AIB Media Industry Briefing
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January 2020
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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 more than 27,000 people in media, regulation, government and journalism in over 150 territories.
Talk to us
about using the briefing to deliver brand exposure to this influential community.
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AIB supports Iran International over attacks on staff
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As protests against
increases in fuel prices spread across Iran in November, the Iranian authorities stepped up their attacks on Persian-language broadcasters beaming news and information into the country from abroad.
London-based
Iran International was targeted, with its staff and their families subjected to asset freezes - a similar tactic to that used against BBC Persian staff - and the satellite signal carrying the channel into Iran jammed.
The AIB led the international condemnation of the Iranian regime's move, building on its work supporting BBC Persian throughout 2019.
Read more about the AIB's work on Iran and about Iran's harassment of international media
here
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AIB to give evidence to Australian Senate media freedom inquiry
The Association for International Broadcasting is to give evidence to the Australian Senate Inquiry into media freedom in February. This follows the AIB's written submission to the Senate Inquiry and to a separate Parliamentary Inquiry. Both Inquiries were established in the wake of the Australian Federal Police raids on the ABC and News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst.
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BBC seeks one billion global audience
In a New Year address to staff,
BBC Director-General Lord Tony Hall
(pictured) set out the Corporation's vision for the next seven years, including growing the global BBC audience to one billion users.
With BBC products already reaching 426 million people every week, the one billion target will mean ways need to be found to more than double the number of people using the BBC every week around the world. The expansion will be achieved, said Hall, by making the BBC Sounds app global later in 2020 as well as through innovation in news commissioning and the growth of landmark productions in genres like natural history and drama.
Read the full story
here.
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Nigeria to open up sports rights battle?
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture,
Alhaji Lai Mohammed (pictured), has plans to invigorate the country’s broadcasting sector. In a statement issued on 9 January, the Minister said that the National Broadcasting Commission is to “immediately implement measures aimed at re-positioning the broadcast industry with a view to sanitising the industry, creating jobs, promoting local content, boosting the advert industry and bringing the broadcast industry up to par with the best practices from around the world.”
One of the most interesting announcements concerns sports rights. Exclusivity is to be banned in Nigeria, with a new regulation that compels broadcasters and exclusive licensees of sports rights to share the rights. This will affect Multichoice, the South African-based satellite operator that has pan-African rights for many high-profile sports. Multichoice’s ownership of rights has prevented competitors from carrying lucrative sports on local platforms and networks. This has hampered the development of profitable sports broadcasting in many African territories.
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The 15th annual
AIBs
, the international competition for factual productions, were presented in London on 4 November.
More than 200 guests joined the glittering event, travelling from the Philippines, New Zealand, Qatar, Belgium, Germany, Russia and many other countries to network and, importantly, discover who the winners were in each category.
See
highlights of the evening
here, and read the
winners book
here.
The 2020 AIBs open in April; the awards will be presented in London on 13 November 2020.
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Voice of Nigeria gets new home
Nigeria's international radio broadcaster,
Voice of Nigeria, has moved many of its staff into a new headquarters building - all thanks to the anti-corruption campaign that's been waged by President Buhari.
The office complex was one of five properties seized from the former defence chief, Alex Badeh.
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Al Jazeera English gets visual revamp
Al Jazeera English
has launched its new and refreshed on-air branding and studio. The refresh project enhances news, programmes, broadcasting, and operational features.
The channel’s renovated newsroom incorporates a state-of-the-art studio set, décor, an expanded video wall and a presenter desk that rotates through 270 degrees with enhanced lighting capabilities. This setup allows for camera positions to be utilised with reverse shots into the newsroom. In addition, revised on-screen graphics feature creative elements with new colour themes.
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MBC Group takes its VOD to next level
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Celebrating a fresh era in digital entertainment,
MBC Group
has unveiled the all-new version of its video on demand (VOD) service, Shahid.
The unveiling took place this evening as part of an exclusive event held at the Dubai Opera in Downtown Dubai. Shahid’s brand new slogan: “It’s Our Time” took centre stage, illuminating the emirate’s iconic Burj Khalifa tower.
In his opening speech,
MBC Group Chairman Al-Ibrahim
commented: “The social and economic reforms currently being witnessed by my home country, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – ones that are being spearheaded by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – is something we have always dreamed of. It gives me great pride to witness this dream being finally realised. Today, it is almost apt that we face a new start for our Group, albeit with a difference in objectives.
“But here is where we will begin. As we look ahead, we strive to take control of our own narratives, showcasing our stories to the rest of the world through the very best in original films, series, and other media content, produced and marketed via MBC Studios,” he continued.
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BBC wins trademark infringement case
A Chinese court has ruled in favour of the BBC in a trademark infringement legal case over unauthorised use of the BBC logo.
Haidian district people's court ruled that the Beujing iYuba Tech Company should stop using the BBC trademark and compensate the Corporation for economic loss and expenses totalling one million yuan (around US$143,000).
iYuba used the BBC logo on two corporate websites, a WeChat social media account and five mobile phone apps.
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AIB ramps up work on cyber security
The Association for International Broadcasting continues to develop its work in cyber security to help protect Members - and the wider industry - from damaging attacks. We are working with Royal Holloway University of London to develop a broadcasting cyber security research programme. This will allow equipment that's used by broadcasters and transmission companies to be tested in a laboratory environment that closely resembles broadcast chain and workflows and could deliver a "tick mark" for manufacturers and suppliers who are serious about the security their products deliver.
In the meantime,
talk
to the AIB about getting involved in our work to improve cyber security in broadcasting.
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Marc Antoine d’Halluin
has been appointed the new Group Chief Executive of
MBC Group
. He succeeds Sam Barnett who resigned after 17 years at the company. Barnett will stay on in an advisory capacity.
d'Halluin has previously worked in the Middle East as CEO of regional satellite platform OSN.
In a statement,
Waleed Al Ibrahim
, chairman, MBC Group said d’Halluin’s brief would be to “move the group forward in-line with the five-year growth plan for the organisation that was announced in Q4 2018”.
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Insight TV
has appointed
Marco Frazier
to the newly created position of senior VP of Insight TV Studios US.
In his new role, Frazier will oversee content production and sales operations to the U.S. He will be identifying new development and co-production opportunities, including branded entertainment series and other commissions. He will also look to license programming from Insight TV’s library of original content. Based in the company’s New York office, Frazier reports to
Natalie Boot
, Insight TV’s head of media sales.
Before joining Insight TV, Frazier was senior VP of international distribution for digital and new platforms at AMC Networks, where he held various senior-level positions over an eight-plus year period. Frazier also previously served as CEO of Screenplus and director of affiliate sales and distribution in EMEA for ESPN. He has served as a judge for the annual
AIBs
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Askar Mukanmetzhanovich Nurumzhanov
has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of
Kazteleradio JSC
(Kazakh TV and Radio).
In 2018-19, Nurumzhanov held the post of first deputy chairman of the Kazakhstan NTRC [the country's National Television and Radio Corporation]. Prior to that, in 2016-17, he headed the IT department of the National Bank while from 2006 to 2016 he was director-general of the Akmola regional telecommunications directorate.
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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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Association for International Broadcasting
PO Box141 | Cranbrook | TN17 9AJ | United Kingdom
T +44 20 7993 2557
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