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HOW THIS MEDIA CITY FUELS GLOBAL REACH FOR PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS
WHY BROADCASTERS STRUGGLE TO SOLVE MONETISATION WOES
WHAT SHOULD MEDIA COMPANIES DO NEXT TO STAY AHEAD IN BROADCASTING?
HOW MULTI-PLATFORM DELIVERY CHALLENGES MEDIA FIRMS IN EFFECTIVE CONTENT REACH
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**If you’re reading the small print you, may be missing the big picture caveat emptor
FROM THE EDITOR
Streaming platforms, which began as basic content delivery services, have now evolved into fully customized experiences, with viewers demanding more options. Sports fans, in particular, are looking for highly personalized features that allow them to chat with others, shop for merchandise, or see realtime game statistics while watching their favorite teams. Find out more on page 8.
In Indonesia, Taiwan, and India, companies are starting to use AI avatars in their news programs. Read about other innovative uses of AI on page 12.
However, with new technologies come new costs, and broadcasting executives are scrambling to rethink their monetization models and budget priorities. Discover the roadblocks they face on page 16. To overcome these challenges, experts suggest that broadcasters explore more cost-effective ways to distribute content and manage data egress fees. Learn more on page 10.
In our first-ever awards issue, we celebrate the outstanding achievements and innovative projects that are pushing the boundaries of broadcasting technology, digitalization, and engineering across the Asia-Pacific region in the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards. Check out the full list of winners on page 22. Congratulations to all!
Read on and enjoy!
Tim Charlton
Asia-PacificBroadcasting Magazine is a proud media partner and host of the following events and expos:
News from apb-news.com
Daily news from Asia
Reliance-Disney merger impacts content consumption in India
The multi-division, multi-faceted business conglomerate Reliance Industries will look to merge its TV and streaming assets with Walt Disney Co, creating the largest player on the Indian broadcasting scene. Since the merger requires CCI approval, it may take several months.
Next-gen tech drives media evolution at Broadcast Asia 2023
With an impressive lineup of top brands and industry leaders, the exhibition offers a platform for networking, knowledge-sharing, and showcasing the latest advancements in broadcasting technology. Industry experts eagerly anticipate the unveiling of cutting-edge equipment.
How to fight subscription fatigue while shaping your content
As consumer behaviours change in the face of economic uncertainty, the subscription-based monetisation model for video streaming services has reached a saturation point where consumers simply cannot afford multiple subscriptions. Customers are turning to piracy and account-sharing.
The IP remote production trend in the Asia-Pacific region is continuing at a stable rate after the accelerated push during the Covid-19 pandemic; however, the traditional remote production model, which was more of a ‘venue’ to a central facility, is an outdated one.
Why OTT providers may not need to go right over-the-top to gain viewers
Whilst viewer fatigue is a looming concern, the numbers are on the rise. According to Ampere Analysis, global over-the-top (OTT) subscription revenues hit the US$100 billion mark in 2022, while Statista predicts OTT TV and video revenue to reach the US$215 million mark by 2029.
Prioritising economic & social sustainability is a balancing act
With more and more businesses prioritising a shift to sustainability to build resilience and achieve competitive growth, the broadcast and media industry, is unsurprisingly, not an exception. However, what does sustainability really mean for broadcasters and media?
Cut costs & CO2: IP remote production here to stay
CAN STREAMING SUSTAIN PUBLIC SERVICE TV’S FUTURE?
The Mile High Video 2024 (MHV2024), one of the leading video coding and streaming events since 2016, was held in February 2024 and focused mainly on streaming and video coding technologies. It also raised many questions, including, “Can streaming & video coding advancements enable online-only delivery?”
More importantly, how do many of the topics discussed as part of MHV2004 relate to the public broadcast domain?
Tim Davie, Director General of the BBC, said, “Ensuring the universality of public service television is being sustained into the future is of paramount importance to the UK and all its public service broadcasters.
“We are delighted to be deepening our collaboration in helping viewers access our content, ensuring that, in the Digital Age, we deliver value for all audiences and that no one is left behind.”
Last year, the UK announced a free-to-access streaming service and also a media bill to address various challenges due to rapid changes in the broadcast and media landscape. The bill is expected to make provisions for public service television, sustainability, and programme-making. It also addresses governance, audit of services and powers, including the regulation of television selection services, the regulation of on-demand programme services, the regulation of radio services and the regulation of radio selection services.
A new streaming service: Freely — from UK public service broadcasters (PSBs), will deliver live free television via broadband. This streaming service will be offered to British television sets and streaming devices later this year. Although no official launch date has been set for Freely, the service is expected to begin operations in the second quarter of 2024.
costs to deploy quality connections often offset the savings from remote production
Can 5G reinvigorate Malaysia’s broadcast?
Aglobal pandemic, emerging technologies and evolving viewing habits have all contributed to transforming and reshaping the broadcast and media industry in recent years.
However, it has been an inert last couple of years for some broadcasters in the APAC region, including in Malaysia, and it all boils down to the drive to keep operational costs down, argued Dr Ahmad Zaki, Group General Manager, Engineering, as well as being Technical Advisor, Media Prima.
“In Malaysia, the economy has been weak, causing many broadcasters to just survive with what they have,” he told the publication.
Broadcasters in Malaysia who continue to stay still, however, risk losing out on more eyeballs as over-thetop (OTT) streaming gradually takes its throne as the platform of choice for the masses. Dr Zaki attributed this to factors such as lifestyle changes, poor indoor DTV signal reception, the proliferation of ‘smart devices’ and unfortunately, the continued pervasiveness of illegal streaming
services. Neither have previously vaunted technologies done much to help broadcasters in Malaysia attract more audiences. Dr Zaki observed, “Some service providers may have included 4K, 8K and high dynamic range (HDR) in their services but viewers have not shown great interest as the differences in picture quality is too detailed to be noticeable.
“A lot of production equipment is 4K ready and many production houses do capture and store their material in 4K. However, most of it eventually is down-converted to HD due to storage constraints and a lack of editing tools to handle high resolutions.”
Where content production is concerned, remote production has been gaining popularity, especially for smallscale and low-cost production. What has been holding remote production back, said Dr Zaki, is good-quality connectivity that comes at a price.
“Anyone with a production background knows that a large proportion of production costs comes from manpower,” he added. “We all know that uncompressed video/audio and other control signals need large amounts of bandwidth, extremely low latency, as well as a reliable and consistent connection.
Zaki
We all know that uncompressed video/audio and other control signals need large amounts of bandwidth, extremely low latency, as well as a reliable and consistent connection
“In the past, connections with these qualities were rare and expensive. The costs to deploy such connectivity often offset the savings introduced by producing programmes remotely.”
Where the migration from baseband to IP is concerned, Dr Zaki described it as a “long and painful process” that has spanned more than a decade. The incentive to move to IP, he insisted, is an economic one, as opposed to technological.
“Although the adoption rate of IP could be higher, we are beginning to see some progress, owing to more affordable IP-based broadcast equipment. The major cost savings is even more apparent if IP is implemented en bloc.
“Of course, I am referring to IP-based production. On the contribution and distribution side, IP has been overwhelmingly accepted as the new norm.”
It is also with the desire to control cost that is compelling broadcasters to turn to technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), including in areas such as subtitling and quality control (QC).
The
Ahmad
Mohd Salleh
How this media city fuels global reach for Paris 2024 Olympics
Under a steady rain that failed to douse the bubbling enthusiasm of 206 national sporting delegations, an armada of boats sailed slowly down the River Seine, waving flags and with their faces wreathed in smiles, as they celebrated the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics in France’s capital city, Paris, on Friday, July 26.
