Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) September 2018 Volume 35, Issue 8

www.apb-news.com
NEWS & VIEWS
W O R L D I N B R I E F
Astro commences
4K/UHD broadcast
IPTV drives pay-TV
growth in Asia-Pacific
SINGAPORE – The number of
pay-TV homes in Asia-Pacific will
rise from 632 million in 2017 to
743 million by 2022, predicted
IHS Markit. This, according to the
research firm, is largely driven by
IPTV, which increased its market
share from 18% in 2016 to 23%
in 2017.
Enter the age of the
Connected TV
LONDON – Connected TV de-
vices, which allow users to stream
over-the-top (OTT) video content
to the TV screen, now number
more than one billion world-
wide, according to research from
Strategy Analytics. This, added
the company, also represents a
fundamental shift in how con-
sumers view and engage with
content on the TV set.
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CREATION
18
MANAGEMENT
22
DISTRIBUTION
|
SEPTEMBER 2018
| VOLUME 35
X-PLATFORM
26
| ISSUE 8
30
Blockchain shaking up the
broadcast & media industry
BY JOSEPHINE TAN
DUBLIN/PHILADELPHIA – The
broadcast and media industry is
now awakening to how block-
chain applications can disrupt and
benefit its entire industry and may
also impact on the dynamics of the
world’s economy.
“The impact of blockchain on
the media industry may be greater
than the impact smartphones have
had on the music industry,” said
Antonio Senatore, CTO of Deloitte
EMEA Blockchain Lab.
Although blockchain technol-
ogy, at its core, is still taking shape
and evolving, the media industry
must take note of its development
and potential applications.
Senatore told APB: “In the
broadcast and media industry, we
have observed a number of dif-
ferent applications. For example,
copyrights, content publishing
KUALA LUMPUR – In prepara-
tion for the launch of its 4K/
Ultra HD (UHD) set-top box
later this year, Astro broadcast
two matches from the opening
weekend of the English Premier
League in 4K/Ultra HD (UHD).
5
NEWS & VIEWS
September 2018
Blockchain is one of the most widely discussed technologies across many
business sectors today — in the media industry, blockchain is believed to have
the potential to disrupt and yet empower new business models.
and consumption can all be done
through blockchain technology;
and it will basically be disinter-
mediating current payments and
copyright channels, ultimately
benefiting the content creator.
“These benefits not only in-
clude protection against piracy,
fake news and media tampering,
and incentivising content creation
and publishing, but also enhance
content review and content con-
sumption.”
As a technology emerging from
the FinTech industry, blockchain
has been progressively making its
way into the media arena. For in-
stance, in July this year, No Postage
Necessary, a romantic indie com-
edy, became the first feature film
to debut on Vevue, a peer-to-peer
(P2P) incentivised video network
based on the Qtum blockchain,
an open-sourced value transfer
platform which focuses on mobile
decentralised apps.
The film is directed by Jeremy
Culver, who is also head of Vevue
Premium, the company’s micropay-
per-view division offering content
independently produced by con-
tent creators.
Founded in 2012, Vevue is
conceived as a solution to crowd-
8 8
MR the next immersive reality?
NEW YORK – In recent times, augmented real-
ity (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have emerged as
potential tools for content producers to create
the ultimate viewing experience.
However, could mixed reality (MR) instead
represent the future of immersive entertainment?
Microsoft would appear to be a leading propo-
nent, after the technology company last month
opened a new Mixed Reality Capture Studio in
Hollywood, joining similar operations in Red-
mond, Washington, San Francisco and London.
The Hollywood studio was created in
partnership with Metastage, a new Los An-
geles-based MR production company, and
will reportedly give Hollywood exposure to
high-quality volumetric capture, which pro-
vides a quick and easy way to build detailed
3D objects without cumbersome 3D sculpting,
8 8
Microsoft invites you to enter the world of mixed
reality (MR), as the technology company opens a
new Mixed Reality Capture Studio in Hollywood
last month.
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