Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) December 2018 Volume 35, Issue 11

www.apb-news.com
NEWS & VIEWS
W O R L D I N B R I E F
SINGAPORE – Pay-TV revenues in
APAC have grown by 5% in 2018,
taking region-wide industry rev-
enue past the US$56-billion mark,
according to the Asia-Pacific Pay-
TV Distribution report by Media
Partners Asia (MPA). The report
predicted that continued growth
will see revenues exceeding US$66
billion by 2023, a 3% CAGR.
45% of Thai viewers use
illicit streaming devices
BANGKOK – A study commis-
sioned by Asia Video Industry
Association’s (AVIA) Coalition
Against Piracy (CAP) revealed that
45% of consumers in Thailand use
Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs)
to stream pirated TV and video
content. Of the 45% of consum-
ers who purchased the ISDs,
more than 69% stated that they
cancelled all or some of their sub-
scriptions to legal pay-TV services.
FCC launches 5G
spectrum auction
WASHINGTON – The Federal
Communications Commission
(FCC) has commenced its first
high-band 5G spectrum auction.
The FCC will be making 1.55GHz
of spectrum available through
the auction of spectrums in the
28GHz and 24GHz bands.
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CREATION
10
MANAGEMENT
12
DISTRIBUTION
|
DECEMBER 2018
| VOLUME 35
X-PLATFORM
14
| ISSUE 11
16
2018 – a transformational
year for the M&E industry
Positive growth outlook
for pay-TV in APAC
5
NEWS & VIEWS
December 2018
BY SHAWN LIEW
SINGAPORE – To suggest that
2018 has been a transformational
year for the broadcast and me-
dia (M&E) industry is perhaps an
under statement.
Television, as we know it in
the most traditional sense — pre-
programmed content transmitted
over a linear platform — has been
irrevocably changed. Consumers,
in increasing numbers, are em-
bracing their personal connected
devices as the main medium in
which to consume content.
Non-traditional content pro-
viders continue to thrive and
flourish, as epitomised by the fact
that Netflix is expected to spend
up to US$8 billion on 700 original
series this year. Sports, traditionally
a stronghold of pay-TV, is shifting
From a technological perspective, 2018 has seen broadcasters and media
companies explore various technologies as key enablers that will allow them to
redefine key broadcast workflows with more efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
seismically towards the over-the-
top (OTT) and video-on-demand
(VoD) domains — the likes of Ama-
zon and Facebook have acquired
live streaming rights to some of the
most sought after sports content
in the world, including the hugely
popular English Premier League.
How then are media companies
adapting to these changes?
Consolidation of resources
appears to be one way to go —
Comcast’s takeover of the UK’s
Sky and AT&T’s acquisition of Time
Warner are just some of the high-
profile examples that reflect a wave
of merger and acquisitions that is
likely to continue.
From a technological perspec-
tive, 2018 has seen broadcasters
and media companies explore vari-
ous technologies as key enablers
that will allow them to redefine
key broadcast workflows with more
efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Of these technologies, IP has
arguably, been the most keenly
discussed, particularly with the
8 8
Singapore first in SE Asia to go fully digital
SINGAPORE – The next chapter in Singapore’s
broadcast TV history is ready to be written, as
the republic prepares to shut down all analogue
TV transmission on 1 January 2019.
This, according to Goh Kim Soon, head,
broadcast engineering, Mediacorp, is the culmi-
nation of a journey that began in September
2014, when the Info-communications Media
Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA)
launched the Digital TV Assistance Scheme to
help low-income households make the switch
to digital TV (DTV).
“To help more Singaporeans transition to
DTV, the scheme was expanded in April 2018
to all Singaporean households that do not
subscribe to pay-TV, through the Digital Starter
Kit,” Goh added.
To further raise awareness about the digital
switchover (DSO), IMDA organised weekly
DTV carnivals and pop-up counters at various
community centres, where residents can get
their DTV-related queries answered and book
appointments for free installations. Reminders
about the analogue switch-off date were also
displayed on the TV screens of analogue TV
viewers, to remind these households to switch
over as soon as possible
Reflecting on a journey nearing its conclu-
sion, Goh said: “Seamless migration to DTV re-
quires a national effort involving all stakeholders
in the industry — from the government to the
broadcasters, retailers, TV manufacturers and
8 8
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