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Television Asia's Executive News
15 January 2007
Interactive and Digital Media Research & Development office to boost IDM sector
Singapore – The IDM R&D office has unveiled initiatives to support and develop the IDM sector in Singapore as a key engine of growth for the country’s economy. This follows the National Research Foundation’s decision last year to allocate S$500 million ($US322 million) over five years to fund an IDM research program and establish a multi-agency IDM R&D office within Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA). The sector is expected to contribute $6.46 billion to Singapore’s media industry, up from $2.45 billion in 2003 and to create 10,000 new jobs by 2015.
The initiatives were presented at MDA’s inaugural ‘IDM Jamboree,’ an industry networking event held January 10 at the Singapore Science Centre, attended by 700 participants.
The IDM R&D office aims to increase demand for IDM services by having companies invest in IDM R&D opportunities in applications, services and platforms with potential to generate new business models and demand for new services. A network of local and international research organizations will be formed to boost the IDM sector through R&D work to fill IDM-related gaps. The office aims to involve members of the public to generate ideas and projects, and those with commercial potential will be supported by mentors from the industry or institutes of higher learning. Lastly, the program aims to establish Singapore as an international test-bed for IDM infrastructure and application with support from the MDA, Economic Development Board, Infocomm Development Authority and IDM R&D office.
R&D areas identified are: animation, games and effects; Media Intermediary Services; and On-the-Move media services.
Korean IT experts punished for selling illegal pay-TV decoders
Seoul – A South Korean court has passed suspended jail sentences on three IT experts from separate companies for having sold equipment which enabled viewers in the Middle East and Europe to watch pay-TV channels for free.
Chung, Lee and Shim, identified only by their family names, were found guilty of exporting set-top boxes equipped to unscramble satellite TV signals. Chung and Lee sold 35,000 satellite TV receivers to the Middle East and Europe, while Shim exported 4,000 such devices to Poland. The jail terms were up to two years, suspended for two years, and fines of 30 million won (US$32.4 million) were imposed.
The investigation began in 2006 following a joint complaint from satellite broadcasters in Europe and the Middle East.
BBC Entertainment launches on Astro
Kuala Lumpur – BBC Global Channels Asia has launched BBC Entertainment on Astro, Malaysia’s direct-to-home satellite television services provider, broadcasting on Astro Channel 26. BBC Entertainment features drama, comedy and light entertainment programming from the UK including Doctor Who, Footballers' Wives, Waking the Dead, Rebus, Extras, Suburban Shootout and My Family.
NDS to offer DRM solutions for KT’s mobile content
Las Vegas / Seoul – NDS will provide VideoGuard Mobile and VideoGuard PMP (Portable Media Players) Digital Rights Management (DRM) solutions to Korea Telecommunications’ (KT) new mobile content service, “toest”. It enables secure download of videos to PDA phones and PMPs in Korea’s WiFi hotspots.
“toest” is designed to establish a standardized business model for content distribution ensuring revenues go to owners of copyrighted content. NDS provides protection for content copyrights and support for a variety of content purchase business models for the service. Dr. Jung Han-Wook, Assistant Vice President of KT, stressed the need for “toest” to function with a lawful video content distribution structure.
Videos can be downloaded via authorized terminals from website www.toest.co.kr and transferred to mobile devices via wireless hotspots. “toest” has about 3000 video clips including movies, dramas, animation and educational programs. KT plans to expand “toest” through various content licensing agreements and to HSDPA terminals.
Jupiter Telecommunications to offer super high-speed Internet service
Tokyo – Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Ltd., the largest MSO in Japan based on the number of customers served, will offer “J:COM NET 160Mbps” (provisional), a super high-speed Internet service through J:COM NET in April. The service begins in J:COM’s Kansai Minami Osaka system service area including Osaka Sayama city, and the Izumi/Izumiohtsu system service areas including Izumi city, with plans to expand later to other service areas.
J:COM’s HFC (hybrid fiber optic/coaxial cable) network provides downstream speeds of up to 160 Mbps and upstream speeds up to 10 Mbps for Internet service access. Subscription costs ¥6,000 ($US50) monthly, excluding taxes, but with modem user fees inclusive.
J:COM NET 160Mbps is available to users living in single dwelling units, individual homes and smaller apartment buildings within the J:COM network footprint. This service option extends from J:COM NET Hikari, a high-speed Internet service using optical fiber network technology to serve mid-sized and larger multiple dwelling units that J:COM began in August 2005.
The technology used combines J:COM’s existing HFC networks (using DOCSIS1 3.0 cable Internet standard) with its channel bonding function2, making it possible to bundle four times the bandwidth of conventional services.
Nokia in search of directorial talent with dance video competition
Singapore – Nokia will launch “You Make It Reel”, an Asia-Pacific competition to unearth new directorial talent among consumers using the latest Nokia N93i multimedia computer, with a 3.2 megapixel camera, Carl Zeiss optics, videography and photography features including video editing and direct uploading functions. The competition commences on January 27, 2007 with participants recording and uploading videos in groups of 4 dancing to tunes by Dallas-based band Greyskull and various Asian bands.
