Speaking at a media breakfast to announce TV Man Union Inc.’s collaboration with FremantleMedia, chairman and CEO of TV Man Union Inc., Yutaka Shigenobu said that Japanese media is in a constant stage of change. “With the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting in 2011, the way we produce and broadcast programming will diversify more than ever before. Relations between foreign and Japanese programmers and producers will become even more important,” said Shigenobu. … [Read more...] about Land of rising opportunity
format licensing
Asian TV biz set to ride out global slowdown
The three-month American Writers Guild strike took a heavy toll on many Asian broadcasters, forcing them to run repeats, delay the launches of some series and otherwise rejig their schedules. Now that the supply of US programming is flowing again, the outlook among the Hollywood studios and the region’s channels is optimistic in the lead-up to the LA Screenings. Apart, that is, from the spill-over effects of the financial shocks in the US, particularly in US-sensitive territories such as … [Read more...] about Asian TV biz set to ride out global slowdown
Mobile rising
Mobile TV and content look to be gaining traction in Asia with service rollouts, take-up and returns on the rise, as well as new mobile content growing considerably over the past year. Long-touted as the ‘killer application’ to bring the elusive alternative source of revenue to carriers, operators and content providers, the mobile platform is finally showing signs that it just might live up to those lofty expectations. In monetary returns, 2007 saw the Asia Pacific mobile video … [Read more...] about Mobile rising
Tuning in to music matters
The music business in the digital era of today faces a host of challenges not dissimilar to those encountered by an audiovisual content market that is moving increasingly towards digital distribution over new media platforms. Efforts and solutions offered by players in the music industry to tackle problems such as piracy and cross-platform licensing issues, as well as new business models, may well serve as a point of reference for those tackling similar problems in the audiovisual content … [Read more...] about Tuning in to music matters
NHK-led Japan Consortium wins Japanese broadcast rights for 2010, 2012 Olympics
Lausanne, Switzerland – Japan Consortium, an association of pubcaster NHK and the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters in Japan (NAB) has clinched Japanese broadcast rights for the Vancouver 2010 and London 2012 Olympic Games for ¥32.5billion (US$310.8million). The Japan Consortium was selected by the International Olympic Council (IOC) for its capacity to reach the widest audience on multiple broadcast platforms including free-to-air TV, pay-TV and digital media including the … [Read more...] about NHK-led Japan Consortium wins Japanese broadcast rights for 2010, 2012 Olympics
BabyFirstTV to debut in China on SMG’s BesTV IPTV platform
Los Angeles – BabyFirst and Shanghai Media Group (SMG) have inked a deal to launch US-based child development channel BabyFirstTV on the latter’s BestTV IPTV platform in China from May 2008. Established in November 2005 as a subsidiary of SMG, BesTV is the first IPTV company in the Chinese mainland. The agreement with BesTV follows recent Asian carriage deals sealed to offer BabyFirstTV in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea, with more regional carriage deals expected to close. … [Read more...] about BabyFirstTV to debut in China on SMG’s BesTV IPTV platform