CABSAT’s MENA Co-Production Salon returns for a second edition, offering exciting opportunities to content creators, production houses and investors

Dubai, UAE, CABSAT, the flagship event for broadcast, media, satellite, and entertainment industries, is once again teaming up with HConsult to host the second annual MENA region Co-Production Salon at the show’s upcoming edition, which takes place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from May 16-18, 2023.

The Co-Production Salon builds on the success of its debut in 2022, as, once again, the initiative will aim to encourage investment in MENA content projects through co-funding, co-production, and commissioning. It will also facilitate opportunities to explore other content funding avenues such as brand integration, private investments, and product placement.

The first Co-Production Salon held in 2022 attracted more than 40 participating companies, including reputed international platforms, TV channels, production houses, and private investors. This year’s Salon will once again be based in a dedicated meeting lounge that promises to be even more expansive and well-equipped than before, complete with private areas to meet, network, and discuss business.

With its 29th edition fast approaching, CABSAT is once again working with the most innovative content creators, producers, broadcast technology providers, as well as satellite distribution and content delivery companies, to identify common traits of success across all verticals that can serve as the blueprint for future growth.

Highlights from the previous edition of the Co-Production Lounge included Roya TV from Jordan, Egypt’s T-Vision, Morocco’s Image Factory, and Bright Lens Media from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as some of the participating companies, while the 2023 instalment will welcome both Arabic and foreign film content looking to explore opportunities for co-production in long-form entertainment content, co-funding entertainment content, and commissioning projects for OTT Originals.

Commenting on her experience of the first-ever Co-Production Salon last year, Katerina Pshenitsyna, deputy CEO at SMF Animation, one of the global giants in animation production and distribution, said: “Last year’s event was spot-on. We are still actively looking for real co-production opportunities in Arabic kids’ content.  For the past 80 years our content has been travelling worldwide, and now that we have an established presence in the MENA region, we look forward to more content partnerships that develop wonderful stories from this part of the world, for the region and beyond.”

Speaking in anticipation of this year’s event, Medhat Karam, CEO of Shofha, one of the region’s fastest-growing OTT platforms, said: “Partnerships and collaborations are an integral part of our company’s DNA. We sent the full team to attend last year, and we are planning to participate again this year, with a focus on expanding our partnerships not only in content production, but also rights sharing with other platforms.

“Our strength lies in our scalability; since we’re already very well-established in important mass territories like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, we’re able to co-invest with our partners in great quality content for a fraction of the market price. Also, we’re now rapidly expanding into other territories like Africa, so economies of scale that we gain will naturally be passed on to our partners. At this coproduction salon we look forward to meeting with established production houses, platforms, and potential business partners.”

Heba Korayem, Content Market & Distribution Consultant at HConsult, who will chair the Salon again this year, spoke highly of the initiative, stating that the previous event saw over 250 quality meetings take place, with around 30 high-value partnership deals in negotiation during the three-day period.

Korayem added: “I can confidently count that at least half of the business deals discussed have already been closed. That’s pretty good in the MENA region, as it is not unusual for deals to take several months to finalise. I’m delighted that we are able to offer the opportunities to the right people that can accelerate the process.”

Also expected to participate in this year’s Co-Production Salon are some of the most prominent platforms and broadcasters, including Shahid, TOD, StarzPlay, VOX, OSN, StarsPlay, E-Vision, and Saudi Broadcast Corporation, along with noted Arabic content producers from the UAE-based Eagle Films; Saudi’s Art Format Lab; Cedars Art from Lebanon, and the Egyptian Arpu Plus and United Media Services.

About CABSAT: With a history of over 28 years, CABSAT is the only specialised event that draws more than 14,000 business professionals from the MEASA region’s media, content, and digital industries. Over the years, the event has welcomed the highest number of regional attendees, including engineers, system integrators, and broadcasters from the content creation, broadcast, and satellite industries, as well as content buyers, sellers, producers, and distributors. In line with its vision to provide a platform for business, networking, and knowledge sharing for the MEASA region’s media markets, CABSAT continues to work with innovative content creators, producers, broadcast technology providers, and content delivery companies to identify traits of success that will fuel the growth of the industry.

About HConsult: A Dubai-based consultancy specialized in facilitating business within the Content production and distribution industry in the Arabic-speaking MENA region. With a network of more than 100 broadcasters and the region’s 50 OTT platforms, HConsult is known for tracking the MENA region’s content market activities, such as investment and distribution patterns for different types of Arabic and imported content within the Arabic-Speaking world. HConsult uses this data to help international companies evaluate the scope of opportunity in the region, as well as identifying scalable opportunities for investors in entertainment content.

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