TV-Everywhere in Middle East to accelerate on the back of Pay TV services

TV-Everywhere in Middle East to accelerate on the back of Pay TV services; to grow at 60 per cent CAGR

DUBAI, U.A.E. — Globally, the TV-Everywhere universe is getting highly prominent for broadcasters and service providers alike. The ubiquity of the Internet and an explosion in high-quality connected devices has established a large audience base for video consumption outside the living room TV set.

A recent Frost & Sullivan study finds that the Middle East (ME) is optimal for growth of multiscreen video distribution. According to Frost & Sullivan, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) will be linked through 545 Million consumer connected devices by 2020, impacting business models and personal lives in a way that is unforeseeable today. While linear Pay-TV services contribute dominantly to revenue and viewership of video in the region, there is growing evidence that consumers increasingly watch content on video-capable Internet-connected devices. Eventually, the time spent online more or less equals the time spent on watching TV. Hence, content creators are seeking ways to distribute the content to multiple platforms.

As a Knowledge Partner for CABSAT 2014, Frost & Sullivan will present a White Paper on the ‘Industry Outlook on TV-Everywhere in the Middle East’ that will be made available to all the Delegates/Participants. This in-depth Industry Outlook will share key findings on the TV-Everywhere ecosystem — the essentials for content creators and distributors to distribute content over multimedia, a case study, and an insight into trends in the leading GCC countries for the growth of TV-Everywhere. The report will also present profiles of various vendors and service providers for this market.

Currently, YouTube dominates the multiscreen video in the region. However, all leading content providers also offer their own online and / or multiscreen video services to their subscribers, including Etisalat, OSN, Middle East Broadcasting Centre (MBC), amongst others, through their own networks or online video platforms. Frost & Sullivan estimates that Over-the-Top (OTT) services through Pay-TV providers comprise less than 10 per cent penetration of the total Pay-TV subscribers. However, it is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of at least 60 per cent over the next three years, as these service operators increase their investments in various offerings such as video-on-demand. The universe of multiscreen video also encompasses several native content aggregators in the region such as TE Live, Shahid, Icflix, and Istikana, who offer a plethora of international content alongside local Arab videos.

According to Vidya S. Nath, Research Director, Digital Media Practice, Global Innovation Centre, Frost & Sullivan, a Key Speaker at CABSAT 2014, “A typical TV-Everywhere ecosystem includes at least 15 different components spanning ingest to management, delivery, monitoring, and playback of content. Most vendors providing these solutions are multinational companies. Creating a cohesive collaborative set-up that can unify content workflows for linear broadcast television alongside multiscreen distribution will be priority for broadcasters, studios, and Pay-TV providers over the long term.”