digital broadcast - august 2012

An ITP Business Publication | AUGUST 2012 | VOL. 5 ISSUE 8 THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY

ALL EYESON YOU

The UAE’s first television audience rating system promises big returns for networks and advertisers

New channels in the Middle East; satellite launches; Saudi investment to update studios

TESTCARDWe speak with the marketing director of FOX International Channels Middle East

Olympics galore!What satellite broadcasters are

doing to ensure quality broadcasts

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HHHHHHHOOOOOOOLLLLYYYYY MMMMMMOOOOONNNTTTHH OOFFF RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMAAAADAN

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www.digitalproductionme.com 01AUGUST 2012

CONTENTS

04UpdateBME launches new channel; Eutelsat expands reach; Al Jazeera acquires rights for French channels; Saudi ministry invests in studio upgrades.

16AnalysisAn in-depth look at the new Carrier ID for satellite broadcasters.

40What’s new?A look at the latest products released in the last month.

46DataSome hard fi gures about the IPTV market around the world.

48Test cardIn conversation withFOX Middle East’s Athreyan Sundararajan.

20COVER STORYALL EYES ON YOUThere is much excitement about UAE’s new TV ratings system. We learn more about the device.

26RAMADAN TV SPOILED FOR CHOICEFrom religion to drama, this year’s Ramadan TV schedule off ers something for everyone.

33IBC 2012 PREVIEWTHROUGH THE LOOKING GLASSA look at what to expect at one of the biggest broadcast conferences in the world.

tview is a major step forward for the

TV and advertising industry in the UAE.

CHRISTOPHER O’HEARNGeneral manager, EMMC.

20

AUGUST 2012VOLUME 5 / ISSUE 8

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02 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2012

COMMENT

This month is extra special forTV viewers here in the Middle East. The holy month of Ramadan started at the end of July and so did the Olympics. And both promise to be a delight for television audiences over the entire month of August. We at DB are excited about all that will be happening on the small screen.

Ramadan is an exciting time

for television networks here

in the Middle East. It means

time for a variety of new shows,

higher viewership and hope-

fully more ad spending.

We spoke to two of the

largest networks about their

plans to keep viewers engaged

through the month of fasting.

MBC seems to have stuck to

a tried and tested model of

programming. They have his-

torically been the most-watched network during

Ramadan and it seems like they will not test the

waters too much with new formats. While bring-

ing back some of their hit series, they are also

adding comedies, cartoons and religious shows

to their line-up to keep the viewer engaged.

Separately, they acquired rights for The Voice

and have already revealed the coaches for the

singing competition show.

On the other hand, OSN is exploring new

areas with their Ramadan programming. They

are introducing a whole new concept of cooking-

based shows that will air during the afternoons.

They believe that people cook big feasts for

the iftar meals and watching these shows will

inspire them to try new dishes. Further, they are

exploring Arabic history and traditions through

the culinary route, which could prove to be very

popular with the audiences.

They are of course also bringing back some

of their hit series and have added new shows to

Keep watching

VISIT US ONLINEFor the latest news, analysis and reviews from the Middle East content delivery, media management and new media distribution business head to digitalproductionme.com

the line-up as well. Bigger budgets have allowed

them to add bigger names to their shows while

making the scale of production much larger.

While fundamentally diff erent, both the

networks’ religious programming has a similar

undertone to it. Engaging Arab youth and getting

them to understand Islam in a more modern

format has been the goal for both MBC and

OSN. It makes sense in light of the political crisis

going on in so many parts of the Middle East. I

think this is a wonderful way

to involve youth in religion and

teach them the basics. I defi -

nitely want to see how these

shows are perceived.

And to check how well a

show is doing, the UAE has fi -

nally unveiled a television rating

system. The industry is excited

about this new introduction and

I am sure this will only drive

more interest in the UAE televi-

sion market, which has vast re-

sources that remain untapped.

This will also hopefully spur

other markets, like Saudi Arabia,

to device their own systems which will increase

advertising revenue in the region.

As always I would love to hear your com-

ments and suggestions about the current issue.

Please do send them my way.

RUCHI [email protected]


THE BRIEFING

Dubai-based Broadcast Middle East (BME) launched its second

Farsi-speaking television channel on July 9. The fi rm, a joint ven-

ture between Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and the Moby

Group, aims to target a family audience with a female slant via

dubbed shows such as Project Runway and Gypsies, the network’s

CEO said.

Zemzemehm is BME’s second Farsi-language channel following

the launch of Farsi1 in 2009.

BME launches new channelZemzemehm will be the broadcaster’s second Farsi-speaking channel after Farsi1

BROADCAST

“We believe that there is an

opportunity for a second chan-

nel, which is a family channel

but with a slightly more female

skew,” said Zaid Mohseni, CEO

of BME. The network will also

look to launch a second chan-

nel targeting male audiences

after Ramadan, he added. It

will also add a further 35 staff

to its Dubai Studio City opera-

tions.

Like Farsi1, Zemzemehm

will be available via du, e-vision

and Eutelsat W3A across Iran

and other parts of Asia such

as Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uz-

bekistan and the GCC states.

Competition in the Farsi-

speaking broadcast space is

expected to increase with ad-

vertising revenues expected to

top $1bn, said Mohseni.

“We estimate that the Irani-

an ad market is maybe $0.5bn at

the moment of which perhaps

$320m is television,” he said.

“We think the market could

be $1bn but it is restricted be-

cause of a number of factors;

one of them is that a lot of the

advertisers are not aware of the

potential viewership of these

channels, and it takes time for

the advertisers to change their

spending habits.

“We think that there is a

huge opportunity in this mar-

ket. We and potentially our

competitors can be this cata-

lyst for growth in the ad mar-

ket,” he added.

We estimate that the Iranian ad market is maybe $0.5bn at the moment of which perhaps $320m is television. We think that the market could be $1bn but it is restricted because of a number of factors.

ZAID MOHSENICEO, BME

RESEARCH

BME’s Zaid

Mohseni.

Projected change in globalTV service market shareThere are many advances in the

television technology sphere. While

some have taken root like video on

demand, others like 3D are still fi nd-

ing their way around. This graphic

looks at what technologies will be

the most dominant in the market in

the coming years and how television

operators should position themselves

to take advantage of the change.

2009Global share

Source: Parks Associates

2014Global share

Terrestrial

Analogcable

Digital cable

DTH/Satellite

Telco/IPTV


THE BRIEFING

AUGUST 2012

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Al Jazeera spends €330 million on rightsbeIN Sport 1 and 2 acquired rights to 1,600 matches per year

BROADCAST

Al Jazeera’s channels in France, beIN Sport 1 and

2, have spent €330 million ($405 million) in TV

rights and acquired 1,600 matches per year. Edi-

torial director Charles Bietry said that the chan-

nels’ fi nancial spending was carefully measured

and controlled and that the Qatari-owned sport

networks were not competitors to Canal+.

“We need to break even in four or fi ve

years and each euro spent has to be justifi ed,”

he commented, making the point that Qatar

doesn’t spend money in an irrational way, as

often claimed by the French TV market. He

also compared the €150 million spent for eight

matches of French League 1 with the €420 mil-

lion Canal+ paid for two matches.

Even if beIN Sport doesn’t consider Canal+ a

challenger, both are likely to fi ght over the next

Premier League call for bids, as Canal+ currently

owns the French rights to the English champion-

ship. The two have battled over the rights for the

major tournaments in the region for a while.

Le Figaro that there were 400,000 subscrib-

ers for beIN Sport 1, but Bietry didn’t confi rm this

news. He just said recruiting 400,000 subscrib-

ers over one year would be considered a failure.

Pilat Media Global, a supplier of busi-ness management software to the media industry, is collaborating with SimpleStream Limited to launch OT-Tilus, a new company specializing in over-the-top video solutions for broadcasters, platform opera-tors, and new media ven-tures. Pilat Media will own 60 percent and Sim-pleStream 40 percent of the new company.

By leveraging Pilat Media’s existing soft-ware, service delivery, and international presence,

New company on the horizonOTTilus is being engineered for a much wider market, including larger broadcasters, operators, and clients outside of the U.K. Through OTTilus, Pilat Media aims to expand its foot-print in the emerging OTT market.

For an initial period of fi ve years and subject to some

exclusions, OTTilus will be the parties’ exclusive ve-hicle for delivering OTT solutions to TV broad-casters and operators.

At the same time, Sim-pleStream will continue to

provide its OTT solutions.

Avid divestsconsumer businessAvid Technology is divesting

its consumer businesses and

reducing 20% ofthe work-

force. Some employees are

being transferred to acquiring

companies.

Consumer audio products,

including M-Audio brand and

digital DJ equipment are being

sold to inMusic. The consumer

video editing line is being sold

to Corel Corporation.

Ericsson completes acquisition ofTechnicolor divisionEricsson completed its acquisi-

tion of Technicolor’s broadcast

services division for US $24

million. The potential earn-out

based on 2015 revenues of the

broadcast services activity is

estimated to be US $11 million.

Ericsson will absorb around

900 skilled professionals and

Technicolor’s playout opera-

tions in France, UK and Nether-

lands. All acquired operations

will work under the Ericsson

brand as of July 3, 2012.

FAST FACT

1bnNumber of hours of streaming on Netfl ix in June

Source: Netfl ix

Action from French League 1.

