Cartoon Network meets Stan
March 2017 NEWS & VIEWS 7
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W O R L D I N B R I E F
Facebook builds TV app
SAN FRANCISCO – Social media network Facebook is reportedly developing a video-centric app for TV set-top boxes , including Apple TV . The company is also said to be in discussion with media companies to license longform , TV-quality programming .
Australia ’ s nbn passes 4m penetration mark
CANBERRA – Australia ’ s national broadband network ( nbn ) is now available to approximately onethird of premises in the country . Four million premises are now ready for service ( RFS ), up from 778,824 at end-December 2014 . By 2020 , nbn ’ s goal is for all Australians to have access to the nbn network , with 11.9 million RFS and eight million premises activated on the network .
EU breaks barriers in digital single market
BRUSSELS – New portability rules proposed by the EU will allow consumers to access their online content services when they travel in the EU the same way they access them at home . According to the EU , this is an “ important step ” in breaking down barriers in Europe ’ s digital single market , when in 2016 , 64 % of Europeans used the Internet to play or download games , images , films or music .
Disruptive changes to industry irrevocable
by shawn liew
SINGAPORE – Like many industries today , the broadcast and media sector has not been exempted from the disruptive changes that digitisation and the Internet of Things ( IoT ) have brought forth .
The proliferation and increasing popularity of video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video can hardly be considered as harbingers of a distant future . Instead , they should be construed as further substantiation of the irrevocable alteration of how TV and media content is being consumed .
Last December , Amazon Prime Video announced its availability in Singapore , adding to its launches in Australia and India , and plans to greet all of South-east Asia by end-Q1 2017 .
by josephine tan
SAN FRANCISCO – As it is with IP , interoperability will be crucial for the success of virtual reality ( VR ), said Rob Koenen , principal , networks at TNO , a Dutch research organisation .
Koenen is also president of the VR Industry Forum , a not-for-profit organisation formed in January this year to promote the adoption and end-to-end interoperability of VR technology across the media and entertainment sectors .
As more viewers turn to video streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , will OTT eventually replace traditional broadcast as the main content consumption platform ?
Over-the-top ( OTT ) is not merely supplementing traditional broadcast ; it is slowly taking over eyeballs as the main consumption mode , warned Dr Ahmad Zaki
Mohd Salleh , group GM , engineering , Media Prima , Malaysia .
He told APB : “ Viewers are
VRIF is not a standards development body , stressed Koenen . Instead , one of its key goals is to promote interoperability while ensuring a high-quality VR viewing experience .
He told APB : “ Interoperability is crucial for the success of VR , not only to the consumers , but also for broadcasters and content producers , as it would be easier for them to deploy VR content , without the need to produce content in several different formats .”
VRIF also aims to further the widespread
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Stan has been chosen to be the Australian streaming home for Cartoon Network content .
Cartoon Network meets Stan
SYDNEY – Stan , an Australian subscription-video-on-demand ( SVoD ) provider , has been chosen as the Australian streaming home for content from Cartoon Network .
The partnership between the companies will see the entire franchises of Cartoon Network shows added to Stan ’ s catalogue , as well as the premiere of the eighth and final season of Regular Show , first and exclusively in Australia this April on Stan .
VRIF aims to address the whole VR delivery chain
availability of high-quality audio-visual VR experiences for the benefit of consumers , focusing on content that is transmitted as audio and video .
Complementary technologies , such as locally generated computer graphics to enhance the audio-visual content , will also be monitored for inclusion in VRIF ’ s scope of interest , including those that enable augmented reality ( AR ) and mixed reality .
At the moment , there is already interest for
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