22 May 2018
Digital disruptions have created new ways to reach, talk to and analyse consumers, forcing media entities to redefine their business models away from their legacy roots.
Broadcasters, publishers and content providers alike must adapt to change and invest in technology to bring them closer to their audience.
MediaTech 360 will help you do just that.
Join us as we take the next steps in content evolution and explore the application of emergent technologies, their impact on business strategy, and where the opportunities and challenges lie as the marketplace evolves. AIB members can benefit from a 20% discount on tickets, simply use the following code when booking: AIBMT20
22 May 2018
SatADSL’s VSAT solutions are set to provide ubiquitous coverage to a range of enterprises and communities across the country.
Yaoundé, Cameroon, and Brussels, Belgium, May 21, 2018 – SatADSL, a provider of professional VSAT services via satellite, and Camtel – Cameroon’s national telecommunications provider – today announced a new partnership to provide satellite connectivity across Cameroon.
The formal agreement follows a pilot launch of SatADSL’s range of competitive satellite connectivity solutions across a variety of public and private enterprises and communities in Cameroon, including schools, post offices, hospitals and banks.
SatADSL now plans to integrate and deploy its VSAT services across the central African country, enabling Camtel to offer competitive broadband packages to even the most rural areas.
“We chose to partner with SatADSL because its solutions will enable us to target the widest possible spectrum of end-users, meaning the broadband services will truly benefit entire communities,” said David Nkoto Emane, CEO Camtel. “SatADSL’s knowledge of the region and technical expertise played a big role in the pilot’s success and we look forward to extending the project.”
Under the agreement, SatADSL will fulfil all of Camtel’s satellite connectivity requirements across all frequency ranges, Ku-, Ka- and C-band.
Camtel is the latest telecommunication operator in Africa to deploy SatADSL’s which are offered through the unique Cloud-based Service Delivery Platform (C-SDP). The complete OSS/BSS, carrier-grade, fully redundant platform allows operators to easily outsource satellite services, reducing the cost of providing ubiquitous connectivity by enabling fast, flexible and future-proof satellite connectivity via the cloud for the first time, eliminating the need for physical infrastructure.
Founder and Chief Operations Officer at SatADSL Caroline De Vos said: “As an organization that strives to bridge the digital divide in Africa, we are delighted to partner with Camtel to blanket Cameroon with much-needed connectivity. Our innovative C-SDP also means Camtel will be able to offer highly competitive packages for a range of end-users.”
About SatADSL
SatADSL (www.satadsl.net) is a satellite Service Provider which designs and offers innovative satellite networking solutions to banks, microfinances, broadcasters, NGOs, Governments, ISPs, telecom operators and other companies in Africa and the Middle East in remote areas or where terrestrial infrastructure is not reliable.
Founded in 2010, SatADSL has already installed more than 3,000 VSAT networks in more than 45 countries. It specializes in providing tailor-made solutions based on customers’ specific requirements and flexible service plans that meet its clients’ budgets.
Through its carrier-grade Service Delivery Platform (SDP), which integrates the most advanced technologies, SatADSL provides custom-made networking solutions, tailor-made service plans and value-added services, including hierarchical service control and monitoring, traffic prioritization and online billing and payments, for any frequency band and any access technology.
About Camtel
Cameroon Telecommunications (Camtel) is the national telecommunications provider of Cameroon (www.camtel.cm). Created in 1998, the company provides operators across the country with a fiber optical network to enable services such as Internet access, Voice over IP (VoIP), VPN connections, security, and so on. Camtel aims to enhance connectivity in Cameroon by maintaining, installing and operating telecommunications infrastructure and provide essential services to the whole country.
PR Contacts
SatADSL
Caroline De Vos
Co-Founder & COO
+32 478 31 13 76
Caroline.devos@satadsl.net
and
Jayne Brooks
+44 1636 704 888
jayne.brooks@proactive-pr.com
Camtel
Benjamin Gérard Assouzo’o
Marketing and Communication Director
+ 237 242 02 01 91
gerard.assouzoo@camtel.cm
21 May 2018
News content from the BBC in Thai and Burmese is now available via Thailand’s leading news website, Khaosod. Selected daily updated stories from the BBC News Thai website, bbc.com/thai, and the BBC News Burmese website, bbc.com/burmese, appear on Khaosod’s Thai- and Burmese-language indexes.
BBC News Thai Editor, Nopporn Wong-Anan says: “I am delighted to see our news stories published on a respected website such as Khaosod. I hope that, thanks to this collaboration, new users in Thailand will be able to sample our journalism – from BBC News Thai and our colleagues at BBC News Burmese – and be informed by the BBC’s globally trusted news coverage.”
Executive Editor of Khaosod, Chumchan Chamniprasart (pictured right), commented: “Khaosod is excited to enter a partnership with the BBC in disseminating news, articles and interviews with various viewpoints from BBC News Thai and BBC News Burmese in an age when vast amounts of information circulate. We are firm in our belief that, as accurate mainstream news sources, both Khaosod and BBC serve the public through journalism.”
