PANELLISTS
24
December 2016
Eleven Sports Network content available on Samsung Smart TVs
Premium sports content from Eleven Sports Network ’ s channels — Eleven , Eleven Sports and Eleven Plus — is now available on Samsung TVs in Singapore . The Eleven Sports app is now pre-loaded into all Samsung Smart TVs and will provide viewers with action from English football , as well as the National Basketball Association ( NBA ). Shalu Wasu , managing director , Singapore , Eleven Sports Network , said : “ Our strategy is to reach as many fans as possible , and we are doing this in innovative ways , including making our Eleven Sports service available on TV for the first time .”
Hootsuite surpasses 15 million users
Hootsuite , a platform founded in 2008 for managing social media , has surpassed 15 million global users . Penny Wilson , chief marketing officer at Hootsuite , said : “ What was once the focus of a small number of enthusiasts inside an organisation , today social media is at the heart of the digital strategy of the largest and most successful businesses . Hootsuite makes social media approachable for all businesses , including those in regulated industries , government or higher education . Every day , we see companies use our platform in unique , innovative ways to engage with their customers .”
And to support its expansion into Asia-Pacific , Hootsuite has appointed Rich Meiklejohn ( pictured ) as its first general manager of Asia- Pacific . Meiklejohn will be responsible for growth strategy and overall performance in the region .
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Mock Pak Lum
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David Siah
Chairman Cloud Security Alliance Singapore
LTE and 5G speed up Internet video traffic
Designed for live , linear and file-based video content , the Telstra Global Media Network is a media contribution solution that has been integrated into the CDN , and connected to the mobile network , including the LTE-B control mechanisms .
With more viewers consuming content on second screens , can LTE and 5G technologies provide the technology bridge for broadcasters to tap more effectively into mobile networks ? Josephine Tan writes more .
The average viewing times on mobile devices has surged by more than 200 hours a year since 2012 , driving up overall TV and video viewing by an additional 1.5 hours a week , Ericsson revealed in its ConsumerLab TV & Media Report 2016 .
The annual report highlighted that the “ staggering growth ” of mobile viewing occurs throughout the day and across mobile devices , complementing viewing on traditional big TV screens and adding to the total viewing time .
Based on interviews with 30,000 individuals in 24 countries , the report shows that the second screen , such as a smartphone or tablet , is used by 64 % of consumers every week to complement content watched on the big screen . This includes undertaking activities such as checking ratings , posting comments on social media , and watching video content on multiple screens .
Addressing the growth in video traffic across mobile networks was one of the key reasons that prompted Australian telco Telstra to establish the LTE Broadcast
Alliance , alongside US telco Verizon , South Korea ’ s Korea Telecom ( KT ) and EE , a BT-owned UK mobile operator .
Formed in April this year , the LTE Broadcast Alliance aims to promote the capabilities and benefits of utilising LTE broadcast ( LTE-B ) as an enabler to support the delivery of a new range of services . This , while simultaneously improving the efficiency of mobile networks and creating a good customer experience .
Another ongoing drive , Gary Traver , head of media engineering and services at Telstra , tells APB , is to persuade more service providers , network equipment manufacturers and mobile handset providers to adopt LTE-B as an enabling technology .
With even broadcast organisations coming forward to adopt the technology , a global LTE-B ecosystem that is self-sustaining can then be formed , says Traver .
The current stumbling block , he adds , is overcoming the challenges associated with integrating LTE- B technology into mobile devices . “ Telstra , Verizon , KT and EE all have internal programmes under way to prove the technology and characterise its benefits . Despite our trials , we have individually not been able to convince the broader community of handset manufacturers to naturally incorporate LTE-B functionality into their mobile devices ,” he laments .
In order to make LTE-B a global standard , Traver believes that a coordinated effort is required to educate , inform and demonstrate the values of LTE-B in a mobile network . He also
PHOTO CREDIT : TELSTRA shares three key learning points from Telstra ’ s efforts in the LTE Broadcast Alliance .
These include : n There is confusion in the market about what LTE-B is and what it does . Instead of seeing LTE-B as an enabling technology , many think it is a service , while some believe the benefits are limited to supporting live broadcast . Perhaps crucially , “ only a few ” understand the full range of opportunities that LTE-B enables . n To bring LTE-B into a service provider ’ s network , there is a need to achieve commitments in three key areas — getting handsets enabled with LTE-B capability ; upgrading the mobile network to support LTE-B ; and creating viable products that rely on LTE-B ’ s capabilities to achieve the expected customer experience . n As an enabling technology , there is no single product that will support the investment required . Rather , there are a number of products that benefit from LTE-B enablement and a combination of services to generate the required returns .
LTE has many features and capabilities that benefit broadcast production , according to Traver , and one such feature is quality of service ( QoS ), which provides the capability to establish and maintain a specific data rate for a specific customer .
He explains : “ Using LTE for remote content acquisition , we can QoSenable a video stream coming from a content producer , bridge the content onto our domestic portion of the Global Media Network , and deliver it