Ericsson’s

Magnus

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THE BRIEFING

Eutelsat expands in BalkansEutelsat strengthens its presence in Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as Serbia

BUSINESS

Broadcasters from Bosnia and Herzegov-

ina are launching a new platform called

TEAM:SAT on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite

with Eutelsat Communications. The plat-

form, comprising seven television chan-

nels and two radio stations, will be offi cial-

ly launched on September 1.

The channels, including TV Hayat, Ra-

dio Televizia BN, FACE and Al Jazeera Bal-

kans, will be multiplexed and uplinked to

EUTELSAT 16A by TEAM:MEDIA which is

installing a teleport in Sarajevo.

Simultaneously, Serbia Broadband also

expanded its collaboration with Eutelsat

and Eutelsat’s Skylogic affi liate to distrib-

ute the Tooway satellite broadband service

in six Balkan countries. The new agree-

ment will enable SBB to bundle its Total

TV platform on the EUTELSAT 16A satellite

with Tooway broadband services via the

KA-SAT High Throughput Satellite.

SBB plans to off er satellite broadband

solutions to users in Serbia, Bosnia & Her-

zegovina, Slovenia, FYRO Macedonia, Croa-

tia and Montenegro.

Meanwhile elsewhere in Europe, Eutel-

sat and Arianespace entered a new launch

services contract for a future Eutelsat sat-

ellite. The contract for an Ariane 5 launch

from the Guiana Space Centre provides

Eutelsat with launch fl exibility and sched-

ule assurance for its in-orbit expansion

programme of six satellites to be launched

by the end of 2014.

MBC’s “Omar” set to hit international airwavesAn agreement has been reached for Omar, which is a joint pro-duction of Qatar Television and Middle East Broadcasting Cor-poration (MBC), with the pri-vately-owned media giant ATV Company to broadcast the series dubbed in Turkish. Similar talks were also conducted with Ma-laysian, Indonesian, French and English companies as well.

ATEME wins fi rst Middle East clientTranscoding specialist ATEME won its fi rst Middle East custom-er for the TITAN platform, in a deployment by content aggrega-tor Intigral for both IPTV and OTT services in Saudi Arabia. Intigral, a joint venture between Saudi Telecom Company (STC) and All Asia Networks (ASTRO), is a one-stop-shop meeting all the content delivery needs of opera-tors in the Middle East.

Russian rocket launches SES-5 telecoms satelliteA Russian Proton-M launch vehi-cle carrying the Dutch SES-5 tele-coms satellite lifted off on July 9 from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan after a series of delays, Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said. The launch that was initially sched-uled for June 19, was postponed after a fault was detected in the steering gear.

New satellite

collaborations.


THE BRIEFING

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Saudi Ministry invests in studio upgrade plansDeal for Vitec Videocom brands is valued at $6.67 million

BUSINESS

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Culture and Informa-

tion invested in several Vitec Videocom brands

including equipment from Litepanels, Sachtler

and Vinten as part of a project that will see two

of its SD studios upgraded to HD.

The US $6.67 million deal is part of a contract

awarded to Saudi-based systems integrator First

Gulf Company to implement the next-genera-

tion TV and radio exchange network of the Saudi

Arabian government’s nationwide media trans-

formation programme. First Gulf Company is to

design, supply and install two of the Ministry’s

studios with a full HD broadcast solu-

tion. The two studios, Studio B and

E, will be upgraded to HD.

The plans will transform na-

tional TV and radio media pro-

vision for the country’s young

and growing demographic.

The expansion programme en-

compasses the region’s entire broadcast

chain, including digitisation of HD

terrestrial TV, expansion of TV and

radio contribution/distribution

infrastructure, OB and SNG ve-

hicles, studios, production and

post-production, and archiving

and playout facilities.

Doha Tribeca Film Festival executive director leavesAmanda Palmer stepped down

from her role as executive

director of Doha Tribeca Film

Festival. The 36-year-old is

gearing up to launch her own

talent agency and production

company in Qatar. A replace-

ment for Palmer has not been

announced yet although the

next edition of DTFF is sched-

uled to take place in October.

Top Management axed at Abu Dhabi Film CommissionAs part of restructuring eff orts,

three senior members of the

Abu Dhabi Film Commission

were made redundant. The

team included fi lm commis-

sioner David Shepheard and

deputy director Marcelle Aleid.

Abu Dhabi Film Commission

presently comes under two-

four54, which has undertaken

some restructuring in recent

months to streamline its opera-

tions and better align its content

generation activities under a

single vision.

It is not known whether the

Film Commission’s role will be

diminished or its operations

will be jointly undertaken by

twofour54.

The more advanced the set-top box, the more the number

of hackers that can hack into it. It is a

one-way commu-nication and diffi -cult to analyse as

it is encrypted.TOM JAHR

EVP of products and partners, Conax.

QUOTES OF THE MONTH

Cloud is not quite ready for primetime for everybody. The security aspect isbeing addressed. Rights manage-ment needs to be dealt with. The cost issue is also there.KARL SCHUBERTSenior VP and CTO, Grass Valley.

FAST FACT

$21.3bnAnticipated IPTVrevenues in 2017

Source: Digital TVResearch Ltd.

One of MOCI’s previously upgraded studios.

Amanda Palmer

at last year’s Doha

Film Festival.


THE BRIEFING

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UP

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AUGUST 1Creating OriginalSeries Ideas andWriting Spec PilotsLive webinar on what the

major networks look for in

a pilot script and primetime

scripted drama or comedy

series idea, hosted in the US

by Emmy award-winning

Erik Bork, at midnight

UAE/11pm KSA.

www.writersstore.com

UNTIL AUGUST 18RamadanObvious to those of us in the

Middle East, perhaps, but for

visitors from Europe or the

US, bear in mind a lot of re-

gional industry contacts will

be working reduced hours,

during the holy month.

www.dubaicalendar.ae

AUGUST 29-31Introduction toModern TelecomsThree-day training course

in London. Provides an

excellent grounding in

modern telecommunications

enabling the delegate to gain

a comprehensive overview

of the Telecommunications

Industry, and its rapid evolu-

tion towards a converged

multimedia network.

www.telecomsacademy.com

SEPTEMBER 6-11IBCIt’s that time of year again

when the global production

and broadcast industries de-

scend on Amsterdam for the

biggest conference and trade

show this side of the Atlantic.

Check out the preview on

page 33. See you there!

www.ibc.org

Experts discuss the future of digital mediaThe session was part of a series organized by the DPC.

COMMUNITY

Dubai Media City and the Dubai Press Club host-

ed a panel discussion on July 3 on ‘Local Content

and Migration to Digital Platforms’. The event

focused on the growing importance of digital

platforms, their impact on the global print media

industry, and the penetration of digital media in

the GCC countries.

The initiative comes as part of a series of dis-

cussions organised by DPC to highlight the key

outcomes of the fourth edition of Arab Media

Outlook 2011-2015. Examining latest trends in

the media sector across 17 Arab countries, the

report particularly studies the media consump-

tion pattern in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and

Morocco.

The panel discussion featured Santino Sa-

guto, partner and consultant, Deloitte; Shadi Al

Hasan, managing director and founder, Flagship

Projects; Bilal Hijjawi, managing editor, Fortune

Arabia, and Mohammed Burhan, CEO, CNBC –

Arabia. The session was moderated by Mamoon

Sbeih, managing director, APCO Worldwide –

Arab Region. The panel examined the strategies

deployed by the media in the UAE and the region

to deal with content.

Following a successful wrap of its fi rst cycle in April 2012, Med Film Factory commenced its second cycle in Amman.

Launched in 2011, this programme was initiated by the Royal Film Com-mission- Jordan (RFC), in partnership with Sud Ecriture – Tunisia and the Huston School of Film & Digital Me-dia – Ireland, and co-fi nanced by the Euromed Audiovisual Programme of the European Union. It aims to sup-port directors and producers and to enhance the fi lmmaking industry in the region.

The fi rst session, the Directors’ Workshop, was an eight-day hands-on-training taking place in Amman

Med Film Factory’s 2nd cyclethat concluded on July 18, 2012. Dur-ing this session, 10 participating di-rectors working on their fi rst or sec-ond feature narrative fi lm projects were mentored by international tu-tors, directors, script editors, fi lm ex-perts and technicians.

Experts at the discussion.

Participant directors meeting with the production crew.


THE BRIEFING

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DVB-S2 Modulator for PCI-e Dual Port HD-SDI Adapter with Genlock Xpect Mosaic

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Satellite modulator with integrated L-band up converter DVB-S and DVB-S2 modulation with support for all constellations (including 16-APSK and 32-APSK) Multi-purpose satellite-TV RF signal generator for R&D, demos, exhibitions and repair

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SCENE CHANGE

SOHONETDamien Carroll has been pro-

moted to the company’s board

as COO, following the success-

ful development of Sohonet

Hub - a new portal application.

Damien will manage Sohonet’s

sales and operations and will

oversee the development of

thesohonet Hub, new solutions

and services.

LIPSYNCBen Shepherd has been ap-

pointed as the new head of 3D

and visual eff ects supervisor at

the UK facility. He has worked

on numerous Hollywood proj-

ects, including the Harry Pot-

ter franchise for Warner Bros.,

Alien Vs Predator for Twentieth

Century Fox, and John Carter

for Walt Disney Pictures.

