WELCOME ADDRESS
Vijaya Cherian, Publishing Director, BroadcastPro ME and SatellitePro ME
Venue: TBC
Welcome to the premier B2B
conference and awards of the MENA
Media and Entertainment industry
November 5, 2026
2025
Agenda
-
- 09:00 AM – 09:30 AMRegistration & Networking Coffee
- 09:30 AM – 09:40 AM
- 09:40 AM – 10:30 AM
Streaming 2.0 — Building the Middle East’s Next Digital Powerhouses
With streaming in the Middle East having entered its next chapter, OTT leaders and strategists will explore how to scale, monetise and differentiate in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital markets
- Redefining monetisation models for scale: AVOD, SVOD, hybrids
- Building cloud-native, resilient and scalable platforms
- Harnessing AI for smarter discovery and personalisation
- Mastering retention in hyper-competitive OTT markets
- Navigating licensing, rights and regional distribution hurdles
Moderator
Tracey Grant, Industry Leader and Media VeteranConfirmed Panelists
Ahmed Qandil, Director of D2C Business – Shahid, MBC GROUP
James Walmsley, Director Technology, Analytics and Product, TOD
Jim Hall, Senior Sales Engineer, Fastly
Nisrine Ghazal, Vice President Digital, Rotana Media
Samer Majzoub, General Manager, Viu MENA
- 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Fireside chat: Beyond Streaming: How TOD 2.0 is Powering Fan-First Experiences with LiveLike
Explore how TOD and LiveLike are transforming digital viewing into an interactive journey through gamification, personalization, and real-time community engagement.
Confirmed Panelists
- 10:45 AM – 11:30 AM
PANEL
Game On — Reinventing Sports Broadcasting in MENASports remains the crown jewel of broadcasting, and MENA is rewriting the rules. This panel dives into the business models, technologies, and fan engagement strategies reshaping the future of live sports
- Securing and monetising premium sports rights in a fragmented market
- The rise of D2C platforms and shifting fan expectations
- Solving latency: delivering sports live, everywhere, instantly
- Mastering sound for live sport
- Data-driven engagement: building communities, not just audiences
- Leveraging social platforms to reach digital-first sports fans
- The war on piracy and protecting billion-dollar rights
Moderator
John Nolan, Head of Sports & Commercial Investment/ MD of APEX Content Ventures, Publicis MediaConfirmed Panelists
André Fläckel, Executive Advisor, Phygital International DMCC
Barry Kassab, Market Development Manager, Shure
Peter Van Dam, Chief Broadcasting Officer, Saudi Pro League - 11:30 AM – 11:45 AM
COFFEE BREAK
- 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Fireside chat: Live Streaming at Scale: JioStar’s IPL 2025 Playbook
An in-depth look at JioStar’s landmark IPL 2025 coverage. From delivering seamless, high-definition streams to engaging millions of viewers in real time, this fireside chat unpacks the strategy, scale, and tech behind one of the year’s biggest live sports events.
Brought to you by
Confirmed Panelists
Vijaya Cherian, Editorial Director, BroadcastPro Middle East - 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
PANEL
Broadcast Unbound — Tech Transformations Redefining the Industry
From IP migration to immersive UHD, broadcast is undergoing its most radical reinvention in decades. Tech leaders will gather to talk about the innovation driving how content is created, delivered and consumed
- From legacy to cloud-first: scaling IP-based workflows
- Distributed production as the new global norm
- Virtualisation, automation, and AI in the control room
- Next-gen viewing: UHD, HDR and immersive experiences
- Securing the future: media infrastructure in a cyber age
Moderator
Paul Wallis, CEO, Granite Media ConsultingConfirmed Panelists
Hejar Berenji, CTO, Rudaw Media Network
- 12.45 PM– 2:00 PM
Lunch Break
- 2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
AI Across the Stack: From Creativity to Code
- What does operational excellence look like when AI drives content creation, recommendations, curation, and real-time live enhancements?
- From captioning to commentary, can AI handle the pace of live media without losing authenticity?
- How are AI-driven pipelines, predictive insights, and intelligent resource management changing the rules of platform engineering?
- Will engineers and creators rely on AI as a partner, or risk being replaced by it?
- How do we balance the efficiency of AI with the need for trust, transparency, and human oversight?
- 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
The Arabic Content Renaissance — Scaling Stories for Global Impact
Arabic storytelling is entering a new golden age. Content stakeholders will discuss the creative and commercial strategies powering ambitious productions, from big-budget dramas to co-productions that will travel
- Scaling Arabic drama for regional and global markets
- Balancing cultural authenticity with crossover appeal
- Exploring micro- and short-form dramas for regional and global audiences
- Financing and structuring premium co-productions
- Cross-border partnerships unlocking new audiences
- Cultivating the next generation of regional storytellers
Moderator
Souha El Assal, Lead – Dubai Studios, Dubai Media IncorporatedConfirmed Panelists
Belal El Trawy, Co-founder and CEO, DS+
Heba AlSamt, Director – Content Support Department, Dubai Media Incorporated
Joe Al Khawand, Head of MENA Content Production, Yango Play
Mazen Laham, CEO, Different Productions
Nader Mohammed Shehata, Senior VP – Content, Creative & Production, Zee Entertainment Middle East - 3:15 PM – 4:15 PM
The CEO Forum — Navigating Disruption and Driving Growth
The region’s most influential media leaders will debate strategy, disruption and the next wave of opportunities in the Arab world
- Steering through economic volatility in MENA
- Building sustainable business models for a media economy
- The impact of AI on the Media and Entertainment business
- Consolidation, M&A and partnerships reshaping the sector
- Reaching the digital-first, short-form generation
Moderator
Karim Sarkis, Partner, Strategy&Confirmed Panelists
- 4:30 PM
Conference closes
- 7:15 PM
Reception begins
- 8 PM Onwards
Awards begin
Event Sponsors
Thank you to all our amazing partners and sponsors for your support
Gold Sponsor
First Gulf Company
Principal Sponsor
Imagine Communications
Networking Sponsor
Fonn Group
PRESENTED BY
BroadcastPro ME
PRESENTED BY
SatellitePro ME
ORGANISED BY
CPI Pro Media
