3 March 2007

MIDDLE EAST BROADCASTING AND SATELLITE COMPANIES TRACK CHANGES IN GLOBAL MARKET


Media and Broadcast Technology Market Valued at USD 11.6 Billion; Market Growth of 11 Percent per Annum Recorded

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

CABSAT2007 – the region's leading Electronic Media and Satellite Communications exhibition – is set to welcome over 500 exhibiting companies, as the market for media and broadcast technology reaches its highest recorded value to-date.

Held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition from the 6-8 March 2007, visitors to CABSAT can see over 400 leading suppliers from 50 countries as well as several exciting new launches and demonstrations. The event will also enable industry professionals to meet with peers in a number of industry conferences and symposia, providing them with an opportunity to discuss the major changes occurring across the industry.

A new report from IABM, the association for media and broadcast technology suppliers, suggests that the overall value of the market is currently USD 11.6 billion, with recorded market growth per annum of almost 11 percent.

IABM's forecast is that broadcast and media technology market will be worth USD 17.5 billion by 2010.

One major trend underlined by the report – and further demonstrated by this year's CABSAT – is convergence, as telecommunication, broadcast, and information technologies integrate, bringing together previously separate forms of media.

By providing a shared platform for companies from the Electronic Media and Communications sectors CABSAT2007 will help further develop convergence within the Middle East.

"Convergence is changing the supply chain within the broadcasting and communication industries, creating major opportunities for innovative organisations to grow and develop. New methods for delivering content in a variety of formats are emerging all the time, which is a powerful incentive for companies to network and understand new trends in the market," said Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of CABSAT.

Example of such convergence technologies is Mobile TV technology using DVB-H and T-DMB standards. Companies that are demonstrating this at the Show include DMT Systems Spa, E-Vision, GloCom, Grass Valley, Harris Corporation, Newtec Productions NV and Rohde & Schwarz Emirates LLC.

"The success of CABSAT has been driven in part by its ability to stay ahead of new developments in the industry, and to provide a unique platform for local, regional and international groups to come together to discuss them," he added.

CABSAT will support a number of industry discussions to help companies understand the changes occurring in the communications and broadcast sectors.

CABSAT2007 Broadcasting Conference on 7 and 8 March will examine the theme of "digitalisation," exploring the new convergent technologies that are relevant to the broadcast, satellite and telecommunications industries.

The third GVF Satellite Symposium, organised in collaboration with Dubai World Trade Centre, will take place on March 7 and will also examine some of these themes.

CABSAT2007 is endorsed and supported by the Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU), Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), International Association of Broadcasting Manufacturers (IABM) and GVF.