We'll embark on a journey through the evolving streaming industry, where SVOD services have become the go-to choice for millions of viewers seeking premium entertainment at their fingertips. Our expert guest shares his experiences and strategies for building a formidable SVOD OTT proposition in this diverse and fast-paced market.

Moreover, we uncover the significant shift in focus towards Saudi Arabia, a burgeoning market with immense potential. Barry Mehdizadehs sheds light on the unique challenges and opportunities present in this dynamic market and how it has become a focal point for the growth and expansion of SVOD services in the MENA region.

Whether you're an industry professional, an avid streaming enthusiast, or simply curious about the landscape of OTT services in MENA, this podcast offers you an inside look into the efforts required to attain supremacy in the competitive world of SVOD OTT.

Key points

If there is one thing that everyone wants in a leader, its conviction. The belief that what they are doing is right, and the confidence to back themselves. This is what inspires any of us to follow our leaders and Amanda Turnbull has the experience, values, and vision to be a well-rounded leader

In this interview, Amanda talks about her experiences from a personal as well as a professional perspective. Her transparency is disarming and her clarity of thought is evident. I particularly enjoyed listening to the anecdotes that Amanda offers about moments in her life and how they relate to who she is today. From being a Graduate Management Trainee at TimeInc (IPC Media) in 1989, through leadership roles at Hachette Filipacchi and South China Morning Post in the days when Media meant ink on paper, then more recently senior leadership positions at Discovery across the Middle East. Amanda is outstanding in her class, but in her mind still learning and still a work in progress. I felt the sincerity of this comment when Amanda talked about setting up Rise has exposed her to new frontiers and experiences and the value that she takes every day from her role in the team

In late 2022 Amanda and her business partners/investors launched Rise Studios based in Dubai; an entertainment company driving investment into content creation and production throughout the Middle East and North Africa. Amanda personifies the passion and persistence a CEO has to have to make a success of such a big project and one with such huge potential. In this interview, you'll hear her articulate the vision for the proposition that is bringing tangible value from Rise Studios

This is an interview with a lady who is well known in Media, loved and respected, and admired by many. You'll see why when you see and hear Amanda speak about her life in this 45-minute interview. In her words, she is a media girl through and through.

Alexis Gaï reveals himself as deserving of his role at Cleeng in this interview; driven, polished and super positive. I'd waited to record this for a long time, so when the diaries aligned I embraced the opportunity. Alexis is a man reaching for the peak of success in how he operates. His passion is evident and his story is humble. Hard work and determination are the signatures of this career story; one that I hope will inspire others in a sales career looking to make it to the top.
For those who don't know them, Cleeng is a compelling proposition in the subscriber retention space. Their offering has emerged to respond positively to customer behaviors that drive them to churn and chop off important revenue. Cleeng puts clients ahead of the curve and offers methods that mitigate and reduce the impact.
The leaders in our industry determine the direction of success for the companies they represent. Their experience, their determination, and their ability to generate traction for their offering are how they carve out their reputations. Alexis offers these qualities in abundance, as this interview reveals.

Carlo De Marchis is someone who brings inspiration, creativity, and a phenomenal amount of intellectual depth when it comes to his analysis of the sector. His personal passion and constant exploration of new technological frontiers such as web 3.0, the Metaverse, and NFT is an insight into how progressive Carlo is naturally.

The OTTRED Spotlight podcast with Lydia Fairfax, one of the best interviews I’ve ever been lucky enough to do

This is the story of a lady who is inspired by her father's work ethic, who by her own admission is probably excessively self-critical, but who has become an amazing mother and inspirational female leader in the broadcasting technology space.

In this interview Lydia talks openly about how lucky she feels she has been in her life to attend private school education due to the inheritance that her parents received and how grateful she is for that.

She talks about the journey from starting her career in the legal profession and working her way up to global leadership at discovery setting up Discoverys primary OTT offering - Discovery+.

Above & Beyond everything else what arrested me most was how down to earth Lydia is and one can only imagine how empowering it must be to work for somebody who is so gifted at recognising and enabling the talent within her team.

I hope that you will enjoy listening to this interview as much as we enjoyed recording it