The Channel | 2008 | Issue 1

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THE CHANNEL | JANUARY08 |07
IN BRIEF
AP EXCLUSIVE
FOOTAGE DEAL
APArchive has won an
exclusive deal to manage
the worldwide archive
footage sales business of
Sky News. Over 15,000
hours of Sky News footage
will be added to AP
Archive's portfolio, which
currently includes the
collections of other major
broadcasters such as ABC
News in the US. Sky News
will add a considerable
amount of UK news and
stock footage to AP
Archive's global content,
plus footage of major
international events. AP
Archive plans to add
digitised Sky News footage
to its web site in early 2008.
SUPREME
MASTER
RRsat Global Communications
Network has been chosen
by the Supreme Master TV
Channel for its global
transmission services.
Since November RRsat
Global Network has been
broadcasting the channel to
five continents – North and
South America, Asia, Africa,
Middle East, Australia and
New Zealand – using such
prominent satellites as
Galaxy 25, Hispasat 1C,
Intelsat 10 and Optus B3.
FIRST CELLPHONE
TRANSLATOR
Japanese electronics giant
NEC has created a world-
first real-time translator on
a mobile phone that can
instantly turn Japanese
travellers' words into English.
One second after the phone
hears speech in Japanese,
the cellphone shows the text
on the screen and one
second later an English
version appears. NEC said it
is the first time automatic
translation is available on a
cellphone without external
help. The software can
recognise some 50,000
Japanese words.
Sarkozy says “non” to anglais
French President Nikolas
Sarkozy created immense
uncertainty in the international
broadcasting industry in early
January. At his first press
conference since taking office
last year, Sarkozy expressed
doubt about the need for France
24, the international TV news
channel launched in December
2006, to continue broadcasting
English- and Arabic-language
services in addition to French.
The President also said that
French international
broadcasting – consisting of
France 24, Radio France
Internationale and TV5 Monde -
should be brought together
under a single holding company,
to be called France Monde,
mimicking the BBC’s Global
News Division.
Responding to a question
from a Radio France
Internationale correspondent,
Sarkozy said that the new
concept would make better use
of resources - including editorial,
distribution and correspondents
– of all three international
services. Sarkozy gave his
support to a single French-
language TV news channel with
subtitles added in English and
Arabic, instead of three distinct
services. The President said he
was not prepared to have a
taxpayer-funded channel not
broadcasting in French.
The concept of subtitled
international news lacks
credibility. Live subtitling of news
bulletins is provided by many
national broadcasters for the
hard-of-hearing, but the
challenges of instantaneous
translation and subtitling are
immense for an international
channel such as France 24.
It is worth noting that France
24 has successfully negotiated
carriage for its English-language
service on satellite and cable
platforms in a significant
number of markets; it is difficult
to see how a subtitled French-
language channel would be
welcomed by platforms that have
GLOBAL BRIEFING | THE CHANNEL
Bible and Koran site is a hit
Since its launch in December,
millions have visited an unique
Internet project set up to
promote a better understanding
of the similarities between
Christianity and Islam.
puts the
integral texts from the Bible and
Koran side by side – search on a
given term and references from
both books appear allowing the
reader to make an instant
comparison. Available in English,
Dutch and Arabic the project is
the brainchild of Radio
Netherlands Worldwide and
Dutch broadcaster IKON.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide
ended its 60th anniversary year
on a high note – with a concert
featuring 'voices of the world'.
DG Jan Hoek - right,
accompanying Crown Princess
Maxima at the Concertgebouw in
Amsterdam - said, " Language
breaks through barriers and
approaches all people as equals
– there is nothing that symbolises
our work better than this."
The concert was attended by the
DGs of international
broadcasters across Europe, as
well as Dutch parliamentarians
and other opinion-formers.
a predominately English-
language audience.
Meanwhile RFI has said that it
welcomes the move to bring the
international channels together,
seeing real advantages for the
Paris-based radio and online
broadcaster. Antoine Schwarz,
RFI’s CEO, says that the new
grouping will offer new
opportunities to the station, with
more cross-media productions
possible.
TV5, meanwhile, presents a
different set of problems as it is
owned not only by France, but by
the francophone communities in
Belgium, Canada and
Switzerland. While there may be
opportunities for some sharing
of resources such as distribution
and marketing, the very different
funding and ownership means
that there are considerable
hurdles to be overcome before
TV5 can become part of France
Monde.
Nothing is formally decided
yet and there will be much
debate between the French
foreign and culture ministers
and the president over the
coming weeks, and considerable
lobbying by unions, staff and
management of the three
broadcasters.