NEVER.NOZachary Weiner has joined the

company as director of market-

ing. His previous role was the

CEO of CTV and he co-founded

the Connected TV Marketing

Association. In his new role,

Weiner will work on creating

new trends, best practices and

methods for Social TV and in-

teractive platform television.

AUTOSCRIPTThe company, which is part of

Vitec Videocom, has appointed

Simon Clark to the newly cre-

ated role of Head of Sales &

Support for the EMEA region.

The company is expanding its

sales team in the region due to

increased demand. Clark joins

the team from Cintel, where he

was in business development.


ONLINE

No more News Corp?The media empire could be broken into two parts

AROUND THE WEB

It might be time to say good-bye to one of the largest media conglomerates in the world.

News Corp.’s board is to decide whether to proceed with a split into two companies, sep-

arating the bigger and more profi table entertainment businesses from the newspapers.

Making a very terse and perfunctory offi cial statement, News Corp. confi rmed the

rumours, saying it was “considering a restructuring to separate its business.” The news

caused News Corp. stock to increase 8.3% - the highest level since 2007 when news of the

phone-hacking scandal broke.

News Corp. is reportedly mull-

ing splitting its 20th Century Fox

fi lm studio, Fox broadcast net-

work and Fox News channel from

its newspapers, book publishing

assets and education businesses.

If a split occurs, the entertain-

ment company is likely to attract

investors who prefer faster-grow-

ing businesses and lucrative oper-

ations like cable channels, as op-

posed to publishing companies.

Murdoch has resigned from

the directorships of the control of

several newspapers.

Iran to launch new animation channelIran will launch an exclusive animation channel for kids. The channel will broadcast two hours of programs per day in the fi rst phase, which will in-crease to 12 hours gradually, the Mehr News Agency reported. Currently there are 14 TV-chan-nels broadcasting all over Iran, and 34 channels broadcasting only in Iranian provinces.

MOST VIEWED EDITOR’S CHOICE SPOT POLL1 Netherlands makes

net neutrality mandatory

2 HSL bidsWestlife farewell

3 The 99 toair on MBC

4 Indonesia adds Omar to Rama-dan schedule

5 Avid divests consumer business; to reduce staff

Internet phenomenons like Lolcats’ increasing popularity has now led to a real life cat video fi lm festival.

Cat fi lm festival set to purr

Will you be usingthe newly launched OSN Play service?

I might use it occas-sionally to catch up

20%

The online home of:

Rupert

Murdoch’s empire

in danger?

80%Yeah - it’s a great idea!


ANALYSIS

OLYMPICS GALORE!We look at what satellite broadcasters, networks and app makers are doing to make it easier to access the London Games 2012.

The London Olympics have their usual share of hor-

ror stories – as is the case with the Games, they have

gone over budget, are the most expensive games,

and have faced problems with athletes. But this year

the Games are adding on another dimension, quite

literally with 3D coverage. The event is expected to generate over

5,000 hours of satellite coverage for 4.8 billion viewers around the

globe on TVs, computers and mobile devices.

SATELLITE BROADCASTERSAt IBC in September 2011, many broadcasters agreed to use Car-

rier IDs in advance of the Games in order to assure quality DVB

satellite transmissions and avoid interference.

Carrier ID is a stamp on uplink signals that enables satellite op-

erators to more effi ciently identify transmissions to their satellites

and thereby accelerate coordination with earth station operators

in the event of signal interference. Quality assurance of DVB sat-

ellite transmissions has engaged the satellite community at large,

including satellite operators, encoder and modulator manufactur-

ers, broadcasters and uplink providers. The eff ort is also support-

ed by three international associations: the World Broadcasting

Unions-International Satellite Operations Group (WBU-ISOG), the

GVF (Global VSAT Forum) and sIRG (satellite Interference Reduc-

tion Group).

The intiative was a way to reduce the interference problem

with satellites. The problem has increased in proportion to the

number of satellites in orbit (now around 2500). It is being driven

by growth in Direct To Home broadcasting, cellular backhaul and

various point-to-multipoint data applications. Although the reli-

ability of satellite transmissions has improved with reduced error

rates overall, the number of interference incidents reported on a

monthly basis is still increasing, exceeding 100 per month for large

operators. Most of these are caused by badly installed ground ter-

minals, uplink errors and poor equipment maintenance.

Incidents resulting from these and other causes vary in sever-

ity from slight signal degradation to total service outage, and the

overall impact on operators is signifi cant since it cuts eff ective

transmission capacity, reduces uptime, generates costs to combat

and potentially lose customers.

Interference can be a short-

term problem when caused

by faulty equipment. Or, it can

be long-term when occurring

between nearby satellites op-

erating in the same frequency

bands. Either ways, it could be

deadly for a network during a

highly televised event like the

Olympics.

Carrier ID allows sources to

be identifi ed by embedding the

necessary information within

the payload data. This quickly

identifi es the source provided

the carrier ID is readily accessi-

ble. The carrier ID must also be

carried in a standardized way.

Never before have broadcasters, satellite operators, uplinkers, and manu-facturers collabo-rated to implement an initiative with the sole objective of improving the quality of satellite television services for millions of viewers.

MARTIN COLEMANExecutive director,

The Satellite Interference

Reduction Group.

www.digitalproductionme.com 017AUGUST 2012 AUGUST 2012

ANALYSIS

BR

OA

DC

AS

TIN

G T

HE

OLY

MP

ICS

BY

NU

MB

ER

S

Satellite operators, led

by Eutelsat, Intelsat and SES

whose combined orbital assets

represent almost 60% of global

commercial satellite capacity,

have completed the process

of adapting their earth station

information tables to include

Carrier ID information so they

can read, extract and interpret

data.

Modulator and encoder

manufacturers, accounting for

the vast majority of satellite

transmission equipment used

by broadcasters and service

providers, have developed new

models and system upgrades

for Carrier ID use. They include

Adtec Digital, Comtech EF Data,

Ericsson, Fujitsu, IDC, Newtec

and Vislink. Leading broadcast-

ers, agencies and service pro-

viders have also updated their

systems to be Carrier ID ready.

“Never before have broad-

casters, satellite operators,

uplinkers, and manufacturers

collaborated to implement an

initiative with the sole objec-

tive of improving the quality of

satellite television services for

millions of viewers,” said Mar-

tin Coleman, executive direc-

tor of the satellite Interference

Reduction Group; David Harts-

horn, secretary general of the

Global VSAT Forum; and Dick

171Atlanta (1996)

442Sydney (2000)

1210Athens (2004)

3600Beijing (2008)

5535London (2012)

Number of hours NBC has devoted to recent Olympics broadcasts (cable and streaming)

Source: NBC Sports Group, 2012 fi gure estimated

50%

40%

20%

10%

Olympics’ share of TV viewership

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Summer games Winter games

Source: Nielsen

Total Olympic host broadcast hours

30

00

Atl

anta

(19

96

)

35

00

Syd

ney

(20

00

)

38

00

Ath

ens

(20

04

)

50

00

Bei

jing

(20

08

)

28

00

Bar

celo

na (1

99

2)

Source: IOC


ANALYSIS

Tauber, chairman of WBU-

ISOG and VP Transmission

Systems and New Technology

at the CNN News Group.

NETWORKSMany networks are trying to

outdo one another in terms of

the video quality they will be

off ering. BBC is off ering an ul-

tra HD experience at a resolu-

tion of 7680x4320, which is 16

times better than the quality of

HD television. Further, London

2012 will be the fi rst Olympics

to feature live 3D television

broadcasts, and 33 “true 3D”

cameras will be used to cap-

ture more than 230 hours of

3D coverage. The video tech-

nology was developed by Japa-

nese brand NHK and is known

as Super Hi-Vision. The super

HD video will be broadcast

over high-speed data networks

to four giant screens

in Britain, two in

Japan and one

in the United

States.

“When you

see this type

of ultra-high

defi nition television, it’s just

like looking though a glass win-

dow,” said Tim Plyming, the

BBC’s Super Hi-Vision project

leader. “This is the highest defi -

nition that the human eye can

understand - it’s the end of the

story in terms of resolution.”

The BBC will broadcast

more than 2,500 hours (equiv-

alent to almost four months) of

high defi nition television over

the 17-day period, covering ev-

ery sport, from every venue,

on every day. To squeeze it all

in, the corporation will use 24

Olympic channels, which will

also be available as high defi -

nition online streams on con-

nected TVs, PCs, tablets and

mobile phones.

And if that wasn’t enough,

the network introduced a new

video delivery technology

called “chunked streaming”

which makes it possible

for a viewer joining

halfway through

an event to

“rewind” the

stream back to

the start. This

technology will

feature in the BBC’s new Live

Interactive Video Player, which

is being introduced specially

for the Olympics on its website.

In the UAE, du will off er

free HD coverage of the event

to all its customers on the Abu

Dhabi Sports channels. Several

pay-TV packages will also off er

complimentary coverage of

the Olympics Games, includ-

ing, OSN Family, OSN Premier

Plus, OSN Platinum Extra

and the AD Sports Package,

amongst others.

In the United States, NBC

will be adding to its broadcast

and cable television coverage

with streamed content deliv-

ered using technology pro-

vided by YouTube. Network

executives are also adopting

a new strategy. Every Olym-

pic event will be available live

online for cable and satellite

subscribers, who will be able

to select events from a menu at

nbcolympics.com.