The broadcast of these pictures, and those of the sporting events to follow until the curtain comes down on the quadrennial Games on August 11, would be done through the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), a highly secure site that would be a temporary hub for broadcasters, and
host to an estimated 9,700 journalists from every corner of the globe.
Before airing on television screens all over the world, the images and sounds of the Paris Olympic Games (July 26 – August 11) and Paralympic Games (August 28 – September 8) are set to transit through the IBC. Indeed, each edition of the Olympics has had its own IBC, a city of electronics and telecommunications. For the Paris Olympics, the IBC has taken up residence at the Exhibition Centre in Le Bourget, some 10 km north of the capital.
Television studios, commentary booths, technical control rooms
… practically everything was designed and proposed by Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS), a subsidiary of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that produces magnificent images and sound, thanks to the numerous cameras installed at various Olympic venues.
OBS is set to produce 11,000 hours of programming. Between 3,800 and 4,000 hours will be devoted to live coverage (all competitions and Olympic ceremonies), the remainder being additional original content (behind-the-scenes coverage of events, athletes’ preparation, and so on).
“It’s as if you spent a year and three months watching a screen day and night,” explained Oksana Bokalo, Head of Institutional Relations for the IOC’s media subsidiary.
This will deliver more compelling replays from more camera angles
NBC Sports, which won the contract to telecast the Games worldwide, has deployed 40 cameras to capture the action of the unique Opening Ceremony, which was broadcast on TV and streamed in digital format on NBC, Peacock and NBC Olympics. The company is utilising Audio-Technica microphones and broadcast headsets and headphones for its production of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games to capture and monitor audio at events in Paris.
THE CHARTIST: LIVE EVENTS RULE THE ROOST FOR GLOBAL CONSUMPTION OF BROADCAST CONTENT
For traditional broadcasters looking for more innovative ways to attract eyeballs, they could do no worse than turn to a time-tested ally — live events.
According to new global research commissioned by Nevion, live events are the preferred genre of broadcast content for 40% of TV viewers around the world, surpassing on-demand content via streaming services (31%) or scheduled programming by TV stations (29%).
Nevion also found that live events are bridging the generational divide, with live programming resonating with different demographics. Of the three main content genres available to consumers today, live event broadcasting is the preferred choice of 58% of 18–24-year-olds and 31% of over 65s.
For many viewers, live events are also a communal activity, with almost one-in-five (19%) watching live broadcast events with someone else in-person at least once a day,
and 59% use social media or messaging activities to talk to friends and family about key moments.
With a quarter of consumers surveyed saying they will primarily consume live broadcast events over the next 12 months, broadcasters are encouraged to focus on benefits such as high visual quality and specific content offering to retain their viewership base.
Oliver Suard, VP of Marketing, Nevion, said, “Our results show that live event broadcasting is not only more popular than on-demand and scheduled programming, but that it is a powerful unifier across generations.
“Broadcasters now have a great opportunity to tap into the unique advantages of live events to draw in new customers and keep current ones engaged. With the right technology, they can transform the logistics and economics of mission critical live production to create compelling new content types in the highest visual quality.”
Viewing preferences for live events
French swimmer Florent Manaudou holds the Olympic torch for the ceremony
Source: Nevion
Oksana Bokalo
Thomas Bach
CREATION
What should media companies do next to stay ahead in broadcasting?
12 of the top industry leaders share exciting trends and innovations on Asia’s largest broadcast technology stage.
Sima Levy CEO Actus Digital
We have Media Insight, an AI-driven solution that can take any content existing in our system and analyse, transcribe, summarise, translate, and give you the key points within hours. It also has Chat-GPT capabilities embedded, where you can ask the system for any problem, any question, any information that you need, and everything will be given within the same solution.
The Asia Pacific region basically uses the similar products that we see all over the world. There are some customizations for specific protocols, specific closed captioning, that is typical to this market. In this market, from what I see in the last couple of years, they are more into redundancy options, something that is more unique to Asia Pacific rather than other countries. So I can tell you that there are some unique features that the market is asking for.
Umesh Tyagi Country Manager, India, Middle East & Africa Leader Electronics Corporation
There are many products we are showcasing here in Broadcast Asia. But we have two products which we introduced here. One is LV 5600w. W stands for web RTC, and another is sync generator LT4670.
The specialty of this product is to help our customers who have been asking for a feature for a real-time remote control of the waveform monitor. Based on customer demand, we have added this feature. So with this web RDC interface, the waveform monitor LV 5600w, can have a real time GUI available on the internet so they can access anywhere whilst using their computer or laptop. Not only can they access, they can control the waveform as well.
Our industry is having a lot of changes. A lot of transition is happening, especially from SD to HD, HD to UHD, SDI to IP, SDR to HDR.
Kari Eythorsson Product Manager Clear-Com
We see an opportunity in both deploying the system for people that need a purely virtual intercom system and do not want any hardware, or be saddled with investments that they may not need at a later date.
There’s a lot of broadcasters, which has always been a big part of the company’s business. But then streamers and content creators are starting to do more elaborate productions we find our unique intercom capabilities like instant accessibility, multiple channels and full duplex communications is very critical to industries like controlling cranes, marine business, and cable laying.
We have our first cloud managed service here so we definitely are believers in the cloud. But also just in general computing and portability of systems, being able to deploy it in various different ways appropriate to what’s needed for the business requirements of the customer.
Mo Goyal Sr. Director of International Business Development Evertz
We actually have a wide range this year, so really highlighting a number different things that are helping the evolutionary broadcast. So one of them is built around our IP technology. So when we were looking at how that transition for the industry is going from SDI to IP. We have a number of different pieces that happen in that case. So it could be our network switch fabric. It could be our edge devices, like our Scorpion platform, or even our next router, which is basically a 12GB SDI processing platform that can satisfy those that want to do 12GB SDI for 4k or 3GB, SDI routing, but we can also use as a platform to bring me from the SDI world to 2110, if and when the customer wants to do that.
So what we have is a lot of these things are developed basically meeting our customer needs and requirements.
Aaron Martin Technical Sales Manager farmerswife
The Farmerswife resource scheduling and facility management system stands as our flagship product, catering to the needs of media professionals. It’s widely accepted as one of the best management collaborative products in the industry for broadcast. It covers a whole range of different types of requirements that a lot of broadcasters, post-production and production companies require. There’s also a lot of ability for it to be integrated with lots of other systems, and lots of other products that customers are already using.
The fact that it answers so many questions for a lot of post-production companies. It answers the questions around managing budgets, managing staffing, managing the resourcing right through to billing for customers. So it’s an all-encompassing product for a lot of postproduction houses.
Liming Fu Chief Representative for APAC
IABM
IABM is more than 40 years old, so we’re helping the industry. IABM means “The International Trade Association for Broadcast and Media.” So we try to help the members to be more worldwide by following the technical trends. We’re also helping all the members for the shows, marketing, and so we also have a technical word. And so all try to promote your brands. Everything to help all the members.
Actually, we had a welcome drink. We got 100 members together. So that’s a social to help people connect to each other.
IABM simply has three words: information, connection and support. And most of the industry is concerned, what’s the future? So we had tried to collect the members’ voices to let the industry know, and also, of course, translate their information technology to the market.
REPORT: BROADCAST
Joe Hoo APAC Presales Manager AJA Video Systems
We sought to be different in the sense that we are a very engineering centric company and everything that we made is like old school engineering. We make things really reliable and what we say they’re gonna do, we will do that and more. So we can rest assured that when we use our products, we will work like a workhorse, and we just, you can just focus on your work because of creativity. We don’t have to worry about reliability and all.
