24 October 2017
The MENA Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Coalition has celebrated the shutting down of 30 Arabic and western pirate TV channels since the summer in their latest meeting. Another 26 other channels have recently stopped violating copyrights.
The coalition’s 11th meeting in Amsterdam, attended by the region’s major broadcasters and satellite providers, hailed measures taken by members in the ongoing efforts against TV piracy between April and September 2017.
MBC Group CEO, Sam Barnett, said during the meeting: “With this latest series of actions, the satellite broadcast industry in the region has effectively cleansed itself of the piracy scourge that has been damaging us since 2012. This has only happened because of the effective collaboration of producers, broadcasters and satellite operators.” He continued, “Even last week we have heard news of Egyptian film producers signing new deals with legitimate TV stations – deals that previously would not have happened due to piracy. This is a big boost for the sector.”
The Coalition also reaffirmed its commitment to remain fully engaged in protecting content against illegal satellite distribution, and agreed to widen its focus to IPTV and OTT piracy.
Guillaume Forbin, OSN Head of Platform & Content Security, detailed the latest industry research showing IPTV piracy still growing heavily.
Sophie Moloney, OSN Chief Legal Officer, said: “This is another great achievement for the coalition. With the growing threat from illegal internet-based piracy threats and emerging methods for pirating content, the strength and unity of the MENA Broadcast Anti-Piracy Coalition in conjunction with collaborations with local authorities is increasingly important. OSN is grateful to Noorsat for their efforts in removing the pirated channels over the past months; we look forward to a long and sustainable partnership in the ongoing battle for content protection.”
Members of the Coalition also discussed the growing threat from illegal internet streaming and downloads, and agreed to work together in order to strengthen their relationship with authorities in his context.
Okke Delfos Visser, Head of the Legal Department of the MPA in Europe and the Middle East and Africa, stated that “we need to build on the great successes achieved by the coalition so far. We now need to solidify our efforts in tackling satellite piracy and open a new front into online, such as IPTV and illicit streaming device piracy.”
In a joint commitment, the Coalition members also agreed to collaborate and develop an online site-blocking IPTV strategy.
Etisalat Senior Manager for Mobile and Satellite Products, Abdulaziz Ahmed Al Jasmi, revealed the existence of an IP blocking tool in coordination with the authorities within the UAE and promised their full commitment towards the coalition.
Intellectual Property (IP) Specialist, Office of the U.S. IP Attaché for the Middle East and North Africa, Raed Al Hout participated in the meeting and shared that “we will continue coordinating with relevant IP enforcement agencies, including the U.S. National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) in supporting the important work of the MENA Broadcast Satellite Anti-Piracy Coalition, and look forward to building upon our collaborative endeavors in future initiatives.”
The coalition was set up in 2014, bringing together major broadcast satellite providers, (Eutelsat, Arabsat, Nilesat, Noorsat, Gulfsat, Viewsat, STN and JMC) and content production, distribution companies and telecommunication (MBC, OSN, Rotana, ART, CNE, Du, Etisalat, Mediagates, My HD, Paramount, Rdatv, Sony pictures, Warner bros, Universal, WWE, Sound & light and cinema, International advertising association, Cedars art, Eagle films, Almassa art production, Egyptian Chamber of cinema industry, Media production city, Misr international films, Spot 2000, and the MPA) to fight the battle of piracy.
(Source: MBC press release)
18 October 2017
Arqiva, the international satellite and media services provider, has today announced a partnership with FOX Networks Group (FNG) Asia to deliver a 4K content stream of the 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship – the first time FNG Asia has streamed 4K content to viewers across the region.
Arqiva will provide its streaming services for the remaining four races of the Formula One season – taking place in the US, Mexico, Brazil and Abu Dhabi – having already delivered live 4K streaming of the Singapore, Malaysian and Japanese Grands Prix.
The partnership will see Arqiva utilise its fibre infrastructure to pick-up live 4K content from BSkyB, and take responsibility for transcoding and delivery into FNG Asia’s channel delivery network via a combination of traditional and cloud based services.
It is the latest project in a four-year relationship between Arqiva and FNG Asia, which has seen them working together on the delivery of content for channels in Singapore.
Chris Walder, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific at Arqiva, said: “We are thrilled to be working with a broadcaster like FNG Asia on a spectacle as prestigious as Formula One, and it is a fantastic reflection of Arqiva’s growing presence in the Asian market.
“FNG Asia shares our values in terms of providing the most efficient, stimulating viewing experiences to its customers, and we are looking forward to developing this relationship.”