NBC, along with its cable

channels and website, will

broadcast 5,535 hours of the

London games and it needs

as many Olympic viewers as it

can muster. Buying the broad-

cast rights to this year’s games,

along with the 2010 winter

games, cost $2 billion. But de-

spite higher national ad rev-

enues NBC said it would lose

money on the London Olym-

pics.

In short, there will be no ex-

cuse for missing all the Olym-

pics action. And it is fi tting the

event which is considered to

be one of the largest demon-

strations of sporting and ath-

leticism.

When you see this type of ultra-high defi nition television, it’s just like looking though a glass window. This is the highest defi nition that the human eye can understand - it’s the end of the story in terms of resolution.

TIM PLYMINGSuper Hi-Vision project leader, BBC.

FAST FACT

4.8bnExpected viewers

for the Olympics around the globe

Source: IOC

TVIEW

020 AUGUST 2012

The long-awaited tview has finally been launched in the UAE. The television audience measurement system, or people meter, is meant to provide up-to-the-minute data on audiences and patterns in the country. Ruchi Shroff takes a closer look at what the industry has to say about the device.

ALLEYESONYOU

COVER STORY


TVIEW

dvertisers have

always complained

that there is a lack of

ratings standards in

the UAE. Due to this

many international

advertisers have

shied away from

investing in the local

market. It has also been diffi cult to determine

what shows and networks have historically done

well due to lack of reliable data. The Emirates

Media Measurement Company’s (EMMC) people

meter, the “tview,” is being touted as the answer

to these troubles and more. The device generates

transparent, accountable and reliable ratings that

organizers hope will become the currency of the

trade in the country.

“tview is a major step forward for the TV and

advertising industry in the UAE, providing in-

depth, objective data which can be used to make

better programmes, improve TV schedules and

help advertisers reach the people who are most

interested in their products,” said EMMC’s general

manager, Christopher O’Hearn.

KEY PLAYERSThe MENA region has been plagued by low adver-

tisement rates per capita compared to the high

GDP per capita. According to Nick Grande, the

managing director of Channel Sculptor, advertise-

ment spending in the region needs to go up and

in the absence of research there is a pressing need

for “real market intelligence”. Channel Sculptor

off ers consulting and managed services on behalf

of TV channels and networks.

Talks for launching a people meter have been

going on for a while in the UAE. The project was

the result of a Federal Cabinet initiative and has

been led by the National Media Council and the

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. It

has been underway since January 2010 and was

endorsed by the Ministerial Council for Services

in March 2010. In 2011, the National Media Council

entered into a joint venture agreement regarding

the development and implementation of tview

with leading broadcast entities, Abu Dhabi Media,

Sharjah Media Corporation, Rotana Media, Etisalat

and du to form EMMC. These companies agreed

to collectively fund the project. Kantar Media/

TNS was selected to do the data collection, thus

maintaining transparency in tview’s results. The

Advertisers Business Group (ABG) was repre-

sented on the steering committee that oversaw the

setup and formation of EMMC as well.

“This is the fi rst project of its kind in the Gulf

and I am very pleased that the UAE, with its thriv-

ing media sector, is leading the way,” said Ibrahim

Al Abed, chairman of the EMMC and director-

general of the NMC.

A new stakeholder can be added to the com-

pany by making an investment in agreement with

the other shareholders. Further, the constitution

of EMMC allows three non-shareholder members

to be appointed to the company’s board to ensure

outside involvement and transparency.

According to O’Hearn, the industry has been

slow in accepting the new system. Media buyers,

who would benefi t from the data for advertis-

ing planning and airtime sales, have been a little

reluctant to change over from the traditional Ipsos

system. Key industry players, including the ABG

and media buying units, were consulted about the

panel system and detailed technical discussions

led to changes in the tview panel setup. This led

to some delays in the launch, which is now taking

place in October.

DATA COLLECTION AND INTERPRETATIONWhile Kantar collects the data, EMMC ultimately

owns it and will sell subscriptions as well as re-

lease data summaries in print and online. During

the soft launch phase which started from July 1,

EMMC is giving out free subscriptions.

Kantar Media, a member of WPP East, will set

up and run the tview system and will be respon-

sible for managing the panel, installing the tview

boxes in the homes, collecting data and verifying

tview is a major step forward for the TV and advertising industry in the UAE, providing in-depth, objective data which can be used to make better programmes, improve TV schedules and help advertisers reach the people who are most interested in their products.

CHRISTOPHER O’HEARNGeneral manager,

EMMC.

FAST FACT

30%Percentage of

audience channels lose in a 5 minute

advertisementslot

Chris O’Hearn, General

manager of the Emirates Media

Measurement Company.


TVIEW

it, and distributing the data results. They will

also install and maintain the software that

manages the data called Infosys+ for tview

subscribers. Kantar will also provide basic

training to subscribers as well as report

templates for better and easier data inter-

pretation.

The fi rst phase of the project involved large

scale surveys and the setup of the sample panel

representing the UAE population. Around

the country, 850 homes have been

chosen to take part and become the

tview panel and have the people

meter boxes installed in their

homes connected to the televi-

sion screens. The panel covers

about 3,500-4,000 people based

on ages, gender, location, language,

socio-economic status, education, oc-

cupation etc. Although they are not paid,

they do receive some incentives to participate in

the panel. The panel breakdown oversamples for

Emirati households in order to ensure a suffi -

cient sample. Research shows that although local

Emiratis make up a small percentage of the total

population, they tend to be some of the biggest

spenders and advertisers want to target them.

Once selected, a small box, much like a set-top

box, is connected to each TV in a household. The

box has a small screen and is connected to the TV

through an audio jack. When the TV is switched

on, the tview automatically detects this, and asks

which members of the household are present

on a special handset/remote control where each

member is allocated their own button to register

when viewing or not.

The box collects audio clips every minute

which are then stored in the memory. The data

processing centre downloads the data from each

home at 3am (including the audio data

stored by the ‘AudioMatching’ system)

from all the People Meters. Each

piece of audio data is unique and

once matched tells what programs

were being watched on each box.

Once the data processing center

receives the data, a panel specialist

monitors if there are any irregulari-

ties. The data is then delivered at 11am

with further logs delivered by 2pm.

At the moment, EMMC is monitoring 54 of the

most popular free-to-air channels in the UAE. Paid

sports channels are not included in the group

because of their vast numbers. The information

includes grids with detailed broadcast timings,

programme name and genre as well as viewing

in time-bands across the day. Additionally the

programs and spots are monitored so that each

program can be rated, as can the ad-breaks and

spots within the breaks. According to O’Hearn,

some studies have shown that

about 30% of the audience changes

the channel within a 5 minute

break. tview helps track where the

audience is going and what they are

watching.

O’Hearn says that the new

system is much more effi cient

than the one used by Ipsos. In

that, audiences were called on

the phone and asked what they

had watched in 15 minute slots

the night before. As expected,

this created a lot of speculative

data because many people didn’t

remember what they watched

or said what they thought the

surveyor wanted to hear. For eg.,

no one mentioned watching reality

dating shows, but a lot of people

reportedly watched the news.

FAST FACT

850Number of

households being monitored by tview

Source: EMMC

Nick Grande, managing

director of Channel Sculptor.

AUGUST 2012

TVIEW

TV

IEW

: HO

W IT

WO

RK

S

STEP 1

A small box, much like a

set-top box, is connected

to each TV in a household.

The box has a small screen

and is connected to the TV

through an audio jack.

STEP 2

When the TV is switched

on, the tview automatically

detects this, and asks which

members of the household

are present on a special

handset/remote control

where each member is

allocated their own button to

register when viewing or not.

STEP 3

The box collects audio clips

every minute which are

then stored in the memory.

The data processing

centre downloads the

data from each home

at 3am (including the

audio data stored by the

‘AudioMatching’ system)

from all the People Meters.

STEP 4

Each piece of audio data is

unique and once matched

tells what programs were

being watched on each box.

Once the data processing

center receives the data, a

panel specialist monitors if

there are any irregularities.

The data is then delivered

at 11am with further logs

delivered by 2pm.


TVIEW

EFFECT ON THE MARKETGrande says that the tview

can only have a positive

eff ect on the market – “it’s a

win-win for everyone.” The

data provided by the tview

will allow media buyers to

analyze ratings not only for

programmes and channels

but also for the commercials

that aired across any time

segment. This means that

advertising spots themselves

are rated and the perfor-

mance of each spot is deliv-

ered the day after. In tview

the eff ect of ad-break length

and position is clearly visible

and each campaign can be

assessed by the gross ratings

points. In addition the infor-

mation about the perfor-

mance of the campaign can

be analysed almost immedi-

ately. Further, the tview will

help better align the industry

and bridge the revenue gap,

according to Grande.

As for broadcasters, they

can now analyze ratings

not only for programmes

and channels but also

for segments within any

programme and special

appearances. This means that granulated and up

to the minute information about the programme

is monitored, assessed and reported with results

delivered for producers. O’Hearn says that audi-

ences in this region tend to be loyal to particular

programmes and not always a channel. The tview

will help determine what shows are more popu-

lar than others, making it easier to develop more

focused content.

Another big advantage that both Grande and

O’Hearn cite is the positive eff ect on the region.

The UAE has been the leader in the Middle East

and most other countries will follow suit. Saudi

Arabia has already announced plans to launch

a similar measurement system which will be ex-

tremely important as Saudis represent the largest

chunk of population in the Middle East.