The colour box is one of our newest updates. They support AMF, which is the Asus metadata files, and also support the REA WBO, which is a wireless video optimization decodings. They help you solve the bending issue when you send information over the wireless. And besides that, we also have this bridgelight update that was soon to be released that was 1.16 that has support, SRT redundancy, sending and receiving.
Ellen Shen Vice President, APAC Telestream
Telestream has a platform that bundles several products that allow users to automate their workflows with voice-activated instructions, and it is also available through on-prem, hybrid, and cloud solutions. And I think it is especially important for the APAC customers. We have so many local languages here, it can adopt any local language. You can speak in Cantonese, or you can speak in Malay, Tagalog, and Thailand and Chinese Mandarin. The AI will allow you to recognise that.
I have to say that at this moment, a majority of the customers are still choosing on-prem. On Prem definitely is the biggest of the install base. I would say that it’s still the fashion that people have confidence in. I think it’s not just the cost and the money, it’s also related to the business demand the customers want. So like, if this is a key spot or event that is coming, you need a service on demand. You don’t want to own all the inventories. Then in this fashion, cloud or hybrid actually make more sense for your business demand.
Jacky Yee Head Of Sales, APAC GatesAir
Everyone is talking about digitalisation here in Broadcast Asia, and we have few solutions for that. Our profile transmitter is different from the conventional or traditional setup, and is very suitable whether it be under the sun or under the rain. It still operates in the East and this is something that we dislike for others. Other than this, we also launched another new product, which you can see from here, for the radio.
This is our GF theories. It’s also compact, in setup, it reaches from 50 watt more the way to 10 kilowatt right? And on top of that, we do have the ability to mount this small pardon module which translates the audio ending most the IPA. So we are the first in the world which have these innovations, you know, for this product.
You will see the price point, because this is a great solution in the ultracopy box. You are also able to optimise your ROI. It allows you to have flexibility to configure and integrate audio eating with our box, and you can trust new audio through fibre more.
Guillaume Mauffrey Director Sales Asia RIEDEL Communications
While we do not have a lot of new products this year, we’re making lots of inroads into Asia, into new markets. That’s been the highlight of the year.
It’s the combination of these products together that is quite special. We are proposing an increasingly large, integrated solution for customers around intercom, around signal distribution, and around live video production.
We are actually giving flexibility to customers to do both. You’re doing both, because some clients will want to start with on prem and they might want to move on cloud later. So for the live video production, we have the flexibility to offer both.
On the money side, things are tight but not too much for us, because we’re still in a very fast growth phase in Asia, and because it’s one of our newer markets. But definitely I can see some of our competitors and some of the larger manufacturers feeling a pinch.
Yasunori Kanno President Ikegami Electronics AsiaPacific
This time, we are launching the new premium HD camera. Nowadays, broadcast stations are facing challenges. So many broadcasters think about the format and how to transmit the program. So nowadays, in case of the video format, HD, 4K, the customised test setting and how to trans program distribution, not only base span, the video over IP, is also getting popular. So now our product can present all the necessary parts which customers need. Then initially they can start with what they need. Then after that, they can upgrade, maybe step by step, to match with the current required environment.
Oh, this one is really quite nice because of its large lens, the nice sensor, even though the same HD format, our camera can achieve a very good quality picture. So eventually the sports event, they really need this type of camera, not only the actual map. Sportscasts, TV stations, yeah, they are our main customers.
It also depends on our customer’s challenge, because broadcast stations to now, not only terrestrial fans, they are distributing programs.
Michael Demb Vice President of Product Strategy TAG Video Systems
TAG is continuing innovating, and we’re presenting our latest innovation in TAG body viewing and probing technologies. We have the MCM product, that is the engine that does all the video processing and collecting, and the video sources everything from uncompressed, compressed video, low latency streaming protocols all the way to OTT. And we have our MCS, which is the management system that helps control the entire video distribution, video monitoring solution.
In this region, we have had major customers. Just recently, we completed a big integration with an old B track provider in the region with multiple cameras, multiple feeds, and multi viewers in the track. We are working with the biggest telcos in the region and in Singapore and other countries, and we have a partnership here with one of the telcos who is doing end to end complete video distribution, everything from play out to video streaming and video delivery.
Streaming sports grows as CTV audience embraces multi-app viewing choices
Sports fans want more options for messaging, gaming, or shopping while watching their favorite teams.
The roar of the crowd may still echo within stadiums after the excitement of recent live events, but this does not stop sports broadcasting undergoing a new seismic shift. Fuelled by a surge in connected TV (CTV) viewership, live sports are steadily migrating from traditional cable packages to Internetbased streaming platforms.
This transformation, according to a report by LG Ad Solutions titled Stadium to Screen: Streaming Live Sports in 2024, paints a compelling picture of global audiences hungry for personalisation, interactivity, and a more engaging live sports experience.
The report revealed a massive and diverse sports viewership on CTV. A staggering 87% of CTV users tune in for live sports, following an average of five different sports — a testament to the broad appeal of athletic competition.
This is further underscored by the growing comfort with streaming, with 74% actively streaming live sports and a significant portion, 44%, opting for streaming platforms to experience Super Bowl 2024.
But gone are the days of simply watching a game unfold on a mobile or TV screen. Today’s sports fans crave a more immersive experience,
Viewers
sation, expanded viewing choices, and tailored advertisements when watching live sports events
demanding features that cater to their individual preferences. This trend is evident in the report’s findings that CTV users navigate a multi-app environment, with 38% utilising three or more streaming services. This fragmentation creates a fiercely competitive landscape for broadcasters and streaming platforms, forcing them to innovate and personalise their offerings.
However, fragmentation is not the only challenge. The report highlighted the prevalence of viewers multitasking while watching live sports. Specifically, 85% of CTV users engage in activities like messaging, gaming, and even shopping during games. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity for brands and advertisers.
While multi-tasking potentially diminishes focus on traditional ads, a glimmer of hope emerges with another key finding highlighting that 64% of CTV users claim to pay attention to commercials during sports broadcasts. This reinforces the continued importance of sportsrelated advertising, but with a crucial caveat — relevance is paramount.
The report further revealed that three in four CTV users yearn for more relevant ads during live broadcasts. This resonates with
Allan Nicholson, Senior Director Advertising Solutions & Strategy at Harmonic, who emphasised the need for hyper-personalisation.
Speaking to APB+, he said, “Streaming live sports has evolved beyond the basic experience of watching a football or soccer match on online platforms. Viewers crave hyper-personalisation, expanded viewing choices, and tailored advertisements when watching live sports events.
“To meet this demand, video service providers are adopting various approaches to enhance the live sports streaming experience. These include features like multi-view, real-time graphics and data integration, collaborative viewing options, themed sports channels, and the incorporation of gaming elements.”
These various approaches extend beyond fan engagement. Nicholson highlighted that “personalising live sports streaming content not only improves fan engagement and satisfaction, it also opens up new revenue streams for video service providers”.
Innovative monetisation models like split-screen ad formats offer a win-win scenario for viewers and advertisers. Viewers experience minimal disruption while advertisers reach engaged audiences, and platforms can optimise ad revenue streams for their valuable sports content.
This shift towards personalisation hinges on robust technology infrastructure. For instance, softwareas-a-service (SaaS) solutions offer the scalability, reliability, and real-time data processing capabilities required to deliver high-quality live streams.
“By embracing SaaS solutions, video service providers can elevate personalisation to unprecedented levels and explore new revenue streams,” said Nicholson. This cloudbased approach unlocks the power of machine learning, essential for analysing vast amounts of data and delivering targeted advertising and enhanced experiences.
