THE CHANNEL
|
ISSUE 2 2013
|
05
GUNDA CANNON EDITOR
4K–satellitesareready
Willallthebricksbe inplace for
SochiandRio?
P56
ONEAPP,ALLTHENEWS
NewsRepublic isgoingglobal
inpartnershipwithHTC
P40
AUTHENTICNEWSNOW
AlArabiya's integratedEnglish
onlineportal takes shape
P59
MACHINIMARISING
The toolsof creationwithbig
potential for theTV industry
THE INTERNATIONALMEDIAMAGAZINEFORTV,RADIO,ONLINE&MOBILE
ISSUE2 |2013
broadcasting
Peoplemeters inUAE
Anundervaluedmarkettakesoff
Powerfulplayers
powerfulcontent
powerfultechnology
TheChannel
Sports
The Channel
is the
international media
magazine for TV, radio,
online andmobile,
published by AIB, the
Association for
International
Broadcasting
AIB is a not-for-profit,
non-governmental
organisation that works
for the benefits of its
members and the wider
media industry.
Through this magazine
and its online publications
AIB reaches in excess of
26,000 people working in
electronic media
globally: media
executives, producers,
editors, journalists,
technical directors,
regulators, politicians
and academics.
Talk to us to explore how
AIB can help you reach
the key individuals you
need to influence and to
find out about the
outstanding, highly cost-
effective benefits of AIB
membership
AIB
PO Box 141
Cranbrook TN17 9AJ
T
+44 (0) 20 7993 2557
E
W
It's been a powerful experience preparing this
edition. We spoke to powerful players, heard about
powerful content, discussed powerful technology,
came across powerful rights holders and the power
of money generally. Not falling into the prime and
prized demographic for TV sports programmes
myself (alas!) I was fascinated and impressed by this
world within worlds that at the end of the chain
manages to put the viewer on the sofa or in the
stadium through the emotional wringer.
Clearly the upcoming events in Sochi and Rio were
very much on our minds. Interesting then to read in
the press that the Brazilian government has already
spent three times what South Africa spent in 2012 on
preparing for the World Cup. Demonstrators'
placards in Belo Horizonte reminded us that major
sports events don't take place in a vacuum: "First
world stadiums – third world schools and hospitals."
And broadcasters are feeling the pinch too. As Steve
Crawley of Nine Network remarks, it's a challenging
time for those one-off events like the Olympics. Even
if we all love covering them and watching them, it's a
business decision now. And how to cover them –
Vizrt's Stephan Stadler predicts the next innovations
will be more about making the viewers part of your
broadcast. IMG's Felix Alvarez-Garmon has a nice
take on the 'fear of the new' saying that all that
technology does is just expand your ability to do
what you have always been doing. I like that.
Technology is the opportunity.
In the course of the interviews 4K and even 8K popped
up a lot – well, we'll soon all need bigger houses for
bigger panels! GlobeCast's Liz McParland agrees that
the next big thing for Rio is probably 4K but at the
same time broadcasters don't want to take risks at
these big events. The article by Eutelsat's Jean-François
Leprince-Ringuet gives an approximate timeline for the
advent of 4K – satellites in any case are fully ready.
Looking beyond sport to the Middle East, one of the
exciting developments in the region is tview bringing
the first reliable audience measurement system to the
UAE. As Chris O'Hearn explains it is an essential
milestone in the maturing of the industry in the region
and an important step to harnessing the potential of
a market which at present is seriously undervalued.
Speaking of milestones, we feature two anniversaries:
Al Arabiya news channel celebrates 10 years on air in
2013 and Germany's Deutsche Welle is 60. Going
into even bigger numbers, RT reached 1bn views on
YouTube making it the top news content provider on
the world's largest video sharing platform. I did
enjoy my interview with RT's Alexey Nikolov and
his philosophical asides – yes, I do believe too that
we treat information as the new god. Apps like
David Finch's 'News Republic' make sure we have it
in the palm of our hand, always. Personally, I am still
waiting for 'PartnerOverride'. Does no-one else feel
the need for an app that enables you to terminate a
certain other's news-worshipping effectively, at
certain moments?
I hope you enjoy this edition.
WELCOME
Major sports
events don't
take place in a
vacuum
”
“
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Simon Spanswick
E
simon.spanswick
@aib.org.uk
EDITOR, THE CHANNEL
Gunda Cannon
E
gunda.cannon
@aib.org.uk
DIRECTOR ASIA &
HEAD OF SPORT
John Barton
E
REGIONAL HEAD |
SOUTH ASIA
Amitabh Srivastava
E
amitabh.srivastava
@aib.org.uk
ADVERTISING
EdwardWilkinson
Sales and Marketing
Executive
T
+44 20 7993 2557
E
edward.wilkinson
@aib.org.uk
SUBSCRIPTIONS
The Channel print edition
is available on
subscription at a cost of
£15 per annum
The views and opinions
expressed in
The Channel
are not necessarily those
of AIB. The publisher
accepts no responsibility
for errors, omissions or
the consequences
thereof
Copyright
© 2013
Association for
InternationalBroadcasting
ISSN
1477-8718
Print
BuxtonPress, UK
WELCOME
|
THE CHANNEL
