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Arabsat’s 9th Customer Broadcasting Forum – Atheer Day 1

The day started with Mr. Khaled Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat addressing the honourary guests at the event and thanking them for their continuing support

Arabsat’s Atheer Customer Broadcasting Forum was a roaring success, with dignitaries including ministers and high ranking government officials in attendance.

The day started with Mr. Khaled Balkheyour, President and CEO of Arabsat addressing the honourary guests at the event and thanking them for their continuing support. He extolled the virtues of growth at the 26-degree East position and explained plans for expansion and integration within the Arab community.

Wael Al Buti, VP and CCO, Arabsat also gave a presentation on how the orbital position is growing with more broadcasters coming onboard as well as MBC holding the exclusive rights for transmission of the Saudi Football League matches.

The first panel, moderated by Robert Lakos, Founder of Deleel TV was entitled 26-degrees East – What drives your choice?

Panelists included:

  • Khalid Balkheyour, CEO, Arabsat
  • Sam Barnett, CEO, MBC
  • Dr. Raed Khusheim, CEO, Selevision
  • David Couret, Director Technical Solutions – Distribution, France24
  • Nigel Fry, Head of Distribution, BBC Global News
  • Samir Safer, CEO, MyHD

The discussion aimed to understand the dynamics that drive major broadcasters to join 26°E exclusively. Arabsat’s plans are to help all of its partners grow and thrive when partnering with them. Some of the tools to achieve this include technical support and the ease of access to Arabsat’s network, as well as it constantly striving to back anti-piracy measures and ensure content protection.

The second panel of the day was moderated by Chris Forrester, and was titled Broadcasting In MENA/ Outlook & Opportunities

Panelists included:

  • Sarah Messer, MENAP Director, Nielsen
  • Dr. Riyadh Najm, Media Expert
  • Giorgio Giacomini, Managing Director, Globecast
  • Robert Lakos, Founder, Deleel
  • Jacques Bajon, Director of Media Practice, iDate

The discussion looked at the challenges of keeping viewers engaged whilst maintaining their interest, and why some channels fade away. It also addressed content creation, acquisition, and windowing strategies, as well as generating and maintain revenues. Furthermore, the panelists discussed the path to the future, and the current trends of HD and UHD.

Check out our Twitter account @SatelliteProME for a recap of the day, and look forward to more live tweets tomorrow.