Video providers incorporate multi-view features and real-time graphics
crave hyperpersonali-
DISTRIBUTION | by Joe Tan
Allan Nicholson
INDUSTRY INSIGHT: STREAMING
Cost surge in video streaming delivery jeopardizes industry profitability
The expenses associated with data egress, whether through satellite or cloud, can quickly accumulate.
Demand for video is going through the roof, particularly in the wake of the worldwide shift from traditional broadcasting to streaming. Companies are facing increasing pressure to deliver more content to more viewers and accommodate live streaming, ultra-high definition (UHD) and low latency, while maintaining an exceptional quality of experience — and all these requirements mean burgeoning delivery costs.
“Our 1400+ media customer base has made us acutely aware of these rising costs,” John Wastcoat, Zixi senior vice president for business development and marketing, told APB+. “Whether through traditional methods like satellite and dedicated fibre infrastructure, or with nextgeneration IP and cloud deployments, the expenses associated with compute and egress costs can quickly accumulate.”
Paul Calleja, CEO of softwaredefined video network GlobalM, remarked, “This is an industry trend
we are noticing, and it is primarily due to the amount of GEO satellite capacity that will be available in the coming years.
“As satellite industry investments refocus on data and LEO networks, traditional capacities age. In some cases, they will not be replaced; therefore, this is increasing the total cost of the available capacity.”
Moreover, the cost of human resources in video delivery is rising. With engineering resources becoming scarcer, it has become more expensive to manage and operate IP video delivery infrastructure.
So acute is the problem of spiraling delivery costs, which are projected to increase by as much as 42% over the next five years as video demand continues to soar, that more efficient and cost-effective delivery solutions have become essential to counter the rapid increase in traffic.
“The good news is that it doesn’t necessarily have to mean investing in more infrastructure capacity or expansive upgrades,”
said Elodie Levrel, Corporate Marketing & Communications Director, Broadpeak, which designs and manufactures video delivery components for content providers and network service providers.
“Thanks to cost-effective distribution strategies powered by smart technologies, businesses can limit the investments in infrastructure upgrades or avoid new deployments and keep up with the evolving landscape of video delivery without breaking the bank. And even save money along the way!”
Cutting costs
It is axiomatic that cost reduction in video distribution is crucial for companies looking to remain competitive in the market. With the rising popularity of streaming services and the proliferation of video content, businesses must find ways to deliver high-quality video to retain endusers while keeping costs in check. By optimising their distribution networks and adopting more efficient technologies, companies can streamline operations, improve performance, and ultimately gain a competitive edge.
Decreasing the costs of video distribution can have a direct impact on the overall profitability of a business. As the demand for video content continues to grow, companies that are able to deliver video efficiently and cost-effectively can increase their margins and drive revenue growth.
“By investing in solutions that cut distribution costs, businesses can improve their bottom line and allocate resources towards other areas of the business, such as content creation and customer acquisition,” said Levrel. “Ultimately, implementing cost-effective distribution strategies can help businesses achieve longterm sustainability and success in the rapidly evolving video delivery landscape.”
With engineering resources becoming scarcer, managing and operating IP video delivery infrastructure is now more expensive
MANAGEMENT | by Shirish Nadkarni
John Wastcoat
Paul Calleja
Elodie Levrel
ANALYSIS: AI
How the rise of AI is transforming and impacting Asia’s broadcast and media
Broadcast stations in Indonesia, Taiwan, and India have begun to use AI avatars in news programmes.
MANAGEMENT | by Shaun Lim
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform Asia’s broadcast and media industry by increasing efficiency, enhancing content quality, providing deeper audience insights, and driving revenue growth through personalised and targeted advertising.
The above analysis, while provided by the now ubiquitously utilised ChatGPT, may be nearer to the truth than many generative chatbox naysayers would give the technology credit for. According to Grand View Research, the global AI in media & entertainment market size is expected to reach USD$99.48 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 26.9% from 2022 to 2030.
While projected figures vary (even ChatGPT does not have a definitive answer to that), the AI in media & entertainment market in Asia was valued at approximately US$1 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach US$5 billion by 2026.
Representing just a fraction of the overall market share, this nevertheless represents a growing market sector, and it would appear that some broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific region are not sitting around to find out what AI can do for them.
Current uses
Last year, Indonesian free-to-air (FTA) broadcaster tvOne introduced Nadira, the country’s first AI news presenter, created in the image of regular (and human) newscaster Fahada Indi “With this AI technology, I can read the news anywhere, then my avatar appears,” Indi stated with a smile.
You might be surprised, or not, that Nadira has many AI peers operating in broadcast stations throughout Asia. India Today Group’s counts among its ranks AI-powered anchor Sana, while Taiwan’s FTV has an unnamed yet inexplicably attractive female AI weather presenter.
In Southeast Asia, the leveraging of AI by broadcasters to streamline operations has also begun, albeit on a
These AI tools are helping us identify and reduce repetitive tasks, freeing up our talented staff to focus on more creative endeavours
less visually captivating scale.
Singapore’s Mediacorp recently won a silver award for Best Use of AI in the Newsroom at the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) Digital Media Awards Asia 2024.
Mediacorp’s AI SmartCut solution uses voice recognition and natural language processing to automatically generate news clips from its CNA’s prime-time news bulletins. This means news video packages, live reports and interviews can be uploaded to CNA’s website, TV app and YouTube channel within minutes of going on air.
Walter Fernandez, Singaporebased public media conglomerate Mediacorp’s editor-in-chief, said, “Our use of AI to reinvent our approach to television news and to quickly generate bulletin highlights for swift distribution across various platforms is one of our many initiatives to respond to evolving audience consumption patterns and needs.”
Enhanced content creation
For others, such as Thailand’s Next Step Company (NSC), the AI journey has only just begun with infinite possibilities on the horizon.
Amornphat Chomrat, managing director of Next Step Company (NSC), told APB+, “NSC is taking our first steps into the exciting world of AI. We’re currently using
it to streamline workflows like scripting and translation.
“These AI tools are helping us identify and reduce repetitive tasks, freeing up our talented staff to focus on more creative endeavours.”
Established in 1988, NSC reaches about 20 million viewers in Thailand, including via the Good TV direct-to-home (DTH) satellite platform, whose mission is to improve the wellbeing and equality of the Thai people by providing a wide variety of segmented content.
This is why Good TV is constantly exploring innovative solutions to deliver exceptional content to their viewers, a goal that AI is helping to achieve by first and foremost, empowering its people.
“A great example is content translation, which has always been a bottleneck for us, especially for our Thainess Global channel. AI helps translate Thai to English, which allows us to quickly get content into a good starting point,” said Chomrat.
“Our staff can then focus on the final polish and ensure the content is culturally appropriate for viewers. This is crucial for Thainess, our international channel that broadcasts Thai food, travel, and culture 24/7 … AI helps us translate content efficiently so we can share the wonders of Thailand with a global audience.”
Nadira, Indonesia’s first AI news presenter (Photo from tvOne)
Amornphat Chomrat
Walter Fernandez
How multi-platform delivery challenges media firms in effective content reach
Some providers have begun bundling streaming services to keep consumers from platform hopping.
With content increasingly being consumed across multiple platforms, broadcasters and content providers have been compelled to look for ever more innovative ways to attract and retain eyeballs.
For many, this has been a formidable challenge, exacerbated by factors such as platform fatigue and subscriber churn, said Andy Warman, CTO, Video, Imagine Communications.
