AIB media industry briefing | Media Freedom | People | Channel launches and more
AIB Media Industry Briefing | July 2020
Welcome to the latest media industry briefing from the Association for International Broadcasting, covering news from our Members and the wider industry.

This briefing reaches a constantly growing number of people in media, regulation, government and journalism in over 150 territories.

Talk to us about using the briefing to tell your stories or to deliver brand exposure to our influential international community.
Media freedom - AIB continues its work on behalf of Members
Following the attacks on , and detention of, journalists covering the protests across the US that erupted after the death of George Floyd, the Association for International Broadcasting  wrote  to the US Attorney General William Barr.
Journalists and news crews from a number of AIB Member companies suffered attacks at the hand of US law enforcement officers, including injuries sustained from rubber bullets that were used against protestors in cities across the US.
The  letter   called on the Attorney General to respect the rights of journalists and news crews to work without hindrance. It highlighted the leadership role that the United States has in promoting democratic ideals across the world - now damaged by the widespread incidents affecting the news media in the US.
Full story here.
In addition, the AIB has been active in the case of Maria Ressa and Rappler in the Philippines, and the case of Persian-language broadcasters targeted by the Iranian government.

The AIB is committed to supporting its Members and the wider media community in ensuring infringements against freedom of the media are acted on swiftly and firmly.
The AIB is a member of the Advisory Network to the intergovernmental Media Freedom Coalition.
France Télévisions Group hit by cyber attack
France Télévisions Group has been hit by a cyber attack that has impacted one of the Group’s websites although has not, apparently, caused programming to fall off the air.
The story, reported by  Le Monde  newspaper and confirmed in a  press release  issued by France Télévisions Group, reveals that although transmissions were not affected, the Group moved the output of France 3 to the headquarters building in Issy-les-Moulineaux and activated the broadcaster’s emergency backup centre.

Read the full story here.
DW kicks off virtual Global Media Forum
As restrictions on international travel continue, a range of conferences have migrated to the cloud, including  Deutsche Welle’s Global Media Forum .
DW launched the first in a series of online events on 24 June with a digital session on the responsibility of the media in times of the coronavirus pandemic.
The first discussion, “The blame game: What is the media’s responsibility in the corona crisis?”, took place on 24 June with speakers from Africa, Latin America and Europe, streamed on Facebook.   

The perils of remote interviews - particularly involving unicorns
The world is now used to watching live contributions to news bulletins from people's homes using Skype and other video services. Viewers have become used to variable picture quality and poor audio quality.
However, live presents challenges particularly during times when schools are closed and parents and children are at home together. How do you make sure the work-parent balance works when you're asked to do a live interview with a national broadcaster?
Dr Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor in Global Health Policy at London's LSE, discovered it's tricky when she was asked to appear on the BBC on 1 July.
This interview has gone viral in the same way that the live with Professor Robert Kelly in South Korea did back in 2017. Except this had the added significance of deciding where the picture of a unicorn should go.
See the story here.
And you will be pleased to know that in a tweet, Dr Wenham has revealed the picture's final position, agreed with daughter Scarlett.
The AIBs 2020 - join your colleagues and enter by 24 July
Entries to the AIBs 2020 are arriving from broadcasters and production companies across the world.

From stories about Canadian wolves to female fighters in Myanmar, predator priests to black ballet, the entries we've already received provide remarkable insight into the world around us.

As a result of the challenges facing everyone this year, we have extended the closing date for the AIBs 2020 to 24 July.

This is the 16th year of this global competition that celebrates the world's best journalism and factual productions across TV, radio and digital.

The entry book is available online here and can be downloaded in PDF format.

This year's Event Partner for the AIBs is Al Jazeera Media Network.

The AIBs website
Netflix indie heads to Sony
Sony Pictures Television is continuing its acquisition spree with an agreement to buy Eleven, the UK-based maker of the Netflix hit Sex Education. This latest deal brings to 13 production companies that Sony has globally, plus investments in indies like Whisper.
The UK company was founded in 2006 by documentary makers Jamie Campbell and Joel Wilson who had migrated to drama.
Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, said: “For some time, we have watched on as Jamie and Joel built one of the most exciting drama companies in the U.K. Their ability to spot and develop new writing and acting talent and their eye for a unique and compelling idea make them an irresistible pairing."
UN asks people to Pause
The United Nations has launched a new initiative to foster behaviour change and counter the growing threat of misinformation online. The campaign, called  Pause , asks digital users to take the time to think about what they share before posting it online.
The issue of misinformation that spreads at tremendous speed across nations is one about which a large number of broadcasters have expressed concern well before the current coronavirus pandemic.
That's why it's great to see a range of media companies around the world, including AIB Members  Al Jazeera ,  Deutsche Welle  and  France Médias Monde , distributing Pause content on TV channels, online and via SMS.

