shooting configurations. This accessory mounts directly onto the DSMC2 camera body and incorporates an industry-standard V-lock mount with integrated battery mount and P-Tap for 12V accessories. The module delivers

an array of video, XLR audio, power and communication connections, including support for three-pin 24V accessories.

It has a smaller form factor and is more lightweight than RED’s REDVOLT EXPANDER with a battery module.

The DSMC2 Production Module is available for order and is expected to ship in early 2019 for $4,750. It will also be available as a DSMC2 Production Kit that will include the DSMC2 Production Module, the production handle and the DSMC2 production top plate. The DSMC2 Production Kit is also available for order and is expected to ship in early 2019 for $6,500. www.red.com

January 2019 | www.broadcastprome.com | 39

PROGUEST

“With hybrid workflows that are able to apply the advantages of both cloud and onpremise platforms, media companies will be able to maximise the capability of storage”

Hybrid workflows for a cloudy hemisphere We are living in a content-driven world. The explosion of multiscreen and OTT platforms means the TV landscape has never looked so overwhelmed with content. We are witnessing a rapidly expanding waist belt of content creators, as well as delivery platforms.

So – how are providers managing all this storage?

A few years ago, cloud was the hot thing, and many providers threw all their content onto the proverbial cloud train, steaming ahead with a complete migration. There was very much a ‘the cloud is the future and nothing else’ attitude.

Using cloud for storage was new and exciting, but the rising costs of storing thousands of hours of content are starting to show. The wear and tear of only using the cloud for storage is revealing itself, along with the inefficiencies of the platform.

Luckily, we are starting to see a much more balanced approach from companies, with new possibilities for media-focused storage emerging.

So how exactly can media companies work to overcome the shortcomings of the cloud for storage without migrating back to on-premise?

The solution is to work in harmony.

Both cloud and traditional on-premise storage options have pros and cons.

That is, of course, assuming that when we refer to on-premise, we mean a dedicated and intelligent object storage

platform, not a backed-up legacy silo.

As cloud is great for sharing with other cloud users, it is a good tool for worldwide sharing and is useful for having a geographically distributed back-up and for tapping into ondemand cloud-based software services.

However, the cost and inefficiency of storing a large amount of data, as many media companies do, is a big drawback.

No one wants to pay large amounts to store content that isn’t being used.

On-premise is great at providing quick access, which can be crucial for certain scenarios. For example, the morning news makes reference to a short and obscure clip from decades ago. Fast access to that clip is required, without using tons of man hours. With quick and automated access, you can have it online or on screens within the hour, and generate revenue – exactly what every provider wants to do with its content.

Additionally, on-premise has strong capabilities for integration into new and existing workflows. And yet, the platform lacks the capacity for global sharing and distribution. By introducing hybrid workflows that are able to capture the requirements of a business model and apply the pros of both cloud and on-premise to meet them, media companies can easily streamline workflows and maximise the capability of storage.

How can harmony be achieved?

The key to successfully manifesting

40 | www.broadcastprome.com | January 2019

hybrid workflows for storage is the integration layer. Organisations rely on the third-party orchestration layer to synchronise the content between private and public cloud platforms.

Automated workflows and tight integrations ensure organisations benefit from the operational efficiencies and elastic scale of hybrid environments.

A hybrid workflow with a media focus is specifically designed to overcome the challenges that media companies face.

Hybrid workflows can be built around a company and tailored to provide the best possible service of storage for the customer, and demand for the hybrid workflow has grown. We are seeing a need for round-the-clock, round-theworld editing, as well as back-up offpremise to take advantage of on-demand services, but companies cannot simply use the cloud as a one-stop shop.

Before media companies jump on the bandwagon (once again for some), it is crucial that they consider their business model. What exactly does your company require, and how can that be accomplished with both the cloud and on-premise platforms? Proper and tight integration can be accomplished – it just needs to be considered. When applied and integrated correctly, hybrid workflows have the opportunity to revolutionise media storage workflows, changing the way that content is managed.

Nick Pearce-Tomenius is Sales and Marketing Director at Object Matrix.

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