However, some people are not as optimistic

about the project. Mazen Hayek, the group direc-

tor of PR & commercial at MBC, says that while

the tview is necessary it alone is not suffi cient to

gauge TV ratings. He says the interactive nature

of the product leaves a lot up to the viewer as

they have to turn on the box and interact to give

accurate results.

Although the industry has been slow in ac-

cepting it, the tview is something the television

industry needs to get more accurate results.

Similar systems under other names, like INTAM

in India and OzTAM in Australia have helped

monitor the industry. An easily accessible source

of data is required for schedule planning, while

the increasing complexities and cost of television

airtime demand greater accountability.

This is the fi rst project of its kind in the Gulf and I am very pleased that the UAE, with its thriving media sector, is leading the way.

IBRAHIM AL ABEDDirector general of the NMC and

chairman of EMMC.

Measuring audience preferences.

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RAMADAN TV

Hindistani Omar Khatab Hareem Al Sultan Ferqat Naji Atallah Znood Al Sitt Khawaja Abdel Qader

Valley of the Wolves Kenat Al Sham wa Kanayen Al Shamiya

Tabakh Al Sultan Banat Al Aileh Bath Bayakha Hekayat Banat

Rayyal Westel Hareem

Wi-Fi Aroosa Yahoo Taish Aiel Sisters’ Soup Al Masageel

Muna Abdal Wahab Hourouf Wa Oulouf Al IslamWal Shabab

Tarek Wa Hayouna Saudi Chefs Khawater

Al Ghesh Mamnoua Helfet Omri Bath Bayakah Al-Wilada Minal-Khasira

Zaman Al Barghout Sharbat Loz


RAMADAN TV

As the heat increases and fasting sets in for Ramadan, people will keep themselves occupied by watching TV. And they are spoiled for choice between the sporting excitement of the Olympics and local programming. Digital Broadcast Middle East talks to executives from two of the biggest networks in the region – OSN and MBC – to see what they have on offer for the holy month.


RAMADAN TV

xclusivity is the name of the game for Khulud Abu-Homos, OSN’ s senior vice president of programming and creative services.

What is your strategy this Ramadan?This year we are starting Ramadan with a new

content strategy when it comes to Arabic program-

ming. This is the fi rst year where OSN has its own

proprietary channel, which is OSN Yahala! and it

has 30% our own production and 70% of acquired

content. But the one thing we are focusing on this

year is exclusivity – what you get on our channel,

you only get it here. We wanted to develop a few

shows and focus on young, local talent as well as

content for women. We are also diversifying our

content so that there will be weekend specials

apart from the weekly content.

So what are some of your shows thisRamadan?During the holy month, viewers will be able to

choose from a total of 22 series including eight

new and exclusive shows being aired for the fi rst

time and four original OSN Productions in HD. We

have the second season of Hindistani, which is an

original production. We increased our investment

in the show and it will now air for an hour instead

of the original half-hour. The big news about the

show is that we have changed the key cast to

include Asad al Zahrani to bring a more youthful

appeal to the show.

We are also bringing a completely new concept

to Ramadan programming by introducing cooking

drama. It is a series where each episode introduces

a new dish or recipe. Znood El Sitt, a drama series

with four celebrity actors set in old Damascus, is

an OSN exclusive. Through the course of a show

the group of women cook a traditional recipe

while talking through some of their problems.

Tabakh Al Sultan, on the other hand, is more of a

love story based on the hit series Hareem Al Sultan,

which looks at the recipes being made in the

ancient kitchens while tying in dramatic elements.

It is visually very stimulating. In addition, there is

the new series, Saudi Chefs, which sees the coming

together of two expert cooks, Chef Yousef Khu-

(Clockwise from top left)

Hindistani, Yamak Ahmet,

Tabakh Al Sultan, Saudi Chefs,

Al Islam Wal Shabab, Sisters’ Soup.

mayes and Chef Hani Zain demonstrating their

passion for food in their own unique style along

with nutritionist Lama Sultan.

Most of the cooking shows will air during the

afternoon. We did an email survey of 150 women

in Saudi Arabia and found that they preferred to

watch these shows between 12:30 and 2pm.

For the weekend special there is Sisters’ Soup.

It is a show about three sisters including celebrity

hosts, Mais, Mai and Dana Hamdan, and one guest.

The show is a musical show featuring traditional

songs as well as soup recipes which are part of

the iftari meals during Ramadan. It combines

live audiences, reality aspects, food and singing.

Another weekend off ering is a show called Al

Ghish Mamnoua, which is sourced from Egypt.

Muna Abdal Wahab places guests on the hot seat

in her classroom style set and puts them through

an exam of their lifetime. Guests include Egyptian

presidential candidate Handeen Sabahy and Egyp-

tian feminist scholar Nawal Al Saadawy.

What about religious shows?Our programming this month is focused a lot on

the youth in the region. We are looking at Islam

and how we want it to be represented. We have

Dr. Abed, the mufti of Jerusalem hosting young

people who ask him questions relevant to real life

and he guides them through some of these issues.

It focuses religion more on real-life issues rather

than preaching to the young people.

Are there any non-exclusive shows?There will be the regular spate of sitcoms and

various other shows. I am particularly proud of

one of them which was a show that originally

started in Jordan on YouTube and we brought it as

a fi ller last year and it became very popular. Beth

Bayakah features parodies of some of the popular

Arabic shows.

What about convenience of viewership?While it is important to have exclusive content,

viewers should be able to watch the content they

want and the way they want it. So we are launch-

ing another channel, Plus 3, which caters to the

Egyptian markets and other time zones. There

is a linear channel for those who do not have On

Demand options as well. There is also a catch-up

option for OSN HD viewers and there is always the

option to record shows through our set-top box.

While it is important to have exclusive content, viewers should be able to watch the content they want and the way they want it. So we are launching another channel, Plus 3, which caters to the Egyptian markets and other time zones.

KHULUD ABU-HOMOSSenior vice president of

programming and creative services,

OSN.


RAMADAN TV

mix of new and old for Mazen Hayek, offi cial spokesman and

group director of PR & commercial for the MBC Group.

What are some of your Ramadan specials?Our traditional Ramadan grid on MBC 1 has been

around for over 20 years and the new one on MBC

Drama has been around for two years now. The

grid is a quadrant with four diff erent elements

– drama, comedy, religious programming and

game shows. Most of our shows fall into the drama

category.

We will be airing Omar Khatab which is the

largest historical drama ever produced in this

part of the world. It is very important because of

the nature of the story, the historical signifi cance

of Omar Bin Al Khattab as a Muslim ruler and it

is a drama of international standards. It is a joint

production between MBC Group and Qatar Media

Inc. Leading broadcasters around the world want

to air the show simultaneously with the run in the

Middle East and we have already signed rights

deals with ATV in Turkey and MNC in Indone-

sia and are also in the process of signing with a

broadcaster in Malaysia. There are English and

French versions also in the pipeline for Europe

and Africa.

Then we have an Egyptian drama called Ferqat

Naji Atallah and renowned actor Adil Imam is

heading up the cast for that one. Another Egyptian

production part of our line-up is Khawaja Abdel

Qader featuring Yehiya Al Fakharani and it is a

societal drama. Gulf-produced series Kenat Al Sham

wa Kanayen Al Shamiya looks at the cultural diff er-

ences when a Syrian woman marries into a Gulf

family. Heber Al Oyoun featuring Kuwaiti actress

Hayat Al Fayed focuses on women in the region. We

also have a drama about the Iraqi invasion of Ku-

wait and looking at it from a societal view instead

of a political view. Banat Al Aileh involves 14 Syrian

drama stars under the direction of Rasha Sharbatji.

Egyptian drama Hekayat Banat is also a women-

centric series that will be airing during Ramadan.

Anything else?While all of these were dramas, in the comedy sec-

tion we have Wi-Fi featuring some of the biggest

Gulf comedians. We also have animated program-

ming like the cartoon Taish Aiel which features

a voiceover from famous actor Nasser Al Qasabi.

He was the star of Tash Ma Tash, which was the

series that we aired for the last couple of years. Al

Masageel talks about a tribe and looks at the more

traditional Arab world.

We also have six religious programs for the holy

month of Ramadan. There is a public awareness

program that in this season aims at incentivizing

youth to volunteer and help society by presenting

modern religious views. For example, in one epi-

sode young Arabs are asked to take drinking water

to a rural area with water shortage. So it takes

religious discussions to real actions on the ground.

Another show is edited and presented by famous

television preacher Amr Khaled and another one

which is presented by Sheikh Nadir Al Qallawi and

revolves around the stories from history.

What about game shows?We have the usual Hourouf Wa Oulouf presented

by Mohammad Al Shehri off ering millions of riyals

in prizes. Tarek wa Hayouna is another game show

on off er this Ramadan. A new show is also being

introduced this year and it is a late-night show.

All of these shows are split between MBC 1 and

MBC Drama. And we will issue the fi nal schedule

one day before Ramadan depending on when the

dates become fi nalised.

Are there any older shows in the line-upas well?This month we will be airing the 8th season of

Khawater as part of the Ramadan programming.

It is one of the most-watched, youthful, modern,

religious programming. Horouf Wa Oulouf is also

an older show which is airing this year with new

content. But the rest of the content is pretty

much new.

Are there any cookery shows?No. We never carry cooking shows during Ramadan.