Alex Pannell, Director of Media Services at Arqiva, added: “Arqiva’s managed IP streaming service leverages a combination of traditional services and cloud delivery mechanisms to provide the very best occupational and commercial proposition to our customers. It is for this reason that tier 1 global broadcasters and content owners, such as FNG Asia, are leveraging our media hub to deliver services to their audiences around the world.”
Jeroen Roeper, Vice President of Broadcast Technical Operations at FOX Networks Group Asia, said: “Having worked together with Arqiva for more than four years, we are confident in its ability to provide reliable, high quality services for our channels, no matter the requirement.
“FNG Asia has a growing base of customers who are passionate about sports and programming, so when the prospect of delivering our very first 4K stream for this year’s Grand Prix races arose, there was no question that Arqiva would be the right partner for the job. We’re excited to be extending our relationship with Arqiva into this new territory, bringing our viewers the live 4K Formula One coverage they deserve – and are incredibly pleased with the results so far.”
(Source: Arqiva press release)
18 October 2017
Leading global news agency Ruptly has announced the launch of the first video streaming platform to offer global live events with the ability to broadcast directly to social media.
The new platform gives anyone the chance to stream professional live video content from around the world in as little as three clicks, allowing broadcasters and vloggers alike, to stream live video quickly and easily.
Commenting at the launch of the new platform, CEO of Ruptly Dinara Toktosunova said:
“Live transmissions are the optimal content for our clients because they allow audiences to be fully immersed in any given moment, as if they were actually there, watching breaking news and viral stories as they happen – in both traditional and 360 formats. Live streaming allows for maximum audience engagement. What Ruptly has done is develop a break-through approach for live streams, never attempted by any other video agency. Ruptly Live is a two-in-one product. We are pushing the boundaries of accessibility by offering premium content that anyone and everyone can post on social media via an easy-to-embed live streaming solution.”
The process removes the need for specialist technology, coding or expertise – all users need to do is sign in, select an event and click to stream.
Live video can be streamed directly to social media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Periscope, as well as delivered through CDNs to native players – giving users the freedom to embed custom adverts.
The platform will enable users to stream a diverse range of content, from light viral videos that bring millions of views to breaking news filmed by Ruptly’s teams on the ground.
Hosting multiple streams is also no problem – up to eight lives can be broadcasted directly to social media simultaneously.
It’s not just traditional lives that can be streamed. Ruptly Live will also offer users access to ground-breaking 360 degree video content and drone footage, available in 4K.
To cater for the increasingly diverse range of content creators, Ruptly Live offers a range of flexible pricing models, with the option to purchase content through subscription, revenue sharing, or on an ad-hoc basis.
The new platform was launched at MIPCOM 2017 in Cannes, France, where Ruptly hosted an insightful panel discussion with partners Vice, 9GAG, and What We Seee on the rise of live streaming, the growth of 360 video and predictions for the future of content.
Commenting at the launch, Lilian Leong, Chief Operations Officer of online platform and social media website 9GAG, said:
“Convenience and speed are the predominant factors for viral-ability these days, especially amongst the millennials who don’t have patience. Ruptly’s new move democratises the technology on LIVE videos, for people to see and to be seen, easily.”
Misan Harriman, Founder and CEO of What We Seee, a leading premium content network that reaches over 1 billion people per year, said:
“Ruptly Live heralds a new dawn of live content syndication, it allows a publisher to deliver broadcast quality live content to their audience without the high cost usually associated with setting up a global live video offering.”
The event, hosted by Jessica Davis (The Drum) also featured Vice Media’s Chief International Growth Officer, David Purdy and Ruptly’s Chief Digital Officer, Dmitry Keshishev.
(Source: Ruptly press release)
17 October 2017
Education For Employment (EFE), the leading organization linking unemployed youth in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to tangible job opportunities, and MBC Hope, the CSR branch of the largest private media company in the Middle East, MBC GROUP, has launched #FirstJob – an awareness and action campaign that seeks to boost youth employment in the MENA region by changing how youth and employers view a first job. Major corporate entities such as EFE partner Citi Foundation have collaborated in the campaign. The campaign uses narrative storytelling and social media to enable inspiring individuals to share with unemployed youth the story of how they secured their first job and used it as a springboard to success, supporting EFE’s commitment to helping unemployed youth enter and thrive in the world of work. Since 2010, youth unemployment rates in the Arab have become the highest of any region at over 27%, with the percentage continuing to rise.
