8 NEWS & VIEWS
August 2015
IDA to release more spectrum for mobile broadband services
The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore ( IDA ) has proposed to release more spectrum for mobile broadband services and to facilitate the entry of a new mobile operator .
According to IDA , the entry of a new mobile player will increase competition in the mobile services market . It added that a new entrant is likely to bring about a wider variety of innovative services and more competitive offerings to the benefit of end-users .
Taking a global view , IDA observed that markets such as France and Spain experienced competitive mobile price plans and the introduction of new service offerings following the entry of a new mobile player . In addition , a new entrant may incentivise incumbents to invest in infrastructure upgrades leading to an improved quality of experience for consumers .
IDA plans to conduct a spectrum allocation exercise early next year to make available a total of 225MHz of spectrum for mobile services , after taking into account industry feedback and international developments in spectrum use .
FreeviewPlus cost-effective to deploy
1 8
of course , is where FreeviewPlus comes in .”
Like Cotter , Kenrick believes viewers are still drawn to the biggest screen in the house while increasingly making use of the flexibility of on-demand services . FreeviewPlus , stressed Kenrick , brings it all together in one place .
“ FreeviewPlus , for Mãori Television , is the next generation of FTA services in New Zealand ,” said Mark Bullen , head of technology and operations , Mãori Television . “ It provides us with the ability to continue to service our traditional viewers , as well as our on-demand viewers on the same devices under the same marketing umbrella of Freeview .”
As the race to capture and retain eyeballs continue to heat up , with more subscription video-ondemand ( SVoD ) service providers entering the fray — Netflix for example , is now available in New Zealand — will FreeviewPlus New Zealand allow broadcasters to stay ahead of the competition ?
While lauding the efficiencies of HbbTV , Bullen remains unperturbed with the “ threat ” of Netflix . He said : “ HbbTV is an efficient development platform for us and being standards-based , avoids the need to develop individual applications for each manufacturer , which then need to be supported and maintained .
The proposed spectrum to be allocated will include those in the 700MHz band , which is the spectrum to be freed up upon the completion of the digital TV switchover and the switching off of the analogue TV signals , as well as spectrum in the 900MHz , 2.3GHz and 2.5GHz bands — an addition to the 270MHz of 4G spectrum released in 2013 .
IDA also proposed to provide guiding principles to aid wholesale negotiations between Mobile Virtual Network Operators ( MVNOs ) and mobile network operators , recognising that MVNOs who have the ability to re-package wholesale services into their own service offerings can also bring about innovative service offerings for targeted consumer segments .
As the spectrum bands to be released at the coming auction and the framework to facilitate market entry are significant decisions to be taken by IDA , the government has decided to consult the industry and gather public comments on IDA ’ s proposals before finalising them .
The public consultation is ongoing and will cease on August 12 .
“ We don ’ t consider the likes of Netflix as direct competitors . Our content is very unique , as is our core audience .
“ Our focus is the FTA audience and with the majority of the audience still being traditional viewers , we don ’ t have a singular focus on non-traditional platforms only .”
TVNZ ’ s Kenrick maintained that giving viewers the best content is crucial because , ultimately , they will always be drawn to the best content .
TVNZ ’ s Kevin Kenrick : As viewers are still drawn to the biggest screen in the house while increasingly making use of the flexibility of on-demand services , FreeviewPlus brings it all together in one place .
Being non-committal to the Netflix discussion , he continued : “ What comes next is ensuring viewers can easily access that content . FreeviewPlus is all about delivery to the last point , so we can ensure free-to-view content has an ongoing sustainable position in the marketplace .”
Describing FreeviewPlus as a “ game changer ” for TV in New Zealand , and signalling a “ new era in TV viewing ”, Sam Irvine , general manager at Freeview New Zealand , told APB : “ Viewers are watching even more content on their big screens so Freeview- Plus has a role to play in bringing together the two worlds of linear and on-demand , and making it easier and simpler for viewers to find free-to-view content they want to watch .”
As far as the bottom line is concerned , Irvine believes that the increased viewer engagement with broadcast content and through the personalisation of on-demand content will have a positive effect on ad revenue , as does the ability to gain greater viewer insights for advertisers .
He added : “ Cost savings could also be seen as broadcasters do not have to support free-to-view apps across multiple devices for their on-demand content .”
Agreeing with him , MediaWorks ’ Cotter pointed out that from an operation and technical point of view , HbbTV is an one-app build for all FreeviewPlus devices , “ significantly reducing ” the time and cost to build , test and deploy to new TV sets .
