CABSAT 2025 continues to set stage for disruptive innovation
CABSAT 2025, the Middle East's premier broadcast, satellite and content event, has continued to lead the charge in technological disruption and innovation. On its second day, the event showcased a wave of AI-driven breakthroughs and next-generation technologies that are redefining the future of broadcasting, media production and entertainment.
Now in its 31st edition, CABSAT is taking place from May 13 to 15 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, drawing together more than 700 top-tier brands from around the world. The event serves as a showcase for cutting-edge developments in artificial intelligence, automation, virtual reality and content marketing.
A standout feature of the show was the unveiling of more than 10 new AI and automation-powered products, ranging from fully automated audiovisual and broadcasting systems to advanced LED/LCD display screens, innovative studio camera setups, and state-of-the-art wireless transmission technologies.
Among the most talked-about reveals was Costanza AI by SI Media—a highly advanced broadcast automation system that incorporates speech-to-text conversion, facial recognition, and object identification capabilities. Explaining the product, Paolo Favaro, EMEA Sales Manager, said: 'We are proud to launch our cutting-edge 'Costanza AI' solution at CABSAT 2025. The technology marks a groundbreaking advancement in broadcast automation, as it can seamlessly automate speech-to-text, facial recognition and object identification, further enhancing the efficiency of media workflows.
'In an industry where precision and speed are paramount, our solution empowers broadcasters to lower operational costs and maximise their production capabilities. Through its diverse capabilities ranging from AI-powered metadata generation to live content analysis, 'Costanza AI' holds the potential to elevate benchmarks of excellence in smart broadcasting.'
AI-powered solutions took centre stage at CABSAT, with another reveal coming from Zheng Yanwei, Product Manager from Zooxer Tech, who launched a new fully automated studio camera equipment at the exhibition. Yanwei commented: 'We are thrilled to introduce the 'Gazelle' studio camera crane, an innovation designed to positively transform automated camera movement in the industry. The equipment leverages cutting-edge AI and neural network technology to ensure unparalleled precision in body capture, even in dynamic and crowded environments. As the premier media event in the region, CABSAT is the perfect platform to unveil this breakthrough, highlighting our commitment to revolutionising smart camera technology.'
While sports took place across the halls of CABSAT, discussions at the show's Content Congress conference turned to next-gen sports broadcasting. The MENA sports media rights market is on a rapid growth trajectory, projected to reach $6.5bn by 2027 at a 9.2% CAGR, driven by digital transformation and fan demand for immersive experiences. A dedicated session moderated by Vijaya Cherian (CPI Pro Media), featured Anurag Dahiya (International Cricket Council), Marc Segar (NEP Group) and Sunil Joy (evision by e&) shared groundbreaking insights on monetising next-gen sports broadcasting through emerging technologies and fan-centric innovations and explored how emerging technologies and streaming platforms are reshaping sports media, with a focus on the MENA region's evolving landscape.
Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director, CPI Pro Media, stated: 'Streaming and emerging technologies are reshaping how fans, particularly Gen Z, connect with sports like cricket, creating more personalised, immersive, and inclusive experiences. With advancements in AI, AR, and machine learning driving rapid change, the real potential lies in purposeful execution, addressing challenges like piracy, and keeping pace with the shifting expectations of a global audience.'
Day two of the event also featured insights from other influential figures in the industry, including Heba Korayem, Founder of the CoProduction Salon; Manoj Mathew, Director of Dubai Studios at Dubai Media Inc; Shadi Nashwan, CEO and Co-Founder of PIXITOON; and Zbigniew Pruski, VP of Commercial Partnership for CEE & MENAT at BBC Studios. The Co-Production Salon itself boasted a 90% re-participation rate, underscoring its role in forging impactful industry collaborations and opening new avenues for content partnership.
Furthermore, CABSAT's on-site virtual production studio offers filmmakers and directors an avenue to create new worlds and explore their visions on the show floor. By combining practical sets and props with virtual backgrounds, the studio presents unlimited possibilities for artists to create freely by leveraging a highly adaptive and intelligent system.
