With the value of global Over-the-Top (OTT) video streaming due to reach US$22.7 billion by 2018 – up from US$6.5 billion in 2013 – and legitimate IPTV subscribers across the MENA region due to treble to 6.16 million by 2020, CABSAT 2015 will highlight a range of innovative products, disruptive platforms and services poised to evolve traditional viewing habits and increase the proliferation of second screen, ‘anywhere, anytime’ content absorption among regional populations.
The leading platform for the broadcast, production, content delivery, digital media and satellite sectors across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA), CABSAT 2015 will welcome more than 900 exhibitors from 60 countries when the 21st edition of the show returns to Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from March 10-12.
Among the contingent of global media players will be 80 specialist brands participating in CABSAT’s expanded Content Delivery sector – a key attraction for companies such as Piksel, Cisco, BridgeTech, Siemens, Xstream and Limelight Networks amongst others that specialise in delivering multiple, connected viewing content platforms across mobiles, smartphones, tablets and PCs.
“Countries across the MENA region are working towards 100 per cent digital TV penetration and viewers are responding en masse to the greater flexibility offered by recorded TV options,” said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the organiser of CABAT. “While linear, free-to-air and pay-TV services will continue to dominate in the region, there is growing evidence that regional viewers want to watch content on video-capable internet devices – opening up strategic new revenue streams for regional and global content producers and distributors.”
As regional consumers turn to social media and online streaming to view content whenever and wherever they want, consumers’ viewing habits are transitioning from the antiquated, schedule-orientated model of the past to more flexible, on-demand and on-the-move methods. With TV advertising forecasted to reach US$215bn by 2018, the heart of the Content Delivery Hub will be an open-air theatre hosting a series of seminars, discussions and live demonstrations related to monetising paid-for TV entertainment content via IPTV, OTT and digital platforms, solutions and services available to increasingly tech-savvy consumers owning multiple connected devices.
“The OTT model for content delivery has become a serious consideration for TV service providers and content owners, as users gravitate towards services that give them greater control over when, where and how they view their entertainment. At Piksel, we help companies navigate the hundreds of variables which need to be considered when developing an OTT service, and calculate the most sustainable monetisation strategy for their unique business,” said Neil Berry, EVP Commercial, Piksel, who will also participate in two panels discussions at the CABSAT & NAB Show Collaborative Conference: ‘Why Audience Engagement Really Does Matter’ and ‘The Future of Sports’.
With the latest research from IDC suggesting the global market for smartphones will grow to 1.4 billion in 2015, separate figures from ABI Research suggests approximately 676 million of all smartphone units sold internationally next year will be equipped to use the latest and fastest 4G/LTE networks – key enablers in removing bandwidth constraints and facilitating the growing popularity of OTT solutions to deliver of uninterrupted multimedia conteWith CISCO predicting there will be 50 billion internet-connected devices – equating to more than six devices for every man, woman and child on the planet – by 2020, the Middle East is at the forefront of video-capable mobile device penetration.
A 2014 report by Nielsen concluded smartphone penetration in the UAE would jump to 78 per cent last year – up from 62 per cent in 2013 (Source: Google), while studies by Frost & Sullivan, the Knowledge Partner of CABSAT 2015, indicate the Middle East will have 390 million internet users and up to seven connected devices per household by the end of the decade as regional consumers maximise OTT content models. Surging regional growth in connected devices penetration presents tremendous content and monetisation opportunities for innovative firms, according to Morten Søger, Director of Global Alliances, Xstream.
“People are now watching TV across multiple devices at a time and place convenient for them – and content providers must adapt,” said Søger. “Xstream’s premium OTT and TV Everywhere platform now offers granular analytics that tells customers what is happening on the platform, and also helps providers analyse data and make fact-based decisions that will enhance content evaluation, deliver more impactful, personalised and targeted video content for consumers, and, vitally, identify and create new revenue streams.
Xstream, a premium provider of OTT and TV Everywhere services and vendor of the award-winning video management system, Xstream MediaMaker™, will leverage the Content Delivery Hub to showcase its vast array of related services for the creation, deployment and monetisation of advanced OTT and TV Everywhere solutions.
Elsewhere at CABSAT 2015, the GVF Satellite Hub Summit will further the show’s holistic 360 degree offering by providing a dedicated platform for satellite and communications companies to dissect challenges and solutions in the regional market with a view of fostering strategic partnerships between content delivery companies and the region’s content creators, managers and distributors.
Stand-out sessions include ‘Cyber Security: How the Satellite Industry is Addressing the Challenge’, ‘Big Data & the Cloud in UHD Broadcasting’, ‘The Cloud and the Marriage of Mobility & Web 2.0’, ‘Integrating the Digital World: The Internet of Things (IoT) / Internet of Everything (IoE) & Machine-to-Machine (M2M)’, ‘Satellite and Humanitarian Assistance & Disaster Response (HADR)’, and ‘Proactivity and Reactivity to Ensure Interference-Free Satellite Services’.
Open free-of-charge to business and trade visitors only, CABSAT 2015 is open from 10am to 6pm on Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 March, and 10am to 5pm on Thursday 12 March. Visit www.cabsat.com to find out more.