AIB protests as channels taken off air in Vietnam
AIB has been concerned to note that channels from its members have been taken off the air in Vietnam. BBC World News, NHK World and CNN were dropped from K+ on 16 May. That was the date on which Decision 20, a set of regulations governing how international channels can operate in Vietnam, came into force. Again. There's been much confusion regarding the regulations, with different players in the Vietnam market interpreting them differently.
AIB is raising awareness of the issue and seeking clarity from the authorities in Vietnam.

The AIBs 2013 - enter now
The AIB's annual search for the best factual broadcasting is underway with the call for entries launched on 6 May. This is the ninth year of our international media excellence awards that celebrate the best in factual TV, radio and online broadcasting. With categories from live journalism to investigative documentary, children's factual to live sports coverage, the AIBs are a celebration of success in all these genres.
Full details on how to enter are in our call for entries book - see it online in digital page-turning edition here or download a PDF edition here.
There's more information about this year's awards at theaibs.tv. The closing date for entries is 5 July 2013.

PROGRAMMING, PRODUCTION AND MARKETING
Confederations Cup daily bulletin available
As the Confederations Cup approaches, radio broadcasters across Africa and Asia are being offered daily 3' bulletins providing a comprehensive round-up of action from the host nation, Brazil. Bringing together the champions of world football confederations, the Confederations Cup is an eight nation competition that is widely seen as a dry run for next year's Fifa World Cup.
Produced by AIB partner Between the Posts Productions, two versions of the English-language round-up will be available throughout the competition, one for audiences in Africa, the other for Asia.
Rich in music, sound-bites and inserts, Bulletin from Brazil is designed to offer a feel of the competition and a sense of what the World Cup will have to offer in a year’s time. It will offer news reports from Brazil as well as the views of players, ex-players, fans and journalists who are in the country to soak up this samba soccer story.
Contact AIB for details of how you can make use of this cost-effective, world-class coverage for your station.

CCTV big among audiences in Vanuatu
A detailed study investigating access to information in Vanuatu has been concluded by InterMedia. Working with Australian AID and ABC International Development, InterMedia's study was designed to assess the information needs and media and communications habits of Vanuatu citizens.
The study revealed that trust in information sources was highest among religious leaders at 84%, with local chiefs second at 79%. Radio ranked 72% and TV 49%. Internet and social media were both below 30%.
In all but one province, CCTV ranked among the most popular TV stations. ABC Radio Australia was in the most popular radio stations in all but one province. However, access to TV across the country stood at just 17%, with access to radio at 51%. 76% of households have access to mobile phones.

FRANCE 24 journalist receives top journalism award
Romeo Langlois, F24 FRANCE 24 journalist Roméo Langlois has been awarded the 2013 Albert Londres Prize, the most prestigious French journalism award. It was Langlois' documentary about an anti-narcotics operation by Colombian commandos - shortlisted for the AIBs in 2012 - that caught the jury's attention. Langlois was taken hostage while filming the documentary charting a Colombian operation against the FARC.
“I was very happy and honoured to learn that I won the Albert Londres Prize. I also have conflicting emotions because the award has plunged me back into this painful past,” Langlois told FRANCE 24. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Sergent Cortès, who was responsible for looking after my safety and died during filming. I dedicate this award to him.”

AIBs 2013 open for entry - join our annual international search for the best in factual TV, radio and online.

Full information on all the categories plus details of past winners at theaibs.tv

DISTRIBUTION, TECHNOLOGY, BUSINESS
New channels - India and Kazakhstan
A new Hindi-language news channel that went on the air at the start of the year has plans for international distribution. News Nation is carried on all the major platforms in India with the exception of Tata Sky. The Noida-based channel is led by editor-in-chief Shailesh Kumar.
Quoted on indiantelevision.com, Kumar said, "News Nation will paint a broad picture of what is happening in India today, not just focusing on politics, or business, or sport, or superstition. We also turn the spot! light on other aspects of modern life - finance, education, fashion, gadgetry, nutrition, all that concerns our viewers."
In Kazakhstan, one of the country's state-owned broadcasters will launch a sports channel in the summer. Kazsport is due to go on air on 1 July carrying national sporting events, international tournaments and feature material about athletes and sporting competitors. Kazakhstan Republican TV and Radio Corporation will operate the channel from its Kazmedia Centre building in Astana.
Meanwhile, Sweden's TV4 has announced that its 18-month old 24 hour news channel, TV4 News, is to close.

