Singapore– SingTel’s proposed IPTV pay-TV service is expected to be bundled with broadband and voice offerings, rather than launched as a stand-alone service. Having lost out on lucrative EPL soccer rights to incumbent pay-TV provider StarHub Cable Vision, many feel SingTel still lacks the killer content necessary to drive penetration of a stand-alone pay-TV service. While SingTel’s Director for IPTV and Content Low Ka Hoe outlined the new service’s capabilities, any … [Read more...] about SingTel expected to bundle new pay-TV service
format licensing
Mobile phone industry expo in China rings up a flurry of deals
Shanghai- The International Mobile-phone Industry Exposition (IMIE), held May 18-20 2007 at the Binhai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Tianjin, China, hosted 320 exhibitors with 660 booths and attracted more than 20,000 visitors, including 500 from overseas. More than 200 attendees, including 18 overseas buyers and more than 40 Chinese suppliers, converged at the Global Purchasing Meeting at IMIE. Organizers said more than 50 contract negotiations were initiated, expected to … [Read more...] about Mobile phone industry expo in China rings up a flurry of deals
SICAF draws big crowds, hundreds of buyers and production companies
Seoul- The 11th Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF), which ran May 23-25 at SETEC, drew 130,000 visitors and copious entries for the SICAF Promotion Plan (SPP) Project Competition, the animation festival and the international digital cartoon sidebar. The SPP attracted 360 companies and 270 buyers from 21 countries including the U.S., Canada, Spain, France, Japan and China; last year there were around 100 buyers and 220 companies participated. Prize-winners in the SPP Project … [Read more...] about SICAF draws big crowds, hundreds of buyers and production companies
Fifth Media mobile TV launches in China
Shanghai- Shanghai Media Group’s Dragon New Media Co., Ltd. launched the territory’s first mobile phone-based TV service dubbed Fifth Media on May 28, according to Chinese media reports. Dragon New Media is specializing in producing programs tailored for mobile TV, not simply editing traditional TV content, Zheng Jie, the company's chief editor for the business, told reporters. Zheng noted there is a tug-of-war between the Ministry of Information Industry and the State Administration … [Read more...] about Fifth Media mobile TV launches in China
How to drive HDTV in Asia: collaborate and showcase
The development of High Definition Television (HDTV) has been a long and difficult journey. First developed in the 1960s in Japan by the Japan Broadcasting Corporation(NHK), the analogue MUSE HDTV system was trialed during the 1970s and 1980s. Despite significant interest, it was a media technology before its time with commercial development hindered by insufficient bandwidth in transmission systems, lack of HD compatible televisions and the shortage of compelling content. The start of … [Read more...] about How to drive HDTV in Asia: collaborate and showcase
Outlook for HD in Asia: currently cloudy with sunshine expected
High Definition is touted as the future of broadcasting, but if so, excepting Japan and Singapore, why has the rest of Asia been slow to adopt the format? Lack of satellite capacity and bandwith limits. Cable operators’ indecision on HD delivery. Expensive HD set-top boxes. The slow conversion from analogue to digital in some markets. Lack of sufficient content. Low consumer demand. Or all of the above? Theories abound among executives at various stages of the HD value chain, from creation … [Read more...] about Outlook for HD in Asia: currently cloudy with sunshine expected