The historic 20th edition of CABSAT will host the toast of Hollywood next week, after British film editor, Mark Sanger, scooped an Oscar for his cutting-edge work on hit movie, Gravity, at last nights glittering 86th Academy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, California. Prior to his Academy Awards success, Sanger one of the star […]
The historic 20th edition of CABSAT will host the toast of Hollywood next week, after British film editor, Mark Sanger, scooped an Oscar for his cutting-edge work on hit movie, Gravity, at last nights glittering 86th Academy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, California.

Prior to his Academy Awards success, Sanger one of the star speakers in CABSATs refreshed, two-day conference programme covering the latest trends, technologies and innovations in the global broadcasting and media market had revealed his excitement about visiting the show.
Much like its reputation as a tourism and leisure hot-spot, Dubai is increasingly viewed as a destination of choice for international broadcasters and the entertainment industry, said Sanger.
CABSAT is recognised in professional circles as the entry-point for international companies looking to penetrate establishing markets across the Arab world, Africa and Asia Im really excited to be participating in my session.
Run in partnership with the USAs National Association of Broadcasters Show (NAB Show), the CABSAT Conference in partnership with NAB Show will see two of the worlds two biggest industry show brands in their field collaborate on a 20-hour conference programme supporting the 2014 shows governing theme: Transforming Broadcasting in the Always Connected Digital World.
The conference will gather a stellar cast of global and regional experts for a series of daily keynote speeches, cutting-edge technical programmes and specialist panel discussions exploring business opportunities in immersive IPTV, video, mobile, online and interactive entertainment experiences and Over-The-Top strategies.
Designed to leverage increasing global and regional demand for multiscreen and connected device-streamed premium entertainment and news content right across the broadcasting industry, the content-driven programme will run alongside the main CABSAT exhibition, which will see more than 900 brands from over 100 countries attract more than 13,000 visitors across nine DWTC halls.
This innovative new conference concept underlines CABSATs importance as the regions leading platform in accelerating the adoption of new media platforms across MEASA and will provide globally-recognised, best-practise tutelage to 200 leading content creators, managers and distributors of entertainment and news content from across the region, said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC, organiser of CABSAT. The programmes engaging sessions will explore customised, market-leading solutions to help regional companies capture and subsequently monetise – audiences which are plugged in to an increasingly diverse array of connected digital devices and smart phones.
The keynote address at the CABSAT Conference in partnership with NAB Show will be delivered by Iranian-Canadian, Shahrzad Rafati, President of BroadbandTV Corp – one of the worlds leading digital entertainment and technology companies. With BroadbandTV content currently generating 1.2 billion monthly views, Rafati will discuss the innovations and strategies which have established her company as one of the worlds largest entertainment networks on YouTube.
Other high-profile participants at the conference include: Sam Nicholson, CEO, Stargate Studios – the keynote speaker on day two and a top-tier line-up of influential international industry figureheads including Sanjay Raina, General Manager, FOX International Channels; David Sternberg, Head of Media, Manchester United FC; Annika Nyberg Frankenhaeuser, Director of Media, European Broadcast Union (EBU); Carlos Salim Tibi, Founder & CEO, icflix; Raffaele Annecchino, Executive VP for VIACOM International; Chris O’Hearn, General Manager, Emirates Media Measurement Company; David Hanson, Director of Digital, OSN; Nick Grande, Managing Director, Channel Sculptor; Dennis Lehtinen, Head of Pay TV, Abu Dhabi Media; Atul Phadnis, CEO, WhatsOn Group; Sumo Dutta, Country Head – Middle East, Africa & Pakistan, STAR Group; Jeff Youssef, Associate Partner, Oliver Wyman & Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman, Dubai Film and TV Commission; Paul Baker, Executive Director, Intaj twofour54; Francois Quereuil, Senior Director, Worldwide Marketing, Aspera, presenting a special case-study on Netflix, Piksel, Google, the UKs Channel 4, Grass Valley, CNBC and other leading regional and International broadcasters.
As well as Sangers What it Takes to Make a Blockbuster session, additional headline conference topics include Challenge & Opportunities with New Media, Taking on the 4K Challenge, The Convergence of Telecommunications and Entertainment, Impact of Multiplatform Content Delivery in Live Sports Production, Data storage and Anlaytics, Maximising Your Viewership & Commercial Return with Video and Shifting Revenue in a Big Data World, while a State of the Industry Report – commissioned exclusively for CABSAT – will also be delivered by Frost & Sullivan, the conferences official Knowledge Partner.
The CABSAT Conference in partnership with NAB Show, which is supported by Dubai Studio City and Dubai Film and TV Commission, has attracted a marquee line-up of leading UAE-based and international sponsors including Dutch Telekom and VIACOM as Gold Partners, SingTel as Silver Partner and Grass Valley.