How long does it take to usually plan theRamadan schedule with all the new content?It is an 18 month forward planning process for

each term of programming. Sometimes it can take

less and sometimes a little more, but usually this is

the window we look at.

There is a public awareness program that in this season aims at incentivizing youth to volunteer and help society by presenting modern religious views. For example, in one episode young Arabs are asked to take drinking water to a rural area with water shortage. So it takes religious discussions to real actions on the ground.

MAZEN HAYEKoffi cial spokesman and

group director of PR & commercial,

MBC Group.

(Clockwise from top left)

Banat Al Aileh, Heber Al Oyoun,

Hekayat Banat, Hourouf Wa Oulouf,

Ferqat Naji Atallah, Khawaja Abdel Qader.

IBC 2012


Its that time of the year again. The IBC conferenceis a meeting ground for experts, manufacturers,end-users and executives from the broadcast industry. Digital Broadcast Middle East previews the event.

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IBC 2012, RAI AMSTERDAM, 6-11 SEPTEMBERMBERAM, 6-11111 SSSEEPTEMEM

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BC 2012 RAI AMSTERDAAM 6 1111 SIBIB


IBC 2012

The IBC Conference is the leading

forum for the electronic media and

entertainment industry. Experts and

executives from around the world

gather to discuss the latest trends

and technologies in the industry.

The IBC2012 Conference is structured around

three distinct pillars: the Business of Broadcasting

and Media, Content Creation & Innovation and

Advances in Technology. Attended by the most

infl uential thinkers from the leading companies in

the world, IBC’s conference has over 300 inspiring

speakers and more than 60 sessions. The follow-

ing are some of the hot topics on discussion:

CONNECTED TV By IBC2012, there will be more than 50 million

connected in-home devices in Western Europe,

from smart TVs and games consoles to pay-TV set

top boxes. Will traditional broadcasters and cable

operators hang on to the valuable pay-TV market,

or face ferocious competition from OTT suppli-

ers and the increasing number of direct tie-ups

between consumer electronics companies and

content owners? IBC will be the place to fi nd out.

SOCIAL MEDIAIBC is the place to fi nd out the latest developments

and examine the latest case studies that show

how the power of social media can be harnessed

worldwide.

TRANSMEDIAAs multimedia has evolved and developed, so the

services that maintain it have equally moved to

become transmedia; penetrating across, beyond

and through the diff erent platforms and formats.

What though are the demands on these services?

What are the advantages of trying to follow the

path towards transmedia synergisms? Who are the

winners and losers as consumers fi nd themselves

able to access content in any way they want? IBC

will have the answers.

THE CLOUD What are the implications for the growth of Cloud

Computing for the electronic entertainment

industry? Moving infrastructure over to the cloud

promises to deliver increased fl exibility to busi-

nesses struggling to keep up with the dynamically

changing landscape of consumer demand, but

there are issues. IBC will highlight the latest devel-

opments in production and distribution that seek

to reassure the doubters.

SPORTFrom new technology, such as the Super Hi-Vision

trials at London 2012, to new business models,

such as the monetization of the second screen,

sport is once more leading the way. And IBC will

be the fi rst place to assess the winners – and pos-

sible losers – following an incredible Summer of

both sport and innovation.

BROADCAST DELIVERYThere are already many diff erent forms of HD and,

with an array of ‘future formats’ including 4k and

Super Hi-Vision in the pipeline, not to mention

on-going work developing a stereo 3D standard,

there is plenty of potential for confusion. How will

the Internet and Mobile TV cope with the increase

WASP3D has been associated with IBC for over 5 years now and the show has outdone itself every time. The quality of visitors, exhibitors, its global reach, tech-nology showcase, conferences and the responsive organiz-ing team makes it one of the best tradeshow in the broadcast & media arena.ANSHUL GUPTAMarketing manager, WASP3D


IBC 2012

in traffi c as more content is delivered

via their networks? IBC is where the

future of broadcast delivery will start to

take shape.

WORKFLOWOne of the changes in recent years has been

the increasing reliance on serverbased workfl ows, as the fl exibility

and cost advantages of tapeless have become clear to all. How though

to futureproof such IT-based systems so that the HD production

pipelines of today are ready for the 4k and beyond of the future? The

answers will be here at IBC.

CINEMAWith the cost of producing an average Hollywood movie having

risen from $3.1m to $82m since 1975, how do all the elements in the

production and distribution chain stay profi table while protecting

their intellectual property and embracing new technology? How

does the industry move to a fully digital pipeline? And how does it

keep the public coming every year?

AUGUST 2012

IBC 2012

IBC

IN N

UM

BE

RS

Number of exhibiting companies

Source: IBC

1451IBC 2008

1365IBC 2011

1337IBC 2010

1355IBC 2009

1360IBC 2007

Total IBC attendance

50

,46

2IB

C 2

011

48

,521

IBC

20

10

45

,54

7IB

C 2

00

9

49

,25

0IB

C 2

00

8

46

,96

4IB

C 2

00

7

44

,80

8IB

C 2

00

6

IBC 2011 attendance by region

70.31%W. Europe & Scandinavia

2.96%Middle East

0.89%Latin America

1.15%Africa

9.13%North America

8.56%Asia

4.09%Central Europe

2.91%Eastern Europe

FAST FACT

26%Visitors planning on spending over

€1,000,000 at IBCSource: IBC


IBC 2012

Best in the BusinessIBC is synonymous with a mind-boggling variety of product releases, upgrades and expansions. Digital Broadcast Middle East picks ten show fi rsts you can’t aff ord to miss...

Emotion Systems’ eFF Audio is a

software application that automati-

cally analyses and fi xes audio loudness

violations in fi le-based media, with

MXF functionality as well as multiple

language UI support. It delivers measure-

ments against predetermined parameters;

generates a detailed fi le error report; and re-

pairs fi les to meet established criteria.

Applications for eFF include MCRs

as well as non-linear video editing

and on-line fi nishing suites.

“As fi le-based delivery becomes

widespread, the use of MXF

based broadcast workfl ows has

increased signifi cantly,” said CEO

MC Patel. Emotion Systems will

also show, for the fi rst time any-

where, “eFF Scale”, a fi le based

high quality video scaler.

Emotion Systems / eFF Audio

Brainstorm Multimedia / eStudioBrainstorm Multimedia will feature

a new range of product improve-

ments at IBC 2012. At the core is the

“eStudio” on-air graphics and virtual

studio engine, the platform upon

which all other Brainstorm products

run, including EasySet 3D, a cost-

eff ective, trackless virtual set solution.

EasySet 3D provides a comprehensive

3D real-time environment with stereoscopic

capabilities, integrated chroma keyer, up

to four SD/HD inputs, and a live switcher

mode with up to 12 live simultaneous

productions for easy transition between 3D

cameras from a single PC.

Brainstorm’s “Transition

Logic Technology” is now

integrated into EasySet

3D to provide full interac-

tion with any Brainstorm

graphic element, includ-

ing complex 3D Augment-

ed Reality applications.

IBC delegates can also

see Brainstorm Easy On-

Air Graphics, a toolset for

live streaming.

Never.No / PrompterPrompter is an app designed to

give presenters, anchors, hosts,

or anyone else who works on-

camera the ability to use social media and

interactive content on the job. An additional

option to never.no’s Interactivity Suite,

Prompter enables on-air talent to view real-

time social media comments from viewers

and fans and incorporate their input.

Telecast Fiber Systems / Thor At IBC2012, Telecast Fiber Systems will

introduce several new members of its

Thor family of fi ber optic extenders for

broadcasting, government and profes-

sional A/V applications. The Thor DE

is an optical DVI extender consisting

of transmitter and receiver modules

that use CWDM optical multiplex-

ing to transmit four channels of

WUXGA graphic signals with a 60Hz

refresh rate over a single fi ber. The

companion Thor DE Throwdown

DVI and Audio Extender drives

uncompressed WUXGA 60Hz DVI

signals up to 2km (single-mode) or

500m (multi-mode) over a duplex

LC fi ber. Finally, the Thor MR 8X8

HDMI and DVI Matrix Routers are

new additions to the Thor-S KVM

switcher product line.

IBCSTAND

NUMBER7.A06

IBCSTAND

NUMBER2.B59

IBCSTAND

NUMBER6.C28B

IBCSTAND

NUMBER10.B39


IBC 2012

Digital ly Fit

www.canare.co.jp

Visit us at 11.A50

®

Blue Lucy Media / BLM SoftwareAt IBC 2012, Blue Lucy Media is launching

a metered licencing system for all of its ad-

vanced software-based content acquisition,

production tool and metadata management products.

BLM software is deployed on IT hardware in the normal way,

but users only pay for time when the software is in production

use. Automatic licensing eliminates manual key entry, and quar-

terly billing for the service enables users to stay on budget.

“The cloud is undoubtedly becoming more prevalent for me-

dia asset management, browse content for production workfl ow,

or as a gallery for archive material,” CEO Julian Wright said.

Chyron Products / ShoutMaking its European debut at IBC2012, SHOUT is

a stand-alone software application that enables

broadcasters to bring social media commentary into

their live broadcasts. SHOUT gives one or more users the ability

to monitor, select, adjust, and route social media conversations to

broadcast graphics systems either for on-air playback or for stor-

age as data fi les for later use. Multiple instances of SHOUT run-

ning across a facility can be used simultaneously by diff erent staff

members to view content and moderate the same playback list.