Speaking to APB+, he said, “Attempting to stem the tide of platform hopping and drive growth while cutting costs, media companies have begun bundling streaming services. The launch of the Comcast StreamSaver bundle, which packages Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+, is a recent, headline-making example.
“At the same time, both consumers and bundlers are experimenting with advertising models, trading between free but ad-supported, paid but with ads, and premium ad-free subscriptions — putting streaming platforms in the difficult position of having to support multiple models simultaneously.
“There also remains a stubborn disparity between the cost per mile (CPM) values of traditional television ads and online platform ads, even as consumers shift to online platforms.”
Audience fragmentation
For Lelde Ardava, Sales & Account Manager at Veset, one of the main considerations for multiplatform delivery strategies today is the fragmentation of audiences. “Catering to diverse preferences across various platforms and devices is a difficult task, and requires consistently tailored content strategies,” she explained.
As the rate of technological integration hastens to reflect changing consumer habits, this presents another challenge — reducing the difficulties integrating processes across various platforms, devices and content workflows to
There also remains a stubborn disparity between the cost per mile (CPM) values of traditional television ads and online platform ads, even as consumers shift to online platforms
ensure a consistent and uniform user experience.
Ardava continued. “With this comes another challenge of data management and ensuring that content is effectively managed and analysed given the increased amounts of data having to be processed. This is essential to understand consumer behaviour and preferences, but as consumer habits change it becomes considerably harder to achieve consistent results.”
A potential game changer, as Veset sees it, is the emergence of AI to reshape playout and delivery.
Ardava described the potential for change offered by AI in broadcasting, media and entertainment as “beyond comprehension”, and it is already bringing about significant changes to content workflows.
She added, “We, as a cloud playout provider, see how easy it is to launch new channels for customers, and AI with its automation or, for instance, chatbot assistance is a great help for all parties involved.
“Automation is becoming an ever increasingly common occurrence among broadcasting and content delivery workflows, with AI automating routine tasks, enhancing operational efficiency and reducing the potential for human error.”
She is encouraging broadcasters and content providers to seize the opportunities for personalisation and customisation offered by AI. For instance, the influx of AI tools in content workflows is helping to create more personalised viewer experiences, with the ability to suggest content based on viewer preferences and viewing history.
“AI is also developing the role of predictive analysis, enabling broadcasting and content workflows to facilitate predictive analytics, forecast channel performance and viewer engagement and enable proactive content management,” she added.
Imagine’s Warman concurred, “Digital is settling into a mainstream delivery platform, making technologies that enable the consolidation of digital and linear workflows – and teams –increasingly important.”
He explained, “This consolidation brings with it the opportunity for the advanced advertising decision models prevalent in the digital domain to create added value in linear distributions through localisation and other distribution variations. At the same time, consolidation enables linear ad sales systems to directly fulfil into the digital inventory.
Executives are looking for new ways to stave off platform fatigue and subscriber churn
Lelde Ardava
Andy Warman
INDUSTRY INSIGHT: MONETISATION
Why broadcasters struggle to solve monetisation woes
Industry players toy with blockchain tech and subscriptions to media libraries for stable sources of income.
Artificial Intelligence and the Cloud are two elements that have grabbed the broadcast industry by the short hairs, and have turned the attention of service providers firmly in the direction on how to decode the monetisation conundrum that is upon us; some broadcasters and media operators are even exploring whether blockchain technology can revolutionise the video streaming landscape.
Traditionally, creators, publishers and broadcast businesses have looked to monetise their videos through various ways, such as advertisements, subscriptions, pay-per-view and donations. Video monetisation today takes many forms, viz. advertising revenue, brand sponsorships, subscriptions and online video courses. The right mix will depend on content, audience and personal brand.
But strong winds of change are blowing away these time-tested concepts of monetisation.
“Broadcasters are undergoing a profound transformation as they embrace digital platforms,” Toshiyuki Naka, Senior Vice-President of Global Sales for Media Links, a company best known for providing its media over IP
transport and switching solutions, told the publication.
“They are providing live events and on-demand content. By integrating targeted advertising and leveraging viewer data insights, broadcasters are honing their monetisation strategies, capitalising on the digital shift without compromising their broadcast legacy.”
Naka added that the upsurge in video monetisation options presents an opportunity for organisations to monetise their video libraries and create stable streams of recurring income. From ad-supported content and viewer subscriptions to pay-perview (PPV) and on-demand services, monetisation is the new standard of profitable media delivery and consumption.
Strategies
All these choices can make selecting the right video monetisation platform overwhelming for broadcasters, both newbies and veterans.
To tackle the monetisation challenge, key industry players are forging strategic partnerships and diversifying revenue streams. Collaborations with content creators, production houses, and even other
streaming services are enriching content libraries and expanding the viewer base. Integration of e-commerce functionalities and live events has opened new avenues for generating revenue. These strategic moves are pushing platforms toward long-term financial sustainability and market resilience.
“In addition, blockchain technology is beginning to revolutionise the video streaming landscape,” said Adam Leah, Creative Director of nxtedition, a company that claims to provide a frictionless storytelling experience for journalists and creatives via its easyto-learn ‘single-window’ scripting and production.
“Blockchain’s potential to foster a fairer, more equitable monetisation ecosystem cannot be underestimated. With its promise of transparency, security and decentralised transactions, blockchain is redefining monetisation practices. Smart contracts and cryptocurrency payments are streamlining royalty distribution and enabling microtransactions, empowering content creators and viewers alike.”
New models
Paolo Cuttorelli, Senior VicePresident & General Manager for APAC and EMEA regions at Evergent, said this of his company’s modus operandi in the field of monetisation of content: “We handle all elements of subscription, from customer onboarding, to billing management, product and revenue management, as well as retention management.
“Our customers break down into over-the-top (OTT) video streamers, which comprise most of our clientele; we also help pay-TV companies to streamline their operations for things like cable TV services.”
The first of the company’s three areas of operation is the Evergent monetisation platform, which is an end-to-end subscription life cycle and billing management solution, which helps its customers to manage all aspects of the subscriber life cycle from onboarding to self-care and retention management.
“Moving on to churn management, we have a product called Captivate, which helps to manage both voluntary and involuntary churn,” said Cutorelli.
Executives need to come up with new business strategies that shift away from the traditional ad-based revenue model
Toshiyuki Naka
Adam Leah
Paolo Cuttorelli
EVENT NEWS: BROADCAST ASIA 2024
Revisiting continuous payments for Cloudbased processes vis-a-vis on-prem AI
Broadcasters could either park their data in the cloud for a pricier fee or to opt for a hybrid model.
BroadcastAsia 2024 is done and dusted; but, unlike in earlier years, it has left the broadcast industry with knotted eyebrows over its viability and future.
While ‘Redefining tech for a better future’ was the central theme of this year’s show, what appeared to be uppermost on exhibitors’ minds was the unstoppable advance of artificial intelligence, and the effect that the cloud is having on the broadcast industry in the matter of safe storage of data.
Broadcasters are faced with the issue of whether to go unreservedly into the Cloud, or to retain their precious data on the premises, or to opt for a hybrid model.
The far higher costs of parking data in the Cloud is proving to be quite a deterrent.
“AI is currently used for video analysis, and will also get to the technical monitoring, and predict alerts – that is where generative AI is going,” says Sima Levy, President and CEO of Actus Digital, a company that provides an intelligent broadcast media platform for broadcast recording, monitoring and compliance.
