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Day two of the Abu Dhabi Media Summit 2014 honed in on the gaming sector of the media industry and considered the future of an older medium, television.

Digital Disruptor: The Business of Gaming

The business of gaming went under the spotlight in two dedicated Summit sessions.

Managing Director of Ubisoft Abu Dhabi, Yannick Theler, shared his insights on the future of gaming, considered to be one of most rapidly growing sectors of the region’s media industry. The average age of gamers is 31 and females make up 35% of all gamers. He told the audience that “the global online gaming market will be valued at $83 billion by 2016”.

Interview: They Got Game: The Next Generation

Robert A. Kotick, President and Chief Executive Officer, Activision Blizzard, discussed the growth opportunities for gaming companies in MENA and the challenges that lie ahead, in an then interview with Rory Jones, Technology Correspondent in The Wall Street Journal,

Mr. Kotick said: “We are highly interested in investing in MENA – it represents an extremely receptive and intellectually curious consumer base to us. There is a great appetite for supplying this region with local content that is culturally sensitive and we believe that the talent needed to achieve that is available”.

Panel: The Media in MENA: Localizing and Monetizing Content

The panel: “The Media in MENA: Localizing and Monetizing Content” highlighted that the need to localise content and create organic local content is undeniable. Panellists agreed that producing content that talks to local needs, values, and cultures is essential to meet consumer demand, while companies must also think about the profitability of content that is localised.

Panellist Robert Knezevic, Senior Vice President International Group, Sesame Workshop said: “32 countries broadcasting Sesame Street created their own versions of the show to cater for the critical age of pre-school children. They used their own writers, designers, and producers. For our business model, this fits in perfectly as our goal is to develop content that would send the right messages to the targeted audience”.

The panel also featured Sanjay Rania, General Manager, MENA, Fox International Channels; Rashed Al Harmoodi, Creator, Mansour Cartoon, and Vice President, Mubadala Corporate Communications; and Amira Rashad, Former Head of Media, Yahoo Middle East, Africa and Turkey.

Interview: future of broadcasting

Gerard Zeiler, President, Turner Broadcasting System International, looked into the crystal ball to give his predictions for the future of broadcasting, in an interview with Bill Spindle, Middle East Bureau Chief, The Wall Street Journal.

Mr. Zeiler said: “Linear television is here to stay. Today, channels are offering more programmes and content than ever before and we predict this trend to continue to grow. This is the golden age for television and consumers have the power”.

“The key to driving successful television channels is to manage the selection of programmes presented which in turn affects the brand image,” he added.

This year, Abu Dhabi Media Summit is open to the public on days 2 and 3 to help foster local interest in the industry and inspire future media talent. Attendees are encouraged to use #InAbuDhabi to share the experiences of the Summit and promote the Capital’s role in growing the media industry in MENA and beyond.

The full programme and list of speakers can be found on the ADMS 2014 website: www.admediasummit.com.

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