Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) Systems Integration 2015 | Page 6

Will Netflix be the next big “disruptor” for the broadcast
and media industries? As the online streaming service
continues its expansion into Asia, it remains to be seen if it
will enjoy widespread adoption. Of more pressing concern
is its symbolism — the microcosm of change sweeping the
broadcast industry it currently encapsulates.
imperative for broadcasters, as they seek to produce content
catered to increasingly discerning audiences, a situation ex-
acerbated by the continued emergence of disruptive services
threatening to transform the entire media landscape.
The next big “disruptor”?
For those in Asia who have dismissed Netflix as a distant
“threat”, a re-think may be on the cards.
Having already launched in Australia, New Zealand and
Japan, the US-based subscription-video-on-demand (SVoD)
service provider has announced early 2016 launches in more
Asian countries, including Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan
It would appear that with the right training — and
technology partner — the future of the broadcast
industry, while fraught with uncertainties, can be
approached with optimism rather than fear.
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and Hong Kong.
Although Netflix will not completely replace traditional
broadcast services, the inroads it is making seem to suggest that
viewers are warming up to its business model as well as other
online streaming services.
As of July this year, Netflix said it had more than 65 million
subscribers worldwide, of which 42 million are in the US, and
another 23 million in international markets.
Whether the likes of Netflix eventually enjoys widespread
adoption in Asia remains to be seen; of more pressing concern
is its symbolism — the microcosm of change sweeping the
broadcast industry it currently encapsulates.
The onus, thus, is on broadcasters to proactively react to
these changes. When is the right time to adopt and implement
new technologies? How can broadcasters take advantage of new
technologies to evolve workflows in order to gain economies of
scale? What business models or strategies should be adopted to
retain eyeballs?
As each broadcaster has its own unique needs, there is
no template or one-size-fits-all solution today, according to
ABS’ Breckenbridge, who added: “Today, the key is to work
hand-in-hand with customers to find a solution that meets their
budget, production requirements and aspirations as a media
company.”
He also reiterated that ABS considers itself, first and fore-
most, a consultant and partner to help broadcasters develop
customised solutions to meet individual goals and needs, and
perhaps, more critically, circumvent the challenges that lies
ahead for the industry.
Clearly, the preparation for tomorrow starts today — and
what better way to do so than to provide the relevant training
to the broadcast engineers of tomorrow?
In order to simulate the teaching environment to be as
close as possible to the current broadcast industry, Singapore’s
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central commis-
sioned Ideal Systems to build, deliver and install an end-to-end
broadcast solution based around Ideal’s SoftCast system.
The ITE syllabus utilises a number of modules from the
SoftCast system, which helps teach ITE students a broad spec-
trum of up-to-the-minute broadcast technology skills.
Neng Rashidah Hussain, section head of Broadcast and
Media Technology at ITE School of Electronics & Info-Comm
Technology, reflected: “There is a lot of pressure on TV channel
technicians with many channels operating on-air 24/7 … It’s
great to be able to train new technicians in an off-air but fully
simulated environment, which has the pressure and fear of mak-
ing on-air mistakes removed.”
It would appear that with the right training — and tech-
nology partner — the future of the broadcast industry, while
fraught with uncertainties, can be approached with optimism
rather than fear.
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