TFT1957 | TV & Film Technology Magazine October 2026, Issue 797 examines the changing Gulf and MENA broadcast market through sports production, IP infrastructure, operating models, AI, replay workflows, and the balance between automation and human craft.
The Gulf Sports Media Model Is Being Rewritten
Ammar Hina, Business Development Director at NEP Middle East & Asia, examines how investment in sports, changing production economics, and new operating models are reshaping the Gulf media market.
IP, Centralization, and the Return to Real-Time
Philip Grossman speaks with Simen Frostad, co-founder and Chairman of Bridge Technologies, about the move from SDI to IP, centralized software-defined infrastructure, control, latency, and the operational requirement for true real-time broadcast.
Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026
The issue also presents the Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026, bringing senior broadcast, sports production, media, and technology decision-makers together in Dubai for a closed-door working session.
The Gulf Sports Broadcasting Boom
Yusuf Mohammed Buti, CEO and Founder of Harbor House for Management, Media and Digital Services Consulting, discusses sports investment, localized production, connectivity, subscription models, OTT growth, and the changing economics of live sports distribution across the Gulf.
Technology Should Serve the Story
Omar Pleite Guerra, General Manager at Mediapro Middle East, traces a career spanning creativity, engineering, management, and live sports production, while examining how technology should support the editorial and production story rather than become an end in itself.
AI Can Show the Game — But It Can’t Create the Show
Diogo Açafrão, a sports TV director and EVS operator at Abu Dhabi Media, discusses automated cameras, replay workflows, cost pressure, professional skills, and the human judgment that still defines live sports storytelling.
Ammar Hina Appointed Strategic Chair of The Gulf & MENA Decision-Makers Forum 2026
