Page 80 - CABSAT ENGLISH PR REPORT - FEBRUARY to MAY 2023

6/1/23, 10:59 AM High-value deals predicted after Co-Production Salon successfully concludes second edition at CABSAT 2023
The first Co-Production Salon, held in 2022, witnessed the participation of over 40 companies,
including reputed international platforms, TV channels, production houses, and private investors.

This year's edition, located in an invite-only area of the three-day show, offered a dedicated meeting
lounge to encourage investments in long-form entertainment content to and from the MENA region,
including series and films, through collaborative efforts between the largest regional and

international media entities.

Kicking off the event, the first day set the stage for productive and engaging experiences. Key
highlights included an exclusive presentation by the founder of the Co-Production Salon, Arabic

content market expert Heba Korayem, who shared valuable insights on the MENA region's
Ramadan peak TV month, which is estimated to be worth a staggering USD 0.5 billion . This was
followed by an analysis by Rafal Radawiec, CEO of Polish AI-powered security company Vestigit, of

piracy’s impact on the Ramadan content production industry in 2023. Additionally, insights on the
growth of FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television) and ad-supported content monetisation
in MENA were shared by Maria Rua Aguete, Senior Research Director of UK-based research

company Omdia.

Tony Saab, SVP of Content and Strategic Partnerships at Starzplay, emphasised the value of Co-
Production Salon in the sector, stating: " The industry needs an initiative like the Co-Production

Salon. Finding appropriate potential content partners was made simpler for us as the businesses
selected to join have already been pre-filtered using a set of criteria.”

Around 20 companies, selected based on specific criteria such as number of hours produced,

ability to co-fund/invest or having produced for a broadcasting entity excluding social media,
participated in the Salon, which facilitated over 240 high-quality meetings, encouraging discussions
on co-funding and rights sharing. Leading platforms and production houses actively sought high-

quality producers to commission new projects and explore innovative ideas.

Prominent media entities participated at HCONSULT’s Co-Production Salon at CABSAT, including
the MENA region's biggest Arabic production houses, such as Cedars Art, MBC Studios, Eagle

Films, VOX Studios, Arab Telemedia Group, and over 20 other Arabic production powerhouses
spanning Egypt, Tunisia, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Oman. Along with Starzplay, all

major regional streaming platforms were present, from Shahid to OSN, and Jawwy (Saudi
Telecom), and 10 others. Additionally, major international companies like Paramount,
Entertainment Studios from the US, Greenstone from New Zealand, Zee Entertainment from India,
and Yandex from Russia attended, demonstrating a global interest in the initiative.

Elena Brodskaya, Head of International Content Strategy at Yandex, a MENA-based entertainment
super app and one of the leading platforms in the CIS region, expressed her enthusiasm for the

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