AIB media industry briefing | The AIBs - closing date approaches | Podcasts going strong | Programme highlights | News about CNN, BBC, Disney+, SABC | Media Freedom and more
AIB Media Industry Briefing | July 2021
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.
The AIBs 2021 - closing date 23 July
The 17th annual international competition for journalism and factual productions across TV, radio and digital platforms are still open for entry in 21 categories.
The AIBs are respected and renowned around the world. But don't just take our word for it.

Watch this short video to hear what some of the entrants of the 2020 competition say about what the AIBs mean to them.
Full information about categories and how to enter is in the 2021 entry book.

Closing date: 23 July 2021 (extended from the original date by popular demand!).
We are delighted that Radio Taiwan International is sponsoring the Natural World and Science and Technology categories.

You too can become a sponsor of the AIBs and align your brand with the world's leading journalism and factual programming. Full details are available here.
Podcasts going where broadcasters cannot...?
The explosion in the number of podcasts over the past few years has given audiences an immense range of choice of stories and opinions from a huge number of perspectives. The growth has been fuelled by the pandemic, as people across the world found themselves with a little more time on their hands or have wanted greater varieties of diversions.
Advertisers have started to notice, and marketeers are now moving more of their media spend to podcasts and to podcast platforms.
And now podcasts are rivalling mainstream broadcasters in getting access to big interviews. One example is Sarde After Dark, a Beirut-based podcaster that has just scored a 100-minute interview with disgraced former Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn.

BBC heads towards Reith
The BBC is gradually introducing a revamped corporate logo that replaces the current three blocks with their Gill Sans font BBC initials with...three blocks with the BBC initials.
The new logo that was quietly introduced on the BBC's Select streaming service earlier this year makes use of the in-house designed Reith font and to which the BBC owns the rights.
The revised logo (see at the bottom of the image) separates the three blocks a little more than the existing logo, providing a subjectively wider overall look.
It is reported that the new logo will be rolled out across the BBC towards the end of 2021.
CNN sells Atlanta HQ
The CNN Centre in central Atlanta has been sold to a US property investment company, a joint venture between Rialto Capital and CP Group.
Warner Media will lease back the CNN Center for some years as it prepares to move to a new site near Georgia Tech alongside other Warner Media properties including TBS, TNT and Cartoon Network. Around 6,000 employees are based in Atlanta.
CNN opened a new facility in New York's Hudson Yards development in 2019.
Check out international programme highlights
The English-language service of France 24 broadcasts from Paris 24-hours-a-day.

They've been covering this week's Bastille Day celebrations, but there's much more on the channel this month. Take a look!
AIB launches Big Tech work project
Broadcasters and other media companies are constantly increasing their use of social media platforms to reach audiences globally. This brings with it a range of new challenges as audiences move their attention online to major social media platforms and linear broadcasting’s share of audience time diminishes.

Key among the questions facing Members of the Association for International Broadcasting – and other media companies across the world – is how to engage with the increasing number of platforms that they need to use to reach audiences and the range of new, challenging issues that arise.

To address these challenges, the AIB is establishing a Big Tech Intelligence Group. This will gather data from AIB Members on how effective their engagement is with social platforms they use to distribute content, and whether engagement is at the right level of seniority within social platforms to enable problems to be resolved.

Disney+ means end to linear?
After its closure of linear channels including Fox in the UK and Sweden, Disney is now looking at migrating linear TV in other European countries to its Disney+ subscription platform.
Austria, Germany and Switzerland will lose pay-TV channels Disney Junior and Fox at the end of September, according to Broadband TV News.
As more households subscribe to streaming services like Disney+, it makes economic sense to close satellite and terrestrial channels with associated transmission costs and payment systems. It also provides a ring-fenced brand opportunity for the company to exploit in marketing, and in "owning" the consumer and the data they deliver for Walt Disney.
SABC launches sport channel
The South African Broadcasting Corporation has launched a new sports channel, following the successful soft launch of its 24-hour Sports Channel on the SABC DTT service, the Openview set-top-box and the TelkomONE mobile streaming platform in April 2021.
The launch, hosted from the SABC headquarters building in Auckland Park, Johannesburg, also featured Team SAs announcement of the second team squad for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games.