NHK World joins Virgin Media
NHK World TV is now available in full HD on the Virgin Media platform in the UK. The English-language channel is on the Virgin Media XL package on channel 625.
NHK World provides the very latest information from Japan, Asia and the rest of the world, as well as a wide variety of programming, 24 hours a day. Making full use of NHK’s extensive global network, “NEWSLINE” updates viewers every hour with the latest hard news, covering world events and business-related news. Popular programmes on the channel include “J-MELO”, highlighting the latest Japanese music of all genres, and “Dining with the chef”, which explains the attraction of Japanese cuisine that cares about the overall harmony of a variety of ingredients.

YouTube goes paid-for
In a pilot project, YouTube is launching paid-for channels. The US shows Sesame Street and UFC will start offering channels available only to paid subscribers. The fee - which will be variable, reports suggest - starts at US$0.99 a month. This new project which will see other shows added over the coming months is an expansion of YouTube's partner channel programme launched in 2012.

Arabsat signs contract for new Riyadh HQ
Arab Satellite Communications Organisation – Arabsat - has signed a contract to build its new headquarters in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh. The new building will be constructed by Al-BAWANI Co. Ltd on land provided by the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Arabsat and covers an area of nearly 14,000 square meters.
Eng. Khalid bin Ahmed Balkhyour, President & CEO of Arabsat, praised the fundamental support received by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which also provided a grant to build Arabsat's new headquarters. The striking design of the new building is the result of an international competition in which more than 25 designers participated.

China Radio International launches new services
CRI has announced that it has established local operations in Albania, Georgia and Jordan. In Tbilisi, CRI is on the air 24 hours-a-day in English and Georgian, while in Tirana, CRI will have ten hours daily in Albanian. In Amman, the station is on the air in Arabic 24 hours-a-day.

PEOPLE
The new leadership at Eurosport has been announced following the appointment of Laurent-Eric Le Lay as Chief Executive Officer of TF1 Publicité.
Philippe Denery becomes Chairman and Jean-Thierry Augustin is Chief Executive Officer of the Eurosport group. Augustin is promoted from his position of Managing Director, Distribution, Rights Acquisition & Development. Denery will remain Executive Vice President of TF1 Group Finances.
This organisational change is part of the TF1 group's ambition to enable Eurosport to continue developing, particularly as part of the partnership agreements signed with Discovery Communications.

Deborah Turness, currently editor of the UK's ITV News, has been appointed President, NBC News. Turness will take up her post in the USA on 5 August.

WRN Broadcast has appointed Nick Thompson as non-executive director. Thompson was managing director of Arqiva Media and Broadcast, the UK transmission company, until 2011. The appointment will see Thompson work with WRN Broadcast’s board and executive management team to inform the company’s strategic development plan and further progress the growth the company has experienced in the last few years.

Asia's Mr "Football" - Les Murray, head of sport at SBS Australia - has joined AIB as an adviser. He will provide a wide range of skills for the AIB as it develops its new Asian base. In a rapidly expanding Asian market for sport, Murray’s experience in football will be vital to expanding the interests of the AIB, said its Chief Executive Simon Spanswick.
Said Murray: "I am delighted to accept this invitation by the AIB and be given the opportunity to work with broadcasters in Asia.
"Sport and, in particular, sports broadcasting are fabulous catalysts for advancing and enriching national cultures and for empowering cultural identities.
"I am thrilled to be able to assist Asian broadcasters in achieving these goals."