digital broadcast middle east - august 2010

VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8 AUGUST 2010

An ITP Business Publication

OUT OF AFRICA

Th e players behind the world’s largest 3D broadcast

Licensed by Dubai Media City

Hosam El Sokkari’s vision for Yahoo! Maktoob to be a digital one-stop-shop

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CAUGHT RED HANDEDWill conditional access win the piracy war?

THE BUSINESS OF DIGITAL CONTENT DELIVERY

erimatrix.

Which IPTV, DVB and hybrid content security provider has the broadest partner ecosystem for ultimate flexibility?

01www.digitalproductionme.com

CONTENTS

AUGUST 2010

44IBC SHOWCASEA look at new products and technologies

to be unveilled in Amsterdam this year.

38CENSORSHIP: ABRIDGE TOO FAROverlapping broadcast mediums means

shades of grey where regulation is concerned.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...

NEWSYahoo! and Rotana sign content

deal, du waives fees after

technical issues and OSN to

go 3D.

OUT OF AFRICATh ose involved in the largest

3D broadcast ever attempted -

the 2010 World Cup - talk about

their contribution.

COVER STORY:AN OPEN APPROACHHosam El Sokkari talks about

his vision for Yahoo! Maktoob.

MAKING WAVESRadio industry execs seek to

capitalise on the resurgence of

the medium.

CAUGHT RED HANDEDIs conditional access the way to

win the fi ght against piracy?

6

12

20

26

3220

THE MOSTCOMPREHENSIVEFAMILY OFDIGITAL TVMONITORING,MEASUREMENTAND ANALYSISPRODUCTSIN THE WORLD

www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010

DPME.COM ROUND-UP

02

EDITOR’S CHOICE

MOST POPULAR STORIES

1 Apple and AT&T sued for negligence over iPhone 4

2 Abu Dhabi TV bags English Premier League rights

3 Blackberry services to be suspended: Etisalat

4 OSN confi rms new HDchannel line-up

5 Al Ahly Television goes to with Harris

Saudi Arabia’s telecoms fi rm, STC has launched

the advanced interactive TV service for its AFAQ

DSL Shamil customers. Th e new service, InVision,

allows customers to watch live TV channels,

pause a programme and replay it later, replay

SAUDI TELECOM LAUNCHES INTERACTIVE TV SERVICE

The online home of:

DA

TE: J

uly 2

8

ALSO ON THE DPME SLATE THIS MONTH...

Omneon’s Simon Eldridge, looks at creating an effi cient unifi ed content management system.

ANALYSIS

UNIFIED CONTENT MANAGEMENTFujairah Media CEO Mekki Abdulla discusses the firm’s diverse plans for the future.

INTERVIEWS

FUJAIRAH MEDIA: SET TO PEAK

3D technology now available to the MENA event industry through Dubai-based MediaPro.

TECHNOLOGY

ANOTHER DIMENSIONAt one time people were happy to receive news that was time-lagged - but is that still the case?

COMMENT

A DIFFERENT KIND OF RUSH

IN PICTURES

PANASONIC’S 3D VIDEO CAMERAS

digitalproductionme.com/analysis

digitalproductionme.com/technology

digitalproductionme.com/interviews

digitalproductionme.com/comment

The world’s largest 3D camcorder, consisting of a digital camera and 3D conversion lens.

clips, and record and retrieve programmes to

watch them anytime for a complete week. It also

provides Video on Demand (VOD) and a control

panel which allows viewers to select the packages

that meet their interests.

SPOT POLL

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF 3D?

41% It’s a gimmick for kids’ fi lms

23% I think it rocks! It’s the future of cinema and TV

18% Not all versions of 3D seem to be as good as one another

10% I saw a few 3D fi lms in the cinema and wasn’t impressed

4% I shelled out on a HD TV and now they want me to buy a 3D one!

4% It has a few nicheapplications, like sports and video games D

ATE

: Jul

y 28

At Harris, we’re delivering the future today.For nearly a century, Harris has pioneered the technologies that drive the world’s leading television and radio

broadcast operations.

Today, Harris is the industry’s total communications leader — uniquely merging traditional broadcast and IT systems

with powerful media software to streamline your current workflow and unlock all-new markets such as 3DTV,

Mobile DTV, digital radio and out-of-home advertising.

Where are we headed tomorrow? Wherever you and your audience want to go.

To learn more, please visit us at www.broadcast.harris.com.

Europe+44 118 964 [email protected]

UK, Israel, Africa+44 118 964 [email protected]

Southern Europe+33 1 42 87 09 [email protected]

North, Central, Eastern Europe+49 89 149 049 [email protected]

Middle East+971 4 433 [email protected]

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Registered at Dubai Media CityPO Box 500024, Dubai, UAETel: 00 971 4 210 8000, Fax: 00 971 4 210 8080Web: www.itp.comOffices in Dubai & London

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COMMENT

AUGUST 2010 05

Over the past few months, a number of

major broadcasting brands have an-

nounced either new entries or upgrades

in the Middle East.

Most recently we have seen a signifi cant increase

in activity from Turner Broadcasting. Its Cartoon

Network franchise has opened a production offi ce in

Abu Dhabi at the twofour54 precinct, it has signed a

distribution agreement with local production house

Lammtara for its popular Freej series and also re-

vealed plans for an Arabic Cartoon Network channel.

Turner’s CNN opened a major broadcasting hub

in Abu Dhabi last year. Last month the group’s TNT

entertainment channel was also tipped to make a

regional bow.

When added to the MTV Network International

channels, the Fox stable and several European

ventures, the region now has a great number of

international brands either operating in the region

or off ering content tailored for it.

But what is the overall consequence of this for

local broadcasters and could channels tied to the

major studios and networks in the US start to cling

onto their local rights?

Fox International Channels (FIC) may only oper-

ate its Fox Movies and Series channels at present but

BRAND DESIGNS

TO SUBSCRIBE please visit www.itp.com/subscriptions

JOHN [email protected]

The online home of:

FOR THE LATEST NEWS, ANALYSIS AND REVIEWS FROM THE MIDDLE EAST CONTENT DELIVERY, MEDIA MANAGEMENT AND NEW MEDIA DISTRIBUTION BUSINESS HEAD TO DIGITALPRODUCTIONME.COM

if it actions in India and Asia are anything to go by

we can expect to see more in the near future.

FIC signed an exclusive multi-year rights deal for

the FTA premieres of 20th Century Fox. A further

increase in the number of international branded

channels and subsequent in-house deals with as-

sociated content providers could make it diffi cult for

incumbent FTA channels to access content.

Local content could also suff er as confi dent, well-

known brands fi nd their feet and their audience in

the region.

Perhaps however, their growing presence is simply

a sign of maturity in the market. Overall the likes of

Fox Series and MTV Arabia have risen the standards

of FTA channels serving the Middle East, fi lling the

bandwidth previously used to support the unsus-

tainable weight of endless vanity broadcasters.

Regardless of your own personal opinion, they’re

here to stay.

06 www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010

THE BRIEFING

Abu Dhabi Media Company has announced

that football fans from across the GCC can now

subscribe to its coverage of the English Premier

League, adding that a website dedicated to would-

be customers had gone live.

John Dykes, formerly a presenter with

ESPN Star Sports, and Mark Pou-

gatch, who has presented Match

of the Day in the UK, were named

as two of the faces of ADMC’s live

English-language off ering – available

24/7 on AD Sports 5 and 6.

Football fans can now subscribe

to watch all 380 matches live –

available with both English and

Arabic commentary.

In addition, AD Sports’

f lagship English channel,

AD Sports 5, will offer

24/7 coverage of Pre-

mier League TV, the

official channel of the

Premier League.

Th e Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) has

said it is still considering whether to pursue the

Middle East radio broadcasting rights for the

English Premier League (EPL), according to the

head of the organisation’s radio network.

Th e company has secured the exclusive TV

and online broadcasting rights for the next three

seasons of the competition. However, it is still

undecided as to the commercial value of EPL ra-

dio broadcasts.

“We are still doing the business plan and con-

ducting the feasibility study of having the EPL on

the radio,” Abdulrahman Awadh, director of Abu

Dhabi Radio Network told Digital Broadcast.

ADMC PLUGSEPL TV COVERAGEDistribution and marketing in full swing as company enters pay TV business

ADMC MULLING RADIO COVERAGE FOR EPL

EPL UPDATEGOOD MONTHMOTOROLAWhile Apple dealt with the fallout of ‘antenna-gate’, device-competitor Motorola announced that its Q2 profi ts jumped 600 percent. Its growing smart-phone business shipped 2.7 million units during that period and is forcasting a total of 14 million unit sales for the year.

BAD MONTHBLACKBERRYThe Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced that BlackBerry services in the country will be suspended from October 11, after the failure of repeated attempts to move the services in line with local regulations.

“With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, BlackBerry Messenger, BlackBerry Email and BlackBerry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied,” says TRA director general Mohamed Al Ghanim.

A second English channel, AD Sports 6, will

bring viewers a mix of Barclays Premier League

action and coverage of other sports including

Formula 1, UFL and tennis, all in HD.

Mohammed Najeeb, director of AD Sports

Channels, said: “Th e line-up of Barclays

Premier League programming and the

talent that we are bringing to the AD

Sports Channels are unlike anything

seen before in this region. We are

raising the standard for both Ara-

bic and English audiences, and

off ering more than just games

and analysis.”

He added: “We are proud

to be able to name such

a prestigious line-up of

talent for our shows.

If the football was not

enough to keep people

watching, then the

talent alone certainly

will be.”

“ADMC is looking at it commercially, given

the choice of having the EPL on radio but with

no sponsorship or without the right revenues, it

wouldn’t do it. Abu Dhabi radio covers a num-

ber of sports including the UAE football league.

According to Ipsos, during the last six months

when the UAE league was broadcast, there was a

big jump – around a factor of three – in the reach

of Abu Dhabi radio. Th at shows that sport has a

place here in the market,” revealed Awadh.

Th e EPL radio rights are currently unattached

in the Middle East and North Africa however,

international radio coverage is geo-blocked and

unavailable in the region.

Mohammed Najeeb,director, AD Sports Channels


THE BRIEFING

AUGUST 2010 07

OSN will close its Bahrain offi ce within the

next six months, according to a report by a

local paper.

“All service facilities will go on as usual and

none of our highly-regarded customers will

face any problems,” an anonymous offi cial

was quoted as saying by the Gulf Daily News.

When contacted by Digital Broadcast,

OSN revealed that widespread job losses are

not expected.

“Th e majority of the staff in the Bahrain

headquarters will be off ered positions not

only in Dubai but also throughout the

OSN network of offi ces throughout the

region,” says a spokesperson. “OSN will

WOHLER TECHNOLOGIES OPENS EMEA SERVICE CENTRE IN FRANCE Wohler Technologies says the new service centre, serving customers in the EMEA terri-tory, will act as the fi rst line of second- and third tier support.

“This new service centre gives our custom-ers an added degree of confi dence,” said Carl J. Dempsey, president and CEO, Wohler.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

BROADCAST BUSINESS

FEW STAFF TO GO AS OSN CLOSES BAHRAIN OFFICENew positions offered to staff within operator’s parent companies in the Middle East

Dubai is a perfect radio market. It’s a perfect storm for radio and the medium is currently getting a far lower share of the advertising budget than it should. STEVE SMITH COO, ARN

BAHRAIN GOVERNMENT DISSOLVES MOCIThe Bahrain government announced plans to establish a new media authority in the place of the Ministry of Culture and Information (MOCI).

The existing MOCI will be renamed the Ministry of Culture. Broadcasting and other media will be served by the newly established Information Affairs Authority (IAA).

ARABSAT CUTS ETHIOPIANCHANNEL AFTER DISRUPTIONSSatellite operator Arabsat suspended the Ethiopian Television (ETV) channel after it was alleged of repeatedly interfering with Arabsat signals broadcasting Ethiopian Satellite TV.