“The toughest question for broadcasters to sort out is whether
The industry will ask for more and more on-prem until the Cloud pricing will go down to reasonable levels
to remain on-prem or go the whole hog into the Cloud. As far as we are concerned, we support both, and don’t bother too much whether pricing is the issue. I can see that more and more customers are concerned about the cost of Cloud-based solutions.”
Levy has noted that most of Actus Digital’s customers want an on-prem AI solution where they buy one strong GPU machine that costs them money, but they consider it a onetime expense, and don’t have to worry about continuous ongoing payments for Cloud-based processes.
“My gut feeling is that the industry will ask for more and more on-prem until the Cloud pricing will go down to reasonable levels,” adds Levy. “They start with a foray into the Cloud, then realise that it is very expensive, and go back to on-prem. For us, it does not matter, because we cater to both needs. But at some point, it will switch in the direction of the Cloud, for sure.”
Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, a firm that claims to offer “infinitely affordable and predictably priced hot cloud storage”, has kept the price factor firmly in mind while tackling the issue of on-prem vs Cloud.
“We offer secure, reliable and lowcost solutions,” says Gary Ng, Wasabi’s Media & Entertainment Sales
Director – APAC. “Pricing is always a consideration when you want to put your content in the Cloud.
“So we remove every complexity, and offer the customer just a single tier, so he pays for the capacity that he requires. No fees for egress or API calls; and it is scalable to an unlimited extent. Wasabi costs up to 80% less than the hyperscalers.
“We believe in security. Physical security is ensured through globally distributed SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified data centres, while data security comes from server-side encryption (SSE-C) automatically applied on top of the original ingest object state,” Ng added.
“We have unique identity and access management (IAM) policies, and enterprise-level single sign-on (SSO) options, plus multi-factor authentication (MFA) and multiuser authentication for storage account security.”
Deployment models
Harmonic, an American technology outfit that develops and markets video routing, server and storage products for companies that produce, process and distribute video content for television and the Internet, banks on its “deployment model” as its unique selling proposition vis-à-vis the competition.
“We are naturally hybrid, meaning the technology that we are developing for the entire workflow, from ingest to graphics, encoding, playout and delivery, can be deployed on-prem and also in the Cloud,” says Tony Berthaud, Vice-President of Sales & Service, APAC and EMEA. “This is helping a lot of our customers to optimise their workflow and their operation, and to optimise their cost, as well.
“Most of the time, our customers will select on-prem appliance deployment when they have permanent services, and the Cloud when they have something that is more valuable and more dynamic.
Cloud storage may be the preferred option in the future once pricing goes down
DATA MANAGEMENT | by Shirish Nadkarni
Gary Ng
Sima Levy
Es’hailSat enhances broadcasting capabilities with innovative Playout & Media Services
Experience the wide gamut of broadcasting with Es’hailSat’s Playout & Media Services, seamlessly integrating the wide reach of satellite distribution with flexible playout and media management solutions.
In the dynamic realm of broadcasting, staying ahead of the curve is not just a goal; it’s a necessity. Es’hailSat, Qatar’s leading satellite operator, exemplifies this, as it has enhanced the way it enables broadcasters deliver content to audiences across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region whilst ensuring flexibility and peace-of-mind in operations.
The company’s launch of its Playout & Media Services in 2023 marks a significant step forward, providing a comprehensive solution for television channels looking to broadcast their content quickly and efficiently. The Playout & Media Services offer a unique advantage: a one-stop shop for all your broadcasting needs.
This streamlined approach ensures rapid channel deployment, giving content creators peace of mind and the ability to reach the widest possible audience in the most costcompetitive manner.
“Over the course of 2023, we have added more than 20 new TV channels to our video hotspot across the two satellites and many of these are availing of our Playout & Media Services in some form or another. This itself is a testament to the fact that customers trust us with their TV channel bouquets and both our market share and regional growth are secured as a result,” Hamad Al Mannai, Vice
President – Commercial of Es’hailSat, said.
Seamless operations, maximum reach What sets Es’hailSat apart is its robust infrastructure. Its co-located Es’hail-1 and Es’hail-2 satellites, positioned at 25.5 East / 26 East hotspot, offer high-powered Ku-band and Ka-band beams specifically designed for broadcast and Direct-to-Home (DTH) services across the MENA region.
Complementing this impressive satellite network is Es’hailSat’s state-of-the-art Teleport facility in Doha, Qatar. This 50,000 square metre facility provides the essential infrastructure to support broadcasters, telecom companies, enterprises, and government clients.
As Al Mannai highlighted: “By combining all of these features with our recently launched Playout & Media services, as well as Digital Satellite News Gathering (DSNG), Outdoor Broadcast Van (OBVAN) and Occasional Use (OU) capabilities, we are able to offer highly efficient and complete end-to-end broadcasting services to our customers.”
Es’hailSat also recognises the importance of collaboration. The company has fostered partnerships with various technological innovators and providers to enhance end-toend service provisioning. These encompass advancements in optical ground stations, terminals, flat panel antennas, and mobile satellite services. Collaborations with companies like iDirect and Kymeta enhance Es’hailSat’s end-to-end service delivery.
Es’hailSat also has sales partners and channel partners to help expand its presence across the region. “As Qatar’s satellite operator of choice, we bring tremendous value to any partnership and can provide the local and regional expertise that these global companies need to build a sustainable business in the region,” Al Mannai stated.
Scalability and flexibility to meet diverse needs
Es’hailSat caters to broadcasters of all sizes, with its combined satellite and teleport
infrastructure offering exceptional scalability and flexibility. Es’hail-1 and Es’hail-2 satellites and teleport facilities provide broadcasters with high-powered beams and room to grow, accommodating effortless transitions from Standard to High Defintion to Ultra High Definition (4K) services.
Concurrently, Es’hailSat has a team of highly skilled, multilingual engineers who provide 24/7 support from their Doha teleport facility. They are equipped with the advanced tools and software that are necessary to optimise satellite capacity usage.
Staying ahead of the curve
The satellite communication and broadcasting industries are constantly evolving, and Es’hailSat strives to keep up with these emerging trends and developments with its forward-looking approach.
Amidst concerns surrounding video content distribution, Es’hailSat is committed to providing converged solutions that leverage the reach and reliability of satellites with the cost-effectiveness of internet delivery for both contribution and distribution. Es’hailSat underscored that satellite broadcasting remains vital for content consumption. Whilst the growth rate of linear television may not be what it was pre-pandemic, Es’hailSat sees potential in the MENA video market.
Partnerships and vertical integration initiatives also remain pivotal as Es’hailSat expands its service offerings, geographical coverage, and strategic priorities.
Es’hailSat’s vision is to be a world-class service provider, actively contributing to the success of Qatar’s National Vision 2030. Expansion into new geographies like Africa and Central Europe reflects Es’hailSat’s commitment to bridging communication gaps and unlocking new opportunities for growth and connectivity.
Discover the power of Es’hailSat’s Playout & Media Services today and unlock limitless possibilities for your broadcasting needs.
We bring tremendous value to any partnership and can provide the local and regional expertise that these global companies need to build a sustainable business
Hamad Al Mannai, Vice President – Commercial of Es’hailSat
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Visionary initiatives take centre stage at Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2024
In today’s hyper-connected world, broadcasting remains a powerful force. From captivating series to live sporting events, broadcasters, industry partners, and vendors wield the magic of technology to entertain, educate, and inform audiences on a massive scale. Behind the scenes, the drive to constantly innovate and improve the viewing experience is fierce.
In celebration of these exceptional industry players, the AsiaPacific Broadcasting+ Awards 2024 concluded with a dazzling awards dinner held at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore, on 30 May 2024.
