Participants of the panel discussion on ‘Establishing a sustainable business model for Middle East TV’ – (l to r) Nart Bouran, Head of Sky News Arabia, Dr. Riyadh Najm, Deputy Minister of Information Affairs, Saudi MOCI, Peter Einstein, Deputy CEO, Rotana, Mohammed Al Shahi, CEO Strategy, Technology and Executive Affairs, Dubai Media Inc., Moderator – Nick Grande, Managing Director, ChannelSculptor, Mohamed Youssif, CEO, YahLive
Sixteen winners in all walked away with the coveted ASBU BroadcastPro Awards at a gala awards night at the Al Andalus Ballroom in the Habtoor Grand Beach Resort and Spa in Dubai. The winners were applauded by more than 300 members of the regional and international broadcast community.
The day kicked off with the ASBU BroadcastPro Summit with more than 230 delegates in attendance. Both delegates and participants commented on the full-house that remained till the close of day at 5pm – a strong testimony to the keen interest generated by the panel discussions and the quality of professionals participating.
Dr. Riyadh Najm, Deputy Minister of Information Affairs, Saudi MOCI, welcomed delegates. The keynote address by Ahmed Shaikh, Advisor to the Chairman of Al Jazeera Network, traced the tumultous journey of the Doha-based broadcaster to the big league among global broadcasters.
Panel discussions followed on exploring the link between broadcast and IT, where speakers assessed the challenges enroute to file-based operations, the convergence of technologies and the viability of the cloud, among other issues.
A presentation by Dr. Fares Lubbadeh of SpaceTech TV Engineering, Jordan, offered the audiences an insight and some startling facts into the Arab broadcasting scene in view the Arab Spring and other technological advancements.
Other panel discussions focussed on multi-platform deliveries, the ‘love-hate’ relationship between telcos and broadcasters and establishing a sustainable business model for the broadcast industry. Dr Riyadh Najm joined CEOs from YahLive, Rotana, Sky News Arabia and Dubai Media Inc, to offer a candid view of the challenges in the region towards building sustainable business models for the broadcasters. A detailed analysis of all the panel discussions will follow shortly along with video excerpts of the event.
The winners of the 2012 ASBU BroadcastPro Summit and Awards are:
Satellite Awards
Leading MENA Satellite Operator: ARABSAT
Satellite Communications Player of the Year: Thuraya
Outstanding HDTV Achiever : SES and YahLive
Broadcast Awards
MENA Broadcast Trendsetter : Sky News Arabia, Abu Dhabi
Best HD Production of the Year:The Turtle by FQC Media/Big Features/Filmworks
MENA Systems Integrator of 2012: Tek Signals, Abu Dhabi
Best Studio of the Year: Dubai Media Incorporated
ASBU BroadcastPro ME 2012 Technical Achiever: Mark Billinge, OSN
ASBU BroadcastPro ME 2012 Innovative Project Award: ATYAF, Bahrain
Best Sports Coverage: OSN
MENA Special Recognition Award: Qatar TV/TVSDC
Telco Broadcast Project of the Year: Du-Datamena
Editor’s Choice Awards
Broadcast Personality of the Year: Eng. Saleh A Al-Meghaileeth, Deputy Minister of Engineering Affairs, Ministry of Culture and Information, Saudi Arabia
Outstanding Achiever in Broadcast Technology: Fadi Kahhaleh
Best MENA Systems Integrator in Africa: Sony Professional Solutions Middle East and Africa
Best Documentary Production in Arabic: Abdallah El Binni
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