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One example is the high profile move of a major hyperscaler to cut off the International Court of Justice's email access following political pressure, highlighting that vendor obligations can sometimes override customer needs. In addition to geopolitical concerns, regulatory pressure is also mounting, with regulations like DORA (Digital Operational Resilience Act) and NIS2 in Europe requiring financial institutions and critical infrastructure providers to ensure operational resilience. While it is true that geopolitical dynamics have put digital sovereignty into the spotlight, it would be a misconception to think of this as a fresh challenge, as at its core digital sovereignty is about resilience and autonomy. Organisations need to prove they can operate independently, even when global political shifts or vendor decisions disrupt their operations. Prepare for unintended consequences In April 2022, the Amsterdam Trade Bank (ATB), a financially stable Dutch institution, was forced into bankruptcy. This wasn't due to poor management or insolvency, but rather because of sanctions imposed on its Russian parent company, Alfa Bank. When the US, the EU and UK enacted sanctions against Russian entities in spring 2022, the ripple effects were catastrophic for ATB. Despite ATB being fully compliant with Dutch and EU laws, service providers, again being respectful with the same laws and sanctions, were obliged to abruptly terminate critical cloud services, including email and core banking operations. Without access to cloud-based workspaces and business software suites, ATB lost the ability to communicate internally or with customers, leading to its sudden collapse. While the sanctions against Alfa Bank have been implemented in a different context this case nevertheless underscores a critical distinction when it comes to the question of sovereignty: Own compliance does not guarantee autonomy. Even legally sovereign organisations can fail if they lack operational resilience. ATB's total dependence on their service providers left it defenceless when they withdrew support, a stark warning against vendor lock-in. While 'digital sovereignty' refers to government-mandated control, such as GDPR or data localisation laws, 'digital autonomy' is about an organisation's ability to operate independently, regardless of whether disruptions originate at the geopolitical or vendor level. This distinction has now been officially defined in the Netherlands by the Dutch government. ATB was sovereign (regulated under Dutch law) but not autonomous, so when its cloud providers pulled the plug, it had no backup plan. And, of course, ATB is not alone, in Australia another major hyperscaler accidentally deleted superannuation fund UniSuper's online account. Thankfully for UniSuper and its half a million members, they had taken the wise step of having a third party back-up. Building true autonomy takes a strategic approach To avoid ATB's fate, organisations need to take proactive steps towards technology and systems resilience. First, they should eliminate single points of failure by adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud strategies including on-premise solutions, reducing reliance on any single provider. Open source solutions, such as Red Hat OpenShift, offer portability across environments, helping businesses avoid lock-in to a single vendor's ecosystem, and providing customers with the flexibility, privacy and portability required to adapt to future regulations and sovereign requirements. In addition to this, specific technologies such as Confidential Computing can help you to continue using your current investments in cloud technologies while protecting your data from third party operations. Open source software, being a neutral decentralised way to develop software, delivers access and transparency while not relying on a single vendor, instead leaning on the decentralised community as the real back up. Next, organisations must control their exit strategy, for a smooth migration of data and applications if vendors change policies or face geopolitical restrictions. Lastly, they should invest in community-driven resilience that can provide an additional safety net. The CVE database, a cornerstone of global cybersecurity, nearly collapsed after US funding cuts but was saved by international collaboration, demonstrating the need for decentralised solutions and also the need to be able to keep innovating while protecting global collaboration and contributions. Innovating is costly and if you are only a consumer you may miss important advances and security. While digital autonomy is needed, we also must protect global collaboration and innovation with open source communities at its centre. Open source provides transparency and control of code while at the same time accelerating innovation, making it a key strategic investment for local/sovereign talent development. Organisations cannot afford to take a wait-and-see approach when it comes to establishing their digital future. Sovereignty laws will evolve, but resilience is permanent. Digital sovereignty isn't just a regulatory obligation, it's a strategic imperative for survival. The ATB and UniSuper cases showcase that legal compliance alone is insufficient, and that true autonomy requires technical resilience and independence from vendor lock-in.