The prestigious event recognised outstanding achievements and innovative projects pushing the boundaries of broadcasting technology, digitalisation, and engineering across the Asia-Pacific
ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING+AWARDS 2024
AbemaTV, Inc.
News Broadcasting - Japan
ABS-CBN CORPORATION
Digital Transformation - Philippines
Live Event Streaming - Philippines
aha
OTT Platform - India
AL HIJRAH MEDIA CORPORATION
Terrestrial OTT Platform - Malaysia
Aliw Broadcasting Corporation powered by 90 DEGREES NORTH, INC.
New TV Channel - Philippines
Asharq News
Sports Broadcasting - United Arab Emirates
Viewing Experience - United Arab Emirates
Asia Broadcasting Corporation Private Limited
Radio and TV Cross Platform Production - Sri Lanka
Technology - Sri Lanka
ASTRO AWANI NETWORK SDN BHD
Technology Animation - Malaysia
ASTRO MALAYSIA HOLDINGS BHD
Technology - Malaysia
Astro Studios
Production Technology - Malaysia
Cambodian Broadcasting Service
Digital Transformation - Cambodia
Cignal TV
Sports Broadcasting - Philippines
Disney Star powered by Magnaquest Technologies
Digital Transformation - India
region. It was a night of celebration for the region’s most forwardthinking broadcasters and industry partners. The winning projects showcased the incredible advancements in the broadcasting landscape, highlighting how technology is being leveraged to create compelling experiences for audiences across multiple platforms.
A distinguished panel of judges consisting of industry leaders Kiran Karunakaran (Partner, Singapore, Bain & Company), Wilson Chow (Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader and China Artificial Intelligence Leader, PwC), and Pattaraphan Paiboon (Partner, Thailand, Baker McKenzie), evaluated the nominations and selected the winners.
Congratulations to this year’s winners! See the full list of winning companies below:
Dubai Media
Virtual Production - United Arab Emirates
Educational Resources and Technology Division, Ministry of Education, Malaysia
Theater Grade Sound - Malaysia
Eventions Group
Series Production - Singapore
Foxtel Group, powered by Accedo OTT Platform - Australia
Galaxy Play JSC
Series Production - Vietnam
GMA Network, Inc.
Series Production - Philippines
Set Design Enabling Special Effects - Philippines
Technology Animation - Philippines
Haritha TV
New TV Channel - Sri Lanka
MAHAKA RADIO DIGITAL / NOICE
Hybrid Events - Indonesia
Series Production - Indonesia
MBC Group
Cloud - Saudi Arabia
MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd (Sirasa FM)
Audience-Centric Multi-Platform Solutions - Sri Lanka
Media Prima Audio
Radio Studios - Malaysia
Media Prima powered by Pebble
Multi-Channel Playout System - Malaysia
Mediacorp Pte Ltd
Live Event Streaming - Singapore
New TV Channel - Singapore
Virtual Production - Singapore
MIX (Astro Radio)
Outside Broadcast Ranger - Malaysia
MTV Channel (Private) Limited
Live Event Streaming - Sri Lanka
NEP Singapore Pte Ltd
Sports Broadcasting - Singapore
Nexion Co., Ltd.
IP Transformation - Japan
PCCW Media powered by Viaccess-Orca
End-to-End IPTV Solution - Hong Kong
RAAGA (Astro Radio)
Multi-Platform Campaign - Malaysia
Radio ERA (Astro Radio)
Viewing Experience - Malaysia
RADIO TELEVISION MALAYSIA (RTM) powered by IDEAL SYSTEMS (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD
Digital Transformation - Malaysia
Riedel Communications GmbH & Co. KG
Digital Transformation - Japan
Rimakmur Sdn Bhd (Suria FM)
Live Event Radio Streaming - Malaysia
RTM powered by Tekmark Broadcast Sdn Bhd & Reach Media
Experts Sdn Bhd
Audio Production/Audio Recording - Malaysia
Tata Play Limited
Cloud-Native Platform - India
DTH Services - India
TBS powered by Silver Trak Digital
Cinema Direct 5G - Australia
Telkom Indonesia powered by Magna Systems & Engineering
New TV Channel - Indonesia
The Nine Network powered by Silver Trak Digital
Cloud-based Broadcasting Brand and Media Assets Portal - Australia
Viu Malaysia
Live Event Streaming - Malaysia
Vuclip Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Streaming OTT Platform - Malaysia
Warnakala Studios Sdn Bhd & ASTRO
Animation Story Telling - Malaysia
Whakaata Māori, powered by Accedo OTT Platform - New Zealand
Wowow powered by WSC Sports Technology - Japan
AbemaTV, Inc.
ABS-CBN CORPORATION
Accedo
aha
Asharq News
Cambodian Broadcasting Service
Dubai Media
Galaxy Play JSC
Magna Systems & Engineering
Asia Broadcasting Corporation Private Limited
Cignal TV
Educational Resources and Technology Division, Ministry of Education, Malaysia
IDEAL SYSTEMS (MALAYSIA) SDN BHD
MBC Networks (Pvt) Ltd (Sirasa FM)
Media Prima Audio
Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Virtual Production Team)
Pebble
Rimakmur Sdn Bhd (Suria FM)
Tekmark Broadcast Sdn Bhd & Reach Media Experts Sdn Bhd
Mediacorp Pte Ltd (Live Event Streaming and New TV Channel Team)
NEP Singapore Pte Ltd
Riedel Communications GmbH & Co. KG
Silver Trak Digital
Viu Malaysia
Streaming OTT Platform - Malaysia Vuclip Malaysia Sdn Bhd
AMAL PUNCHIHEWA
Is Asia’s broadcast & media ready to embark on a new odyssey of sustainability and efficiency?
From September 1-5 last month, experts from around the world gathered in Kuala Lumpur for the 19th Asia Media Summit (AMS2024) to discuss pressing issues such as bridging the digital divide and enhancing media literacy. This year’s event provided the platform and opportunity for stakeholders to explore how we can best collaborate with the media, leveraging its potential to drive economic prosperity and resilience in our respective nations.
AMS is an annual international media conference organised by the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD) as its flagship event. Every year in consultation with members, partners and various global media gurus, a theme guides the direction and delivery of the summit. Being a unique broadcasting event in Asia-Pacific, it attracted around 400 top-ranking broadcasters, decision-makers, media professionals, regulators, scholars, and stakeholders from within and outside the region. Apart from plenary sessions and pre-summit workshops, AMS2024 also provided a platform for intergovernmental dialogues to uplift the benchmarks of the regional media industry.
The theme of the AMS2024 was Media: New Odyssey, a timely reminder for the broadcast and media industry to champion social good and shape a new future. Among key messages, opening session speakers reminded that the current focus on negative news and content that fuels hatred and conflict needs to be re-evaluated. Media outlets have the power to drive positive social change by being solution-oriented rather than problem-focused. By emphasising constructive approaches and solutions, the media can play a pivotal role in fostering a more informed and hopeful society.
In her opening remarks, AIBD Secretariat Director/CEO, Philomena Gnanapragasam described the world as a “cyber-village” with the advent of the digital revolution, which has brought both positive and negative impacts on people’s livelihoods.
Rapid technological advancements bring digital disruptions in every sector. The broadcast and media sector is not immune to those changes and disruptions. Media and broadcast production, distribution and consumption have embraced cyberspace. However, the vulnerabilities in those environments bring threats from cyber-attacks and have supported the dissemination of inaccurate and untruthful content.