Signiant enables NBC Olympics remote production
NBC Olympics, a division of the NBC Sports Group, has selected Signiant to provide intelligent file transfer software for its production of the Games of the XXXII Olympiad, which take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 23 – August 8. 
With Signiant’s software, NBC Olympics will be able to move petabytes of footage from Tokyo back to its International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., immediately upon capture. 

BBC Studios Showcase stays virtual, MIPCOM goes hybrid
Following the success of its first ever virtual Showcase earlier this year, BBC Studios has announced that Showcase 2022 will also be fully digital.
The first ever virtual Showcase was the most attended in the event’s history with more than 1,400 partners immersing themselves in masterclasses, industry leading insight and world class British programming.
Meanwhile, the MIPCOM programme market is going ahead as a hybrid event from 11 to 14 October. Will delegates be prepared to travel?

Will the EU deprive citizens of UK-made TV?
According to a report in Britain's Guardian newspaper, the European Union is looking at ways to remove the definition of British TV and film as "European works". Sources quoted within the report suggest that there is a "disproportionate" amount of British programming carried on European TV channels.
British-produced programmes have long been extremely popular with European audiences. From Midsomer Murders to Death in Paradise (pictured), audiences from Italy to Germany, Spain to Poland have tuned into watch quality drama and entertainment for years. Now it seems that these much loved and much admired series are not deemed sufficiently European for the Brussels-based eurocrats. Consumers may have different opinions.
US government seizes Iranian and other Mid-East media company web domains
The US government has moved to seize the websites hosted on domains owned by American companies in violation of sanctions. Each of the sites carries a large image (pictured) saying the it has been seized.
The sites include English-language Tehran-based channel Press TV, which within hours of the seizure migrated from presstv.com to an Iranian-hosted site presstv.ir.
The sites of Arabic language Al-Alam TV and Al-Kawthar were also seized.

More on this here
Gabon's SatCon faces global anger
In a joint statement, beIN SPORTS, Canal+ International, Gabon Télévision, LaLiga, the Motion Picture Association, Startimes, Thema, TNT Africa and UEFA have condemned illegal broadcasting - or piracy - by Gabon pay-TV operator SatCon of a wide range of channels.
SatCon's operations have been in the spotlight for many months, with fines levied by the Gabonese authorities and a three month suspension in April 2021.
“We strongly condemn the illegal broadcasting in Gabon by the SatCon operator of beIN SPORTS channels, channels distributed by Canal+ International (A+), Gabon Télévision, LaLiga, channels and content owned by MPA members, Startimes, Thema (Novelas TV, Nollywood TV), TNT Africa and certain UEFA competitions,” the organisations said.
Media freedom briefs
The global Media Freedom Coalition has issued a statement on media freedom in Hong Kong:
The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition express their strong concerns about the forced closure of the Apple Daily newspaper, and the arrest of its staff by the Hong Kong authorities. The use of the National Security Law to suppress journalism is a serious and negative step, which undermines Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy and the rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong, as provided for in the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration.
The action against Apple Daily comes against a backdrop of increased media censorship in Hong Kong, including pressure on the independence of the public broadcaster and recent legal action by the Hong Kong authorities against journalists.
We are highly concerned by the possible introduction of new legislation that is intended or could risk being used to eliminate scrutiny and criticism by the media of the government’s policies and actions.
Freedom of the press has been central to Hong Kong’s success and international reputation over many years. Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities should fully respect and uphold this important right, in line with China’s international legal obligations.
Signed: Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Slovakia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States.
BBC World Service co-hosted a virtual “side-event” to coincide with the 47th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on 24 June.
It was designed to raise concerns about the escalating cross-border harassment and threats from Iran towards BBC News Persian journalists and other Persian-language media.
Alongside the BBC, the event was co-hosted by the International Federation of Journalists, National Union of Journalists and Doughty Street Chambers. The AIB attended and confirmed its continuing support for the BBC in this case.