A third jamming attempt at the end of July prompted the operator to take action and shut down transmission of ETV.

Khalid balkheyour, CEO and president, Arabsat.

also work with KIPCO and MAWARID

[owners of the company] to provide more

job opportunities across their respective

business networks.”

Th e two companies declared that both

the Dubai and Bahrain facilities would re-

main open following the merger.

Speaking at the time of the merger OSN

CEO Marc-Antoine d’Halluin said: “It has

been a delicate exercise to negotiate this

merger. It will take us at least a year-and-a-

half to properly integrate our platforms. Th e

goal is to integrate from a content and tech-

nology perspective. Staff lay-off s have not

been discussed as yet.”

Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, CEO, OSN.

08 www.digitalproductionme.com

THE BRIEFING

Rotana and Yahoo! Middle East have announced

an online content partnership that will see a range

of Rotana content including movies, live

events, TV channels and radio off ered on

the Yahoo! platform.

Th e announcement is the fi rst major

local content deal announced by Yahoo!

Middle East since its merger with Mak-

toob to form the Yahoo! Maktoob venture.

“Th is is an exciting and important

development for Yahoo! Middle East

as we continue to strengthen

and support Arabic content

on the internet, and intro-

duce more innovative and BRO

AD

CAST BRIEFS

YAHOO! AND ROTANA SIGN CONTENT DEALPartnership will extend Rotana online reach by around 35 million

THE BRIEFING

DU WAIVES VIDEO CONTENT FEE AFTER TV BLACKOUTUAE telco du announced it would waive the US$20 charge for unlimited video on demand (UVoD) by way of compensa-tion for the blackout of services experienced last month.

Technical diffi culties at du resulted in the loss of a signifi -cant section of the company’s television channels on July 12, which the company acknowl-edged with an SMS apology sent to all subscribers.

Du then sent SMS mes-sages to customers offering the new UVoD service for free until the end of September, an extension of the original introductory free offer.

The SMS, said: “We trust that your du TV service is now fully restored. In view of the inconve-nience caused, we are waiving the monthly charge of $20 for UVoD and extending the service to all du TV customers from now until September 30.”

The UVoD service, which ex-pands on the company’s existing VoD initiative, gives customers unlimited access to movies, TV series, dramas, documentaries, music, lifestyle, kids shows and religious programming.

The proportion of TV shows (excluding news and live sports) that were made available online in the US during the 2009/2010 broadcast season. SOURCE: www.clicker.com90%

QUANTEL APPOINTS MIDDLE EAST SALES DIRECTORThomas Birner, Quantel director of sales for Cen-tral Europe, has been

appointed to cover the Middle East. In his new role, Birner is responsible for building Quantel’s market presence throughout the Middle East alongside his existing responsibility for Central Europe.

“The Middle East is a thriving, dynamic and highly innovative market with many exacting broadcast requirements – speed to air, effi ciency, multi-channel content distribution and the move to HD broadcasting,” explained Birner.

FRONT PORCH ADDS TO EMEA WORKFORCEFront Porch Digital expanded its staff with the addition of two re-gional sales managers

for EMEA. Noelle Prat-Vong (pictured) and Nicole Jacquemin are assigned to expand the installa-tion base for the company’s SAMMA products for migration of video content into digital format.

“The addition of these positions to our sales team is absolutely necessary so that we sustain our strategic successes within the EMEA video migration market,” said Rino Petricola, Front Porch Digital’s senior vice president and managing director.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

AUGUST 2010

locally relevant content and products for our

consumers in a highly engaging platform,” said

Ahmed Nassef, VP and managing direc-

tor, Yahoo! Middle East.

Yahoo! Maktoob claims to have a

monthly reach of 30-35 million, making

it one of the largest Arabic language on-

line platforms worldwide.

“As the region’s largest entertainment

company for Arabic content, we are always

looking to sustain a healthy

growth in our audience

numbers,” stated Yousef

Mugharbil, president of

digital media, Rotana.

BROADCAST BUSINESS

Yousef Mugharbil, presidentof digital media, Rotana

Du’s Samacom Teleport facility.

march new ad indd 1 16 02 2010 14:42:42


BROA

DCA

ST BRIEFS

OSN TO LAUNCH 3D THIS SUMMERPay TV operator OSN will begin offering 3D content this summer, the company has announced.

Video on demand (VOD) content will be pushed to the company’s new set top boxes, which are currently being rolled out to customers.

“OSN will bring 3D to the market this summer,” said Marc-Antoine d’Halluin, CEO, OSN. “3D movies will be sent to the new Showbox – branded Showbox HD – for users with 3D-enabled TV sets.”

Speaking at a confer-ence hosted by The National newspaper, d’Halluin said that activities like this are intrinsical-ly linked to the future success of the company.

“The current generation are used to getting content online for free from many different sources. The challenge facing the pay TV industry is fi nding a way to get them to spend money on televi-sion,” he claimed.

“The answer is a combina-tion of having the right technol-ogy and the right content. Technology wise, it is important to offer the best – HD is a given, 3D is also important. If operators can bring value to the customer, then they will be hap-pier to consider paying for it.”

Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) is restor-

ing and digitising a unique video archive, in-

cluding the Sheikh Zayed Archive and more

than 30,000 pieces of fi lm and video of unseen

footage that records the foundation and devel-

opment of Abu Dhabi.

The company has appointed broadcast ser-

vices company DMA Media to preserve the

archive, much of it recorded before the forma-

tion of the UAE, for future generations, it con-

firmed in a statement.

Some of the footage has degraded to a danger-

ous level and could be lost forever without ur-

gent intervention now, said DMA Media’s CEO

Rob Beynon.

Turner Broadcasting, the US network behind

CNN, has said it plans to launch an Arabic-lan-

guage version of its entertainment channel TNT

for broadcast across the Middle East.

Th e news came just one week after the Time

Warner-owned unit said it is to transmit a free-

to-air Arabic edition of its popular Cartoon

Network, in a bid to bolster its presence in the

Middle East.

“In terms of launching another channel, I think

it’s likely,” Chris Groves, senior vice president of

business aff airs and managing director for the

Middle East, Turner Broadcasting, told Digital

Broadcast’s sister publication Arabian Business.

ADMC TO RESTORE, DIGITISE VIDEO ARCHIVE

TURNER COULD LAUNCH TNT ARABIC: EXEC

SATCOMMS MARKET

YAHSAT SIGNS PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY VETERANSCapRock Communications will provide Abu Dhabi-based satellite fi rm Yahsat with customised voice, video and data services, the companies have announced.

The deal has been signed with Yahsat’s subsidiary Star Satellite Communications and will see CapRock provide the design, equipment and installation of a private custom satellite service throughout the Middle East, built on its Com-mandAccess network.

“By leveraging the CommandAccess network, Yahsat’s customers will benefi t from fi eld proven capabilities that are specifi cally designed to meet extreme environmental conditions,” said David Myers, EVP and general manager, Cap-Rock Government Solutions.

THE BRIEFING

NILESAT 201 PREPARES FOR LAUNCHThe fi rst of Egyptian satellite operator Nilesat’s new genera-tion of satellites will be

launched on August 4, according to Arianespace.The launch services provider confi rmed that the

satellite would be one of two payloads on board the Ariane 5 rocket for its next mission.

The hardware arrived in French Guiana on a chartered cargo plane and has been moved by road to the launch site.

Nilesat will operate direct-to-home TV and high-speed data services from the craft at its orbital position of seven degrees West. It has an anticipated operational lifetime of 15 years.

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012 AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com

VOX POP

OUT OF AFRICABroadcast technology fi rms deployed on the ground at this summer’s World Cup in South Africa discuss their role in the event, the largest 3D TV broadcast operation ever attempted.

AUGUST 2010 013www.digitalproductionme.com

VOX POP

Th e transition to 3D is underway, and

we intend to be leaders in every aspect.

Our sponsorship of the FIFA World

Cup allowed us to leverage our 3D technol-

ogy and premier products with dazzling

content to produce a unique and totally

compelling viewing experience. 3D viewers

around the world felt as though they were

inside the stadiums in South Africa, watch-

ing the games in person.

All the feedback we’ve had has been very

positive. As with all new technologies the

key to its success is the availability of con-

tent. As more and more 3D content comes

available I’m sure 3D TV will take off .

LEADING THE TRANSITIONMARK GRINYER head of professional services, Sony UK

SENSIO 3D technology, which

involved coding live images - enabled

soccer fans all over the world to view

25 FIFA World Cup matches live, in 3D and

on the big screen. Over the 30 days of the

championship, more than 4,500 screenings of

the tournament’s most popular games took

place in 33 countries. Th is milestone event,

coordinated in just two months, was made

possible by the continued growth of the SEN-

SIO 3D Live Global Network, which already

comprises more than 700 theatres. During the

World Cup, SENSIO facilitated FIFA’s access

to the 3D Live network, working with part-

ners across the globe to manage end-to-end

business and technical aspects required for

successful delivery.

Th e World Cup audience was the

largest 3D TV audience so far

because it was also the fi rst such

broadcast. Th e largest audience

to watch live and in 3D, how-

ever, was the much larger group

of viewers who gathered to watch

in cinemas. With an average of

200 seats per screen for 25 games across 475

screens, digital cinemas boasted, by far, the

largest audience. At kickoff , the availability

of 3D TV technology still remained quite

limited. SENSIO’s 3D Live Global Network,

however, gave fans a fast, easy, fun, and

inexpensive way to experience the World

Cup in immersive 3D. Until the 3D TV market

matures further, over another 12 or 18 months,

the cinema will remain the best place to watch

popular live 3D events.

Huge sporting events with enormous

potential audiences are a signifi cant driver

for investment and innovation. With the

assurance of high ratings and corresponding

ad revenues to support these development

eff orts, media companies can test new

technology – and even use it as a

marketing tool – during such

popular events.

I have no idea if it was a success

on the TV side of the business,

but I know it was a hit on the

cinema side. Audience feedback in-

dicated that live 3D screenings in cin-

GLOBAL NETWORKRICHARD LABERGE executive VP, CMO, SENSIO Technologies

emas provided good image quality and a strong

sense of being at the match. Th e interactivity

and communal experience of watching matches

added to fans’ excitement and involvement in

the game. In any case, the World Cup created

momentum behind 3D overall, encouraging

content producers to learn more about how 3D

is captured and delivered.

As more live events are covered, complement-

ing rising 3D studio production, the increased

supply of 3D content will spur growth of the

3D TV market, as will greater, more aff ordable

availability of 3D TV sets for the home.

Around 25 of the 2010 FIFA World Cup

South Africa matches were produced

using Sony’s 3D professional cameras,

which provided coverage of the action

unprecedented in depth, vividness

and excitement to people around

the world.

From 2010, Sony will be incorpo-

rating 3D compatibility into a wide

range of consumer products such as

BRAVIA LCD TVs, Blu-ray Disc record-

ers and players, VAIO laptops and Play-

Station3, to provide a multitude of ways

in which 3D content – from 3D movies to

stereoscopic 3D games – can be enjoyed

in the home.

Without doubt it was the largest live 3D

TV audience. Eleven TV networks took

the signal globally as well as more than

500 cinemas.

45003D screenings of the

World Cup’s most popular games took place in

33 countries.

014 AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com

VOX POP

Globecast provided a comprehensive array of

services to rightsholders and non-rightshold-

ers for worldwide distribution.

For rightsholding broadcasters, Globecast

provided dedicated HD and SD uplink and

downlink paths as well as fi bre links and as-

sociated compression from the international

broadcast centre (IBC) in Johannesburg to

their studios around the world. Th e company

had as many as 19 systems (uplinks, down-

links and fi bre systems) operating at the IBC.

A studio and stand-up position with fi bre

links into the IBC was built and managed by

us for one major European broadcaster.

