MENA Market Special 2018 MENA MARKET SPECIAL 2018

EUROMEDIA MENA MARKET SPECIAL 2018 I Study: MENA TV providers should invest in new solutions n MENA, the television industry is evolving in terms of content and business models for OTT and pay-TV, says business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan. Broadcasters will adopt technologies to provide an enhanced user experience in the rising competitive landscape. Technology solutions that address the evolving requirements of broadcasters and that integrate with legacy systems are gaining importance. Sports will remain the major driver for adopting pay-TV services in the region, promoting the adoption of cloud services for faster live broadcast. Broadcasters must adopt advanced technologies to increase productivity and encourage workflow optimisation through IP-enabled automation solutions. Experimenting with solutions to deliver multiscreen hybrid viewing that addresses low-bandwidth usage could further augment players’ competitive advantage. The research finds that major investments in the next five years will be directed toward the digitisation of workflows, multi-screen play out and delivery, demand for improved compression techniques, and transition to HD. The study assesses key technology vendors, growth opportunities, trends, drivers, challenges and restraints, and technology adoption among industry stakeholders. “Broadcasters are plagued by falling advertising revenues, a rich free-to-air offering, and the additional pressure to launch OTT services to remain competitive,” said digital media research analyst Aafia Bathool. “New OTT platforms are emerging with high- calibre content encryption solutions seeing higher demand, while convergence among other participants is streamlining operations and optimising costs for producers.” Es'hail-1 PROVIDING PREMIUM TELEVISION CONTENT FROM 25.5°E, THE FASTEST GROWING HD PLATFORM IN MENA. ADVANCED TELEVISION 1