14 November 2017
Eutelsat takes the pulse of TV trends in Middle East and North Africa with the latest edition of its TV Observatory:
- Satellite surges 7% in one year to reach new milestone of 59 million homes, or 94% of total TV homes
- Eutelsat/Nilesat 7/8° West neighbourhood first choice for multi-channel viewing: offering broadcasters access to 56.2 million homes, up 6% in 12 months
- HD up 34% at 7/8° West with a penetration rate of 15%; 66% of homes watching channels from 7/8° West now HD-equipped
Eutelsat Communications (Euronext Paris: ETL) today presented the results of its industry-benchmark survey on TV trends across the Middle East and North Africa at the ASBU BroadcastPro Selevision Summit in Dubai.
Satellite: the preferred digital video infrastructure across Middle East and North Africa
Satellite TV reception in the MENA region has continued to increase its market-share compared to terrestrial and IPTV, and now reaches into 59 million homes. This represents 94% of the 62.2 million TV homes in 14 Arab-speaking countries, up from 92% only 12 months ago.
Eutelsat 7/8° West neighbourhood: first choice for multi-channel viewing
Eutelsat’s 7/8° West neighbourhood has further reinforced its pole position, with reach into 56.2 million homes in 14 Arab countries,up 3.1 million homes in only one year. The attraction of 7/8° West for 95% of the satellite homes in the region is driven by an exceptional line-up of over 1,200 Arabic and international channels, with a high diversity of free-to-air content and exclusivity (55% of exclusive channels). This latest audience growth also reflects the expanding offer of High Definition content at 7/8° West, up 34% in 12 months to 179 channels (15% of channels).
10 million new HD-equipped homes in 12 months
The pace of adoption of HD is accelerating in the MENA region, with HD-equipped homes now reaching 28.2 million, up from 17.7 million in 12 months and representing 46% of TV homes. This percentage is even more significant at the Eutelsat/Nilesat 7/8° West neighbourhood where 66% of homes own HD displays.
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat Chief Commercial and Development Officer, commented on the figures: “Our 2017 survey confirms the dominance of satellite as the preferred digital infrastructure across the Middle East and North Africa and highlights key trends, notably the increasing significance of High Definition broadcasting. It also confirms the 7/8 ° West neighbourhood as the prime gateway for broadcasters, reaching into over 56 million homes from Morocco to the Gulf States. In addition to this capability, our complementary HOTBIRD neighbourhood broadcasts almost 80 Arabic channels, making it a compelling neighbourhood for reaching into millions of homes across Europe as well as in the Middle East and North Africa.”
(Source : Eutelsat press release)
14 November 2017
Photo credit – Elshad Asafov – Atlas Engineering
The BBC’s service in Azerbaijani, BBC Azərbaycanca, has expanded its reach with the launch of a dedicated channel on WhatsApp. The Xəbərin olsun! (Be in the know!) account is open to Azerbaijani-speakers, wherever they are, from 14 November 2017.
To join the group, users need to add +447548711235 to their WhatsApp contacts list and send a message simply saying “BBC”. The BBC will then contact them with the terms and conditions of using the channel.
Around 60% of the traffic to the website bbcazeri.com comes from social media. BBC Azərbaycanca Editor, Konul Khalilova, comments: “Via this new chatapp channel we will deliver news stories that inspire and engage our audience. We already see a growing following on Instagram – a platform of choice for young women – and our engagement rate on Facebook is also quite high. We will do our best to make our new channel a popular addition to Azerbaijani-speakers’ social-media habits.”
BBC Azərbaycanca connects with its social-media audiences on Facebook (with weekly Facebook Lives), Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Bringing the BBC’s coverage of global and regional events and developments, the service puts the developments in Azerbaijan and the wider region in the global perspective and offers a special focus on international developments which affect Azerbaijan and the region.
BBC Azərbaycanca is part of the BBC World Service.
(Source: BBC press release)
10 November 2017
Three years ago, Celebro opened a 2,000 square foot studio close to Oxford Circus in central London. The concept was simple: to offer state-of-the-art, multi-camera news studios with the kind of automation that international broadcasters have come to expect.
Today the company has 12,000 square feet at its London complex (with more space coming on-line in 2018) and operates a number of 24/7 channels, providing a full-service solution that includes newsrooms, OBs, playout and uplinks. Celebro has a wide client base that includes traditional broadcasters such as BBC, ITV and Viacom, news agencies including Reuters and internet companies such as Yahoo! The company has also helped launch international global news channels like Iran International, provided an international bureau for TRT World and provided services for a host of other international broadcasters across Europe, the Americas and Australasia.
Celebro is now expanding operations around the world. Celebro’s Moscow studio opened in 2015 to service broadcasts for MTV. The office has recently moved to central Moscow where it offers an enviable view of Red Square. Celebro’s Head of Production, Andrew Lebentz, explains that the move is timed ahead of a busy news cycle in Russia. “The eyes of the world will be focussed on Russia in 2018. March sees fresh Presidential Elections and of course the football World Cup kicks off in the summer. We already have a renewed interest in Moscow live positions as a result of the questions over Russian involvement in Syria and the US elections. Our new facility boasts unrivalled views of Red Square and has the capacity to run six simultaneous transmissions.”
Today Celebro is about to begin the process of taking its concept global. Celebro’s chief executive, Wesley Dodd, has announced that the company is building new studio locations in Washington DC and Los Angeles. “We wanted to take the same concepts that have helped in our success in the UK and offer our international clients the same level of service in the US. Our facility will offer more than 4,500 square foot near the Capitol with an eye-catching backdrop.”