Outside the IBC, we off ered HD and SD

SNG trucks and fl yaways, international

and domestic fi bre links, studios, camera

crews and playout for both domestic and

international delivery via satellite and fi -

bre. For contribution of feeds we deployed

a fl eet of 12 SD and HD SNG uplinks to

stadiums, team hotels and training camps

in every corner of South Africa.

Globecast also sold more than 300Mhz of

satellite capacity (equivalent to more than

eight transponders) on the IS709, W7, W3A

and Measat satellites and more than 1300MB

of fully redundant, networked SDH fi bre con-

nectivity (equivalent to more than 6STM1s)

over the six-week period.

In partnership with APTN we secured 10

live stand-up positions – including views of

the stadiums in Johannesburg, Cape Town,

and Pretoria – for use by worldwide non-

rightsholders throughout the tourna-

ment. A relatively new service was

3D delivery. Globecast distrib-

uted the 3D signals around the

world as well as distributing

3D pictures to cinemas within

South Africa.

SERVING BROADCASTERSALAN HIRD CEO, Globecast South AfricaCEO, YahLive

Globecast had the responsibility for

delivering the 3D world feed, both inter-

nationally and locally, and although there is

still some work to be done on the standards

of 3D to ensure the best possible quality is

delivered to the consumer, we were able to

experience fi rst hand the excitement and

interest generated by the 3D pictures.

If you count both rightsholders and non-

rights holders, Globecast served more than

40 broadcasters. It is diffi cult to estimate the

audience but World Cup pictures delivered by

Globecast probably number over a billion.

While a major event is not really the time to

be too innovative one could say that Germany

2006 was when HD came of age and South

Africa 2010 saw the emergence of 3D. Of

course, any innovations that were introduced

at the World Cup were extensively tested prior

to the tournament.

By and large the coverage of the

tournament was a success, par-

ticularly when you consider that

the World Cup came shortly

after a major recession with

economies and the industry

still feeling the pain.

Globecast served over 40 rightsholders and non-rightsholders during the world cup and estimate that an audience of over a billion saw their pictures.

300MHz of satellite capacity,

sold by Globecast throughout the

World Cup.

AUGUST 2010 015www.digitalproductionme.com

VOX POP

Nevion’s role was to provide HD connectivity

to the SuperSport studios in Johannesburg,

South Africa. As South Africa’s satellite uplink

service provider, Telemedia needed a solu-

tion that could address SuperSport’s need to

transport content between its Teleport and

SuperSport’s editing studios.

All the Flashlink modules are designed

with low power consumption in mind, and

also designed to work without fans so they

were well suited to the high South African

temperatures and the likelihood of electrical

interference, as they can withstand heat up to

55 degrees Celsius.

Flashlink enabled Telemedia to downlink

the HD feeds from satellite at their earth

station and then send the HD feeds, via

Flashlink equipment, over a fi bre network to

SuperSport studios.

As a direct result of this project’s success,

Telemedia has now made this a permanent

installation and will partner with Nevion to

expand their networks to support most South

African broadcasters with uncompressed

video transport for distribution and primary

contribution links.

With high defi nition becoming the de facto

standard for any high quality video, the

demand for bandwidth to carry

such video is rapidly increasing.

Sports coverage requires high

quality video feeds with no

visible distortion. Maintain-

ing HD connectivity between

studios and broadcasters is

critical throughout key events like

HD THE DE FACTO STANDARDEBBY JOHN sales director, Nevion

the Olympics and the World Cup,

and this generally leads to an increase

in R&D investment as broadcasters make

sure their products fi t the project.

Broadcasters want solutions that

will not only provide the video quality

consumers want, but also deliver value

by maximising content throughput while

ensuring signal integrity, so providers are

always going to be looking to improve on

their off ering.

Th e TV coverage was very successful as

evidenced by the massive global audience.

For us, 3D is not an issue. Nevion is at the

forefront of video transport and our products

transport the content, whether it is 3D or not.

Th e advent of 3D will surely change the

landscape even more as the tech-

nology dramatically increases

network requirements and

bandwidth cost. Broadcasters

will need to really embrace and

be ready for the new challenges

of 3D and other technologies as

they start to play larger roles.

Riedel delivered the digital

radio network infrastructure

including the central switch, 14 base

stations and more than 3,000 mobile

radios (TETRA and conventional). In

addition it provided 80 Riedel RiFaces,

700 Artist Intercom control panels, 2000

Riedel Artist digital matrix intercom

ports, 300 Performer digital partyline

beltpacks, 100 RockNet 300 modules, 20

MediorNet Frames, 40 venue based HD

over Fiber links, 10 helicopter wireless

video links with Riedel Conductor RF

telemetry system for the helicopters

Furthermore it made use of some

new MediorNet software features at

the World Cup. MediorNet was used to

transport 20 HD-SDI signals including

the world feed between the technical

operation centres (TOC) in the stadi-

ums and HD OB trucks outside.

Stability and redundancy is always

an important factor when planning

our installation. The World Cup or

the Olympic Games are no exception.

Large-scale events always demand

for special solutions. Of course this also

includes new innovations and tech-

nologies. Nevertheless the focus of the

company’s work lies always on reliability

and system stability.

As far as I can judge from a German

broadcast perspective, the event was a

great success. The coverage was really

LARGE-SCALE RADIOMARC SCHNEIDER director rental projects, Riedel Communications

great; we had three major broadcast

networks – including the two main

public broadcasters – fully involved in

this event.

55The degree of heat, in

Celsius, Nevion’s Flashlink modules

can withstand.


ON A ROLLExclusive data developed for Digital Broadcast shows the growing popularity of pan-Arab TV as the advertising platform of choice in the Middle East, writes PARC analyst M Shaharyar Umar.

sion as an eff ective way of communicating the

message of an advertiser hold true in the MENA

market, the ad spend per capita, or say ad spend

on TV per viewer, in the region is much lower

than in the west.

Most expect the presence of a people meter in

the region to change the media landscape.

Th e leading advertisers in the region, in the

absence of a people meter, do seek externally

audited data using Computer Aided Telephonic

Interviewing, CATI of which – unfortunately for

the industry – there are not many suppliers for

important markets in the region. For most mar-

kets, the data is not externally audited, with the

exception of in Saudi Arabia.

A transparent measuring system will boost

spending on television in all likelihood, but the

ad spend per capita in the region on other media,

namely daily newspaper, weekly and monthly

magazines, is also lower compared to other devel-

oped nations demonstrating that the absence of a

people meter is not the only obstacle to higher ad

revenues for broadcasters.

According to recent TGI survey conducted by

PARC, in Saudi Arabia 32.7 per cent of the total

adult population strongly agree that there are too

many adverts on TV.

After a slow start, internet usage has grown sig-

nifi cantly since 2000. According to a TGI survey,

the key markets in the region witnessed a double-

digit growth of internet penetration in 2009.

Coupled with the increased use of the web and

the desire for greater interaction, low cost social

media is now a focus for marketers. Interestingly,

according to TGI Net survey conducted in KSA,

UAE and Kuwait 32.3 per cent of the total adult in-

ternet users in the region responded that that they

watch or listen to TV while surfi ng online. Hence

internet complements - and not competes - as

with television viewing in the region at present.

M Shaharyar Umar is an analyst at the Pan Arab Research

Center (PARC). The views expressed in the article are those

of the author, and not necessarily those of PARC.

T he mushrooming growth of free-to-air

(FTA) channels in the region coupled

with the extended list of thematic TV

stations is enriching the viewing experi-

ence for end consumers and helps television fi nd

favour as a platform with advertisers over other

media vehicles.

Whilst ad spend in the region for all major me-

dia doubled from 2005 till 2009 from US$5.5 bil-

lion to $11 billion, the proportion of that money

dedicated to television surged in the same period

from $2.2 billion to nearly $5.9 billion. Th is

equates to 163 per cent growth. Even during the

challenging year of 2009 it was television that

was instrumental in keeping the total ad spend

in the black. Total ad spend for major media ve-

hicles grew from $10 billion to $11 billion during

2009, whereas television grew from $4.4 billion to

$5.9 billion.

Th e spend on pan-Arab media constitutes

around 78 per cent of the total TV spend in the

region as advertisers focused on reaching multiple

markets rather than targeting specifi c areas

through local channels. Th is fi gure has grown

from 72 per cent in 2005. As a proportion of the

advertising spend across all platforms, pan-Arab

TV made a substantial gain as the recession

struck. Th e percentage grew slowly between 2005

and 2008 from 30.5 to 33.4 per cent before jumping

to 42.6 per cent in 2009.

Television viewership in the region is signifi -

cantly aff ected by major political events, world

sports and scheduled occurrences like school

holidays and Ramadan. Th e average time spent on

TV even changes signifi cantly during these events.

Even when taking these out of consideration, the

public are spending more time on TV than ever

before. Earlier, during 2005, an average adult Arab

consumer in Saudi Arabia used to spend around

250 minutes on TV - in 2009 it was close to 300

minutes. In markets like Egypt where TV penetra-

tion is very high, the trend is the same.

Although the basic factors supporting televi-

Although the basic factors supporting television as an effective way of communicating the message of an advertiser hold true in the MENA market, the ad spend per capita, or say ad spend on TV per viewer, in the region is much lower than in the west.

M SHAHARYAR UMAR

analyst, Pan Arab Research Center

(PARC)

ANALYSIS

www.digitalproductionme.com 017AUGUST 2010

ANALYSIS

TV SP

END

IN U

S$ M

ILLIO

NS

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

PAN ARAB TV MEDIA

ALL MARKET TV MEDIA

12,000

10,000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

12,000

10,000

8000

6000

4000

2000

0

20092008200720062005

20092008200720062005

20092008200720062005

ALL MARKET TV MEDIA AND PAN ARAB TV MEDIA

PERCENTAGE OF PAN-ARAB TV SPENDVS TOTAL SPEND ON ALL MAJOR MEDIA

PAN ARAB SPEND VERSUS ALL TV SPEND

TV SP

END

IN U

S$ M

ILLIO

NS

TV SP

END

IN U

S$ M

ILLIO

NS

PERCENTAGE SPENT ON PAN ARAB TV MEDIA

TOTAL TV MEDIA SPEND

PAN ARAB TVMEDIA SPEND

TOTAL TV MEDIA SPEND

30.5% 31.3%32.6%

33.4%42.6%

$2.2 billionPan Arab TV advertisingspend in 2005

$5.9 billionPan Arab TV advertisingspend in 2009

163%Growth in Pan Arab TV spend from 2005 to 2009

250Minutes the averageSaudi Arab adult watchedTV in 2005

300Minutes the averageSaudi Arab adult watchedTV in 2009

32.7%Percantage of Saudi adultsthat agree that there aretoo many adverts on TV

$10 billionTotal advertising spend forall media vehicles in 2005

$11 billionTotal advertising spend forall media vehicles in 2009

32.2%Percantage of Saudi, UAE and Kuwaiti adults that watch or listen to TV while surfi ng online


OPINION

After distancing Rotana from the project, it was

speculated that the channel could perhaps be oper-

ated in conjunction with one of News Corporations

many newscasting branches, given that the Prince is

the largest shareholder in the company outside of the

Murdoch clan.

When it was revealed last month that Sky News

was planning an Arabic channel, it appeared at fi rst

glance that the two projects were one and the same,

given that News Corp owns 39 per cent of the UK-

based channel.

Th e Sky News scheme, however , is a 50/50 joint ven-

ture with an unnamed Abu Dhabi-based businessman.

“Th e Middle East is undergoing rapid economic

and social development and is becoming an increas-

ingly attractive region for media investment,” said

John Ryley, head of Sky News.

“Discussions are progressing well and we look

forward to bringing a new approach to Arabic-

language news.”

Th e region now faces the prospect of four competi-

tive, well-fi nanced, locally based, Arabic-language

news stations.

Th e consequences of this may be most keenly felt

by the two existing market leaders. However, with

Al Jazeera seemingly focused on the international

distribution of its English-language service, it may be

undeterred by the new entrants.

