Time for accountability in the Middle East

Now that the honeymoon is over, the serious business of accountability has begun in the Middle East broadcast industry. The recession taught companies that it was time to put their houses in order and separate the wheat from the chaff, and I’m not just talking private entities here.

Government-backed broadcasters who have been quite generous with their staff and hired more than they needed perhaps felt the heat as the coffers were threatening to run dry. We are still feeling the pain of that lesson as government bodies continue to trim their staff and make their operations more efficient.

Over a period of time, we have seen it go from a freeze in hiring to making several skilled staff redundant. While I would not go so far as to say that we have a surplus of skills in this market, there are people looking for the right opportunity. Perhaps the launch of Bahrain’s Alarab news channel comes at the right time.

For professionals who’re willing to leave behind the comforts of the GCC to explore new challenges, our Cover Story this month showcases the opportunities in Libya for the bold and the enterprising who are willing to get their hands dirty.

In the meantime, with new lessons learnt, end users in the GCC are more careful to ensure that they get their money’s worth from systems integrators. It is into this wiser and better informed market that several international systems integrators and manufacturers are making their entrée.

There are companies, however, who have endured the good and the bad times, and think it’s time to celebrate their success. Saudi-based systems integrator First Gulf Company (FGC) is one of them. On the first evening of CABSAT, FGC will host an exclusive, invitation-only party titled Together along with its business partners for broadcasters. We will be there!