BBC News Thai reaches around 1.6m people every week via its website bbc.com/thai and social platforms such as Facebook (with over 2.2m followers), Instagram and YouTube. The service covers national, regional and international politics, as well as business, culture, health, technology, science and entertainment, women’s issues and social affairs. BBC News Thai also carries material from BBC Learning English for Thai-speaking learners.
BBC News Burmese reaches a weekly audience of 6m via the website bbc.com/burmese, Facebook (with over 13.3m followers, more than a million of whom are in Thailand), Twitter and YouTube, daily radio broadcasts and a Monday to Friday TV news programme.
BBC News Thai and BBC News Burmese are part of the BBC World Service.
18 May 2018
Celebro Media has announced that Sarah Gibson is to join the company as Chief Operating Officer.
Sarah joins from BBC News, where she had a strong track record in change, project delivery, and running large teams in multiple locations. A highly experienced international journalist, editor and senior leader, her achievements including overseeing the launch of multiple language TV bulletins, implementing the World Service expansion project, managing overseas bureaux. She established the Global Women in News network.
Sarah is President of the Worldwide Association of Women Journalists and Writers, and a member of the University of Kent Council. She has lived and worked in Russia, Australia and the UK.
17 May 2018
RNZ welcomes investment in public media
RNZ welcomes the injection of $15m to the public media sector in Budget 2018, says chief executive Paul Thompson.
“This is good news and signals the Government’s commitment to investing in a stronger, multimedia RNZ that provides freely-available, high-quality journalism and programming.”
“While we have yet to receive detail of RNZ’s share of the funding we are preparing our plans to ensure the public benefit from any increase.
“RNZ is the nation’s commercial-free public broadcaster and we will play a growing role in ensuring New Zealand is a connected and informed democracy.”
“We are also encouraged by the indication that further funding will be allocated in future budgets for full implementation of the Government’s public media policy.”
(Source: RNZ press release)
16 May 2018
O3 Productions, the drama and film production arm of MBC Group, the largest private media company in the Middle East & North Africa region, and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, one of the leading media and entertainment companies in the Middle East, announced a new partnership to co-finance and co-produce a slate of Saudi films for local, regional and international audiences.
This new deal comes in the wake of the first cinemas in two generations opening in Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia announcing itself open for business for filmmakers from Saudi, the Arab world and internationally.
The country has a big presence at this year’s Cannes Film festival with The Saudi Film Council in town for the first time this year along with a Saudi Film Pavilion at the Marche du Film and a selection of Saudi short films showing as part of the festival’s industry programme. The Saudi Film Council has also announced a generous production rebate as a means to attract international productions to film in the Kingdom.
Though ImageNation and MBC/O3 are keeping specific details of the four new feature projects under wraps, genres are likely to include action, thriller, real-life dramas, and comedies. Projects will aim to film in Saudi and utilize Saudi talent in front of and behind the camera. Development has begun on all projects, with production set to commence in 2019.
Saudi comedian and writer Fahad Al Butairi, who previously collaborated with Image Nation on FROM A TO B and the upcoming RASHID AND RAJAB, is also writing a new project entitled LOVE ABOVE THE LAW, which will fall under the new deal. The film is a comedy about a middle class Saudi man marrying a girl from the Badiya, the rural community, and the two discovering they actually have a lot in common.
This MBC/O3 Saudi deal follows on from the previous film and TV deal that MBC and Image Nation announced last year.
Under that deal, O3 and Image Nation are currently in advanced development on the feature film adaptation of Saudi pop culture smash HWJN, about a devout God-fearing Jinn who forges a special bond with a talented Saudi female medical student.
Emirati filmmaker Majid Al-Ansari, who previously directed Image Nation’s Zinzana and has served as executive producer on a number of Image Nation’s other projects will direct the film, which will commence shooting in the Autumn of this year. An extensive casting search in Saudi Arabia is currently underway for the leads in the film and casting will be announced in due course.
A spin-off TV series The Delusionists which also has a unique take on modern Saudi and Arab society will also go into production back-to-back with the film.
Fadi Ismail, Group Director of O3 Productions said: “There is so much to be done in this brave new drive and we believe in collaboration with those who have the same ambitions and vision. Image Nation is a trusted and established player in the film industry and we have joined forces to launch a slate of Saudi films that will promote Saudi storytelling and talents. MBC Group – via its Drama and Film production arm – is keen to push Saudi storytelling, through Drama and Film, qualitatively and quantitatively, to new heights – thus creating premium content that not only is captivating to Saudi and regional viewers, but can travel globally and help in further projecting the positive image of KSA as an active player in international entertainment industry.”
Ben Ross, Head of Narrative Film and Television at Image Nation, commented: “As Saudi Arabia begins a new chapter in its cinematic history, this exciting partnership between Image Nation, MBC and O3 will showcase the very best Saudi filmmaking talent in front of and behind the camera. We are one of the first foreign companies investing in Saudi content and are looking forward to introducing new Saudi talent to local, regional and global audiences. We’re delighted to be working with the multi-talented Fahad Al Butairi again on Love Above the Law. This deal really underscores Image Nation and MBC’s shared commitment to producing high-quality Arab language film and television projects for the Arab world.”
(Source: MBC press release)
