Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) October 2016 • Volume 33, Issue 9

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NEWS & VIEWS

October 2016

www.apb-news.com

NEWS & VIEWS

6

WORLD IN BRIEF

EBU to update
5G rules

GENEVA – Following the call
for an open and interoperable
5G technology platform in July
this year, the EBU is reviewing
the EU Telecoms package as an
opportunity to modernise rules
that support media pluralism and
cultural diversity. Acknowledging
the opportunities 5G may bring,
the EBU considers these rules essential, reflecting the evolution
of viewing habits and the type of
services provided by broadcasters.

A Smart OTT move

SAN RAMON – The Smart TV Alliance is merging its activities with
those of the HbbTV Association,
in order to bring a more efficient
approach in developing over-thetop (OTT) services. The joint partnership will allow developers to
create applications for broadcast
and broadband delivery via connected TV or set-top box using
a common HbbTV specification.

NHK filming
The Louvre in 8K

TOKYO – In collaboration with
France’s The Louvre museum,
Japanese public broadcaster
NHK shot The Louvre: A Time
Transcending Beauty in 8K, which
includes footage of nine famous
art pieces such as the Venus de
Milo and the Mona Lisa. Using the
latest technology, including wide
colour gamut and high dynamic
range, NHK delivered a broader
spectrum of colours and contrast
to create a more vivid viewing
experience.

CREATION

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MANAGEMENT

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| OCTOBER 2016 | VOLUME 33 |

DISTRIBUTION

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IP interoperability
has arrived
by shawn liew

AMSTERDAM – In an industry
where competition is arguably
fiercer than it has even been, the
ability to bring a host of broadcast
equipment and solutions providers
to work together on a common
goal — many of whom remain
direct competitors to one another
— perhaps tells its own story.
Formed last December, the
Alliance for IP Media Solutions
(AIMS), an independent trade alliance advocating for open standards
and interoperability in broadcast IP,
has now passed the 50-member
milestone, and its growth is showing little signs of abating.
Mike Cronk, chairman of the
AIMS board, told APB: “The reason
AIMS has grown so fast is because
it is based on a really powerful idea.
When you drive to build a network,
and IP fundamentally needs a network, the value of that network to
the companies involved is directly

While there are member companies within AIMS who are conducting
proprietary IP implementations, even they acknowledge that the industry
collectively has to adopt an interoperable approach to IP, said Mike Cronk,
chairman of the AIMS board.

proportionate to the number of
systems, people and companies
connected to the network.”
Reiterating AIMS’ mission statement of fostering the adoption

of a common, ubiquitous set
of protocols for interoperability over IP, Cronk points to AIMS’

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X-PLATFORM

ISSUE 9

32

Borneo is a 10-part half-hour series
that will give viewers an exclusive look
into the remote regions of the island.

Series to explore
wonders of Borneo
SINGAPORE – Local production
company Beach House Pictures
(BHP) is teaming up with Malaysian
producer Kyanite TV to produce
Borneo, the “biggest” factual coproduction deal between Singapore and Malaysia.
Alongside Discovery Networks
Asia-Pacific, UKTV, the Infocomm
Media Development Authority of
Singapore (IMDA) and Perbadan
Kemajuan Filem Nasional Malaysia
(FINAS), BHP and Kyanite TV will
bring viewers an exclusive look into
the most remote regions of Borneo,
the world’s third largest island.
A 10-part half-hour series, Borneo will explore the island’s tropical
landscape and rich biodiversity,
as well as follow people from different backgrounds, nationalities
and cultures, united in a battle to
uncover, understand and protect its
rainforests, flora and fauna.

Pay-TV Innovation Forum: It’s all about the content
SINGAPORE – While broadcasters and pay-TV
operators around the world find themselves
caught up in the new wave of technology
transformation sweeping the TV industry, it is
perhaps prudent not to lose sight of the fact that
emerging technologies are but enablers in the
overall drive to deliver to viewers the content
they demand today.

In Asia-Pacific, in particular, which remains
one of the most fragmented and diversified
regions in the world, there is an appetite for
all types of content. This, in turn, is creating a
“unique opportunity” for pay-TV service providers, according to a new report released by the
Pay-TV Innovation Forum entitled The Pay-TV
Innovation Landscape in Asia-Pacific.

The Pay-TV Innovation Forum is a new
global research programme designed by Nagra,
in collaboration with MTM, a research and
strategy consulting firm.
The report, the second in a series covering
global markets, provides an overview of the
pay-TV innovation landscape and explores

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