The game changers

It’s not every month that we get to meet with more than one CEO who is changing the game within the media space. Last month, we had the pleasure of meeting with five such game changers, and what perfect timing! No edition of BroadcastPro ME could have done them as much justice as the CABSAT show issue.

We were the first to secure an audience with Martin Stewart, who has now made OSN more accessible to subscribers than it has traditionally been, with a completely revamped pricing structure and more features to come. Mukund Cairae has taken Zee Middle East several notches up by moving from being just a TV network to adding a radio arm and a digital unit with solid capital to back those investments.

Then we have Pierre El Daher, CEO of LBCI, who has been leading the charge of Lebanese broadcasters to make TV more commercially viable to media owners. We also met with the founders of the famed Anghami music streaming service; the story of how they have achieved fame is truly impressive. Plus, on our trip to Kuwait last month, we secured some time with iflix Group CEO Mark Britt, who had some interesting points to share about the OTT platform’s success globally, and how iflix and Zain plan to repeat that success through their JV in the Arab world.

The iflix philosophy on how to beat piracy seems to hold much promise. The thought that a viewer can have access to thousands of hours of first-run content at the price of a pirated DVD suddenly makes a legal alternative much more attractive. I’m waiting for the platform to launch in this region to see if it’s all that it claims to be.

In the meantime, we have so many fascinating stories to share with you this month from across the Middle East, Africa and Turkey as well as news about what’s happening at CABSAT. But I don’t want to give it all away before you have had a chance to go through this issue of the magazine.

A gentle reminder! BroadcastPro ME and SatellitePro ME are the official media partners for CABSAT. See you at the show!