Users can add, remove, and authenticate multiple social media

accounts from sources like Twitter, Facebook and RSS.

IBCSTAND

NUMBER7.J40

IBCSTAND

NUMBER7.D11


IBC 2012

Wohler / DVM 2443Wohler’s new Content-

Probe compliance recorder

features dedicated and

purpose-built hardware

and software that records 24 hours a day.

This system off ers a user-friendly GUI that

enables rapid and instant access across

the network to all channels. ContentProbe

provides compliance recording with Fault-

Tracker signal fault

monitoring for au-

dio, video, captions,

and loudness.

Wohler’s new

dual-input SDI

audio monitor

off ers broadcasters

high-performance

monitoring of

embedded au-

dio in two 3G/

HD or SD-SDI

streams at an at-

tractive price point.

The 1-RU system de-embeds and provides

metering and monitoring of any or all of the

16 audio channels in the selected 3G/HD or

SD-SDI stream. It off ers intuitive operation

and clear display of levels and other critical

information using bright 2.4-inch LED-

backlit LCD displays, enabling one-touch

monitoring and summing of any selected

pair(s) to built-in audio outputs.

Autocue / Production SuiteAutocue will launch the “Autocue Production

Suite” a standalone live production system

that combines several components into a

single cost-eff ective system. Features include

a vision and audio mixer, a playback device,

a still store, a caption generator, a picture-in-

picture processor, a chromakey processor,

a logo/bug/ticker inserter, an output

recorder and a multiviewer.

Thomson Video Networks /ViBE EM4000

The new quad-channel multistandard

MPEG-2/4 version of the ViBE EM4000

MPEG broadcast encoder delivers another

step up in effi ciency for broadcasters seek-

ing to deploy more HD and SD channels

within existing bandwidth limits. Developed

for satellite, terrestrial, cable, and IPTV

applications, the ViBE EM4000 provides

optimized compression performance,

greater fl exibility and density, and, with its

capacity for four channels

within a single 1RU chassis, a

consumption of only 70W of

energy for each channel. Using

the latest generation of Thomson

Video Networks’ Mustang compres-

sion technology, the ViBE EM4000

can deliver effi ciency improvement of

15 percent or more when encoding in

MPEG-4 AVC.

TrilogyCommunications / Gemini

Trilogy will launch devel-

opments to the portable IP capability of

both Gemini and its matrix based intercom

systems. Expanding on its IP solutions,

Trilogy will also showcase a range of other

enhancements to Gemini, its fl agship IP

intercom system. Designed to satisfy the

requirements of the broadcast and profes-

sional media markets, Gemini combines a

scalable, distributed matrix with integrated

IP connectivity. New features and function-

ality to Watchdog will also be

revealed at IBC 2012.

Autocue Production Suite provides desig-

nated video inputs for live sources, designat-

ed audio inputs, internal players, processing

to provide various graphic, eff ect, transi-

tion, mixing and switching operations and

designated outputs to provide synchronised

audio and video for preview and program

feeds. The system also has an internal re-

corder, which allows program output to be

saved directly to the

media store.

Autocue will also

introduce solid state

versions of their

video server range.

IBCSTAND

NUMBER14.A10

IBCSTAND

NUMBER10.A10

IBCSTAND

NUMBER11.F34

IBCSTAND

NUMBER10.A29

RAI Amsterdam

Conference 6-11 September : Exhibition 7-11 September

IBC Fifth Floor International Press Centre 76 Shoe Lane London EC4A 3JB UK

T +44 (0) 20 7832 4100 F +44 (0) 20 7832 4130 E [email protected]

Di it l d i dd 1 8/7/12 12 51 18


PRODUCTS

The Silverlight Framework is a front-end cre-

ation tool built on the APIs of the Vimond Media

Platform. The Vimond Silverlight Framework

allows users to create advanced video players

that enable side-by-side (or overlay) video and

community interaction such as chat windows

with other fans; video highlights of parallel

sporting events or games; on-demand game

playback with editor-managed event timelines;

and multivideo player experience.

Vimond / Silverlight Framework

Utah Scientifi c’s UTAH-100/UDS Universal

Distribution System is a new approach to signal

distribution that combines the fl exibility of

a multirate digital routing switcher with the

economy of simple distribution amplifi ers. This

modular system is based on I/O modules with 16

ports, interconnected by a crosspoint fabric that

allows any input signal to feed any number of

output ports. The system is suitable for use in all

types of video operations.

Utah Scientifi c / UTAH-100/UDS

The product decodes any of the high-quality

video feeds required in today’s demanding

contribution environment, including 4:2:2 H.264

or MPEG-2 video, at either 8- or 10-bit depth.

The MRD 5800 will also decode and output

Sencore / MRD 5800 Receiver/Decoder

AUGUST 2012

New products come on to the market at a great rate. While many shout about their innovation or competitive pricing, it can be diffi cult to spot the true merit of a product without the right information. DB off ers a few top tips that are always worth keeping in mind when purchase orders are on the way.

1. FOCUSKnow what you are looking for and exactly what you need it to do

2. RESEARCH Get suppliers to provide detailed product information based on your specifi c requirements

3. PRICE VERSUS...Is price the most important factor?

4. ...QUALITYOr will quality matter more in the long run?

5. IS IT NEEDED?Is the product something the project really needs? Could it be done without or bought at a later stage?

6. SUSTAINABILITYDoes this product need to be ‘green’?

7. STANDARDSDoes the product need to conform to any specifi c standards?

8. SHIPPINGWill the product make it to production on time, or is there an order backlog?

9. LIABILITYHow long will your company be liable for the product’s performance?

10. SORTEDWill this purchase sort thejob or will it come back tohaunt you?

BU

YE

R’S

GU

IDE

New ProductsDigital Broadcast Middle East reviews the latest gadgets, essential kit and serious product innovations making an impact in the GCC broadcast market. Let us know if there is something you would like to see on these pages.

WANT TO FEATURE YOUR PRODUCT HERE? E-mail ruchi.shroff @itp.com

full HD 1080p60 video as 3G-SDI, giving an

operator confi dence that their system will be

future-proof. The MRD 5800 also off ers up to

eight PIDs of audio decoding to deal with the

challenges of live event coverage.

The Online Home for Digital Content Production in the Middle EastThe Online Home for Digital Content Production in the Middle East

For advertising enquiries, please contact: Wissam Khodur, Sales Manager, Digital Broadcast,Tel: +971 4 444 3272, E-mail: [email protected]


PRODUCTS

The Tempo SSD Pro is a PCIe 2.0 SATA card

to which one or two solid-state drives can

be directly attached. The user simply slides

SSDs onto the Tempo SSDs connectors, which

secures the SSDs to

the Sonnet card with

supplied screws. Users

can purchase 2.5-inch SSDs

based on the performance

and capacities best suited to

Sonnet Technologies / Tempo SSD Pro

NUGEN Audio released a new version of its LM-

Correct loudness analysis and correction. It can

now be activated with optional iLok licensing,

giving users the convenience of using the soft-

ware on more than one computer without hav-

ing to acquire an authorization for each one. It

is a faster-than-real-time plug-in that calculates

and corrects for Integrated Program Loudness,

short-term maximum loudness amd True-Peak

Maximum loudness.

NUGEN Audio / LM-Correct

With a focus on incorporating more of the

channel into the box, Snell’s ICE now includes

integrated 3D and 2D graphics and CG function-

ality with timeline editing

control and the ability

to populate fi elds from

Morpheus automation

schedule events, as well as

external data sources. The

addition of a delay server

Snell / ICE Channel-in-a-Box v3.0

OCTOPUS Newsroom’s version 6.2 includes

alternative scripts that enable journalists to pre-

pare many scripts for one story. Web publishing

provides a simple direct means of delivering sto-

ries to news websites. ‘Reports’ is a management

information system that enables the set-up and

gathering of details about selected aspects of

OCTOPUS6 operation, and delivering them to a

manager. ‘Alternative Scripts’ enables journalists

to prepare many scripts for one story.

OCTOPUS / Version 6.2

AUGUST 2012

Mobile devices are

becoming a ubiquitous

tool in many industries.

DB takes a look at some

of the latest mobile

applications that may help

to make your working life a

little bit easier.

1. CAMERA PLUS PRO

It has a choice of shooting

modes, with a built-in photo

and video sharing network.

2. REPORT IT LIVE

The app allows journalists to

broadcast HD quality audio

live to air from an iPhone.

3. VC AUDIO PRO

It is the most powerful

sound editing program

available for the iPhone, iPad

and iPod touch.

4. REELDIRECTOR

It is the fi rst and the most

feature rich, powerful video

editor for smart devices.

5. BAMBUSER

Allows users to stream live

video over 3G or WiFi to

anywhere in the world.

MO

BILE

TE

CH

provides the ability to record the output of a

channel for delayed playout services. ICE also

off ers variable-speed playout processing.

their current needs. The plug-and-play device

features dual 6 Gb/s SATA controllers, and sup-

ports read speeds up to 930 MB/s.


PRODUCTS

XOR Media enhanced Jacksonville’s

WJCT for the PBS Non-Real Time

fi le-based program delivery system.

WJCT plays their content to air from

an XOR Media 5-node BMLex play-

to-air server. XOR Media is further

enhancing fi le-based workfl ows by

adding fi le formats to its Universal Me-

diaLibrary platform and MediaClient

8200 codecs including Quicktime and

AVC Intra support. Each MCL 8200

provides up to 4 inputs and 8 outputs.