Sky News has received plaudits in the UK for

its accessible style and reputation for breaking

news. Existing channels could be forced to raise

their game.

The addition of a great number of state-fund-

ed Arabic news channels from France, Rus-

sia, Iran and the US have made little impact

on the established leaders in the fi eld.

Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya remain dominant in

terms of audience, infl uence and resources.

Th e raft of stations that emerged in the past three

to fi ve years have been launched with clear agendas,

to promote their country’s own slant on the news.

Viewers are well aware of this and generally choose

one of “the big two”.

Now though, this selection could become the

“big four”.

Th e announcement in April that Prince Alwa-

leed is to launch his own news channel caused a

few ripples in the industry given the vast personal

fortune that could potentially be made available to

the venture.

“It is something I will be doing personally [be-

cause it] needs a lot of investment up front,” said the

Prince, speaking at the time of the announcement.

Th e chairman of the Rotana group also said that the

channel would not be part of the network’s stable

but would be independent from the media group.

He also stated that it would have the development

of Saudi Arabia at its core casting some doubt on the

impartiality that the station will possess.

“We no longer have a void in the Arab world as it is

now heavily occupied. Th erefore the new news chan-

nel is going to become an addition and an alternative

for viewers. Our personal aim is to achieve this,” said

the Prince in a further statement last month.

The impending launch of two additional 24-hour news channels is unlike the spate of government backed stations seen in recent years.

NO NEWS IS GOOD NEWS

The Middle East is undergoing rapid economic and social development and is becoming an increasingly attractive region for media investment.

JOHN RYLEY

head of Sky News

Breaking the barriers to cost-effective content security

Latens Software Conditional AccessSatellite - Cable - Terrestrial - IPTV - Hybrid - OTT

Latens @ Hall 4 Stand B60

UK – USA – India

www.latens.com email: [email protected]


COVER STORY

T he initial reaction to the news that Hosam El

Sokkari was to leave his post as chief of BBC

Arabic to join the Yahoo! Maktoob in April

of this year was largely one of surprise.

Afterall, BBC Arabic has been broadcasting in the

Middle East since 1938. Its reputation in the media

world is rivalled by few of its competitors. Yahoo!

Maktoob on the other hand has been in existence for

one year and when it comes to Arabic content on the

internet, is entering uncharted territory.

Despite the obvious disparities between El Sok-

kari’s current and former employers, he believes

there are in fact many similarities in the two roles.

“I spent a long time working for the BBC,” says

El Sokkari, head of audience at Yahoo! Maktoob.

“Making the switch from working for a public

service broadcaster to the commercial sector is cer-

tainly a change, but it has given me an opportunity

to look at the bigger picture of how content provid-

ers work within the Middle East and how Yahoo!

Maktoob can add value for its audiences. Th at is

not very diff erent to what I did at the BBC.”

El Sokkari’s tenure at BBC Arabic included several

landmark achievements for the service. As the fi rst

Arab to hold the network’s top position he oversaw

the re-launch of BBC Arabic TV services as well as the

overhaul of its online off ering and the unifi cation and

integration of its content across all media platforms.

As an active proponent of social media platforms

in the production of news, it is perhaps no surprise

that his next career choice has seen him move ex-

clusively into the digital realm. He is also confi dent

that Yahoo! and Maktoob is well positioned to drive

the internet to the next level in the Middle East.

“It’s no coincidence that people used to call Mak-

toob the Yahoo! of the Middle East,” claims El Sok-

kari. “Th e two companies shared a similar vision and

AN OPEN APPROACHFormer BBC Arabic chief Hosam El Sokkari tells Digital Broadcast about his new role at Yahoo! Maktoob and reveals how the Middle East’s fi rst internet giant plans to open up access to online content.

The level of openness is unique compared to the rest of the industry. We are not trying to monopolise these new digital environments. On the contrary we are working together with anyone and everyone to offer a richer [online] experience.

HOSAM EL SOKKARI

head of audience, Yahoo! Maktoob

an interest in a diverse experience for the audiences,

be it through traditional information content like

news and sports or through community platforms

such as As7ab [friends in Arabic]. Yahoo! also brings

with it products like mail and messenger. At the

moment there is an ongoing process of consolidation

for all of these parts of the business and there will be

new experiences added in the future.”

One of the key new features that to be rolled out

immediately is a video platform.

“Th e hope is to have the video platform live in time

for Ramadan. Th ere is already a deal in place with

Rotana. Th is will allow the site to off er access to Ro-

tana content on an on demand basis. Ramadan is a

month of spiritual activities and also creates a strong

interest from our audiences in entertainment.”

El Sokkari also reveals that an agreement is in

place with Lebanese broadcaster LBC and a number

of other content owners are also in talks to make

their content available on the new platform.

“Talks are ongoing with a number of TV channels

and content providers. Th is comes within the con-

text of a bigger experience that is being built for our

viewers, it not just about putting something together

for Ramadan.”

So what are the company’s plans for monetising

this material?

“Th e content will be off ered free. It will be ad-

supported but not everything on the platform will

have advertising around it. Th e main objective is to

enhance the user experience. Not everything that is

done for the audience has to be directly generating

money,” says El Sokkari.

Despite the absence of pressure to derive rev-

enues from all of its content, El Sokkari says there

are already sponsors and advertisers lined up to

work with the company on both its video platform


COVER STORY


COVER STORY

and throughout the Ramadan content as a whole.

Th e common responses from broadcasters when

approached by third-parties to host online content,

are ‘why do we need you’ and ‘why should we split

our online revenues’.

Yahoo! Maktoob claims that its approach is more

altruistic than potential partners may assume.

“Th ere are talks with diff erent parties but it is

nothing exclusive. Th e goal is to develop an open

platform, there is no requirement for exclusivity. I

have come across instances when I have been talk-

ing to partners that have been in doubt as to whether

keeping their digital environments would be best or

whether they should partner with us. I have to

reiterate that its not exclusive. Broadcast-

ers can keep their own platforms and

Yahoo! Maktoob will drive traffi c to

those properties and raise awareness

of their existence on the web through

our extensive reach in the region.

Both parties benefi t and more impor-

tantly, so will the audience.”

Th e number of viewers currently

reached by the services off ered by each is esti-

mated at between 30-35 million per month, making it

one of the most important Arabic internet properties.

“Th e combined reach of Yahoo! and Maktoob

represents around 90 per cent of the Arabic speak-

ing internet population. Th ere are people using the

Maktoob platforms and those using Yahoo! services

such as email. What the company is proposing is

benefi cial to any partner that would like to give

more exposure to its content or would like to

raise the awareness of its audience via new online

platforms. Some of the big players are very well

established in the traditional environments but lots

022

of people don’t know that they even have a digital

off ering for example,” explains El Sokkari.

Th is open approach is something that Yahoo! has

employed internationally and it will not deviate

from this path in its partnership with Maktoob.

“Th e level of openness is unique compared

to the rest of the industry. We are not trying to

monopolise these new digital environments. On the

contrary we are working together with anyone and

everyone to off er a richer [online] experience.

As an example, El Sokkari notes that despite

operating its own social media platforms, the group

does not shut out its rivals.

“Facebook off ers users a very unique experi-

ence and this is why if you go to Yahoo! front

pages you will see that we are integrat-

ing these into our own. People have

the ability to use Google mail and

integrate it as part of their experience

with Yahoo!, for example.”

Th e technical infrastructure

required to operate the video platform

is in place with much of the work being

carried out internally.

“Th e technical expertise in Maktoob is unique,”

claims El Sokkari. “Th e way the company has

grown in the region, acquiring the knowledge

base, the people and the skills, has been extremely

unique. It created everything from scratch. It is

no coincidence that many of the developers and

technical staff that were working for Maktoob are

now working in IT developing other properties for

Yahoo! not just for Arabic. Th ey are very good devel-

opers, designers and savvy engineers.”

Yahoo! Maktoob is now in the process of re-

cruiting staff for its Arabic Audience team with a

El Sokkari says the company is now developing its mobile strategy with multi-platform content co-productions on the cards.

91%Yahoo! Maktoob’s reach throughout 22 countries

in the MENA region.

Making the switch from working for a public

service broadcaster to the commercial sector

is certainly a change, but it has given me an opportunity to look at

the bigger picture of how content providers work within the Middle East

and how Yahoo! Maktoob can add value for its

audiences. That is not very different to what I

did at the BBC.

HOSAM EL SOKKARI



COVER STORY

managing editor and senior editors, producers and

journalists for sports, news, business, entertainment

and front page content being put in place.

“Th ey will not only be based in Dubai. Th ere will be

a presence in other parts of the Middle East, there are

already offi ces in other parts of the region.

“Th e Middle East is a culturally cohesive region

with shared interests in diff erent types of news and

other content. Th ere will be a degree of localisation

applied to certain markets. What we are planning to

do is to off er both experiences through an all-Middle

East, Arabic experience across the region and then a

targeting approach that would allow users to get the

local content that might be of interest to them based

on their location. Th e site will be intelligent enough

to understand what they want, where they are and to

provide them the news that would serve them best.

Th e dual approach does not deny them the richness

of the content available on the whole of the site.”

As well as acting as a content portal providing

news, video, music alongside email and social media,

El Sokkari also expects the company to become more

engaged from a content production angle.

“Th ere are talks already about live events coverage,

whereby a richer, more engaging experience can be

developed. Yahoo! Maktoob would also look to co-

produce and work with other production houses in

the region to create something that would

work on a number of platforms, similar

to some of the products that I have cre-

ated for the BBC in the past. It widens

the reach and it gives people more of

an integrated and cohesive feeling of

media. Th e dichotomy that people see

between traditional and digital media is in my view

non-existent.”

As part of this approach the company is already

working on a strategy to exploit the mobile market

and the penetration levels that the platform enjoys

throughout the Middle East.

“Th ere are already discussions with the telcos and

the company enjoys a longstanding relationship with

a number of them. Yahoo! sometimes powers their

websites with products such as messanger as well as

content,” says El Sokkari.

Broadband penetration is critical to the level of

success that Yahoo! Maktoob can enjoy given that

it limits the number of potential customers for rich

media applications.

“I think the market is changing and there is a lot of

investment in diff erent parts of the region to improve

the infrastructure to allow for a richer broadband

experience. Th ere is already a lot if interest in video

consumption online in diff erent parts of the region,”

says El Sokkari.

Independence from platforms, technology and the

complex issues of rights and licensing lies the main

focus, according to El Sokkari.

“It’s about audience, audience, audience. Th e one-

way communication channel and the monopoly that

the media has had on the tools of information is no

longer there. Th ere is a unique opportunity

to engage with people. Yahoo! Maktoob

is not doing this for the sake of making

platforms or because it like the inter-

net. It is not really about the platform

or the method of distribution, its about

what they consume and how.”

$164mThe amount paid by

Yahoo! for the Arabic portal Maktoob according to the

company’s SEC fi lingsin the US.

El Sokkari says Yahoo! Maktoob will act as a content portal providing news, video, music alongside email and social media and has not ruled out playing a part in live-events.

I think the market is changing and there is a lot of investment in different parts of the region to improve the

infrastructure to allow for a richer broadband

experience.

HOSAM EL SOKKARI


And the winner is...

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IBC’s awards are really special – because they reward the people and projects who make a difference in our industry. Creative, technical and commercial: IBC looks to recognise those who have changed the way we work with media.

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The IBC awards ceremony is a fast moving, sparkling event which can be guaranteed to include some surprises – last year we enjoyed a unique 16 minute preview of the 3D movie Avatar, three months before its release.


RADIO

T he Middle East has a very unique radio

market. Th e region had satellite TV

before it had FM radio stations. Th e BBC

had an Arabic-language station running

as far back as 1938 but it is only recently that the

format has enjoyed a boom – one that has sur-

vived the recession.