There were nine pre-summit workshops held before two summit days of AMS2024. They cover a wide range of areas including AI, 5G, news, sustainability, media literacy, disinformation and so on, and featured topics like Leveraging AI for Newsroom Automation, AI in Television Broadcast and Production, Inclusive and Resilient Broadcasting Development, Future-Proofing 4K Broadcasting with 5G Trends, Debunking Disinformation and Promoting Media Literacy, Promoting Media Accessibility for Vulnerable Groups, and Enhancing Sustainability through Digital Story Telling.
One of the most frequent technological discussions that took place during AMS2024 was on 5G in broadcasting and media.
The 5G and Ultra HD (UHD) workshop discussed emerging technologies in the domain of UHD and 5G, how they are changing the way broadcasters plan and execute productions, coverage of live sports
AMAL PUNCHIHEWA Advisor/Consultant Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development
events, future broadcast and media distribution methods and how emerging technologies such as 5G may facilitate live or other outside broadcast (OB) productions. The workshop also discussed current and emerging trends, the current priorities of broadcasters and the challenges they are facing in embracing these technologies as part of their digital transformation to provide enhanced user and audience experience.
Recently, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has also adopted two key resolutions for artificial intelligence (AI), which has made rapid inroads into the digital media industry. One resolution focuses on enhancing international cooperation on the capacity building of AI and the other resolution focuses on seizing the opportunities of safe, secure and trustworthy AI systems for sustainable development. H.E Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-SecretaryGeneral, United Nations and Executive Secretary (UN-ESCAP), mentioned in a video message that both resolutions recognise the potential benefits that AI can bring to sustainable development around the world, yet both also acknowledge the potential damage that it can cause if left unmanaged.
The digital tools that allow us to share knowledge with unprecedented speed and reach have also become conduits for misinformation and falsehoods. Having both positive and negative impacts presents a unique set of challenges that impact every aspect of our societies, from governance and public policy to personal relationships and community trust.
On combating disinformation, Hon Neth Pheaktra, Cambodia’s Minister of Information (MOI), mentioned that Cambodia remains steadfast in its efforts to combat the pervasive challenges of fake news which is occurring at a high frequency in the Asia-Pacific region. Hon Neth said, “In this era of evolving technologies, including AI, we must collaborate closely to manage these developments and their impact on our nations and governments.”
It was also announced during AMS2024 that Malaysia will move in tandem with current global developments like Singapore and Indonesia to enforce a licensing framework targeting social media and internet messaging service providers with a minimum of eight million users.
YBrs Mano Verabathran, Deputy Secretary-General (T), Ministry of Communications Malaysia, said this is to ensure these platforms are safer for users to use online and guarantee that Malaysian internet service providers are held accountable for their operations.
He also added that media organisations should be active in policy discussions, contributing their insights to help shape regulations that protect public trust while allowing for innovation. They must also work with other industrial bodies to develop standards and regulations that govern the ethical use of AI and deep-fake technologies, including the advocacy for laws that hold creators of harmful deep-fakes accountable.
To provide a platform for key stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific to collaborate in shaping the future of the region’s broadcast and media industry, the Kingdom of Cambodia has pledged to host the 20th Asia Media Summit in Siem Reap.
AMAL PUNCHIHEWA OPINION
Sustain DTTB: The future of broadcasting hinges on universal access to TV services for all
Recently, much of the discourse across the broadcast and media industry has been focused on the sustenance of broadcast and media services amid digital transformation driven by technological innovations. In several countries, both public and commercial broadcast services are being impacted negatively due to various reasons including increased cost of living.
This week, we address the future of broadcasting in the context of public needs, access to information universally without any gatekeepers, democracy and media pluralism, access to the Internet and the ability to have continued operations. Care has been taken in using technical jargon or words to emphasise the continuity of services from the economic and social point of view while meeting current needs for sustainability.
A new system, the LTE-based 5G Terrestrial Broadcast System, referred to as Terrestrial Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting TMMB System-L, has been included in the relevant ITU-R publications, developed and specified as part of the general mobile communication technology of 3GPP. Developers anticipate TMMB System-L will help integrate the system into smartphones and tablets.
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) held a workshop on Terrestrial Multimedia Mobile Broadcasting (TMMB) on 8 March 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, that discussed the ongoing studies on the network and frequency planning aspects of TMMB System-L, including case studies in some countries.
ITU Radiocommunication sector ITU-R has published several recommendations (ITU-R BT.1833 and ITU-R BT.2016, Reports) and reports related to TMMB systems.
Besides the system parameters, those who work on TMMB System-L in Working Party 6A of ITU have contributed to network planning and implementation of the system in the sub-700 MHz band, including compatibility with existing digital terrestrial television broadcasting (DTTB) systems and they have developed related reports ITU-R BT.2049 and ITU-R BT.2295.
Shifting revenue models
The ad-supported streaming and other key players are revolutionising revenue generation with tiered subscriptions. The broadcast and media industry is strategising to engage audiences and increase revenue through direct-to-consumer (D2C) platforms. There are reportedly plans in India to explore direct-to-mobile (D2M) and it is important to learn the lessons from past experiences. The broadcast and media industry needs to discover strategies for building brand loyalty, measuring success, and maximising revenue. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) and smart data that generate insights on-the-go could help and improve brand loyalty and provider preferences.
The UK government has unveiled plans to bring the content of online TV channels such as free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) services available via connected TVs under the purview of media regulator Ofcom for the first time. Besides the UK, many TV channels are being distributed online in many countries, including to Connected
AMAL PUNCHIHEWA Advisor/Consultant
Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development
TVs and FAST services not subjected to the same regulations as those provided by traditional broadcasters. In the UK for example, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, LG Channels and Amazon Freevee, are not subject to the same regulations as BBC or Channel 4.
Some channels and media operators follow rules on inappropriate or harmful material voluntarily set by the companies who run them. If a channel broadcasts harmful material, TV viewers cannot complain to the regulator about their concerns as most regulators have no authority to issue remedial orders. When people are watching TV, the same rules that apply to a programme of a traditional broadcaster should be applied across all content distributors, irrespective of the distribution channel, be it terrestrial, satellite, cable or online.
More and more households now have a smart TV connected to the Internet. This has created an opportunity for many new, predominantly online TV channels to offer more content for audiences to enjoy their favourite content. Regulators have to look at those channels that are not subjected to existing regulations and make sure people are not left behind by this move to digital.
Should regulators consult the public on whether the regulatory framework needs to extend regulation to these unregulated channels and electronic programme guides? Any change to regulations must ensure a balance between protecting people — especially the young and vulnerable — while protecting freedom of speech and media pluralism, and not unduly burdening the TV industry.
Ofcom, the converged regulator in the UK, released a report that outlines research into audience behaviours and analysis of commercial dynamics. People in the UK are spending less and less time watching TV broadcasts over DTTB. Report analysis anticipates that changing audience habits and rising costs could force a tipping point within the next decade where investment in DTTB cannot be sustained. This may pose a risk of access via the terrestrial platform for those who rely on it. Cost saving may not only impact DTTB but also satellite direct-tohome (DTH) free-to-access services that collectively sustain universal access to TV services.
Rethinking the future of universal TV
It is important to explore what other approaches can be used to deliver universal TV services in the future. When we talk about broadcasting, especially public service broadcasting, universal access is an important aspect as mentioned previously. The DTT platform provides universal access to TV using radio frequencies. The policy and planning for future TV need to ensure the universality of public service media, with support for people so that no one is left behind.
Like Ofcom, any regulator in any given country has to consider stakeholder consensus and coordination, as the future of TV distribution presents a complex cross-sectoral issue which will be shaped by many stakeholders. Incumbent broadcasters, especially DTTB, receiver manufacturers and audiences are also among those key stakeholders.
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