New channels in Kazakhstan
Abai TV has been launched by the Qazaqstan TV and Radio Corporation. The channel, which focuses on the country's culture and heritage, went on air on 30 June with a spectacular launch event in Nur-Sultan, the country's capital.
Another new channel will be launched by the rival state broadcaster Khabar TV at the start of the academic year in late August. Al-Farabi will be an educational channel designed for children between six and 18 years of age.
BBC News Minute goes free in Nigeria
BBC World Service is partnering with MTN Nigeria to deliver BBC News Minute bulletins, free of charge to subscribers of the MyMTN App in English, Hausa, Igbo, Pidgin and Yoruba.
This is the first time an international news organisation will feature in the MyMTN App. BBC News Minute is the BBC’s 60-second news round-up that keeps audiences across different demographics up to date with what is trending and shared on social media as well as the latest local and global news – updated at regular intervals 24 hours a day seven days a week.

New report on China's global media strategy
A new report has been issued by the International Federation of Journalists examining the "sophisticated and systematic strategy" of China to "embed itself in the global news lan dscape."
The new report - The China Story: Reshaping the World's Media - finds that China is operating a media outreach campaign in every continent, targeting both developed and developing countries.
This is the second IFJ China research report, following Weaponising the free press? China’s global media offensive    published in 2019.
AIB history briefs - jamming
They spent more on jamming than the broadcasts they were trying to silence cost to produce. That's the theory around Soviet Bloc jamming of western broadcasters during the Cold War.
Spurred on by the release of a story produced by RFE/RL on a now derelict jamming station in Bulgaria, the AIB has taken a brief look at jamming, with a selection of additional resources highlighted.
Read our history brief here.
People
The BBC Board has appointed Tim Davie as the 17th Director-General of the BBC. Tim who is currently Chief Executive Officer of BBC Studios will take over the role from Tony Hall on 1 September.
The Director-General of the BBC is the Corporation’s chief executive officer and editor in chief; this person is responsible for the creative, editorial and operational leadership of the BBC within the United Kingdom and around the globe.
Sir David Clementi, Chairman of the BBC Board, says: “Tim has a strong track record as the CEO of BBC Studios and is one of the most respected names in the industry. His leadership and experience, both outside the BBC and within, will ensure that we are well placed to meet the opportunities and challenges of the coming years. Tim has an enthusiasm and energy for reform, while holding dear to the core mission of the BBC."
Michael Pack was confirmed as the Chief Executive Officer of the US Agency for Global Media by the United States Senate on 4 June 2020 and took up his role full time the following week.
Formerly, Mr. Pack was President of Manifold Productions, Inc., an independent film and television production company, which he founded in 1977. He has also held roles at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and Worldnet, the forerunner of VoA TV.
Following Pack's arrival, the heads of all the constituent broadcasters of USAGM left their posts. They have been replaced, on an acting basis, by:
Elez Biberaj , who has led Voice of America (VOA)’s Eurasia Division since 2006, will serve as VOA’s Acting Director.
Jeffrey Scott Shapiro , previously Senior Advisor at Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), will serve as OCB’s Acting Director and Principal Deputy Director.
Parameswaran Ponnudurai , who has been Vice President of Programming at Radio Free Asia (RFA) since 2014, will serve as RFA’s Acting President.
Kelley Sullivan , who has been a Vice President at Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) since 2006, will serve as MBN’s Acting President.
Daisy Sindelar , who has been with RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty (RFE/RL) for nearly two decades, will serve as RFE/RL’s Acting President.
India's TV9  Network has appointmented Raktim Das as COO of Studio9. In his new role, Das will be responsible for driving the convergence of TV and digital revenue function, with focus on branded content innovation.
Das’s media career encompasses a large number of major media houses including Times of India, India Today Group, Zee Media Corporation Limited, and Network18.
Media Development Investment Fund has announced the appointment of Jim Egan  as Chief Investment Officer.
MDIF invests in independent media in countries where access to free and independent news and information is under threat. Mr. Egan is currently CEO of the BBC’s commercial international news subsidiary which owns and operates the BBC World News television channel and its digital counterpart bbc.com .
“In recent years the economic environment for the news business has become extremely challenging. Journalists and journalism are also under increasing threat,” said Mr. Egan. “I’m delighted to be joining MDIF and want to make a positive contribution to addressing both of those problems.”
The AIB’s mission is to support, sustain, promote and protect its Members, wherever they are in the world, via a range of specialist services.

The Association was formed to support organisations that face unique challenges by virtue of their remit to broadcast to and publish in multiple global jurisdictions and cultures. Today, thanks to the rapid developments in distribution and accessibility to content, this includes almost every domestic broadcaster since their services have become available to international audiences.

Our Members operate television, radio and online services in multiple languages that, every week, reach well in excess of one billion people in almost every country on the planet.
We help our Members to collaborate, and to innovate.
We help our Members to solve problems.
We help our Members to tell their stories.

We draw on 26 years of knowledge gathering, intelligence sharing and understanding in the international media market to deliver outstanding support to our Members.

To find out more about the benefits that Membership of the Association for International Broadcasting delivers, see our Guide to Membership booklet and talk to Tom Wragg at AIB headquarters in the UK.
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