Tech strategies for an evolving modern MENA media ecosystem

Broadcast Pro

15-05-2025

In a streaming-first era, relevance and adaptability are vital. As viewing shifts across devices and platforms, businesses tap into real-time audience behaviour to shape agile content strategies. We summarise a discussion during which GCC tech leaders explored hybrid monetisation, AI-driven content creation, recommendation engines, metadata tagging and cross-platform personalisation, all key to engaging diverse audiences.
At the BroadcastPro Summit KSA in February, Athanas Jamo, Chief Client Director, Ipsos, moderated an intriguing session on media technology strategies with a panel of industry leaders: Dominic Farrell, Group CTO, MBC Group; Dom Wedgwood, CTO, Arqiva; Nisrine Ghazal, VP Digital, Rotana Media Services; and Peter Van Dam, Chief Broadcasting Officer, Saudi Pro League.
With consumption across 80-85% of the GCC, penetration remains high. As streaming shakes this media ecosystem, Jamo queried how broadcasters balance the linear to on-demand shift, and their monetisation, personalisation and AI techniques.
From an engagement point of view, it presents challenges, remarked Dominic Farrell, Group CTO of MBC Group. 'The proliferation of smart devices continues to grow with the influx of cheaper, smart enabled devices. We relaunched Shahid in 2019 to transform it from what was traditionally a catchup TV service, because we knew the streaming trend was coming and wanted to be assured of a presence there.'
Using exclusive content, windowing, putting newest content onto linear first and then moving it onto the OTT platform are the obvious ways to engage. 'We also look at companion devices. So you could be taking part in a poll or a quiz using your device, while watching a news show or live sport on the main TV. Or you could engage with statistics and replays and the like on a companion device.'
The newly released MBC Now box is the broadcaster's first-ever pure streaming device. Later this year, it will launch a hybrid satellite box that will allow customers to plug a box into their existing satellite capabilities to connect to the internet, Farrell confided. Combining the best of free linear and pay-TV in a unified user experience, it will allow customers to browse free content along with other content in a single user interface.
'We believe satellite distribution will remain dominant for entertainment across the MENA for at least the next five to 10 years, and this application will appeal to a majority of customers across the Middle East,' he said.
While the streaming legacy continues, media companies reinvent approaches to stay relevant. Instead of having another streaming app in a cluttered market, Rotana looked at digitally transforming its existing channels for monetisation, said Nisrine Ghazal, VP Digital, Rotana Media Services. With 16 channels, 10 of which are free-to-air, Rotana has embedded HBBTV protocols and 'transformed those from analogue to hybrid channels that connect to an ad server we can serve digital advertising on'.
Noticing that advertisers require inventory at scale, Rotana created a marketplace wherein other video publishers and broadcasters in the region may also expose their advertising inventory without having to invest in resources. Because digital transformation is a massive investment that several publishers and broadcasters are struggling with, 'we do a revenue share model so you're not really investing in anything at the start'.
'We provide a comprehensive end-to-end advertising solution powered by cutting-edge ad technology. Our investment in the most advanced video ad server ensures optimal performance, while our direct integrations with leading SSPs and DSPs streamline the entire ecosystem. We also offer a dedicated sales force to maximise monetisation opportunities. Understanding that publishers and broadcasters are cautious about sharing data, the Rotana solution analyses audience behaviour and key parameters to build insightful audience profiles, enhancing targeting while maintaining data privacy.'
In this distinctly hybrid landscape, leveraging the best know-how becomes crucial for broadcasters of sport when it comes to fan engagement. 'As a league, we have an obligation towards our broadcasters and rights holders to ensure they get the right content and good content,' emphasised Peter Van Dam, Chief Broadcasting Officer, Saudi Pro League (SPL). 'Our focus is fan engagement and making sure we bring the excitement and atmosphere in the stadium to the viewer at home.'
Football being top entertainment on its own, the SPL is viewed in 49 countries, but getting the bigger audiences to stay means adding value to content. 'We do that with short forms and by distributing additional footage that's not seen in the world feed itself. Each region is different – Brazil, China, [non-Nordic] Europe, the Nordic countries – all of them come with their unique tastes. So technology becomes very important in the personalisation of feeds and products that we deliver.'
Good streaming performance requires state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology that can take on the challenge, commented Dom Wedgwood, CTO, Arqiva. 'Our responsibility as a trusted managed-service provider is to make sure we help broadcasters and rights holders make the right choices in a hybrid world. With different distribution models, we look at products and services that can operate in today's complex landscape.
'It means using the best technologies, whether that be IP and software, deployed either in the cloud or on-premise. This is especially important to get right when there is need for heightened awareness around cyber security, or quality and latency requirements specific to sport. We are thinking about products and services that allow one operation that can satisfy streaming and broadcast capabilities in a unified way.'
Infrastructure when streaming live events is about understanding the whole flow of where the content has come from, whether a live studio or football stadium. 'What you have at the last point, how you encode that and post on the internet, determines how well it is accepted by all the devices, from the ones that don't cope so well to the most modern connected TVs,' he added.
A lot of publishers look at the content side of the business without paying much heed to monetisation, Ghazal pointed out. 'They build their platforms on products that don't necessarily connect with the right ad servers or play out proper ads and video content in the way they're supposed to. Platforms need to pay attention to ad solutions because that is a sustainable model. They cannot rely on just subscription.'
With AI fundamentally changing the way the media industry operates, balancing innovation with cost-effective and reliable tech solutions is necessary.
'AI is perfect at driving incremental efficiencies,' stated Farrell. 'We are using it to create five-minute or 10-minute sports clips or for highlights, and then targeting customers based on their viewing durations. Having AI automatically format and reformat content is extremely useful.