Kenrick agreed that without FreeviewPlus , TVNZ would have to individually deploy its ondemand application to every TV manufacturer ’ s content hub , which would have been complicated and expensive . He added : “ The collaborative nature of the Freeview joint venture has enabled significant cost-efficiencies that would otherwise had to have been met individually .”
‘ Media playing field not level ’
1 8
countries in Asia-Pacific have completed the analogue switch-off ( ASO ).
Individual countries , including those who are yet to realise digital dividend , will have to complete ASO and restacking of frequencies . According to the ITU-R BT . 2140 report , restacking is the process of clearing digital TV services from a digital dividend band ( for example , 694-820MHz ) and relocating them to another broadcast band .
During a forum session chaired by the ABU , three regulators presented and discussed about spectrum issues under various areas such as digital dividend , digital divide , interferences and connected devices , as well as requirements for spectrum .
Some of the key issues discussed included : n Broadcasting renders a wide variety of public services to the society . Broadcasters continue to render such services by introducing timely changes to its operations by embracing appropriate technologies . n Making use of broadband as a return channel , integrated broadband broadcast services can provide greater interactivity and engagement between media content and the audience . This could lead to better brand loyalty . n The functions performed by broadcast media leading to , during , or post-disaster are commendable where other services such as
Rolling out HbbTV an uphill task
CANBERRA – New Zealand is not the only country in Asia-Pacific to launch an HbbTV service . Last September , Australia launched FreeviewPlus Australia — now , almost a year on , how is FreeviewPlus faring in the country ?
Liz Ross , Freeview Australia CEO , told APB : “ FreeviewPlus has been in the market since September 2014 and early data is showing that usage is growing every week and engagement with the service is high .
“ The increasing number of manufacturers ’ TV receivers in retail and the range of price points from A $ 129 ( US $ 95.75 ) for a set-top box will result in strong growth of FreeviewPlus penetration in the home as viewers upgrade their TV receivers .”
According to Ross , aggregation and curation of content is a key strategy within the entertainment landscape , especially in the age of Internet TV .
“ FreeviewPlus has been developed to evolve with changes in consumer needs . Consumers today demand control and flexibility of when and how they want to watch content ,” she said .
With HbbTV , broadcasters also retain control of the brand experience and enable the delivery of enhanced services to the TV screen . It also enables new business opportunities for broadcasters and provides a platform for further development in the future .
Ross added : “ Aggregating FTA services offer cost-savings through reduced individual network expenditure on technology development , resourcing , implementation and
ABU ’ s Dr Amal Punchihewa ( second from right ) chairing an ASEAN Broadcasting Regulation Forum with three regulators .
mobile and broadband fail to operate and deliver . n Digital dividend was the key driver for regulators to promote digital radio . Regulators should formulate policies and strategies to promote and implement digital radio broadcasting services . n Regulators need to formulate policies to mitigate digital divide . All people live in rural and urban should have access to digital services .
Dr Amal added : “ Broadcasters continue to innovate , finding more efficient and effective ways to deliver media from acquisition to delivery . Today , media delivery is borderless due to the emergence of over-the-top ( OTT ) services .”
The forum also discussed and noted that “ the playing field is not levelled ” as “ incumbent broadcasters are subject to high levels of regulation while new entrants to the media market enjoy less regulation ”.
maintenance , as well as reduced marketing spend .”
While maintaining optimism for its long-term prospects , Andrew Anderson , general manager , Group Broadcast Services , Seven Network , lamented the “ lethargic growth ” of HbbTV in Australia .
Anderson attributed the slow take-up to two key factors . “ Netflix , Presto , Stan and Quikflix have all come online in the past six months , not only competing with each other , but also muddying the marketing waters surrounding the arrival of FreeviewPlus ,” he elaborated .
“ Recent reports suggest that Netflix has won the initial battle here , signing up over a million subscribers .”
The second issue has been the penetration of HbbTV-enabled TVs . Anderson cited the example of Samsung , the largest selling TV brand in Australia , which added the HbbTV application to its 2015 line-up but , as yet , has failed to provide an upgrade for its 2014 models .
With Seven Network being a partner of FreeviewPlus Australia , Anderson offered three tips to broadcasters looking to offer HbbTV services . “ Marketing , marketing and marketing , followed by good availability of TVs in the market .
“ Point-of-sale marketing at TV retailers is also paramount . In terms of monetisation , the Australian market is still in its early days , with the main opportunities being traditional spot sales on additional linear channels provided by FreeviewPlus .”
HbbTV … slow and steady wins the race ?