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September 2018
NEWS & VIEWS
ESPN scores as first network to join Mediacorp Partner Network
SINGAPORE – Following a successful streaming of the 2018 FIFA World Cup on Toggle , its online interactive service , Singapore terrestrial broadcaster Mediacorp has ventured further in the sports segment by securing a strategic digital collaboration with ESPN .
Under the agreement with ESPN , Mediacorp will be the exclusive representative for all ad sales in Singapore for ESPN . com . The sports network will also launch a dedicated Singapore edition of the ESPN site — espn . com . sg — that will deliver a mix of local sports news and features , in addition to the coverage of sports and leagues from around the globe .
Parminder Singh , chief commercial and digital officer , Mediacorp , told APB : “ Sports is an important growth segment , and we continue to provide premium sports properties — such as One Championship , Asian Games and Commonwealth Games — to our audiences on digital and free-toair . Audiences value the crossdevice convenience of watching live sports on digital , and are willing to pay for the experience .”
The collaboration also marks ESPN as the first partner joining the Mediacorp Partner Network ( MPN ), an initiative that brings Mediacorp together with partners to deliver an enhanced experience for consumers and advertisers in Singapore .
“ MPN allows us to augment our strengths in general news and entertainment , by partnering with digital platforms that target specific consumer interests across sports , property , automotive , travel , food , among others ,” Singh added .
“ Through MPN , we aim to create richer content experiences for our audiences , and deliver sectorspecific content solutions for our advertisers .”
The MPN initiative will allow partners to leverage Mediacorp ’ s commercial relationships with
MR is next evolution in human computing
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and allows companies to create holograms of dynamic people and performances . With the recorded content , consumers can interact with holograms in AR , VR and on 2D screens .
MR is the next evolution in human computing , declared Microsoft ’ s outgoing EVP of Windows and Devices , Terry Myerson , last September . “ By combining our physical and digital worlds , we believe MR is the next evolution in human computing .”
What , then , defines MR ? Michael Zink , SMPTE 2018 Symposium 2018 chair and vice-president of technology at Warner Bros , offered this explanation to APB : “ MR merges both real and virtual worlds into a single experience . Real-world physical objects and digital ( virtual ) objects exist at the same time and interact with each other .”
At the SMPTE 2018 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition to be held in Los Angeles on October 20 , MR will also be one of the key discussion topics in the
At the signing ceremony are , from left : Tham Loke Kheng , CEO , and Parminder Singh , chief commercial and digital officer , representing Mediacorp ; and from ESPN , Lance Peatey , general manager , South-east Asia , and Charles Classen , vice-president and general manager .
Warner Bros ’ Michael Zink : “ MR merges both real and virtual worlds into a single experience . Real-world physical objects and digital ( virtual ) objects exist at the same time and interact with each other .”
discussion on how to create the “ ultimate viewing experience .”
But before MR can be moved to the big screen , SMPTE 2018 will examine its application onthe-move . Zink explained : “ In the context of in-car entertainment , there are many opportunities to create compelling experiences . The vehicle is moving around and the position information will be known , as will the surroundings . As a consumer is driving around , the surroundings can be enhanced with virtual objects to create immersive experiences .
“ As safety will always be the primary concern , this can be done global and local advertisers , and its sales teams which provide multiplatform solutions across TV , radio and digital to cater to advertisers ’ needs .
Singh concluded : “ We see partner platforms becoming a key element of our offering for advertisers who are seeking to target audiences with specific consumer interests as part of their larger marketing and outreach strategy . Partners of MPN will also be able to benefit from Mediacorp ’ s digital sales and operations capabilities across direct and programmatic channels to streamline platform monetisation efforts across our network .”
to enhance security features for drivers . And in the event that the consumer is not driving , many more compelling applications for education , entertainment , productivity or other purposes are possible .”
SMPTE ’ s current focus on in-car entertainment will serve as a useful platform to develop standards for MR , and expand its application across various verticals , Zink suggested . He also highlighted how the SMPTE AR / VR Study Group is working to understand the current landscape and potential areas for the development of standards , in a market that is still very new , rapidly changing and characterised by a proliferation of proprietary formats .
“ To create a viable and scalable ecosystem , it is necessary for the industry to develop and agree on standards ,” Zink emphasised . “ The emergence of in-car entertainment will only add to the need for standards , and SMPTE is engaging the industry so that it can be a leading voice in developing standards to enable technology adoption .”
Data driving blockchain can be used to add business value
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source reviews of restaurants , retail locations and events .
Within two years of its founding , the P2P platform moved development forward on blockchain-incentivised video using micropayment .
Senatore maintained : “ The fact that content creators can copyright their content through blockchain , monitor its consumption and ultimately get paid can , of course , be seen as a threat to the media companies , as the purpose of the blockchain appears to be disintermediating that function .
“ However , I think media companies can benefit from the pirateprotection layer that blockchain enables , along with native payment features .
“ Media companies are likely to access the disruptive forces of blockchain , and find their role within the network , which could be as publishers , trusted members of the network who sign content , who review content , and who raise capital through initial coin offering ( ICO ) to deliver other content .”
Driving blockchain applications is the use of data . Today , audiences consume more content on more devices than ever before , with billions of gigabytes of data created each year .
When used correctly , this data can be used to add business value for publishers and marketeers alike — and this is also a factor that drove Comcast to establish Blockgraph .
Formerly referred to as the Blockchain Insights Platform , the initiative is developed in collaboration with NBCUniversal , Disney , Altice USA , Channel 4 , Cox Communications , Mediaset Italia and TF1 Group .
In a joint statement , the companies stated that they will work together on a new and improved advertising approach , which would facilitate the secure exchange of non-personal , audience insights for addressable advertising .
A Comcast spokesperson explained : “ It is the mission of Blockgraph to ensure that a consumer ’ s individual data is kept in a safe , private and secure location and thus protecting the entire TV ecosystem .
“ Blockgraph allows the entire TV ecosystem to create its own shared information layer , without needing to move or combine any actual underlying private , proprietary , or sensitive data .”
Designed as a P2P software platform based on blockchain technology , Blockgraph is aimed at supporting marketeers , publishers and distributors with the ability to “ anonymously and securely ” match audience segments in order to en-
Deloitte EMEA Blockchain Lab ’ s Antonio Senatore : “ I think media companies can benefit from the pirateprotection layer that blockchain enables , along with native payment features .”
able better ad targeting , measurement and reporting .
Blockgraph , according to the Comcast spokesperson , will create greater audience resolution , data scale and dynamic data activation across the entire TV and premium video ecosystem .
One application of the initiative is to empower advertisers and programmers with the ability to match data sets effectively to build and execute media plans based on custom audience segments , as well as to more “ precisely and efficiently ” target across a nationwide footprint of pay-TV customers and streaming device users .
Concurrently , programmers are able to offer improved targeting precision across screens , increasing the value and quantity of monetised inventory .
An inherent characteristic of the planned initiative is consumer privacy — each blockchain participant ’ s data will stay in their own systems , and they will continue to manage the protection and privacy of their users .
“ Blockgraph is being built for the entire TV ecosystem using a series of novel encryption , distributed systems , rights management layers , and a private blockchain ledger for data usage .
“ This ultimately results in a system that will allow participants to ask questions of each other ’ s data without having to take possession of anyone else ’ s data to unlock marketing insights ,” the spokesperson elaborated .
“ In short , Blockgraph will allow network participants to securely and anonymously link audiences with other participants in a way that allow business outcomes while respecting and protecting consumer rights .”