How have BroadcastAsia and CommunicAsia evolved over the years?

In 1979, CommunicAsia was launched with 200 exhibitors, and has since expanded rapidly over the years. 1999 was a watershed year, as it marked the decision to turn CMMA into an annual affair. Through the years, the event played a part in the industry’s transition, from analogue to digital, to the arrival of the Internet, where technology has an ubiquitous presence.

This year, we have nearly 2,000 global companies at both CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia, and visitors can expect to see a larger showing of trending technologies and solutions relating to ICT, Broadcasting and Digital Multimedia.

How has the annual event benefited participants and industry as a whole?

The evolution of technology happening at ‘light-speed’ has caused a disruption in the way business is operated today. Business operators understand that they must look to digital transformation in order to keep up with the expectations and needs of the increasingly digital customer base. For businesses, this can mean anything from transforming the way they interact with their customers, to leveraging the plethora of data analytics streaming from today’s digital landscape to enter emerging geo-markets.

In 2014, we introduced a countryfocus seminar to offer participants useful tips that can help ease their entry into the Myanmar market. Due to overwhelming response then, we decided to stage it again in subsequent editions. In 2015, our country spotlight was on Indonesia, and in our upcoming edition, India is the focus.

This is just one example of what we do to upkeep the relevance of our event, providing them insights to different nations and harness new business opportunities. We also guide them with viable solutions to successfully navigate the available potential business and regulatory issues.

What new segments have you introduced over the past two years and what were their outcome?

Over the last couple of years, we have introduced a variety of segments to highlight the latest developments in the industry. Recognising the advent and popularity of OTT in the region, we introduced the TV Everywhere! Zone, that showcases products and solutions, addressing the need to make content available on any device, anytime anywhere.

The outcome was positive – with strong attendance and interest amongst attendees. With encouraging response from our guests, this year’s programme will once again continue to feature TV Everywhere! Zone, showcasing best-of-breed solutions across the non-linear broadcasting value chain.

What are some of the ways you’ve gone about keeping the event fresh?

Each year, the event will place a focus on topics that are trending globally. An example is the NXT @ CommunicAsia, which is constantly evolving to align to latest trends. This year provides a significant focus on IoT and smart cities, with exhibitors showcasing their next generation intelligent solutions which will range from electric cars to smart home devices and applications that enable businesses to become smarter, greener and more efficient.

We ensure our suite of activities and partner events on the show floor is refreshed in every edition. This year, we have the CIO Forum, Asia ICT Innovation Forum, Ideas Collider, DigiMarketing Lab, IoT Theatre, SME Day, India Connect and many more.

Do you have plans to venture into content related events?

We recognise content creation is an integral part of the digital media value chain. We address this trend the same way we acknowledge all other inclinations that have an impact on our industry. We also engage industry professionals to provide meaningful insight on the various topics. We have integrated content across our programme this year. In fact, BroadcastAsia’s overarching theme is: Integrating Technologies, Experiencing Content.

With new entries like Netflix in Asia-Pacific coupled with today’s increasingly demanding consumers, the broadcasting industry is facing new challenges in OTT. Content providers, broadcasters/ pay- TV operators now must produce and deliver content via different platforms to keep up with consumers’ expectations. To address this, we have highly renowned speakers from the OTT sector such as HOOQ, iflix and Netflix to speak at this year’s BroadcastAsia, to provide attendees with insight on where the industry is moving towards.