The region’s leading industry conference and exhibition will be hosted live at DWTC from May 24-26.
CABSAT, the Middle East and North Africa’s event for the satellite, digital media and filmed entertainment industries, is set to reunite the region’s content and broadcast communities in-person once again for its 26th edition at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).
After a year of missed opportunities that has forced international media trailblazers and industry decision-makers to interact virtually, CABSAT 2021 will finally provide the interaction that the industry needs in order to spark new innovation and opportunities for collaboration.
Setting the agenda for the industry’s future through a series of programmes, workshops and live hubs, CABSAT 2021 will gather some of the best creative minds, technology innovators and media leaders on a single, global stage to lead the future of storytelling at DWTC from May 24-26.
CABSAT 2021 will provide much-needed platforms for discussion and discovery, its Content Congress conference will engage a unique cross-section of senior industry stakeholders with up-and-coming influencers to share insights on how to adapt traditional broadcast models, the benefits of disruptive thinking and the future of worldwide broadcasting. CABSAT will once again host its homegrown content marketplace ContentScape, which is set to attract content creators and sellers who will present their ready-to-be-released content to content buyers, while CABSAT will also explore the impact of artificial intelligence in the broadcast, content and satellite spaces.
The all-new SATEXPO Summit, hosted by GVF and the EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), will focus on industries including aviation, military, maritime, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, featuring themed interactive sessions, and special focus sessions, covering key topics on the satellite industry agenda.
Lockdown measures resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic have forced the media industry to adapt at an unprecedented pace, advertising revenues in linear TV are under greater strain than ever before, while viewership in streaming content has experienced a sharp rise which has pushed platforms to their limit.
With over half of the world’s population having been kept under lockdown amid the pandemic, the world’s biggest content creators and delivery platforms were affected – Netflix was forced to reduce its streaming quality to accommodate a spike in demand, Disney+ doubled its subscribers in the weeks shortly after its launch following the introduction of international lockdown measures, and major Hollywood studios were forced to halt production.
Stakeholders across the content creation, distribution and delivery spaces now face major challenges, including how to keep users engaged post-lockdown, managing new rules of streaming pricing dynamics, and meeting massive OTT demand that necessitates greater internet bandwidth.
Speaking about the event, Thomas Löffler, AVP, Exhibitions, DWTC, said: “The last year has forced the broadcast, content and satellite spaces to adapt and rethink their business like never before. The lack of physical, in-person interaction between key industry stakeholders has resulted in a great deal of missed opportunities. That is about to change, CABSAT 2021 is finally going to give these industries the in-person interaction that is so vital in creating new value by fostering connections.”
