8 NEWS & VIEWS
March 2016
Singapore adapts to converging media landscape
SINGAPORE – As the infocomm and media sectors in Singapore continue to converge in the face of rapid technological advancements , the republic ’ s Ministry of Communications and Information has announced the restructuring of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore ( IDA ) and the Media Development Authority of Singapore ( MDA ).
Taking effect on April 1 this year , the industry development and regulatory functions of IDA and MDA will be combined to form the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore ( IMDA ). As a unified authority , IMDA will be able to enact competition and consumer protection regulations in a “ more holistic and progressive manner ”.
The Government Chief Information Office functions within IDA will be restructured as an independent entity — the Government Technology Organisation ( GTO ), which will focus on building engineering talent for the government and support digital transformation efforts .
The restructuring also follows the introduction last August of the integrated Infocomm Media 2025 masterplan , aimed at better capitalising the ongoing convergence in areas such as pay-TV and
on VSF TR-03 and TR-04 , SMPTE 2022-6 and AES67 .
In an industry still fragmented into proprietary solutions , IP gives all manufacturers the opportunity to develop products based on open standards for more efficient , flexible and faster workflows , and to eliminate the fragmentation of implementations that has hindered the broadcast industry for the past 20 years , said Andreas Hilmer , director , marketing and communications , Lawo .
He added : “ It ’ s our big chance to avoid repeating expensive and time-consuming mistakes of the past , and guarantee customers ’ and manufacturers ’ future-proof investments .”
Locking a customer into a proprietary solution is the wrong approach , and will only lead to another format battle , as HD DVD versus BluRay proved to be , cautioned Mike Cronk , SVP of strategic marketing , Grass Valley .
“ Open standards are critical in ensuring complete interoperability for broadcasters while protecting pertinent question : With subscription-video-on-demand ( SVoD ) services such as Netflix arguably the driving force behind pay-TV operators ’ conundrum of “ cordcutters ” and “ cord-nevers ”, why are operators seemingly in a rush to partner Netflix ?
Netflix ’ s Singapore partnerships are not anomalies , with an increasing number of pay-TV operators having entered into similar agreements with other SVoD services , Christopher Slaughter , CEO of CASBAA , pointed out . In Asia , he cited the examples of HOOQ and iflix partnering with local telcos who are in turn offering their own pay-TV services .
“ For many operators , partnering with streaming services could provide additional value-added services to their subscribers , helping reduce churn , and potentially providing additional ARPU ,” Slaughter said . “ However , for others , especially those who have already made significant investments in developing their own robust streaming offerings , or in creating their own content , it might make less sense to join up with a competitor .”
The linear TV experience will eventually be obsolete , so suggests Netflix . In a recent online posting on the Netflix website , the company wrote : “ Internet TV , which is on-demand , personalised and available on any screen — is maturing and will eventually replace the linear TV experience … In a few decades , linear TV will be seen as a
AIMS : True IP standardisation needs cooperation
1 8 to experiment with 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) broadcasting ? Just change the blueprint for the channel to include that set of components .
“ But to do all this , we have to have IP connectivity , and we have to allow users to choose the equipment that best meets their operational requirements . That means completely open interworking , which means open standards for connectivity .”
One of the IP initiatives being launched by AIMS recently is to ensure interoperabililty and standards compliance , reiterated SAM ’ s Felstead . The industry needs to avoid the scenario where the customer is uncertain which vendor to choose because they might end up investing in “ dead-end ” technology that is not interoperable .
The good news is that IP compatibility has already begun and will be extended across 2016 to cover a greater range of technology , including production and playout devices , although “ there is a lot of work yet to be done ,” mused Felstead .
2016 will be a “ very big year ” for IP , as more IP-enabled equiptelecommunications .
As part of the planned restructuring , IMDA will also move to update Singapore ’ s Telecommunications Act , Broadcasting Act and Films Act to “ keep pace with the demands of the converged infocomm media space ”.
As a reflection of the growing popularity of subscription-videoon-demand ( SVoD ) services , will new players such as Netflix be subjected to the same regulations that media companies operating in Singapore currently adhere to ?
An MDA spokesperson told APB : “ MDA welcomes Netflix ’ s arrival in Singapore and its commitment to aligning with our media classification framework . MDA will continue to work with Netflix to provide viewers with more informed choices and put in place measures to safeguard the young from inappropriate content .”