Today there are around 350 FM radio sta-

tions in the Arab world, according to the

Arab Advisors Group. Half of these stations

are privately-owned and many of these – as

well as some of the state-owned channels –

are operating on commercial terms. And for

many of these, business is booming.

“Dubai is a perfect radio market. It’s a perfect

storm for radio and the medium is currently get-

ting a far lower share of the advertising budget

than it should,” says Steve Smith, COO, ARN. “At

present it is only getting a three per cent share of

the total advertising spend, that means there is

still a lot of growth to be had in this industry.

“Take Dubai as an example, it’s multicultural,

that means it has many diff erent target markets,

radio stations can be specifi cally created to target

that culture. Th e traffi c here means, on average

people are commuting for two hours a day, that’s

a good chunk of time that radio has a monopoly

on their attention, radio fares well there,” claims

Smith. “Online listening is going through the roof

in this region too. Demand is strong and if the

quality is there, people will keep listening when

they get to work and are increasingly listening at

home via the internet.

“ARN had a very good year in 2009 – radio fared

well in general – and it has some good growth this

year as well,” says Smith. “We’re up on last year

and we’re happy with the progress.

While the recession cut swathes out of mar-

keting budgets, there were still budgets

to be seized in what became a case of

survival of the fittest.

“Luckily for us we could foresee some of

what was coming and we made a lot of changes

before the recession really hit the Middle East.

ARN put its focus where it was going to get the

best return. Any recession will do that, it will

refocus the company,” claims Smith. “So it was

a great time for some people to step up and take

on new responsibilities.

“It enabled ARN to consolidate. It is now in a

strong position. It’s gained share, from both an

audience and an advertising point of view. Th ere

have been some fundamental changes, on our

sales side in particular. Th e sales operation is very

diff erent to what it was two years ago.”

Th e UAE is one of the most active radio mar-

kets in the region and the success is not limited

to the stations under Smith’s helm at ARN.

Th e Abu Dhabi Media Company’s (ADMC)

radio network is also under a period of expan-

sion, benefi tting from what it also views as a

very prosperous market for the medium.

“Radio is very strong in this region. Th ere are

230 million people listening to the radio regularly

and already there are 78 million people listening to

the radio through the internet,” says Abdulrahman

Awadh Al Harthi, director of Abu Dhabi Radio Net-

work. “Th e terrestrial networks for FM and MW are

still relied upon heavily at the moment but in the

next 10 years, radio will be predominantly internet

based. Th ere have been trials in Europe of technolo-

gies such as DRM and in the US there is HD radio

and also subscription based satellite radio. Th ere

are high costs with the initial infrastructure for the

networks and then the receivers for the listeners

can also be too costly.”

MAKING AVESWhile all eyes have been focused on the emergence of HD and rising ad revenues through the recession, radio has enjoyed its own successes through the downturn. Top regional radio executives tell Digital Broadcast what’s next for the medium.

The terrestrial networks for FM and MW are still relied upon heavily at the moment but in the next ten years, radio will be predominantly internet based. There have been trials in Europe of technologies such as DRM and in the US there is HD radio and also subscription based satellite radio.

ABDULRAHMAN AWADH AL HARTHIdirector, Abu Dhabi Radio Network


RADIO


Al Harthi explains that consumer habits are

already spelling out the future for radio.

“No one is buying dedicated radio sets any-

more, they are listening to the radio via their cars,

through their phones, computers and other inter-

net connected devices. Wireless internet access is

the future for radio,” adds Al Harthi.

In preparation for this transition the network is

already leveraging ADMC’s signifi cant digital divi-

sion to develop online homes for its radio brands.

“Star FM is already available on the internet

and we are currently revamping the websites for

our fi ve radio stations so soon each will have a site

capable of off ering streaming too,” he says.

Al Harthi says that the network – like ARN – had

a good year in 2009 revealing that it exceeded its

sales targets by between 10 to 15 per cent.

“It’s still early this year but we have continued to

meet our own targets and the performance is fi ne

even when concerned to last year,” says Al Harthi.

“All the stations are doing well. Qu’ran Kareem

has the highest listenership across the UAE,

Emaraat FM has the highest listenership among

UAE nationals. Before the morning show on Abu

Dhabi Classic FM was even launched there was a

sponsorship deal in place.”

Al Harthi believes the formula for success in ra-

dio broadcasting is fairly straightforward.

“If the content is creative and innovative,

then the ad revenue will be high.”

Both ADRN and ARN are in part

government owned, however, both are

operated commercially and suggestions

otherwise are inaccurate says Smith.

028

There are 230 million people listening to the radio regularly, with approximately 78 million people now listening to the radio through the internet.

“Even though ARN is government owned – or

to be more accurate the government is a major

shareholder – it is a commercial business. I have

only ever worked in a commercial business and this

looks very much like any commercial business I’ve

worked in before,” he says. “ARN is all about gaining

more share of advertising and that won’t change in

the near future as far as I am concerned.

“I think a lot of people – from a listener point

of view – probably don’t even realise ARN is

government owned. Again, it comes back to

the fact that – no matter who you are owned

by – if you’re entertaining and you’re relevant

to the listener then you’ve got a real future,”

says Smith.

“I don’t view see public radio as a threat. Th ere

is room for both and there is a need for public

radio in every market.”

Th e TV advertising market has become severely

fragmented with only a handful of channels cur-

rently profi table, is there a danger that a deluge of

radio channels could emerge.

“Th ere can be as many community stations as you

like, if it’s not entertaining and if it is not of high-quali-

ty, people won’t put up with it. Th e audience is used to

great content, great music. If it is great quality, it can

work. But if it’s just a mish-mash of diff erent formats

and the like then if you haven’t done your

homework you are going to miss the mark.

“If everyone was given a license – and

I don’t think that will happen – it could

really hurt an industry, it gets far too

fragmented but I don’t think that will

happen here in this market.”

TUNING-INThe average cost of ad spot on FM radio station in the Middle East has continued to climb in recent years.

From a starting point of US$101 in 2006, the price rose to $125 in 2009, according to data from the Arab Advisors Group.

Prices for commercial sta-tions were typically found to be higher than those of government operated stations. Pan-Arab stations were able to command signifi cantly higher fees than local ones.

Unsurprisingly, the times of the day when the price peaks match those of rush-hour traffi c.

“There are three peak timings throughout the day 0700-0800, 0800-0900 and 1900-2000 when advertis-ing rates reach their highest levels,” said Issa Goussous, senior research analyst, Arab Advisors Group. “Most listeners in the region do so in their cars on the way to and from work.”

RADIO

346Number of FM radio

stations broadcast in18 Arab countries.


RADIO

And this point brings Smith to the issue of

industry regulation.

“Codes of conduct are required in every market.

In Dubai there is a good morality basis that all the

stations adhere to, those codes of conduct are in

place and adhered to. Th ere is a responsibility on

the media owners to ensure that they are befi t-

ting, or that whatever content they are providing

is of a certain standard. From a radio perspective,

all the competitors are producing some pretty

good content that is not off ending any particular

social group and now that’s a good thing.

“I’ve worked in markets before where that hasn’t

been the case and it leads to some real issues. Th ey

have got it right here, there is a general consensus

about where the line is when it comes to moral-

ity but there needs to be a code of conduct. An

industry body would help of course. ARN has a

responsibility as the largest radio network – in the

absence of an industry body – to set the stan-

dards, and that helps the entire radio industry.

Th e hope is that if ARN is doing things better, the

whole radio industry will shift,” claims Smith.

Th e radio market certainly still has room for

growth in the Middle East in terms of the percentage

of total ad spend that it claims and also in the num-

ber and variety of station broadcasting in the region.

“I think there are a few opportunities in the

market. Th e Hindi and English markets are well

served but there are other opportunities in this

market and there are some great opportunities

going forward… but we’ll keep those pretty close

to our chest. Th e amount we have invested in

research means that we know the market pretty

well, very well now and there are areas in this

market that could very much be entertained from

a new frequency,” says Smith.

“Sport will be a very important component for

Dubai as it grows. Th ere are some major competi-

tions to be hosted here in the future. Th ere are a

number of players in the region looking to host

the Olympics and of course this is a football mad

region. Sport will play a big role and could perform

well across all media formats.”

So does this mean that ARN would consider bid-

ding for the radio rights to major sports competitions?

“Th at would depend on cost,” says Smith. “Of course

we would pay for the rights if and when we see it fi ts

and the audience really want it. Th is is an area where

I think we’ll see a whole lot of opportunities and it is

defi nitely something that is one our agenda.”

Meanwhile, ADMC has already acquired the

exclusive TV broadcasting rights for the English Pre-

mier League, but does have any plans of adding radio

coverage to its multiplatform broadcast plans?

“We are still doing the business plan and feasi-

bility study for having the EPL on the radio and we

need to make our mind up about whether we take

the EPL on air or not,” says Al Harthi, who also

confi rms that the radio rights are not part of the

package that it has already acquired and would

require an additional investment.

“We have been broadcasting the UAE Football

League and according to Ipsos research done dur-

ing the past six months, the reach of Abu Dhabi FM

triples when the matches are on,” reveals Al Harthi.

Whether or not radio networks can monetise bum-

per audiences induced by sports content remains to

be seen. With the EPL TV services available online

from next season, it is hard to say whether an FM-on-

ly audience could deliver suffi cient numbers. Th is will

be made even harder as so many EPL matches take

place outside of the typical Middle East rush-hour

commuting periods, when listenership peaks.

Online listening is going through the roof in this region too. Demand is strong and if the quality is there, people will keep listening when they get to work and are increasingly listening at home via the internet.

STEVE SMITH

COO, ARN

ADRN and ARN – home of the Catboy and Geordiebird breakfast show – are in part government owned, but are operated on a commercial basis, according the Steven Smith, COO, ARN.

www.digitalproductionme.comAUGUST 2010 032

CONDITIONAL ACCESS

033AUGUST 2010 www.digitalproductionme.com

CONDITIONAL ACCESS

T he evolution of the pay TV industry is hav-

ing serious consequences for the compa-

nies providing the conditional access (CA)

products that protect the content they

have invested in from being accessed illegally.

Th e emergence of a growing number of IPTV

and hybrid architecture networks has created a

market for software based CA systems, rather than

the smartcard based hardware systems that have

dominated previously.

As well as the pressure created from the number

of operators opting for software systems, hardware

only manufacturers have also had to content with

codeword sharing – a successful form of piracy that

as until recently running rampant – as well as the

technological challenges created form having to

keep up with the new services that operators want to

provide their viewers.

“From a global perspective, I believe that the

future of smartcard-based pay TV systems is

fairly limited,” says Pierre Hunter, VP sales EMEA,

Verimatrix. “Th e company has seen its customers

replacing them in one of two ways: either with

secure low cost system-on-chip security in set top

boxes (STB) and increasingly with the deployment

of hybrid network topologies. Smartcards will be

favoured by traditional broadcast only operators

in satellite environments. Ultimately, new deploy-

ments of this technology will be phased out.”

Albert Tzulman, SVP, sales and marketing at CA

provider Logiways, is less pessimistic.

“Smartcard-based CA systems are still the best

solution to secure content, especially on a one-way

broadcast system,” he says.

“Software-only CA can be effi cient for a connect-

ed STB, but it is also easier for hackers to upgrade

these boxes. Th ere are now on the market some

hardware solutions – such as USB dongles – to add

security on top of software-based CA. Th e future

solution is probably the new generation of software

CA linked with IC security features.”

At present as long as both one-way and two-way

networks remain in wide use it is likely demand for

both hard- and software systems will continue.

“Both sides have their advantages and disadvan-

tages and the industry needs to give operators the

choice of what best fi ts their particular operation,”

says Christopher Schouten, advanced products

marketing director, Irdeto.

In addition to its hardware solutions for one-way

networks, Irdeto also claims to make the only soft-

ware only system without a return path.