Andrew Baird, President & CEO of Education For Employment – Global (EFE-Global) said: “We’re pleased to launch our first regional campaign in partnership with MBC GROUP, and with long-standing EFE partners like Citi Foundation at our side. Through the #FirstJob campaign, we are engaging some of the region’s top business leaders, as well as young professionals early in their career, to share inspiring stories of their pathway to professional success. We believe that this is an innovative way to encourage youth to proactively seek job opportunities while motivating employers to hire first-time job seekers. The campaign also seeks to inspire more companies and foundations to invest in youth employment initiatives.”
Mazen Hayek MBC Group’s Official Spokesman, Group Director of Commercial, PR & CSR said: “Unemployment has become a pressing issue in the Arab world. According to Union of Arab Banks research, the number of unemployed workers in the Middle East has risen to 120 million. To address this challenge, we must invest heavily to increase economic growth rates and build knowledge economies, which will create millions of job opportunities annually. We must also educate the youth and equip them with theoretical and practical knowledge, as well as prepare them to enter the marketplace. This asserts the importance of #FirstJob and its role in educating the youth and utilizing their capabilities in their first job, which will in turn foster their competitive-edge in the future.”
Commenting on the launch, Karim Seifeddine, Head of Public Affairs, Citi, Middle East and Africa from Citibank said: “Citi is honored to be partnering with Education for Employment in the #FirstJob campaign to support young people in the region to develop sustainable economic futures and help reduce youth unemployment. At Citi Foundation, we continue to support programs that catalyze economic growth and provide our youth with economic opportunities to thrive and promote continued progress through entrepreneurship training, mentorship, and leadership development.
Dima Najim, EFE’s Managing Director – UAE noted that: “The #FirstJob campaign was launched in celebration of EFE’s tenth anniversary. Since the first youth graduated EFE programs a decade ago, over 50,000 unemployed youth across the MENA region have been connected to the world of work with support from EFE. This impact is made possible by the support of over 2,300 EFE partners, such as MBC Hope and Citi Foundation.”
- To hire EFE alumni, partner to support their work, or enroll in an EFE training program, please visit www.efe.org
(Source: MBC press release)
13 October 2017
Eutelsat Communications (NYSE Euronext Paris: ETL) has acquired NOORSAT, one of the leading satellite service providers in the Middle East, from Bahrain’s Orbit Holding Group.
Established in 2004, NOORSAT is the premier distributor of Eutelsat capacity in the Middle East, serving blue-chip customers and providing services for over 300 TV channels almost exclusively from Eutelsat’s market-leading Middle East and North Africa neighbourhoods at 7/8° West and 25.5° East.
The acquisition of NOORSAT fits with Eutelsat’s broader strategy of streamlining distribution within selected core video neighbourhoods where it can create value. It will allow Eutelsat to strengthen the long term commercial development of its market-leading video positions in the Arabic world and increase its direct access to end-customers, facilitating stimulation of High Definition TV take-up and the upselling of incremental video services.
Michel Azibert, Eutelsat Chief Commercial and Development Officer, said: “NOORSAT’s capabilities and market knowledge will further consolidate our longstanding position in the dynamic Middle East video market. By integrating NOORSAT’s service platform and teams we are underlining our commitment to serving customers in one of the key markets within in our global footprint.”
Eutelsat has acquired 100% of NOORSAT for a consideration of US$75 million, debt free and cash free. The acquisition will add upwards of US$15 million to Eutelsat’s consolidated revenues on an annualised basis after the elimination of the capacity leased by Eutelsat from NOORSAT. Its slightly dilutive impact on Eutelsat’s EBITDA margin will be absorbed within the current margin objectives.
(Source: Eutelsat press release)
12 October 2017
The Association for International Broadcasting has worked in the global media business for almost a quarter of a century. As the organisation moves towards its 25th anniversary in 2018, we’re making more of our archive of conversations, magazines and video footage available.
The latest video we have included in our conference archive includes highlights of the 2004 AIB Global Media Business conference in Prague. This was hosted at the then headquarters of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty which, before the fall of the Soviet Union, was the Czechoslovak parliament building. Guests attended from across the world, and the subjects under discussion ranged from “fake news” (before that name was coined), to the need for technology companies to adopt the mindset of broadcasters, through to media in the Arab World.
Looking back at this conference, it’s clear that the AIB brings together experts on subjects that are at the cutting edge of the global media industry. Have a look and see what you think – and you can read about the event in the conference report that we published in The Channel, our global media magazine.