AIB Members receive intelligence briefing
The AIB published its latest Media Intelligence briefing exclusively for its Members in early July, covering:
  • the future of work;
  • opinion potentially replacing fact on new channels;
  • procurement, tenders and contracts.

These briefings are one part of the AIB’s regular package of services to its Members, helping them to keep up-to-date on developments that may impact their businesses.

If your company is not yet a Member, talk to us about the whole range of benefits.

Helping make journalism a little safer
Who's listening to you as you work, make phone calls or watch TV? We have all seen adverts pop up in social media feeds soon after talking about a subject, suggesting that social platforms are listening for key words. Not too sinister, but sometimes surprising.
What if those listening are trying to get hold of information to stifle news reporting? That becomes far more worrying.
At the AIB, we are working on research into how the Internet of Things [IoT] is exposing those involved in journalism to potential - and often very real - threats. AIB Research Assistant and Doctoral student at the University of Oxford Anjuli Shere (pictured) is currently investigating the threats that abuse and manipulation of the IoT threatens media freedom and endangers journalists and editors.
We're gathering information on workflows from AIB Members across the world to identify possible weak spots and where devices that are becoming more ubiquitous in our homes and workplace can be used by malign actors against the news industry.
The research will help to inform cyber security strategies in media houses globally, making them and the people who work for them just a little safer.

If you're interested in getting involved and benefiting from this global research project, talk to us.
People
Jean Philip De Tender, EBU Director of Media, has assumed the additional role of Deputy Director General. He will continue to oversee the EBU’s Media Department alongside his new responsibilities.

As Deputy Director General, De Tender will support Noel Curran, EBU Director General, in key management aspects of the organisation, with a focus on strategy development, strategic implementation and an increased focus on knowledge exchange. In addition, De Tender will deputise in the absence of the Director General by being his representative with internal and external stakeholders and at events as needed. 
Mallam Balarabe Shehu Ilelah has been appointed Director-General of Nigeria's media regulator, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC).

He started his career as an editor in the state broadcaster, the Nigerian Television Authority in Bauchi in northern Nigeria. He then went to Moscow where he worked as an editor and presenter for Radio Moscow International.

Following this, he worked for two years at China Radio International, as well as being a stringer for the BBC's Hausa Service.
Vitaly Ignatenko has been appointed the new director general of Russian state-funded TV service OTR.

Ignatenkop, 80, headed the ITAR-TASS news agency between 1991 and 2012. He has also held the post of deputy Prime Minister in Boris Yeltsin's cabinet from 1995 to 1997.

Ignatenko succeeds Anatoly Lysenko who headed the channel until his death in June, aged 85.
Did you watch the AIBs 2020?
In a reassuringly unchanged ceremony - although virtual and with our audience tuning in via PCs, phones, tablets and smart TVs - the winners of the AIBs 2020 were announced in November

Winners and highly commended entries were announced by our host, Al Jazeera English presenter Kim Vinnell. We linked with our winners around the world - although none of them knew they'd won in advance.

Reaction from our global audience suggest that we got this important celebration about right, ensuring the work of our finalists was treated with respect and care. Read more about how we went about staging the AIBs 2020 here.

You can watch the shows at http://theaibs.tv and read the winners and finalists book at https://theaibs.tv/AIBs-2020/The-AIBs-2020-WinnersandFinalists.pdf.

The AIBs 2021 are open for entry! Submit your work or that of your teams by 23 July.
Watch programme one above; programme two below
Do you operate radio services?
You should have your own dotRadio domain!
Well over 2,600 dotRadio top level domains have been registered by broadcasters, radio presenters, producers, community stations, DJs, radio amateurs and others, harnessing the power and appeal of the dotRadio domain.

This specialist domain is available to all broadcasters and to others involved in radio, both professionally and personally. Alongside the domain comes a special tool - on.radio - for broadcasters to use short URLs, such as live.on.radio/popconcert, with tracking of visits to help gauge effectiveness. There is also a redirection service included as part of the domain service and an email service is to be introduced in the coming months.

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 28 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.
Association for International Broadcasting
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T +44 20 7993 2557