Wednesday, June 14, 2006

[Diary] Date with Beirut TV

[Diary Reminder]The second annual Middle East Broadcasters Association (MEB) Exhibition and Conference takes place in Beirut December 7-9, 2006. Based on 2005 show figures some 3,000 broadcast professionals from 25 countries are expected to attend.

The key highlight for 2006 will be ArabSat's first HDTV broadcast and it will be from within the Conference centre in Beirut.

Program content and distribution companies will have a greater presence in a new programming pavilion located on the exhibition floor itself.

"The Middle East is a hotbed of production right now - there are hundreds of production houses throughout the region," says Ahmad Maaz, president of MEB. "We want to offer these companies a chance to showcase their programs to broadcasting executives from Morocco to Oman and everywhere in between."

Ahmad Maaz explained to [DBVNA] that due to the convergence of a number of political and economic factors, as well as the growth of satellite television in the region, governments in the Middle East began relaxing ownership regulations just over a decade ago. The region that once had only one or two stations (all state-run) per country is now home to well over 200 television stations and more than 170 radio stations. With an average of three new television stations currently going live every month, the Middle East is now the fastest-growing broadcasting industry in the world.

Last year's MEB event, sponsored by Al Arabiya, Arabsat and Selevision, featured 70 exhibitors, including Avid, Apple, Thomson Broadcast, Aces/Panasonic, and Discreet. "We are very encouraged by the number of exhibitors, both old and new, that are signing up for this year's show," said Saad Nasr, MEB's general manager of the Middle East. "These companies do not want to miss any chance to meet with broadcasting executives in this region."

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