Second day of CABSAT 2024 continues to reveal transformative trends and innovations within media and entertainment landscape

CABSAT 2024, the Middle East’s flagship event for content, broadcast, satellite, media, and entertainment sectors, returns for a second day to promote innovative solutions, technologies, and ideas that are fundamentally reshaping the media and entertainment industry.

The show, which will run until May 23, 2024, organised by the Dubai World Trade Centre, enjoyed a special visit from ZHU Yonglei, Vice Minister of the National Radio and Television Administration of P.R.China（NRTA).

Across the three days, CABSAT 2024 is expected to welcome 18,000+ visitors from sectors including Engineers, System Integrators and Broadcasters within Digital, Content, Broadcast and Satellite; to Content Buyers, Sellers, Producers and Distributors, all set to gain extensive insights into the future of media and entertainment from a series of engaging and captivating discussions on the latest developments and opportunities in the industry.

For its 30th anniversary edition, CABSAT features a remarkable line-up of speakers for its conference events, including the Content Congress and SATExpo Summit. These discussions set forth a significant opportunity for attendees to learn about the cutting-edge technologies and solutions that are revolutionising the media and entertainment space.

Across day two at the CABSAT 2024, the SATExpo Summit witnessed resounding success, gathering regional and global satellite and space technology influencers, including inventors, prominent leaders, engineers, government officials, and a wide range of solution providers. The summit also featured discussions on the global launch and manufacturing markets, future trends, and trajectories, as well as business strategies of leading companies, particularly in light of the emergence of AI.

Key speakers included – Jassem Nasser, Chief Business Development Officer of Yahsat, Jan Stoop, VP Business Development, Comtech, USA; Joakim Espeland, CEO, QuadSat, Denmark; David Provencher, Vice President Business Development, AvL Technologies, USA; Elizebeth Varghese, Principal and Co-leader, Deloitte Consulting, USA. An engaging Fireside Chat, on ‘Phased Array Antennas for Next-Generation Mobility’ featured Dr. Leslie Klein, President and CEO, C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., Canada, and Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief, Satellite Markets and Research, USA, as speakers.

Speaking about the SATExpo Summit, Jassem Nasser, Chief Business Development Officer of Yahsat, said: “On behalf of Thuraya & Yahsat, we are delighted we took part in the SATExpo Summit. Yahsat is at the forefront of transformation within the satellite communications industry. Building upon our success in key satellite communications segments, we are accelerating our efforts to venture into new market verticals as part of Yahsat’s comprehensive D2D and IoT strategy, which encompasses several sectors and use cases. This can be seen with our decision to combine satellite and cellular communications through the introduction of SKYPHONE by Thuraya and with the many other exciting solutions we have in the pipeline.”

Joakim Espeland, CEO, QuadSat, Denmark, said: “We were delighted we took part in the discussion on ‘Advances in Antenna Registration Processes from Gateway to User Terminal’. The discussion unveiled vital insights on innovations in antenna testing and calibration, the use of advanced testing in calibration, and the future of antenna registration and calibration.”

Various spotlight sessions were hosted, which included distinguished speakers, such as Salman Babazade, VP Sales SADC, East and Central Africa, Azercosmos, Azerbaijan, and Ramsey Khanfour, CCO, ABS (Agility Beyond Space), UAE.

Likewise, the Content Congress continued on day two of CABSAT 2024, to bring together professionals from the media, broadcast, and technology spaces to explore trends and ideas that will influence how individuals create, connect, and monetise the content lifecycle. The session enabled participants to stay current on the advancements within the changing media landscape, understand cross-border and regional collaboration, as well as leverage the growing content creation economy for new opportunities.

Grass Valley, a pioneer in live production solutions, announced that Saudi Arabia-based Arabsat – a major global satellite operator that delivers over 700 TV and radio channels to more than 80 countries – has chosen its AMPP SaaS platform as the foundation for a new three-tiered suite of broadcast transmission services.
The new services are based on Playout X, an AMPP-based SaaS solution that will enable Arabsat customers to broadcast quality signals in a much more flexible and efficient way.

This year, CABSAT is also launching exclusive Brand Ambassador programme that is open to exceptional business leaders. This distinguished group of experts will shape the media and entertainment landscape, initiate high-level conversations between key partners, and help drive opportunities that support the MENA region becoming a coveted destination for the sector.

The selected ambassadors include: Sanjay Raina, Global Media and Entertainment Executive; Manoj Mathew, Director of Studios and Events at Dubai Studios, Dubai Media; Kabir Khan, Film Director; Crispin Dominic, CEO and Founder, Action Filmz Production; Randall Barney, Director of Certification and Membership, World Teleport Association, USA; Vijaya Cherian, Head of the Broadcast and Satellite Division at CPI Trade Media; Virgil Labrador, Editor-in-Chief, Satellite Markets and Research, USA, and Heba Korayem, Content Market and Distribution Specialist, H Consult.

CT Bureau