Ali Jaber Discusses the Future of TV at the Arab Media Forum
Ali Jaber discusses Future of TV at the Arab Media Forum held at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on October 4, 2022 (AUD/Lujain Ammar).
Streaming services are looking towards an unclear future, shares Director of MBC Group and Dean of the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Communication (MBRSC) at the American University in Dubai Ali Jaber during the Arab Media Forum (AMF) on Tuesday.
The Arab World’s “largest annual media gathering,” Arab Media Forum, was held on October 4th and 5th of this year. The event combined over 3,000 media experts from around the Middle East, including journalists, producers, and more leaders of the region, with this year’s focus on the future of media.
In his session “The Future of TV,” Jaber goes back in time to discuss the development of T.V, from its creation in the 50s, its prospering up until the 80s, and its transition into cable. “Instead of having it on air, T.V through cable became a warehouse for shows and series, and stations like MTV gave TV a big push,” said Jaber.
Moving through the timeline, Jaber further explains Netflix as a streaming platform on the rise, focusing on its challenges within the last year of keeping a large library, whilst other streaming platforms, including Hulu, HBO Max, and Disney+ were taking from it. “Netflix realized people had a ceiling that once reached, they cannot go past,” said Jaber, referring to the inability of consumers to pay more for what was initially offered.
He further discusses how his own platform at MBC, Shahid, launched in 2008 and later rebranded in 2020, has the need to keep on “churning.” “We at Shahid need to pay more to produce original and real content, not to gain subscribers, but to keep our existing ones.”
Jaber relayed two main issues that had converged: an investment switch from drama to reality shows, and return profitability from advertisements. “The formula had to be relooked.”
Nonetheless, Jaber relays that entertainment through TV will continue to have a vital role within our world. “The most significant thing to look at is the fact that both entertainment and storytelling are a necessity,” he states. He ends by implying that the future of TV cannot be predicted, and that “god knows best” what it will become.
The Arab Media Forum has been held for over 20 years, starting as a flagship project under the The Dubai Press Club in 2001, and will continue to strive as the most prominent media conference. Dates for the next forum are still to be determined.