“Th ere have not been any software based solutions

other than the one we launched last year that is suf-

fi cient to address the needs of a one-way broadcast

networks and that because most of the software

systems today have been predicated on the presence

of an IP return path,” says Schouten. “In situations

where that IP return path is available then a software

solution is superior from a logistics perspective but

in the millions and millions of legacy devices that

are out there on one way networks smart cards will

continue to play a crucial role in content protection

now and for the foreseeable future.”

Schouten also makes the point that the presence

of a broadband network determines whether the

option of using a return path based system is pres-

ent, noting that this is an issue outside of the main

urban centres in the Middle East.

Latens has a diff erent background to many of its

contemporaries in the CA industry as it has always

been a software-based developer since its inceptionn

CAUGHTRED HANDEDThe fi ght against piracy has scored some signifi cant wins in the past 12 months.Digital Broadcast speaks to some of the top conditional access vendors to assess just how long the pirates might remain sunk.

The pirates are winning, because piracy is still increasing. Even if hackers need more and more sophisticated infrastructure, they also have more and more customers. CA systems are regularly hacked and updates are immediately available on internet.

ALBERT TZULMAN

SVP, sales and marketing, Logiways


in 2003. Th e company continues to be bullish on its

prospects moving forward.

“At the time of our launch, existing CA providers

said [software based CA] was not safe and would

not be accepted by the operators. Latens has seen

all its competitors follow its example in respect

to software security for IPTV,” says Andrew Pons,

marketing manager, Latens. “Gradually more are

following the example of using software only CA for

one-way broadcasts. Th erefore given that smart-

card piracy is rampant in the Middle East it can

only be a question of time before smartcards are no

longer part of a CA solution.”

As well as a technological advantage, Pons also

says that the business model behind software based

security also creates extra incentives for the system

to withstand attacks from pirates.

“Th ere are three parties in the piracy war,”

explains Pons, “the hackers, the operator and the

CA supplier. If a smartcard system is hacked the

hackers win because they are now able to distribute

the CA keys around the world using the internet. Th e

supplier of the smartcard CA also wins because the

operator requires a new smartcard solution, which is

good business for the supplier.

“Th e operator on the other hand loses, fi rst it has

to make a loss on the subscribers that are now paying

the hacker instead of the operator, and it has to pay

the smartcard supplier to develop a new set of cards

that are supposedly safer. Th is can take up to two

years meaning it is constantly losing revenue,” he says.

Using a software-based system means that a “vir-

tual” card swap-out can be done almost instantly in

the event of a hack. Th e incentive to be hacked, thus

triggering a new card and hardware deployment is

therefore removed.

Regardless of the system proposed, the operators

and the vendors need to be able to beat the existing

forms of piracy in order to make any kind of prog-

ress. But who is winning the battle at present?

“Th e pirates are winning, because piracy is still

increasing,” says Logiways’ Tzulman. “Even if hack-

ers need more and more sophisticated infrastruc-

ture, they also have more and more customers.

CA systems are regularly hacked and updates are

immediately available on internet.

Th ere is no unhackable system. It’s all about

time. As a CA vendor we sell time to our customers,

time before eff ective piracy is developed and they

lose revenue. Hackers are more and more or-

ganised; they are international crime organisations

with worldwide connections. Th e sophisticated

labs, required to hack some CA systems, cost more

than $15 million. It is a very profi table business for

them,” he notes.

“Core security technology is developing rapidly

but any CA vendor that claims their system is

unhackable should probably feel distinctly uncom-

fortable,” says Verimatrix’s Hunter. “Th ere is huge

money behind piracy but companies like Verima-

trix also help to enable the even larger revenue

stream behind legitimate content consumption

and are working diligently to stay at least one step

ahead of the pirates.”

Hunter’s Verimatrix colleague Steve Christian,

the fi rm’s VP of marketing, agrees.

Pierre Hunter of Verimatrix says the future of smartcard controlled TV is limited, but Albert Tzulman from CA provider Logiways says it’s the most secure option.

TRA TAKES ACTION IN THE UAEThe UAE became the fi rst country to protect pay TV channels’ rights on the internet after the Telecom-munications Regulatory Authority (TRA) took action to block keyword sharing.

In collaboration with both the country’s telecoms providers, the TRA suc-cessfully blocked keyword sharing data transferred on its network. It is thought to be the fi rst time that such an operation has succeeded anywhere in the world.

“The UAE gives utmost importance to Intellectual Property to ensure the most advantageous economic environment through sup-porting owners of property rights. This step will protect consumers against this type of fraud and it will limit infringement of Intellectual Property Rights and viola-tion of federal laws,” said H.E. Mohammed Al Ghanim, director general of the TRA.

A warning was also issued that the unlawful use of telecom services can harm consumers and the national economy and it urges con-sumers to take caution while purchasing satellite receivers to ensure their legitimacy.

CONDITIONAL ACCESS


CONDITIONAL ACCESS

036 AUGUST 2010

In recent times, loopholes in the legal defi nition of piracy, where the rules are only applicable to devices that are pirated as such, like fake cards and not devices becoming illegal once download-ed, have come to light. This has meant it has become increasingly diffi cult to track down and prosecute these boxes as downloading most of the time occurs at home, even if it is very clear to the com-munity that these so called “free to air” boxes are widely bought because they are easy to install pirate fi rmware on.

Europe has been widely believed to be ahead of the rest of the world, hav-ing developed the first valid approach to tackle the issue of piracy 10 years ago, thanks to legislation protecting all access control systems, thus stand-ing separately to copyright legisla-tion – the only legal recourse in many countries for prosecution.

This was brought into effect in the European Directive issued in 1998 which covers both broadcasting (TV and radio) and interactive services using some form of CA system. This Directive was intend-ed to be applicable in any of the 27 full member countries, however, sentences for offenders can still vary substantially between countries.

Moreover, the law needs to be reviewed now in light of a number of necessary improve-ments, not least the need to be able to encompass within the defi nition of pirate ma-terial these devices that have two sorts of use.

In addition to techno-logical innovation and legal ac-tions, there is a third frontier

to tackle the issue of piracy that relates to removing or reducing the commercial incentive. Vendors of CA systems are required to develop and support new business models that allow operators to generate more revenue from new content and new ways in which is it is delivered to subscribers.

Awareness about the subject of piracy has to be further shared at all levels, at courts, customs, police, governmental and institutional levels, and last but not least at consumer level. New innovative business models are needed to accompany this awareness and educate end-users.

AEPOC is pushing international cooperation, which is vital to mounting a more effective defence against global TV piracy. The group is backing joint ac-tions gathering all CA providers and pay TV operators in Europe and are present on the commissions where the directive is reviewed.

Collaboration on an international level and solidarity between the mem-bers of an association is imperative in successfully tracking down and bringing to justice the highly developed sub-culture and value chain of suppliers, fi nancers and distributors that is at the

heart of pay TV piracy. Finding proof has always been the key

stumbling block.To entrap the whole indus-

trially organised worldwide network behind the hackers will require a concrete effort to reverse engineer

the hackers’ methods. This is why it is necessary that all

the anti-piracy associa-tions worldwide join

forces and share their investi-gations and experience.

CLOSING THE LOOPHOLESChristine Maury-Panis, executive VP, general counsel, Viaccess and VP of the industry lobby, APOEC discusses some of the legal and legislative issues underpinning successful anti-piracy efforts.

“Content piracy is still big business. But it would

be extremely unrealistic of anyone to make any

claim about any security system being unhackable

for all time. In general, we tend to describe the world

of security as an arms race,” says Christian. “A small

but important set of key security systems vendors

are pitted against a wide range of amateur and pro-

fessional forms of attack. Th e important thing in any

such continuing fi ght is to try and stay at least one

step ahead of the latest threats and to be proactive

about changes to your strategy and implementa-

tions in order to reduce the impact of any security

issues that do emerge.”

Irdeto’s Schouten is far more optimistic about

the industry’s progress against the pirates, particu-

larly in the Middle East.

“I defi nitely feel that we are wining the piracy

war at this point, but not purely on the basis of

technology,” he says. “Th ere is a strong cooperation

required between us and our customers and the lo-

cal authorities in regions around the world. You can

see through our cooperation with associations like

Arabian Anti-piracy Alliance (AAA) in the Middle

East and with local and regional regulatory authori-

ties that we can win battles,” Schouten points to the

recent example of the UAE Telecommunications

Regulatory Authority blocking code word sharing

internet traffi c in the country (see left).

“It’s a combination of technology, cooperation, leg-

islation, regulation and enforcement. We would never

assume that we permanently had the upper hand,

we have to be vigilant. It is a game of cat and mouse.

With the fi rst generation of technology more than 15

years ago perhaps, the CA industry put it out in the

fi eld and started counting its money without realising

that this was going to be of that nature.

“Th e industry learned that lesson a long time ago

and now it can never aff ord to sit back and assume

that it has won,” concludes Schouten.

With so many solutions available on the market

testimonials and third-party testing can is critical.

“For any commercially signifi cant conditional

access or content protection solution, the content

owner’s acceptance and belief in your brand is cru-

cial,” says Verimatrix’s Hunter. “Access to content is

one axis of diff erentiation, and having a strong track

record and a proactive engagement with content own-

ers is important to gain their confi dence and facilitate

licensing agreements for their content. It is vital for

operators to select a CA partner that has a good rela-

tionship with the major studios and broadcast content

sources and that can support the specifi cs of the vari-

ous revenue models that they intend to deploy.”

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

Official Title

FOR ADVERTISING CONTACT:

Fareed Dubery Tel: +971 4 2108 632Email: [email protected]

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

ABRIDGE TOO FARAs the broadcast sector continues to overlap with the world of telecommunications, the respective industries disparate regulatory frameworks collide, exposing the lack of uniformity and clarity for

those delivering video content, writes Sonya Shaykhoun.

CENSORSHIP:As the broadcast sector continues to overlap with the worrrrld offfff telecommunications, the respectiveindustries disparate regulatory frameworks collide, exposing the lack of uniformity and clarity for

those delivering video content, writes Sonya Shaykhoun.

www.digitalproductionme.com038 AUGUST 2010

LEGAL

LEGAL

039AUGUST 2010www.digitalproductionme.com

W e are now in the throes of the Digital

Age that began in the early 1970s and

is characterised by abundant publica-

tion, consumption and manipula-

tion of information, especially by computers and

computer networks. Today, means of communication

– the multi-functional mobile phone for example –

have reached levels that were deemed science fi ction

in the 1950s and 1960s.

Th e MENA region has not escaped the global

Internet, Communications and Technology (ICT)

revolution on all fronts. Th e rise of satellite televi-

sion in the early 1990s shook the region, introduc-

ing foreign TV via pay satellite platforms. Th e ICT

revolution sparked twenty-fi rst century Arab private

fi lm production and numerous fi lm festivals across

the MENA region.

Consequently, media zones have sprouted up in

Dubai, Jordan, Syria and Egypt and the erstwhile

government-dominated, regional telecommunica-

tions sectors have transformed into private entities

and all manner of communications companies have

taken root leading to a myriad of novel uses for ICT

developments. Now, the ICT industry is booming in

the MENA region and the satellite industry contin-

ues to fl ourish. For example, Arabsat’s net profi ts

rose by 198 per cent from 2008 to US$91 million last

year, it recently launched two new satellites and has

plans to launch a sixth satellite in 2011, proving that

there is still a great demand for satellite capacity. Th e

abundance of satellite channels and the sweeping

reach of the satellite footprint, as well as the ap-

pearance of digital television, the Internet, mobile

television and IPTV, have all made content available

to an unprecedented number of people in the region.

Content is now also available through a diversity of

non-traditional platforms in the MENA region. A re-

cent Informa Telecoms & Media report forecast that

by 2014, more than 70 per cent of MENA households

will be equipped with cable, IPTV or satellite services

with the latter dominating. Mobile phones are multi-

functional and mobile TV is developing in the MENA

region with telecommunications networks such as

Zain and Viva providing content to subscribers.

