Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) December 2015 Volume 32, Issue 10

NEWS & VIEWS
December 2015
5
www.apb-news.com | DECEMBER 2015 | VOLUME 32 | ISSUE 10
NEWS & VIEWS
W O R L D I N B R I E F
India relaxes FDI rules
NEW DELHI – India’s rules on
foreign direct investment (FDI)
have been amended to allow
100% foreign investments in
MSOs, local cable operators, DTH,
teleport and other related busi-
nesses. The limits for non-news,
general entertainment channels
have also been raised to 100%,
while direct investments in news
and current affairs TV channels
have been raised from 26% to 49%.
6
CREATION
12
MANAGEMENT
16
20
X-PLATFORM
24
HDR+ the way to
propagate 4K/UHD
by shawn liew
LONDON – 4K/Ultra HD (UHD) has, to
varying degrees, been described as the
next big technology wave to permeate the
broadcast industry. And while the prospect
of more vivid images bringing about an
enhanced viewing experience continues
to be compelling, there are a number of
equations to consider before broadcasters
can deliver a true 4K/UHD experience.
Key among these is the prioritisation
of quality over quantity.
4K/UHD is an “important evolution”
from HD, said Tim Borer, lead technol­
ogist, BBC R&D, and Phil Layton, head of
Broadcast & Connected Systems, BBC R&D,
before adding that the priority is not to
create more pixels but higher quality ones.
The BBC believes that by adding tech-
nologies such as High Dynamic Range
(HDR), Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) and
High Frame Rate (HFR) into the 4K/UHD
Spec added to HbbTV 2.0
NICE – The European Telecom-
munications Standards Institute
(ETSI) has released the latest
specification on HbbTV, TS 102
796 V.1.3.1 that corresponds to
HbbTV 2.0. The latest specifica-
tion adds support for new cap­
abilities, including companion
device support, HTML5 user
experience and support for 4K/
UHD and HEVC/H.265.
OTT is now a mandate
ATLANTA – To stay relevant,
reach audiences and grow rev-
enue, content providers need
to not only provide a streaming
option to consumers, but also
address the changing behaviour
of today’s younger TV viewers,
declared a new Clearleap survey.
The penetration of over-the-top
(OTT) streaming services is now
on par with cable in the US, and
is expected to continue to grow,
the survey added.
DISTRIBUTION
By adding HDR+ into the 4K/UHD ecosystem, TV can take a qualitative
step forward to greater realism and much deeper immersion.
8 8
WRC-15: ‘No Change’ to 470-694MHz
GENEVA – At last month’s World
Radiocommunication Conference
(WRC-15) held in Geneva,
Switzerland, an “overwhelming”
majority of proposals support a
‘No Change’ position for the UHF
band 470-694/698MHz, which is
currently allocated for terrestrial TV.
Despite calls from a few coun-
tries to re-allo­cate the band for
mobile telecommunications ser-
vices, the coordinated regional
positions of Euro­pean and African
countries, the Arab States, the
Commonwealth of Independent
States, and the Asia-Pacific
Telecommunication Union, as well
as a joint proposal from 14 South
American countries are all clearly
opposed to such a move.
This was a position consistent
with that adopted by the European
Broadcasting Union (EBU) and its
sister organisations, which col-
lectively represents more than
650 broadcasters from around the
world.
Simon Fell, EBU’s director of
Technology and Innovation, said:
8 8
Announc
i
ng our ne
w r
ent
a
l
s
er
v
i
c
e f
or l
i
v
e br
oa
dc
a
s
t a
c
qui
s
i on
After nearly a 20-year hiatus, Toei
Animation strikes back with Dragon
Ball Super slated for a mid-2016
premier on Toonami.
Asia unleashes
Dragon Ball Super
HONG KONG – Toonami, Turner’s
action and anime channel, has
snapped up the latest instalment
of the Dragon Ball franchise from
Toei Animation.
Mark Eyers, CCO for Turner’s
Kids Networks in Asia-Pacific, com-
mented: “Since the channel’s launch
in 2012, Toonami has been airing
episodes of Dragon Ball Z and
Dragon Ball Z Kai, and to premiere
Dragon Ball Super demon­strates
the channel’s continued commit-
ment to securing must-have and
must-see content, first on Toonami.”
Dragon Ball Super is the first
all-new Dragon Ball TV series to be
produced in nearly 20 years, and
will make its pan-regional launch
on Toonami in mid-2016. It will be
an exclusive first-run premiere on
Toonami in South-east Asia and
India, which will also be its English-
language world premiere.
Dragon Ball originated as a
Japanese comics series written and
illustrated by Akira Toriyama.
L
I
VE
Bonded Cel
l
ul
a
r & F
l
y Awa
y S
a
t
el
l
i
t
e Rent
a
l
f
or L
i
v
e Ne
ws
,
L
i
v
e S
por
t
s a
nd L
i
v
e E
v
ent
s