The competition features 2 stages: In the first stage, consumers compete at the local level, capturing videos of their dance to any Greyskull track or a track from a local band. Winning entries from each country goes into the second stage, where finalists each receive a Nokia N93i and will make another video using a given Greyskull track. The winning finalist will win US$10,000 and a chance to showcase their video directing skills at the Nokia Nseries Indie Music Showcase. Full details for “You Make It Reel” competition are available at www.nokia-asia.com/youmakeitreel
“Green” forum in Beijing
Singapore – Channel NewsAsia is staging a televised forum at the new Raffles Hotel in Beijing on Thursday January 18, looking at whether the booming real estate industry in China
can develop a “green” approach. The session will ask: Is a commercially viable green real estate model really possible in China? Speakers will include Pan Shiyi of SOHO China; Feng Lun of Vantone; Ren Zhiqiang of Huayuan; and Nie Meisheng, Chairman of China’s Real Estate Chamber of Commerce
Pinoy programs win awards at New York Festivals
Manila – Two programs produced by ABS-CBN’s News and Current Affairs Group, TV Patrol World and The Correspondents, have won medals in the 2007 New York Festivals Awards. The producers will find out whether those gongs are bronze, silver or gold at the awards ceremony on February 2 at the Downtown Auditorium in Manhattan.
TV Patrol World’s entry for Best Newscast was the coverage of the tragedy in February last year when 73 people, many of them women and elderly, died during a stampede while lining up to attend the first-anniversary celebration of ABS-CBN’s popular TV game show, Wowowee.
The Correspondents’ entry, Palobo Boy, revealed the deadly effects of the abusive solvent known locally as rugby. Host Karen Davila followed the deteriorating health of a boy who had been sniffing the solvent for six years.
Southern Star has Got to Go
Sydney – Southern Star International has secured the rights to distribute worldwide the new 26 x 22 minute animated tween series G2G: GOT TO GO. Produced by Australia's Moody Street Kids and Canada's March Entertainment for Nine Network Australia, the series looks at pre-teen life through the eyes of the world’s only 12-year-old “Dear Abby,” Maddie Marple-Macintosh; she hosts an advice column on her school's web blog. Southern Star International will launch the series at MIPTV 2007.
Japanese viewers go sports crazy
Tokyo – Japanese viewers are becoming more and more sports mad. Seven of the 10 most viewed programs last year were sports-related, up from five in 2005 and four in 2004.
Video Research’s list for 2006 showed TV Asahi's June 18 FIFA World Cup 2006 match between Japan and Croatia was No. 1 with 52.7%, followed by the June 12 Japan-Australia World Cup match on NHK with 49%, and Nippon TV's March 21 World Baseball Classic final between Japan and Cuba with 43.4%. That is in contrast to 2004 when only three Athens Olympics-related programs made the top 10.
DoCoMo continues buying spree
Tokyo – NTT DoCoMo, the cell phone wing of giant telco NTT, has snapped up 3% of Nippon TV shares for US$112 million, becoming NTV’s sixth key shareholder. A year ago, DoCoMo bought 3.26% of Fuji TV shares for about $174 million. This is part of
DoCoMo’s strategy of securing content for distribution to cell phones.
In February 2006, DoCoMo and NTV jointly set up a limited liability partnership with a capital of Yen 10 billion (about US$84 million) for closer business ties. Last December it acquired 3.78% of Kadokawa Shoten Group Holdings, a media company which owns Herald Movies.
NHK viewing fee likely to be mandatory
Tokyo – For the first time in its history, NHK’s viewing fee is likely to become compulsory. A bill to revise the broadcasting law is to be submitted to the Ordinary House session convening on January 25, according to Minister Yoshihide Suga of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC). Nearly 80% of 43 million TV households have voluntarily paid what the public broadcaster terms a "viewing fee," equivalent to BBC's license fee, of about US$15 a month. There is no penalty for non-payment. The idea of a mandatory fee arose in 2005 when many people refused to pay after irregularities involving NHK employees were revealed. MIC has suggested “normalizing" the payment system in exchange for cutting the fee by about 20% in 2008.
People in the News
Phillip Luff appointed SVP and GM of Animal Planet International
Singapore – Discovery Networks Asia has appointed Phillip Luff as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Animal Planet International, effective January 29.
Luff, will lead the global Animal Planet team from London, and is responsible for managing all aspects of the network, with a focus on commercializing Animal Planet’s distribution of 195 million households outside US. He reports to Rebecca Batties, Executive Vice President of Creative Development and Brand Management for Discovery Networks International.
Luff moves to Animal Planet from Japan, having been Vice President and General Manager of Discovery’s business interests since 2004. From 2002 to 2004, Luff was General Manager of Australia and the Pacific for Discovery Networks Asia.
Luff’s successor in Tokyo will be appointed shortly.
John Casey named Director, News and Programming, CNBC Asia Pacific
Singapore – CNBC Asia Pacific has named John Casey as Director, News and Programming. He is based in Singapore heading the news and programming division of the network in this region. Casey reports to Jeremy Pink, President and Managing Director of CNBC Asia Pacific.
Casey’s responsibilities include supervising development of content, talent and program schedule for CNBC Asia Pacific, and developing new content for the broadcast, mobile and broadband platforms.
Casey joins CNBC Asia Pacific, from CNBC Europe in London, where he was Deputy Head of News and Executive Producer, Worldwide Exchange and Power Lunch. Casey has over 10 years’ experience in production of business and financial news programs, and management of news networks.