'We are using it to do first-run passes on all content, to check for nudity or profanity. Additionally, we are also looking into how we can use AI to breathe new life into old content. We are delving into our deep archive of '40s and '50s content which was originally shot in low-quality black-and-white, and using AI we can convert them into both HD and colour. Essentially this would allow us to re-monetise content that had previously lost its appeal.'
Partnering with technology solutions providers who have AI within their systems helps optimise monetisation strategies. 'From a data standpoint, we've partnered with Nucleus.ai,' said Ghazal. 'They look at various parameters for audience behaviour across platforms, which are then brought into our DMP and build audience profiles. A lot of publishers are hesitant in providing those data parameters, so we are using AI to build profiles.'
For ad-serving solutions, Rotana has partnered with SpringServe to enhance campaign efficiency and brand safety. Its AI-powered programmatic solution automatically scans advertiser creatives to detect any content that may conflict with or compete against the broadcaster airing it. This automated screening serves as the first layer of review.
'If any content is flagged as questionable, it is then escalated for human verification, ensuring that AI enhances the process without replacing the critical oversight of manual review,' said Ghazal. 'It's an efficiency standpoint; we don't disrupt the audience behaviour.'
Rotana is also working with brands to use AI for seamless integration of ads, such as dynamically inserting a soda can in a lunch scene or a cream in a bedroom.
While AI is being administered, ethical outcomes must be considered.
'Even though we're broadcasting live games, we maintain a rigorous internal quality control process and uphold a clear ethical code throughout,' said Van Dam. 'We monitor it at all times, making sure whatever goes on air is top quality. It's not just about censorship; a lot of times on TikTok or other verticals we don't see the goal or the player, just a green field. This was probably AI-created and nobody looked at it before it was published, adding no value whatsoever. When we publish our highlights, it is still manually adjusted or extended or shortened to ensure that it is visually and factually appealing and right.'
Businesses can be classified as AI-ready or accelerated. While there are use cases that companies take on as innovation opportunities, 'the overarching message is that it's okay to only be getting ready, because most companies have to first make sure their data is organised appropriately', said Wedgwood. 'At the core of Arqiva is a security and data business managing critical national infrastructure in the UK for broadcast. Knowing the security of the data, of where it is and what we're doing with it, is paramount.'
The new Arqiva is leaning into the OTT ecosystem with dynamic ad insertion and personalisation, with a mission to help get content to every single end device. 'Our brand-new cloud playout platform, which can be on-prem as well, works around the different methods that we serve content for traditional broadcast, OTT and content creators. That ecosystem is huge. For example, one Manchester United creator has nearly four million subscribers. They require lightweight tools, and when we build things we want to give them infrastructure that can help with personalisation and monetisation.'
Within this streaming ecosystem, there is huge potential for innovation – there's absolute control and capability between the encoder, origin, playout and player. 'All of those are different opportunities for the content to be adapted, from HTML graphics, promotional content, monetisation or otherwise – that's a huge and exciting space we are in,' commented Wedgwood.
Beyond the infrastructure and emerging technologies is data sharing that is crucial for all monetisation strategies, reiterated Ghazal. 'Whether it's a behavioural target, contextual, whether it's lookalikes, cross-device platforms or something else, we need that information to be able to generate money for broadcasters. Secondly, all channels must have proper manifests and SCTE markers that make the experience seamless for the viewer and broadcaster.
'Thirdly, programmatic advertising – it is not only open auction, but there are also models today that don't involve open auction, whether they are PG deals or PMP deals. We as ad resellers or sellers negotiate with specific clients and create deals within those closed parameters.'
Everything starts with data, particularly with personalisation, agreed Farrell. 'Customer data platforms aggregate data, and hyper-personalisation is about combining data sources to give the most accurate representation of viewers, which fundamentally impacts recommendations.'
Eventually, it is about listening to viewers and fans, said Van Dam. 'To make sure we can provide content specifically tailored for regions, and more importantly to everybody. Sometimes we hear the younger generation doesn't want to see a full game anymore, only a recap in 15 minutes, that's the way they consume. We must adapt constantly and stay dynamic.'
It is also about not 'ruining the experience, because your viewers will churn if every time there's an ad, there is a flash frame of something else', said Wedgwood. 'If that SCTE marker and the timing hasn't been thought about, if it's not the right quality and not a TV-like experience, people will leave. As much as we're changing to watch it on other devices, we still want it to be like TV – seamless. And the key to that is real-time data and focused analytics about the quality of experience.'
Zenith Media forecasts that by 2026, CTV advertising spend in MENA will reach half a billion dollars. 'The biggest challenge is that if broadcasters attempt to sell digital advertising on their video platforms independently, they lack the scale and volume needed to attract advertisers,' said Ghazal. 'That's why the aggregated marketplace we've built is so crucial, and especially for smaller players. It allows them to be part of a consolidated opportunity that advertisers can easily access. Without this, advertisers will continue to allocate their budgets to platforms like YouTube for scale, which currently we believe captures about 80% of that half-billion-dollar spend. Unfortunately, that valuable ad revenue won't be redistributed or reinvested within the region, ultimately limiting industry growth and sustainability.'
As new devices keep coming, creating a consistent consumer proposition across all device types can pull businesses back to the lowest common denominator. It can hinder innovation. Understanding that complexity, and choosing the right partners and suppliers, will help move the system forward and at the same time create a seamless user experience across all devices and platforms.