With liberalisation of the telecommunications

sector came the need for regulation where previously,

the autocratic nature of Arab governments obviated

the need for regulation and/or censorship in the

telecommunications and video production sectors.

Whilst the marriage of technology and media has

radically improved communications, this conver-

gence has turned the status quo upside down from

a regulatory perspective. Despite the rapid pace of

convergence of media with traditional telephony,

convergence has outrun legislative developments

leaving gaps in content regulation in the MENA

region that need to be handled carefully to exploit

the benefi ts of convergence while maintaining the

regional cultural integrity.

Content production in the MENA region has

a long and rich history, even if sporadic in some

countries. Film production began in Egypt in the late

1920s, mimicking Hollywood and European trends.

Th e Arab fi lm industry developed haphazardly –

often upon gaining independence from colonial pow-

ers – as in the case of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria.

Other countries, like Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and

Iraq can also claim to have contributed to the his-

tory of Arab fi lm production.

While Egypt and Lebanon are the long-estab-

lished leaders of Arabic content, other countries,

particularly oil-rich GCC countries such as the

UAE and Qatar are diversifying their economies

and celebrating their cultures by developing their

respective fi lm industries. Abu Dhabi and Dubai

are now at the forefront and are investing heavily in

developing content and the Emirati fi lm industry.

Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) was founded

in 2007. Imagenation Abu Dhabi, a subsidiary of

ADMC, aims, among other things, to: invest $1

billion into feature fi lms in the next fi ve years; de-

velop the Emirati fi lm industry in its totality; and,

hot-house Emirati content, talent, fi lmmakers and

the quality of regionally-produced content (such as

the acclaimed Bollywood fi lm My Name is Khan).

Along with ADMC, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival,

established in 2007, Abu Dhabi’s media zone, two-

four54, founded in 2008, and the Abu Dhabi Author-

ity for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) concentrate

on developing all aspects of the media industry.

Likewise, Qatar’s fi lm industry boasts several

monumental additions, such as the Doha Tribeca

Film Festival, the Doha Film Institute and the

Qatari media group, Al Noor that launched a

$200 million ethically based fund that will invest

in international fi lm projects.

Th e recent increase in Arabic content off sets the

import of (primarily Western) content, which is

Arabsat’s net profi ts rose by 198 per cent from 2008 to US$91 million last year, it recently launched two new satellites and has plans to launch a sixth satellite in 2011, proving that there is still a great demand for satellite capacity.

SONYA SHAYKHOUN

attorney, Charles Russell LLP


often culturally at odds with Arabic cultural and

religious mores and poses an additional challenge

to regulators as media and technology continue to

converge at lightening speed.

With the development of convergence, the

question arises of who is responsible for content

regulation in the various countries of the region.

In the past, for example, broadcasting regula-

tion dealt with issues of spectrum and national

ownership. Converged regulators are a rarity in

the global communications industry despite the

challenges convergence pose to regulators. In

the MENA region, content regulation tends to be

unsystematic, typically falling under the ambit of

politicised government ministries and agencies

rather than independent regulators, sometimes

rendering content regulation a political and ideo-

logical exercise. Pan-regional eff orts have been

expended to establish a body to regulate satellite

content under the non-binding Arab Satellite

Broadcasting Charter, signed in early 2008, to

ensure that content complies with certain culture

and religion-specifi c ideals.

In July 2008, Egyptian authorities

issued a controversial draft broadcast

law that would establish the National

Audiovisual Broadcasting Regula-

tion Authority under the direction

of the Egyptian government rather

than as an independent regulator (as

required by international law). Th e draft

law requires, among other things, perceived exces-

sive restrictions on content and fails to establish

rules for regulating ownership and for ensuring

competition in the broadcast sector and provides

for harsh penalties (rather than sanctions and

conditions) for those who breach the law. Further,

although reports claim that there is no evidence of

Internet fi ltering in Egypt – except for a selection

of politically sensitive websites that have previ-

ously been blocked – Egypt has been particularly

intolerant of online bloggers and Facebook users

critical of the Egyptian government to an extent

that has lead to arrests, a reminder that Egypt is

still under the emergency rule that began in 1981.

Content regulation is taken seriously in Bah-

rain, too. On 5 January 2009, the Bahraini Ministry

of Culture and Information (MOCI), obviously a

government body, issued Resolution No. 1 of 2009,

pursuant to the Telecommunications Law of Bah-

rain, to block and unblock websites. Th e resolu-

tion requires all ISPs to buy and install a website

blocking software solution chosen by the Ministry,

040

which gives the Ministry full control over the

blocking and unblocking of websites. Th e Tele-

communications Regulatory Authority assisted

in MOCI with this initiative. In May 2010, Bahrain

had a short-lived rift with Al Jazeera leading to

the MOCI shutting down Al Jazeera’s Bahrain

bureau for breaching “media norms” and allegedly

disregarding Bahrain’s press and publishing rules

and regulations. Th e MOCI swiftly invited Al

Jazeera to sign a memorandum of understanding

to defi ne the two parties’ major areas of agree-

ment, thus resolving the issue. Notwithstanding

the MOCI’s recent eff orts to regulate content,

Bahrain is now planning to dissolve its Ministry

of Culture and Information, following the example

of Jordan, Qatar and the UAE, and to establish an

independent broadcasting and media regulator,

the Information Aff airs Authority (IAA).

Th e Media Law (UAE Federal Law on Printed

Matter and Publications 15/1980) requires a

licence to engage in most aspects for publishing,

such as owning a printing press; printing materi-

als and periodicals; circulating, selling or

distributing printed material (as well

as advertising and promotional mate-

rial); working as a media correspon-

dent; or, importing and distributing

foreign books and printed material.

Censorship of print media (particu-

larly foreign media) is a common occur-

rence in the UAE, to broadcast channels,

it is only possible for privately owned broadcast-

ing channels/networks to obtain a broadcasting

licence in either of the media free zones in the UAE,

Dubai Media City and Abu Dhabi’s twofour54. Th e

Media Zone Authority of Abu Dhabi requires con-

tent broadcasters to obtain a licence per the Dis-

semination Licensing Regulations October 2008.

Th e regulations defi ne content dissemination

as “the broadcasting, transmission, publica-

tion, printing, communication or distribution

to the public of any content…irrespective of the

platform, technology or other means used for such

distribution (including audio, visual or audio-vi-

sual media, any form of electronic media or print

publication)”. In particular, the regulations set out

clear guidelines on content dissemination, which

prohibit indecent, pornographic, excessively vio-

lent programming or content that could “violate

the basic social, cultural and religious values com-

mon to the UAE”. Th e UAE’s Telecommunications

Regulatory Authority’s (TRA) Broadcasting Satel-

lite Services Licence Template defi nes “Broadcast-

LEGAL

70%The predicted amount of MENA households with cable, IPTV or satellite

service by 2014.

Converged regulators are a rarity in the

global communications industry despite the

challenges convergence pose to regulators.

In the MENA region, content regulation tends

to be unsystematic, typically falling under

the ambit of politicised government ministries

and agencies rather than independent

regulators.

SONYA SHAYKHOUN



LEGAL

ing Code” as “the code on broadcasting standards

issued by the competent authority in the State, as

amended from time to time”.

Although the UAE’s TRA granted the Emirates

Mobile Television Corporation (a consortium of

government companies Etisalat, du, ADMC and

Dubai Media Inc.) a ten-year mobile TV broad-

casting licence twinning media and communica-

tions, the TRA does not actually regulate content,

which is the National Media Council (NMC)’s

domain. Th e NMC is one of the Established

Councils in the UAE Cabinet, which, according to

the offi cial website of the UAE Cabinet handles all

media aff airs and coordinates the media policy

amongst member emirates amongst other things.

Not all NMC Members hail from the broadcasting

sector – it includes representatives from the Min-

istry of Labour, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and

Community Development, the Ministry of Foreign

Aff airs and the General Authority for organisation

of the telecommunications sector.

Convergence is also a concern for ictQatar,

Qatar’s communications regulator (as the “ICT”

in its name indicates). Its self-proclaimed role in-

cludes protecting consumers and businesses as an

independent regulator and integrating technology

with the fabric of society. It also regulates “non-

operator issues” in the communications sector,

including satellite media broadcast regulation.

ictQatar advocates self-regulation by both broad-

casters and viewers and, according to its website,

Dr. Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, ictQatar’s Secretary

General, expressed this view at a forum held in

Doha on November 2 and 3, 2009. While encour-

aging government institutions to participate

in satellite regulation, Dr. Hessa acknowledged

“what is considered off ensive or inappropriate

is subjective, and since satellite crosses interna-

tional boundaries, it would be nearly impossible

to regulate content.” Self regulation is Al Jazeera’s

ethos, too; the ten-point Code of Ethics promotes

such characteristics as neutrality, transparency,

independence, diversity, journalistic values and

the defence of freedom of the press.

Not surprisingly, Iran and Iraq provide extreme

examples of content regulation. Iran established a

12-member force to police the internet for crimes of

insulting the Islamic system in November 2009; its

team members come from the police and from oth-

er parts of Iran’s security network. Iraq’s new media

rules issued in early 2010 by the Communications

and Media Commission (CMC), whose directors are

government appointees, empower the CMC to stop

transmissions, shut offi ces, confi scate equipment,

revoke licences and impose harsh penalties on TV

stations for charges of incitement that are vaguely

defi ned. Th e rules prohibit the transmission of

statements by groups that promote terrorism (such

as claiming responsibility for attacks).

Approaches to content regulation around the

globe vary. In Brazil, Canada and the Netherlands

broadcasters are entrusted to regulate themselves

whereas others, like Australia, South Africa, the

UK and the US, are obliged by regulators to follow

laws and regulations. Content regulation in the

MENA region refl ects the macro-picture: some

countries regulate content very strictly with a

politicised agenda; others are comparatively re-

laxed. Because of both the ICT developments that

have facilitated convergence and the quickened

pace of regional content creation, establishing a

framework for content regulation in the individual

countries of the region (if not on a pan-regional

level) is crucial. What is clear is that transparency,

consistency and, most importantly, independence

as regards content regulation will become in-

creasingly vital as the MENA region fulfi ls its aim

to become an global ICT industry player.

Media zones have sprouted up in Dubai, Jordan, Syria and Egypt and the erstwhile government-dominated, regional telecommunications sectors have transformed into private entities.

SONYA SHAYKHOUN


The UAE’s TRA granted a ten-year mobile TV broadcasting licence to the Emirates Mobile Television Corporation, which is a consortium of government companies Etisalat, du, ADMC and Dubai Media Inc.


IBC PREVIEW

IBC SHOWCASEEach year, IBC hosts over 1300 exhibitors, 1000 journalists and 45,000 attendees from around the world, making it a premier destination for the unveiling of new products and technologies within the electronic media and entertainment industry. So what can visitors expect in 2010?

OMNIBUS | Stand 8.D41

Omnibus will demonstrate the

iTX Enterprise Suite at this years

IBC exhibition.

According to the manufac-

turer, the suite represents the

fi rst time that broadcasters and

media operators can use on sin-

gle integrated system to unify

and streamline ingest, media

management, workfl ow organi-

sation, schedule management,

asset management, automation,

master control and playout to

TV, radio and the internet.

Th e breadth of the product’s

capabilities at both the produc-

tion and delivery stages provides

users with increased effi ciency,

scalability and speed of response,

claims Omnibus.

Th e suite incorporates ingest

and media management including

scheduled on-demand feed record-

ing from satellite and live sources,

unscheduled ad-hoc ingest,

support for content fi le delivery

services, clip preparation for all

modes of ingest and comprehen-

sive automated tools for managing

the movement of content through

the infrastructure as required dur-

ing the workfl ow process.

Workfl ow management and job

tracking tools provide broadcast-

ers with high levels of data while

asset management capabilities

add rich business metadata to

existing asset information.

The suite also supports eight AES

radio streams from each 1RU server.

