Artists are calling for satellite TV to develop to face the fierce competition

Alarm bells from new platforms ... to traditional TV

Artists and drama makers emphasized that traditional television stations have become obligated to develop from themselves and their policies to confront the fierce competition and the alarm bell that the new digital display platforms ring, especially in light of the success of these platforms in attracting large numbers of viewers, especially the youth and teenagers.

And they expressed their belief that the traditional television stations will not disappear due to this difficult competition, and their audience will remain, and the radio has maintained its continuity despite some expecting it to disappear after the emergence of television.

The artist, Abed Fahd, said that there is a major difference between the traditional stations and the platforms, and it is the space of freedom for each of them, so the stations are bound by red lines in their content in order to conform to the values ​​of society, as they reach the viewer in his home, and the family often gathers together to follow The works that it exhibit, therefore, it is keen to ensure that what it presents is commensurate with all ages, and to keep away from what contradicts that, such as violence, blood, bold and scratchy scenes, etc. Thus, it is able to raise more daring issues, and its nature helps in that viewing what it presents is only available to those who seek to participate in it, and often viewing these works is characterized by an individual character, as the subscriber can follow the artwork alone via his mobile phone or the (i) IPad) or PC ».

Abed Fahd warned - in response to a question from "Emirates Today" during a media visit to the filming site for the series "350 Grams" in Abu Dhabi - of the impact of the platforms and the artistic content they provide for children under 18 years of age, which may leave an impact on their behavior and ideas.

Renewed competition

For her part, the artist, Karen Rizkallah, made a comparison between the current competition between televisions on the one hand, and digital platforms on the other hand, and those raised by the emergence of satellite TV versus ground stations, as in the past in each country there was a limited number of channels, and the audience was He was forced to follow what she presented, and with time the satellite channels spread and the competition became strong, and the drama makers had to present important works so that they could draw attention to their production, in the midst of the quantity presented on the channels, indicating that the role came on satellite channels to face the competition of digital platforms And maintains its continuity and maintains its audience, by developing its work.

She explained that the platforms have advantages that have allowed them to attract the new generation, the most important of which is the ease of viewing content on a mobile phone or tablet and other devices, as the viewer can watch an entire series at the time and place that suits him, without having to wait in front of the TV screen at an appointment A specific show, daily or weekly, for episodes, or for him to follow ads and breaks that may permeate the show, as it happens on channels.

She added, "Traditional television channels still enjoy a large audience in the age group of 40 and over, and not the new generation that has become accustomed to international films and series, especially those that are dominated by the fast pace, excitement, suspense and ambiguity regarding the topics they present," stressing that Therefore, “Drama makers and those responsible for television channels must realize that there is a lot of information that must be dealt with in order to present a successful work that is suitable for television viewing, for the audience of the age groups of 40 years and over to attend, and at the same time suitable for viewing through digital platforms. And address the viewers of the young generation and the young, and one of the most prominent of these data that the work is characterized by intelligence ».

Positive outlook

While the director, Mohamed Lotfy, stopped in front of the positive side of the competition and that it is in the interest of the viewer, indicating that despite the success of the digital platforms, and their ability to impose a certain character on the artistic works produced in the recent period, such as the tendency to present works that tend to topics of ambiguity, excitement and suspense And serials whose episodes do not exceed 12 or 15 episodes, but there is an important point in the interest of traditional channels, which is the association of the Arab viewer with the drama meal provided by these channels in the month of Ramadan, and the convergence of very high viewing rates.

Lotfi added, "It is difficult to witness a Ramadan season without serials consisting of 30 episodes, even in light of the tendency of some drama makers to present works that are limited to 15 and 12 episodes, but it is difficult to overwhelm and impose their control on the Ramadan drama season."

numbers

It is noticeable that there is a lack of, and perhaps an absence, studies and statistics to measure the impact of the "Covid-19" pandemic on the competition between television stations and digital platforms, perhaps due to lack of time. On the other hand, reports dating back to 2019 stated that worldwide pay TV is the biggest loser after the spread of electronic platforms. According to the results of a study conducted by eMarketer Research, and distributed by several global platforms, the American is turning to more home entertainment, preferring applications such as "Netflix" and "Amazon Prime" and others, and thus he tries to save the costs of those subscriptions by canceling his subscription to pay TV or cable TV , The results indicated that more than 30% of users are already taking that step, that is, more than 30 million people, according to the report.

Meanwhile, TV researcher at consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, Mukul Krishna, indicated that the percentage of those who watch traditional television in the Middle East ranged between 85% and 90%, compared to 25% and 30% who watch broadcast services via the Internet.

• Regular channels will not disappear because of the difficult competition. The radio also maintained its continuity after the advent of television.

• The platforms have advantages that have allowed them to attract young people, the most important of which is the ease of viewing at any time.

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