Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) December 2016 Volume 33, Issue 11 | Page 9

NEWS & VIEWS December 2016 9 Digital production sees growing interest in Cambodia What do you oversee as head of TVC? Where does your group fit within CBS’ content production workflow? Glenn Bandalan Ala: The TVC Production Unit is a department within CBS and we are responsible for producing video commercials and advertisements for partner brands in Cambodia. We function independently as our own business unit but operate with the technical support and network backing of CBS. It’s a startup business and we’re building out our capabilities now so we can grow the business over the next few years. What are your thoughts about content production in Cambodia? What kind of technologies are being used currently? Ala: Content production in Cambodia is not as sophisticated as in other more progressive Asian countries like Thailand, Singapore or the Philippines but it has grown by leaps and bounds over the past five to 10 years, primarily because of the rapidly growing middle class. The majority of the population now have access to public television and, more importantly, Internet and mobile access, which, we expect, will at least double the demand for content over the next few years. There’re at least 15 public terrestrial TV stations in Cambodia, three of which command about 50% audience share collectively, and the country now has one foot in the door in digital video broadcasting. There’re also at least four major mobile LTE service providers, and the competition is fierce. Facebook How is Cambodia keeping up with content production trends? APB’s Millette Manalo-Burgos prompts Glenn Bandalan Ala, head of TVC at Cambodian Broadcasting Service (CBS), for some insights. ❝Digital is fresh new ground in Cambodia for the TV networks, and especially for brands. While consumption is still widely and largely terrestrial and cable, there is a lot of promise for digital, especially given how aggressively mobile is progressing in Cambodia.❞ — Glenn Bandalan Ala, Head of TVC, Cambodian Broadcasting Service is the social platform of choice (perhaps even the only choice), especially among the younger population. Recently, I’ve seen at least one brand venture into viral marketing, and successfully at that. So really, there is no place more exciting for content production in production outputs? Ala: New skills are constantly pouring into the production skills market in Cambodia, but mostly through the import of expats and talents from more sophisticated markets. But the hope is that through constant exposure and training (which in a way is a form of technology transfer), Cambodia will become self-sufficient in providing itself the skilled production manpower it needs. I know of at least five universities here that offer media and communication degrees, so hopefully we will see more graduates joining the industry in the future. In the area of technology, Cambodia is not so far behind and this is mostly because the talents that are imported into Cambodia for big budget productions bring the equipment in with them. But don