Singapore can also be expected to complete the nationwide transition to digital broadcasting by end- 2017 , with all analogue broadcast to be switched off . The freed-up spectrum has been earmarked to provide more capacity for mobile broadband and better support Singapore ’ s Smart Nation development — the country ’ s national vision of using technology to improve lives and business .
their investments for the future ,” said Cronk , who maintains that AIMS is not a standards organisation ; it is primarily an association founded to help promote the work of the established standards groups that already exist .
IP will open a door of opportunities for the broadcast industry , but it is important to bear in mind that transitioning operations to IP is not the end-goal , reminded Steve Reynolds , CTO at Imagine Communications . Instead , moving to IP connectivity is an enabler for a “ huge revolution ” as the broadcast industry transitions from black box architectures to software-defined networks .
He elaborated : “ That is the real goal ; that is where the transformation gains will come , in terms of flexibility , scalability , productivity boosts and cost savings .”
Software-defined networks , added Reynolds , allow the capabilities of a technology platform to be continually defined and redefined . He highlighted : “ In a softwaredefined architecture , a new channel can be on-air as soon as you amass enough content . Want
Why are operators rushing to partner Netflix ?
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Netflix is available in Singapore as part of Singtel and StarHub ’ s pay-TV packages .
great transitional technology that gave way to Internet TV .”
When asked by APB to define the relationship between SVoD services and traditional TV services , Jessica Lee , director , communications , Asia , Netflix , replied : “ TV is evolving , and the Internet is disrupting this market as it has many others . While events such as sports or news lend themselves to live TV , consumers are increasingly seeking on-demand content solutions and traditional broadcasters are adapting by offering their content online .”
Netflix ’ s partnerships with Singtel and StarHub are both “ interesting and puzzling ”, pondered Graham Stephens , CTO of Media City Development , Malaysia .
Stephens said : “ In the short term , Netflix gains instant access to many more eyeballs in Singapore than it would otherwise capture on its own . But if its OTT service is allowed to continue in parallel with its presence on the pay-TV platforms , it could be hugely detrimental for Singtel and StarHub in the longer term . Are these local players merely acting as gatekeepers for Netflix services in a field that is , currently as least , unfenced ?”
ment leads to IP system deployments that will consolidate the benefits of IP in broadcast , predicted Grass Valley ’ s Cronk , although he acknowledged differing rates of adoption in various regions of the world .
“ For example , there is a lot of interest in China , but less in other Asian countries ,” he noted . “ That said , AIMS believes there is great benefit in having one common set of protocols for IP across the world .” The road to IP needs to follow in the footsteps of SDI , where standards currently govern the consistent transport of video and audio over PC across all regions , advised Imagine ’ s Reynolds .
He recalled : “ If we think back to the launch of SDI , there was no attempt to regionalise it . The standard was established and as companies moved from analogue to digital , SDI was adopted . If IP is to succeed , it has to be absolutely as universal as that .
“ While AIMS will be active in all regions to promote IP standards , it
Stephens conceded that in the short term , the pay-TV operators would benefit from their subscribers enjoying a broader content proposition , while Netflix pays carriage fees to them .
However , in the medium to long term , should Netflix be allowed to offer unregulated content while its OTT service be allowed to co-exist within pay-TV packages , the results could be detrimental , he reiterated . “ Smart TV owners not so hooked on live sports may decide they don ’ t need a set-top box and pay-TV subscription to access their favourite content .”
In Singapore , the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore ( IMDA ) needs to level the playing field between the pay-TV industry and offshore streaming services , urged CASBAA ’ s Slaughter .
“ Restrictions under which the former operate needs to be relaxed , instead of increasing the regulatory burden on the latter ,” he added .
New business models and different distribution modes are emerging and to the extend that they offer means for consumers to legitimately access content while protecting the rights of content owners they should be welcomed , according to Slaughter , who also dismissed the notion that linear broadcast TV is ending any time soon .
“ The future of the industry is one in which on-demand services co-exist with linear broadcasting services , each addressing different consumer needs ,” he concluded .
SAM ’ s Tim Felstead : The good news is that IP compatibility has already begun ... although “ there is a lot of work yet to be done ”.
is committed to international consistency .”
Sounding the clarion call for the industry to continue the collective work that has seen a solid base being built for a sustainable transition to IP , Lawo ’ s Hilmer urged as many manufacturers as possible to recognise the importance and urgency of actively supporting the AIMS roadmap based on worldwide open standards , by joining AIMS and like-minded organisations , and to base their products and solutions portfolio on these standards .
He concluded : “ Lawo ’ s core interest has always been to ensure that all IP solutions brought to market offer complete interoperability and are based on open standards for seamless integration into media workflow environments .”
It is now apparent that Lawo is not the only company aiming for these lofty goals .