Page 83 - CABSAT ENGLISH PR REPORT - FEBRUARY to MAY 2023

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

https://dubaibliss.com/co-production-salon-at-cabsat-2023-sparks-high-value-deals/