Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) Systems Integration 2017 | Page 6

their favourite content. And in the intervening years where technologies continue to mature, will the definition of a broadcaster, in all its traditional sense, continue to be relevant? Are we already considering Netflix or Amazon as a ‘broadcaster’? What about social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, who have either announced plans to produce their own original content, or have already acquired rights to stream live sports? User-generated content is also beginning to grow its niche through platforms such as Facebook Live and live stream apps. In this case, are viewers becoming ‘broadcasters’ in their own right? With so many choices to pick from, will viewers really care who provides the content, as long as they get the content they want? Will this portend the erosion of the advantage traditional broadcasters have in being the first outlet viewers turn to, particularly for entertainment content? The broadcast industry is facing an unprecedented wave of disruption, and it is coming from multiple fronts, suggested Aale Raza, director, Whiteway Systems. Besides the rise of new technologies, disruption is also being forced upon broadcasters because of consumer behaviour. Raza also questioned whether broadcasters should be more proactive, instead of reactive, when addressing how they should change in order to cope with changing consumer behaviour. “In every disruption, there are winners and losers. The winner, of course, will be the one who embraces the new technology quickly and get the first-mover advantage,” he concluded. Embrace change and pick the right technology partner When APB, in collaboration with Ideal Systems, organised the Broadcast IP Inter- Op Lab at BroadcastAsia2017, we invited broadcasters from around the region to have a hands-on experience of working on an IP ecosystem. While many of the participants of the IP Inter-Op Lab have yet to begin the transition to IP in their respective organisations, the fact that many of them expressed a genuine interest in finding out how they can more effectively transition to IP is encouraging. In a broader context, the willingness to embrace not just new technologies, but also change, will be critical as broadcasters prepare to ride the wave of change sweeping the industry. Despite an uncertain outlook, linear television is unlikely to become obsolete for many years to come. The more pertinent question is: How can each broadcaster prevent themselves from becoming obsolete to their audiences? Besides taking advantage of new technologies, broadcasters also need to re- think and re-strategise their business models that will allow them to thrive in a disruptive and transformational environment. For instance, while retaining and, indeed, building on existing core competencies, broadcasters also need to embrace new platforms; in particular, the over-the-top (OTT) sphere is one which broadcasters can no longer afford to ignore or marginalise. While the road ahead can be a daunting one, there are opportunities to be found amid the challenges. And as this special supplement has sought to highlight, broadcasters do not have to do this alone. Experienced systems integrators, who identify trends ahead of time, have first-hand experience of delivering projects involving new technologies, and more importantly, can pin-point exactly what a broadcaster requires, will be key technology partners as the broadcast industry moves towards its next stage of definitive transformation. Staying ahead of the curve That's what we've been doing for over 20 years. Thinking ahead, finding answers through innovative solutions. WIth an extremely strong broadcast and IT engineering know-how base - over 500 man years of experience in the field - we are sharply focused on providing cutting edge technologies for digital media creation, management and distribution. As one of the pioneering companies that led broadcast technology towards the 'new age' computer- based workflows. A customer list that reads like a veritable 'Who's who', an A - Z list as it were of the Asian broadcasting industry Aaj Tak, India Eagle TV, Mongolia Encorp (Bloomberg), Malaysia Astro, Malaysia BAG Networks, India Bernama, Malaysia Channel 3, Thailand Channel 92, Pakistan Channel One, Mongolia Cignal TV, Philippines Dialog TV, Sri Lanka ETV India EM TV, Papua New Guinea Jamuna TV, Bangladesh Maharaja TV, Sri Lanka MediaCorp, Singapore Maasranga TV, Bangladesh NSTPL (Jain HITS), India NXT Digital (HITS), India RTV, Bangladesh Singapore Turf Club Sports Insanity, USA Star News, India StarHub, Singapore TV 5, Philippines Vietnam TV, Vietnam Zee TV, India When you absolutely, positively have to be on air 24/7 Benchmark Broadcast Systems (S) Pte. Ltd. Phone: [phone] Fax: [phone] Email: [email protected] w w w . b e n c h m a r k b r o a d c a s t . c o m 4 systems integration 2017