Its companion edge server, the

MSV 1200, with its own internal

storage provides the same

codec fl exibility.

XOR Media / MediaClient 8200

Ku Band C Band Ka Band

Coming 2013Satellite Highlights

www.absate l l i te.com

Eutelsat Communications’ Tooway

portfolio of services delivered via

Eutelsat’s KA-SAT High Throughput

Satellite now off ers download speeds

of up to 18 Mbps and upload speeds of

up to 6Mbps, with consumption pro-

fi les of up to 50 Gigabytes per month.

The top of the range consumer pack-

age has been boosted to 18Mbps from

10Mbps, with

high volume

allowanc-

es across

the

range.

Eutelsat / Tooway

The yellobrik OTX 1910 is a fi ber-optic

transmitter for seamlessly sending

analog radio frequency (RF) L-Band

signals over a single-mode fi ber

cable. This unit off ers a switchable

13 or 18V LNB power selector, which

toggles between horizontal and verti-

cal polarization. It also includes an

internal 22KHz on/off low-noise block

tone generator for selecting high or

low frequency ranges. It is a fi ber to

L-Band receiver for accepting and re-

storing RF signals from a single-mode

fi ber and includes two RF outputs.

LYNXTechnik /L-Band fi ber yellowbrik

The Middle East & North Africa’s ONLY monthly magazine for the broadcast and production industry

Official Publication

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:

Wissam KhodurTel: +971 4 444 3272Email: [email protected]

FOR EDITORIAL CONTACT:

Christopher NewbouldTel: +971 4 444 3596Email: [email protected]

TO SUBSCRIBE:

Subscription is FREE for industryprofessionals. Simply visit:www.itp.com/subscriptions today.

Vol. 14 Issue 6 June 2012An ITP Business Publication

PLUSNEWSOPINIONANALYSISHEAD-TO-HEADREVIEWSCOMMUNITYCAREERSEVENTSPRODUCTS

PRODUCTIONPREMIER LEAGUE TALENT AT CITY TV

CASE STUDYFILMMASTER HAS THE WORLD IN ITS SIGHTS

“WE HIRED THE BEST AND

THEY DESERVE TO BE THERE. THIS IS WHAT DISTINGUISHES US FROM OTHERS IN OUR REGION.”

GHASSAN ALASADP22

POETRYIN MOTION

16 YEARS LATER, AND MILLION’S POET IS STILL PULLINGIN THE CROWDS. WE FIND OUT HOW

Vol. 14 Issue 7 July 2012An ITP Business Publication

PLUSNEWS

OPINIONANALYSIS

HEAD-TO-HEADREVIEWS

COMMUNITYCAREERSEVENTS

PRODUCTS

PRODUCTIONYARA MEDIA GIVES OSN A

SENSE OF IDENTITY

“A SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION SECTOR WILL STRUGGLE WHILE

THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT OF

CREATORS IS NOTRECOGNISED.”IAIN KEMPLAY

P22

IN GOODKOMPANY

K KOMPANY IS PRODUCING CONTENT FOR RADIO AND TV FROM ITS DUBAI STUDIO CITY BASE

CASE STUDYAL AAN TV IS HEADING IN

THE RIGHT DIRECTION


DATA

2011 Q1 2011 Q4 2012 Q1

MENA IPTV market share, up to 2012 Q1 IPTV subscribers by region, up to 2012 Q1

10,1

82

,36

6N

orth

Am

eric

a

10,8

88

,08

9A

sia

Pac

ifi c

17,4

57,

00

0S

outh

and

Eas

t Asi

a

22

,54

7,4

00

Wes

tern

Eur

ope

3,9

48

,174

Eas

tern

Eur

ope

312

,710

Mid

dle

Eas

t and

Afr

ica

29

2,6

23

Lati

n A

mer

ica

2.5M

2.0M

1.5M

80M

70M

60M

50M

40M

30M

20M

10M

IPTV subscribers by region, 2011 Q1 - 2012 Q1 Regional IPTV market share, up to 2012 Q1

65,628,362Total global IPTV subcribers by 2012 Q1

15,862,168Total global IPTV subcribers by 2008 Q1

Let’s look at IPTVWith all the interest in IPTVs and smart technology, we look at just how much

of the global and regional market and subscriber share IPTVs account for.

34.4%WesternEurope

26.6%South and East Asia

16.6%Asia Pacifi c

15.5%North America

6%EasternEurope

0.5%MENA

0.4%Latin

America

37.7%UAE

22.4%Egypt

19.1%Qatar

13.3%Cyprus

1.1%Bahrain

3.2%Algeria

3.2%Morocco

Western Europe

South and East Europe

Asia Pacifi c

North America

Eastern Europe MENALatin America Source: Point Topic Ltd

Providing industry news, technical insights and expert business advice,

Sound & Stage Middle East aims to provide readers with the technical and business know how they require to run more successful businesses.

Official Magazine

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT: FOR EDITORIAL CONTACT:TO SUBSCRIBE:Subscription is FREE for industryEmail: [email protected]

Ashley LaneTel: +971 4 444 3643Email: [email protected]

George HojeigeTel: +971 4 444 3203Email: [email protected]

Vol: 6 Issue: 6 June 2012 An ITP Business Publication

THE BRIEFING Du Arena gets a revamp for

Madonna’s concert p4

THE GUIDE The latest products to hit

the market p38

THE HITLIST The best of this month’s

videos and apps p46

WELCOME TO OUR NIGHTMAREDu Forum plays host to hard rockers Avenged Sevenfold

MICROPHONES & HEADPHONESThe latest in audio recording

and monitoring technology

PALME & EVENT SHOW REVIEWAll the big news from last month’s trade shows

The Middle East holds its first Film and Comic Convention in Dubai

GEEKINGOUT ANDABOUT

Madonna plays the du Arena for her fi rst UAE performanceMATERIALS, GIRL

July 2012 An ITP Business Publication

THE BRIEFINGXL Evenets supplies Queen’s

Jubilee concert p10

THE GUIDEThe latest products to hit

the market p38

THE HITLISTThe best of this month’s

videos and apps p46

EVANESCENCETraffi k Events sits down with S&S to chat about Evanescence’s fi rst UAE visit

EUROS AT BARASTIJR Scenic discusses its recreation

of the Barasti Football stadium


TEST CARD

Marketing director for Fox International Channels Middle East

Test Card

ATHREYAN SUNDARARAJAN

We off er everything from sports, movies, kid’s programming, factual entertainment as well as series.

ATHREYAN SUNDARARAJANMarketing director,

Fox International Channels

Middle East.

Give us a little background on FoxInternational Channels in the region.Fox International Channels has been in the

Middle East for close to 4 years now. We have

had our channels in the region for a while and

in 2006 we started a small sales team here. But

in terms of launching and running channels

from here, we started in 2008. Our business is

split into a few parts. We have a pay TV business,

where we have channels like National Geo-

graphic, Nat Geo Wild HD, Nat Geo Adventure

HD, Baby TV, FOX Sports, STAR Movies, STAR

World, Channel [V] and a couple of others.

These are available on the pay TV platforms

across many regions – right from OSN, ADD as

well as Abu Dhabi Media’s platform and recently

with Jazeera as well with the launch of FOX

Sports on the Jazeera Sports platform. We have

one of the most diversifi ed channel portfolio in

the region in terms of pay television as well as

in terms of international operators or even local

platforms. We off er everything from sports,

movies, kid’s programming, factual entertain-

ment as well as series.

What are the other parts of the business?One is the FOX Entertainment channels, which

is FOX Movies, FOX and FX. These channels are

run in partnership with Rotana Media which

is under Prince AlWaleed bin Talal’s Kingdom

Holdings. We launched FOX Movies in 2008

with them. The other part of the business is the

free-to-air business on National Geographic Abu

Dhabi which we launched with Abu Dhabi Me-

dia Group around three years back. The channel

Digital Broadcast Middle East delves below the corporate strategyto understand what really makes the region’s broadcast leaders tick.

has the distinction of being the fi rst free-to-air

National Geographic channel in the world and it

is fully dubbed in Arabic. It is very popular and

is among the top 15 channels in the region. We

also have a small sales team that handles pay

TV sales and someone who handles what we

call dotfox. We have about 65 employees in the

region with offi ces in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Where are you based?We are based out of twofour54 in Abu Dhabi

where we have our production and program-

ming set up. About fi ve channels are broadcast

from there and we were the fi rst TV company

to start operating there. We are moving offi ces

within Dubai as the sales and marketing team

is expanding. The region, in general, is doing

well for us. During the last four years we have

hired and trained a lot of young talent from the

region.

And fi nally, tell us a little bit about yourself.I have been with FOX International for about

6 and a half years now. Before this I used to

work with FOX in India where I was the brand

manager for the History Channel. I came here to

handle the marketing and sales for the channels.

Since then my role has grown in the company

and I get involved in every part of the business,

including channel launches and new business

ventures. I headed the rebranding of FOX last

year and now have been asked to head up the

National Geographic channels in the region –

both free-to-air and pay TV. So that is where I

am at right now.

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Documents

itp business publication

avid motion graphics

uaes new tv ratings

whats new

director george hojeigetel

middle east satellite

itp business karam awaddeputy

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