Th e system also supports a

mixed frame rate environment

(PAL, NTSC, HD, 60, 25, 30, 24 and

any future frame rate).

It includes a sophisticated

security model for service pro-

vider confi dentiality between

customers, and features the

new OmniBus G4 customisable

desktop environment for techni-

cal areas of the workfl ow, as well

as the rich media SmartClient

interface for Macs and PCs in

a lightweight browser environ-

ment, for easy access from any

web-enabled computer.


IBC PREVIEW

ROSS VIDEO | Stand 10.A31

Ross Video will be demonstrat-

ing the world’s fi rst eight-MLE

switcher at IBC.

Th e Octane range off ers eight

MLEs, 35 full-screen HD anima-

tion stores, 24 channels of 3D

DVE with warp capability, 96 in-

puts, 48 outputs, 32 full keyers,

12 keyers on the aux bus outputs

and a further 12 DVE key com-

biners giving what the company

calls an unprecedented total of

56 keyers.

At IBC, Vision adds an option-

al internal multiviewer to the

Octane range. Th is multi-head

multiviewer has access to all

internal and external sources.

Source labels with transparency,

full program and preview tal-

lies and user selectable source

assignments make this an excel-

lent and cost eff ective solution

for production control rooms.

Th e entire Vision Series ships

with a new 3G infrastructure

as a standard feature,

fulfi lling the promise of

Vision being a cutting

edge product continuously

evolving with the marketplace.

Stereoscopic 3D capabilities

and comprehensive iMag Multi-

Screen support will also

be shown.

NETIA | Stand 1.A29

Content management system

developer Netia will turn its

attention to convergence at

IBC 2010.

Th e company claims its

products to be at the heart of

convergence off ering effi cient,

fl exible and eff ective technolo-

gies to empower multiplatform

delivery, growing volumes of on-

demand audio and video content

and multiple content formats.

A fully-upgraded suite of

content management products

will be on show that allow

user to streamline all of their

production processes globally

thanks to simple easy to mange

workfl ows and task manage-

ment, claims Netia.

Th e new software suite also

allows users to connect all of

their partners and vendors

within a single production eco-

system, simplifying the sharing

and managing of media assets.

User can now manage all

of the processes within the

production environment –

from editing through post and

distribution – through one

interface. Th e new web-based

interface, built on the Microsoft

Silverlight technology, allows

increased performance and

greater security.

SONNET TECHNOLOGIESStand 7.G03

Storage specialist Sonnet Tech-

nologies will display several new

technologies at IBC 2010. Among

them is the Qio professional

universal media reader/writer, de-

signed for in-studio or on-location

applications. Qio is a convenient,

cost-eff ective alternative to stand-

alone card readers, according to

Sonnet. It features dual P2, SxS,

and CompactFlash slots and can

transfer data from two cards

concurrently, allowing users to

offl oad fi les more quickly and

effi ciently. An included adapter

handles SDHC cards.

Qio moves fi les between any

cards, attached drives, or host

computer with aggregate band-

width up to 200 Mb/s. For quick

migration of data, Qio integrates a

four-port eSATA controller based

on Sonnet’s Tempo SATA E4P

card, enabling users to connect

two Sonnet Fusion F2 portable

storage systems, or up to four

eSATA drive enclosures for access

to as many as 20 SATA drives.

Qio can also connect to a

computer through an included

interface adapter tha extends

the computer’s PCIe bus outside

the box. Th e reader/writer’s SxS

slots also accept ExpressCard/34

adapter cards, including Gigabit

Ethernet, WiFi, USB, and more,

while the P2 slots accept CardBus

adapters. Qio eff ectively sextuples

the number of expansion card

slots available to notebook users,

while desktop users may swap

adapter cards without opening

their computer case.


IBC PREVIEW

Front Porch Digital will unveil

DIVArchive V6.3, the latest version

of the DIVArchive content storage

management (CSM) system at IBC.

DIVArchive is capable of full

integration with popular media

industry editing and production

tools including Avid Interplay,

Apple Final Cut Pro, and Apple

Final Cut Server. Th e latest release

of DIVArchive off ers integration

with Avid Interplay, making it

easier for users of Avid’s industry-

leading media asset management

system to access content stored

FRONT PORCH DIGITAL | Stand 7.B15

under DIVArchive management,

according to the company. New

DIVArchive features include multi-

resolution object support, sub-clip

partial restore, best-eff ort restore,

advanced Avid asset search within

the DIVArchive user interface, and

full unicode asset support.

Th e V6.3 represents a sig-

nifi cant advance for an archive

system, proven in more than 360

broadcast applications world-

wide, claims Front Porch Digital.

Another new feature for

DIVArchive V6.3 is full Uni-

code support for storage plan

manager, the component that

automatically manages the con-

tent life cycle based on advanced

and fully confi gurable business

rules and policies. By continually

monitoring the digital storage in-

frastructure including connected

broadcast devices, network

connectivity, transcoder engine

performance, and other key sys-

tem parameters, DIVAprotect

guards precious content against

the ravages of data tape and

drive degradation.

IPHARRO | Stand 8.A11

Content identifi cation solution

developer iPharro will showcase

its iPharro MediaSeeker Core

Platform 3.0 at IBC 2010.

Th e platform is the industry’s

fi rst fully confi gurable video

fi ngerprinting engine that can

be quickly and easily integrated

into any pre-existing workfl ow

or serve as the engine behind any

new content identifi cation-based

application, according to iPharro.

MediaSeeker Core Platform 3.0

is a lightweight, scalable video in-

dexing and identifi cation engine

that helps businesses implement

eff ective content identifi cation

and tracking strategies within

any existing media-centric work-

fl ow. At its heart is a fully owned

video fi ngerprinting technology

developed at Germany’s Fraun-

hofer-Gesellschaft.

Th e confi gurable platform gives

users the fl exibility to tweak the

granularity of content compari-

son down to the frame level. As a

result, MediaSeeker Core Platform

3.0 is an ideal solution for the full

range of search applications, from

light to frame-intensive; archive

versioning; content future-proof-

ing; media redundancy preven-

tion (MRP); broadcast monitor-

ing; and numerous other areas,

claims iPharro.

HAIVISIONStand IP701 (Hall 9)

IP network technology Haivi-

sion will give an IBC debut to

the Furnace 5.6, a solution for

end-to-end HD H.264 video-

over-IP distribution.

Th e upgrade includes a com-

pletely redesigned and easy-to-use

interface as well as a newly inte-

grated Conditional Access module.

Th e new CA portal off ers users

a built-in authentication portal

for a direct interface with cus-

tomer LDAP/Active Directory da-

tabase; the ability for customers

to brand their CA portal; the abil-

ity to assign rights and privileges

for live streams, playback chan-

nels, and VOD assets; as well as

VF administrative tools such as

recording, client control and so

on, according to Haivision. Th e

new portal also integrates with

the Stingray set-top box.

Th e solution continues to

support the compact Makito HD

H.264 encoder to manage and

distribute live video to comput-

ers and set-top boxes, to create

scheduled playback channels for

enterprise TV and signage and to

record content and deliver VOD in

a secure, easy-to-use system.

Th e Furnace Portal Server

controls the direct and secure

distribution of SD and HD H.264

video to both the “zero-footprint”

InStream player and the Stingray

set-top box. Th e Furnace Playback

Manager supports scheduled

channels for IP video broadcast

and signage and the Media Server

leverages the effi ciencies of H.264

to enable HD VOD.

047AUGUST 2010www.digitalproductionme.com

IBC PREVIEW

NEWTEC | Stand 1.A49

Satellite communications fi rm

Newtec will showcase its Dual-

Flow technology at IBC for the

fi rst time.

DualFlow is a new technology

allowing broadcasters to migrate

cost-eff ectively from traditional

ASI to IP-based satellite opera-

tion, with effi cient investment

during the transition period.

Aimed at the contribution,

DSNG, and distribution markets,

DualFlow enables two-way IP

interactivity over satellite and

allows operators to choose when

they make the switch to IP by

simultaneously supporting both

ASI and IP, according to Newtec.

Operators can therefore con-

tinue to service clients using

ASI. DualFlow is available as

part of Newtec’s Azimuth sat-

ellite broadcasting modula-

tion equipment.

Monitoring and T&M equip-

ment designer and manufac-

turer Bridge Technologies will

launch several new products and

upgrades in to the market during

IBC 2010.

Th e new VB12-RF is the

most portable comprehensive

monitoring and measurement

appliance available, according

to the manufacturer. Designed

for real-world use by engineers

on the road, the VB12-RF packs

every required broadcast and IP

interface into a ruggedised chas-

sis with a form factor smaller

than that of a laptop computer.

It is smaller, lighter and

tougher than any alternative,

claims Bridge Technologies with

the widest range of built-in inter-

faces for RF, ASI and IP.

BRIDGE TECHNOLOGIES | Stand 1.A30


DATA

Consumer electronics manufacturers and

suppliers are accelerating 3D activities, ac-

cording to a new report by IMS Research.

Th e study estimates that 5.99 million

3D TV sets will be sold in 2010 alone with more than

218 million selling in total between 2010 and 2015.

“Within fi ve years the majority of high-end large-

screen TV sets and Blu-ray players are likely to off er

3D capability,” says Anna Hunt, author of the report

and principal analyst at IMS Research. “Th e price

premium of these products over similar 2D equiva-

lents is expected to diminish quickly.”

Among the drivers for 3D technology are the

growing popularity of 3D movies released at cin-

emas, fi erce home entertainment competition and

the aggressive pricing of 3D TV sets.

A recent forecast by DisplaySearch paints a

more conservative future for 3D TV sales. Its most

recent Quarterly TV Design and Features Report

estimates sales of 3.4 million in 2010, rising to 42.9

million in 2014.

Based on this forecast, 3D TV market penetration

is expected to grow from a 5 per cent share of total

fl at panel TVs in 2010 to 37 per cent in 2014.

“TV manufacturers have managed to launch

products very rapidly. We have seen a full range

of 3D TVs in sizes from 40-inch to 63-inch already

available,” says Paul Gray, director of TV electron-

The penetration of 3D TV sets will determine the success of the format. Estimates of these fi gures differ greatly however.FORECASTING 3DDATA SOURCE: DisplaySearch

ics research, DisplaySearch.

“Th rough the fi rst half of 2010, only two fl at

panel TV makers in the US launched 3D TV

products – Panasonic and Samsung,” explains Paul

Gagnon, director of North America TV research,

DisplaySearch. “Based on early indications, the

launch of 3D TVs is similar to Samsung’s rollout of

LED LCD TVs at the beginning of 2009, albeit at a

slightly slower pace. Th is would be in line with our

forecast of just over two million 3D TVs shipped in

North America for 2010.”

A report by iSuppli notes that internet enabled TV

(IETV) will be the focus of consumer upgrades in the

short-term. It estimates 3D TV sales of 4.2 million in

2010 compared to 27.7 million connected TVs.

“Despite aggressive promotions from the

industry and intense consumer interest generated

by the blockbuster Avatar and other titles, the

3D TV market in 2010 will be limited to a small

pool of enthusiastic early adopters,” says Riddhi

Patel, director and principal analyst for television

systems, iSuppli. “In contrast, IETV is entering

the mainstream in 2010. Th is is because 3D is still

dealing with a number of barriers, including cost,

content availability and interoperability, while

IETV provides immediate benefi ts by allowing TV

viewers to access a range of content readily avail-

able on the Internet.”

5.99 millionThe number of 3D TV sets sold in 2010 according to IMS Research.

3.40 millionThe same fi gure according to DisplaySearch.

4.20 millionThe equivalent fi gure from iSuppli.

3D TV SALES FORECAST

3D TV

SALE

S IN

MILL

IONS

10

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

20

30

40

3D LCD

3D PDP

3D RPTV

erimatrix.

Which IPTV, DVB and hybrid content security provider has the broadest partner ecosystem for ultimate flexibility?

digital broadcast middle east - august 2010

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