Friday 26 / April / 2024
Salalah: A two-day ninth annual satellite TV Broadcast forum, hosted by the Sultanate and represented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, was opened at the Rotana Resort in Salalah yesterday.
The forum was inaugurated under the auspices of Dr. Abdul Munim bin Mansour Al Hasani, Minister of Information.
In a statement to the media, the Minister of Information stressed the importance and the role of the forum in light of the big competition in satellites and the progress made in IT&C all over the world.
He pointed out to the great efforts made by the Arab Satellite Communications Organisation – Arabsat – and the participation of a large number of experts and officials at the 9th forum in Salalah. The forum is expected to provide a platform for sharing experiences and knowledge about the new developments in IT&C field.
Said bin Hamdoon Al Harthy, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications for Ports and Maritime Affairs and acting Undersecretary of the Ministry for Communications delivered a speech where he said Arabsat has managed to make great headway since its establishment despite the tough global competition.
He pointed out that Arabsat has played a key role in connecting the Arab region to the rest of the world.
He pointed out that the Sultanate is one of the pioneering founders of Arabsat and active member in its general assembly and board of directors. The Minister of Transport and Communications is the chairman of Arabsat General Assembly for 2017. The Sultanate also hosted the General Assembly meeting that was held in April 2017 in the presence of Arab communications and information ministers.
On his part, Khalid bin Ahmed Balkheyour, President and Chief Executive Officer of Arabsat delivered a speech where he said that the forum includes a number of seminars and activities that will benefit all participants. He noted that Arabsat will continue its development and growth and will provide new services for its public and private organizations operating in TV transmission and communications.
The forum included working papers and panel discussions on the latest departments in TV transmission, HD transmission with participation of a large number of Arab and international media figures as, a large group of owners and officials in the satellite television broadcasting industry.
Wael Al Bati, Arabsat vice-president for sales and marketing made a presentation on Arabsat 62 East. Subramanian, Research Manager at Frost & Sullivan made a presentation titled 'Facts about Arabsat 62 East'.
The panel discussion provided an understanding of the dynamism behind trends by the key TV broadcast companies to joint 62 East site, especially Arabsat continuously combatting piracy and protecting content.
The first day panel discussions focused on challenges related to maintaining viewers' interest in content, content creation, acquisition, supply and demand strategies, financial profits and means to sustain them.
The members will also discuss means towards the future, the current trend towards HD and UHD broadcasting, the gaps in TV broadcast value chain and opportunities for vertical and horizontal merger.
