#TeamGrabyo touched down in Dubai last week – here’s what we got up to.

Last week it was beautiful sunshine as Team Grabyo touched down in Dubai, ready to catch up with friends old and new at Video Exchange MENA 2019.

Our partners in the Middle East region are producing some fantastic content using the Grabyo platform, and we were excited to connect with the industry to share our expertise and experience.

We were honored to be part of a main stage panel, entitled: ‘Thriving in the Attention Economy: navigating interactivity and multiscreen delivery in the bid for audience engagement.’

Aaron Duckmanton, our Head of Marketing, shared his insights into how the use of both short and long-from video is changing the way brands and broadcasters attract, retain and monetize audiences.

The panel opened with remarks from our 2019 Global Video Trends Report.

“Streaming has become the new normal. OTT services are now used as often as traditional TV and online streaming represents the largest segment for paid subscriptions. Consumers want flexibility, convenience and access to content across all devices at a low price point. We’re in a time of rapid growth in social video viewing driven by huge growth in smartphone usage.”

Speaking alongside representatives from Rotana, RoyaTV and UTURN Entertainment, the panel discussion explored the current trends in audience consumption across digital and social media, the value of short-from content, and how broadcasters need to adopt a multi-platform approach to both content creation and discovery.

Aaron explored how mobile devices are now the first screen for content discovery in every region, on every platform, and across every vertical and age group. He explained that broadcasters and content creators need to think mobile-first, especially when trying to grab audiences’ attention.

The value of short-form highlights has never been higher, meaning every broadcaster or rightsholder needs a fast, flexible way to get content to social and digital platforms. The panel explored how the demand for short-form highlights is increasing, and more emphasis needs to be placed on being first to market with content. If you can’t be the first to deliver content, you risk losing out on valuable ad revenue.

The panel concluded that to create and monetize a successful mobile-first video strategy, you need to be multi platform, multi-device and take into account, when how and where audiences are watching your content, and optimize your delivery accordingly.

We had a fantastic time sharing our insights and gaining a deeper understanding of the video industry in the MENA region. We can’t wait to come back.