2 EDITORIAL

March 2018 ( volume 35 issue 2 )

EDITORIAL managing editor Shawn Liew , shawn @ editecintl . com contributing editor ( technology ) Karl K Rossiter , karl @ editecintl . com news editor Josephine Tan , josephine @ editecintl . com

If familiarity truly breeds contempt , then it is perhaps unavoidable that treading into the unknown fosters aloofness .

As governments around the world suddenly decide that the bitcoin market cannot be left in its current unregulated guise , a different terminology has since emerged — blockchain .

While bitcoin is essentially a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system , blockchain is being described as the underlying technology used for verifying and recording transactions that are at the heart of bitcoin .

Perhaps more importantly , what can blockchain technology potentially bring to the broadcast and media industries ?

Let ’ s start with cost . Blockchain can potentially facilitate the sharing of Internet infrastructure to lower the cost of distribution , Mock Pak Lum , senior advisor at Tembusu Partners , a Singaporebased private equity firm , told APB .

Mock , who was previously CTO at Singapore pay-TV operator StarHub , explained that if users can be persuaded to share their unused bandwidth and compute capacity , content owners will not need to engage expensive content delivery network ( CDN ) resources to distribute content .

Blockchain can bring about the decentralisation of the Internet distribution model , says the IABM — both in terms of how content is distributed and royalties are paid . And in tandem with artificial intelligence ( AI ), blockchain may improve the process of identifying content for specific audiences .

Unsurprisingly , the topic of blockchain was a matter broadcasters and pay-TV operators APB

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Find us on Facebook n www . facebook . com / APBnews approached were reluctant to discuss . As Dr Amal Punchihewa , director , technology and innovation , Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ), maintains that blockchain is in the infancy stage of deployment in the media industry , and many unknown variables still need to be addressed before blockchain ’ s suitability can be fully accessed .

Having said that , broadcasters and content owners might do well to start learning about blockchain today , and understand what the technology can potentially bring to their media business .

Also in this issue , you can read how satellite is continuing to play a key role in the distribution of content in Asia-Pacific . In our Satellite Special 2018 report ( pages 23-36 ), we continue our examination of how high throughput satellite ( HTS ) is continuing to offer more options to deliver specific content to specific viewers , even while fixed-satellite services offered over C-band continues to retain its importance in Asia-Pacific .

Along the way , and as we edge closer to WRC- 19 , an age-old debate is set to be rekindled , as the International Mobile Telecommunications ( IMT ) begins a new charm offensive to wrest more spectrum for mobile services . But , that is another story for another time . Watch this space .

SHAWN LIEW MANAGING EDITOR

CORRESPONDENTS n India Shirish Nadkarni , shinads @ yahoo . co . uk

n USA Mike Feazel , mfeazel @ gmail . com

PRODUCTION production editor Zuraini Ridzwan , zuraini @ editecintl . com junior sub-editor Eva Meango , eva @ editecintl . com senior multimedia designer Raymund Jaudian , raymund @ editecintl . com ad / office administrator Irene Lok , irene @ editecintl . com accounts manager Tan Hui Min , huimin @ editecintl . com

MARKETING director - sales & marketing

Jessie Tan , jessie @ editecintl . com manager - sales & marketing Lynn Chee , lynn @ editecintl . com

CIRCULATION & PROMOTIONS Lynn Chee , lynn @ editecintl . com

PUBLISHING publisher / editorial director Andrew Yeo , andrew @ editecintl . com

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES n China

Yang Ou

BEIJING BUNCH EXHIBITION SERVICES LTD

Room 501 / B1 , Thunis Development Building , No . 11 Huixin East Street , Chaoyang District , Beijing 100029

Tel : + 86-10-6482 3808-106 Fax : + 86-10-6482 3670 E-mail : yangou @ bbes . com . cn

n Japan Mikio Tsuchiya

WORLD MEDIA SERVICES INC 3-35-1-302 , Hongodai , Sakae-Ku , Yokohama 247-0008 Tel / Fax : + 81-45-891-1852 E-mail : mikio . tsuchiya @ worldmedia . jp

n USA & Canada Gary L Rhodes

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