Global broadcast, content and satellite experts descend on Dubai today for CABSAT 2022, which highlights the pressing need for sustainability initiatives in all three industries.
Being held under the theme —Creative. Connected. Conscious, CABSAT 2022 brings together more than 13,000 visitors at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from today until May 19.
More than 280 companies and brands are exhibiting at CABSAT 2022, which include Arabsat, Nilesat, TECOM Group, Turksat, Qvest Media, Ross Video, Evertz Microsystems, Turksat and the Space Agency of Azerbaijan Republic as well as dedicated pavilions for Bavaria, Great Britain, and Northern Ireland. Together they present a world of innovation across the full content journey from creation, through production, to distribution.
What’s new?
Pressing challenges such as shifting geographic collaborations, a crowded orbital spacescape and waste crisis, and increasing demand for transparency on the management and opportunities of the emerging space economy feature on an expert-driven agenda.
As the Middle East and Africa transitions from a content consumption market to a content creation hub, CABSAT 2022 attendees get the chance to explore the immense opportunities surrounding broadcast and content within the region, with the market for regional productions expected to be worth nearly $70 billion (Dh257.07 billion) by 2026.
CABSAT 2022’s SatExpo Summit is one of seven streams scheduled for what is the Middle East and Africa’s most important exhibition and conference for the satellite, broadcast, and filmed content industries. The SatExpo Summit’s agenda explores the need for a clean-up and range of sustainability strategies to address debris dump in a crowded orbital landscape; the need for transparency and talent management of the emerging space economy, ensuring satellite and insurance security; operational innovations; AI and machine learning for satellite communications as well as insurance and risk mitigation.
“Satcoms is such an important driver of the satellite, broadcast and media industry and is facing unprecedented challenges since the arrival of the internet,” said Thomas Löffler, AVP, Exhibitions, DWTC.
“The Satcoms sector faces an increasingly concerning scenario where an estimated 6,000 tons of space debris is now circulating in lower earth orbit, presenting the risk of catastrophic collisions while international laws governing the de-orbiting of space are proving to be outdated. There is an industry-wide recognition of the urgency for better and more sustainable satellite design and traffic management and through the insights and preferred solutions of our multinational panelists, we could expect to see breakthrough solutions and a whole new round of geographic collaboration paths.”
Conference line up
The SatExpo Summit has a multinational line up which includes C-suite decision makers from the USA’s Kosmic Apple; the Global Satellite Operators’ Association; Canada’s Satellite Network Technologies Corporation and C-COM Satellite Systems; Israel’s Gilat Satellite Networks; the UK’s Inmarsat, Satcoms Innovation Group, SES Networks, ETL Systems, Kratos and GVF as well as Arabsat of Saudi Arabia.
Other CABSAT 2022 conference streams include the Content Congress, Next Up Startup Stage – the new conference stage for media tech startups - Digital Hub, AV Tech, Next Gen Content and dedicated sessions on the African and Saudi Arabian markets. All will lift the lid on a range of issues in industries which are undergoing widescale and transformative disruption.
Content Congress will hear from industry trailblazers who will explore the latest trends in the Metaverse, NFT, social content, streaming wars, podcasts, vlogging and music content. The line up includes representatives of some of the biggest names in the business including Twitter, Meta, Rotana Media Group, MBC, Starzplay, Dubai Media City, Creative Media Authority & Abu Dhabi Gaming, CNBC Arabia, Saudi Media Rating Company (MRC), Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Nigeria, and Disney Plus.
“This is a time of huge change and for content producers the stakes have never been higher as they face the need to create interactive and immersive content using AR/VR as well as content powered by AI,” said Löffler.
“Our experts will give incisive insights into the way we consume content, the mediums by which we do so and how we will pay for it. With the global broadcast and media technology market expected to grow from $41.4 billion in 2021 to $62 billion in 2027, it’s never been more important to ensure the right strategies are in place to capitalise on these emerging opportunities.”
Next-Gen content
With content scouts always looking to seal the next big film and audio ideas, CABSAT 2022 celebrates the best the Middle East and Africa has to offer at NextGen Content — a marketplace for content creators, distributors, and buyers. NextGen Content features leading industry minds and talent with box office and top streaming contenders being screened for review.
A prestigious seven-strong NextGen Advisory Board will steer 24 hours of content screenings from all areas of TV, film, serial drama, kids, documentary, and sport through pre-arranged content buyers’ meetings and dedicated networking events boosting business collaborations.