The main studio will offer a fully-automated five-camera news centre along with a state-of-the-art newsroom with MOS integrated systems, VizRT graphics systems and a combination of desktop and craft editing. They will also offer three stunning rooftop positions of Capitol Hill, the beating heart of US politics.
The Washington studio is due to open in spring 2018 and a facility in Los Angeles is due to come on-line even sooner. The new studio, near the legendary junction of Sunset and Vine, has a spectacular view of the Hollywood sign and again offers a multi-camera automated news facility for those clients who want more than a straightforward ‘down-the-line.’
But Celebro’s ambitions do not end there. Over the past year Celebro have been building an IP based OB company that has responded to some of the year’s biggest news stories: the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London; the UK General Election; Catalonia’s independence vote; and the Manchester bombing.
Celebro’s Chairwoman, Maxine Mawhinney, is a former BBC News Channel anchor and explains the concept. “My years in rolling news means I understand how important it is to get reporters live on air and from the scene as fast as possible. Celebro Live is quick and easy to deploy and offers all the stability of a satellite truck but without the enormous cost. Also our ‘Celebro Minis’ are easier to take to the heart of the story, and have a much smaller carbon footprint.”
Over the next two years Celebro plans to add 30 new cities to its network infrastructure through a combination of new studios and Celebro Live facilities. To do so, Celebro has attracted venture capital funding in the UK and the US which is already helping the company to reach new markets.
You can see an interview with Wesley Dodd in the AIB’s In Conversation series here
1 November 2017
Winners of the 2017 AIBs – full list and details of the winners and finalists in the 2017 AIBs – The AIB this evening announced the winners and finalists of the 20 categories in the 2017 AIBs – the international awards for factual content organised by the Association for International Broadcasting. Now in their 13th year, the AIBs celebrate success and outstanding achievement. They are firmly established as an important and well-respected annual competition for broadcasters and producers the world over. The international judging panel comprises over 50 media professionals from all sectors of the industry. Celebro Media, Signiant and .RADIO are the sponsors of this year’s AIBs. The full list and details of the winners and finalists is to be found in Winners of the 2017 AIBs.
27 October 2017
The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN) is delighted to announce Mr. Nart Bouran will be joining MBN as its new Senior Vice President for News, Programming and Transformation in early 2018. In this new role, Mr. Bouran will direct global programming operations for all MBN television, radio and digital properties. He will lead development and execution of MBN’s program strategy across all MBN platforms, including Alhurra, Alhurra Iraq, Radio Sawa, Raise Your Voice, Maghreb Voices, and new initiatives.
Mr. Bouran is a seasoned journalist with vast experience in Middle East media. Most recently, Mr. Bouran served as CEO and Head of News for Sky News Arabia, a leading 24-hour regional Arabic news channel that he built and developed since its launch in 2012. He has also served as Director of Television for the Reuters News Agency, Director General of the Jordan Radio and Television Corporation, and Director of News Centre for Abu Dhabi TV. A graduate of Syracuse University, Mr. Bouran began his career as a journalist in 1990, covering the first Gulf War from Baghdad just months into his first job.
MBN President Amb. Alberto Fernandez noted that “anyone who knows Middle East media knows that Nart Bouran is one of the very best in the industry and MBN is pleased to add him as a key part of MBN’s transformation in a strategic and extremely competitive part of the world.”
The Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Inc. (MBN) is the non-profit news organization that is financed by the U.S. Government through a grant from the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), an independent federal agency.
Through television, radio, and multiple online platforms, MBN provides an undistorted line of communication to engage with the people of the Middle East and deliver accurate and objective information about America, America’s policies and people. MBN presents in-depth discussions on issues that are often not fully addressed in the Arabic-language media, such as human rights and freedom of speech and religion.
(Source: MBN press release)
26 October 2017
Factual TV, radio and online programme producers from Australia, Qatar, the USA, Turkey, the UK and France are coming together to share knowledge and ideas at the second #iamabroadcaster The AIBs Masterclass in London on 2 November.
Finalists in the 13th AIBs – the annual international competition for factual productions – are taking time out of their schedules to meet colleagues and others with an interest in factual programme-making at the informal, interactive half-day event.
“We are privileged that each year, the world’s top producers share their work with the Association for International Broadcasting in our awards,” says Simon Spanswick, chief executive of the AIB. “We are even more fortunate that many travel to London to share in our celebration of success at our gala awards event. We want to make sure that they get the best possible value from their trip and that’s why we’ve introduced the Masterclass. It’s a way of helping to share experiences and develop new concepts, and anyone is welcome to come to the Masterclass to learn and exchange ideas.”
This year’s Masterclass takes place on Thursday 2 November at the M by Montcalm, City Road, London EC1V 1JH. Panellists taking part come from TRT WORLD, AFP, Al Jazeera, the BBC, Blue Chalk Media, BFBS, Media Stockade, Brinkworth Films and Afshar Films.
The panellists will be discussing their work on investigative documentaries, human interest stories, and branded content, among other areas.
“The #iamabroadcaster Masterclass is a unique event,” says Spanswick. “Rarely do so many factual story-tellers from so many parts of the world come together to discuss their work with their peers and others who are perhaps interested in starting a career in factual television or radio. The Association for International Broadcasting is honoured to be hosting this event and helping to develop new relationships in the factual programme-making industry.”
There will also be a presentation from UK-headquartered Celebro Media about its innovative OB unit in a box.
The half-day Masterclass is free-to-attend for everyone who is taking part in the AIBs awards gala dinner on 1 November. There is a modest fee for others and a specially-reduced rate for those in full-time education.
Full details on the #iamabroadcaster The AIBs Masterclass are available online at http://theaibs.tv.
