THE CHANNEL
|
MEDIA MARKETS
Channel NewsAsia
opens Vietnam bureau
Regional broadcaster Channel
NewsAsia opened its Vietnam
news bureau in Hanoi in July,
making it the channel’s 14th
dedicated bureau in Southeast
and East Asia. Correspondent
Tan Qiuyi, who has been based in
Hanoi since 2014, will continue
filing reports on the developments
in a country that has one of the
fastest growing economies in the
region. Some of her recent
reports include Vietnam’s
territorial conflict with China in
the South China Sea, the
opening up of the real estate
market and Vietnam’s athletes
who scored gold and glory at the
2015 Southeast Asian Games.
The opening of the bureau
was announced by Ms Debra
Soon, Head of MediaCorp’s
News and Premier Segment,
last year at Channel NewsAsia’s
Vietnam Business Insights
forum. Ms Soon said the bureau’s
establishment comes at a time
when the region is set to be
further integrated, with the
establishment of the ASEAN
Community by the end of the year.
In June business leaders and
policy-makers debated Thailand’s
role as a gateway to the ASEAN
Economic Community at Channel
NewsAsia’s
Thailand Business
Insights
forum in Bangkok. The
dynamics of global, regional and
local politics and economics
have created a special push-pull
factor for Thailand to leverage
itself as a hub and a window to
Indochina-ASEAN.
on the programming front,
Channel NewsAsia’s hit docu-
reality series,
Start-UP
, returned
which shows entrepreneurs
battling it out for more than
SG$2m in seed funding. Season
2 also features a crowdfunding
element for finalists to raise
money for their start-ups.
IN BRIEF
NEW PTZ FROM
NCAM
Ncam, the developer of
camera tracking and virtual
production technology, is
offering a new entry-level
camera tracking solution,
designed primarily for
broadcasters wanting to use
virtual graphics or
augmented reality, but only
need pan, tilt and zoom
functionality rather than
complete freedom of
movement. The Ncam PTZ
solution uses the company’s
ground-breaking core
tracking technology – it
detects subtle movements
of the camera itself, not the
camera head, and maintains
alignment.
DIGITAL RADIO IN
TURKEY
Broadcasters in Turkey are
planning to digitise radio
services. With the help of
WorldDMB, seminars have
been organised by iTVF with
the participation of national
broadcaster TRT, RATEM
(Union of Broadcasting
organisations), and the
regulatory body RTÜK.
Turkey first investigated
DAB in 2002. In the
meantime over 30m DAB /
DAB+ receivers have been
sold worldwide and prices
have fallen with entry level
models available at €20.
CHANNEL
GROWTH IN
AFRICA
Kenya's Standard Group –
the country's oldest media
house, founded in 1902 –
has launched a 24 hour
news channel, called KTN
News. Launched in Nairobi
on 11 July, the channel says
it will focus on delivering
comprehensive, incisive
news, current affairs
programming, documentaries
and features. Standard
Group Chief Executive
officer Sam Shollei said the
new channel will break new
ground in TV programming
because it will give Kenyans
a variety of news channels
to watch.
Motion design studio Pixel Party,
which has worked with some of
the largest brands in India and
abroad from its offices in Mumbai
and Delhi, are the design team
behind the rebranding of Headlines
Today as India Today, the English
news channel launched by the
India Today group. Already
present in print with its flagship
30-year old
India Today
magazine,
and on digital, social media and
mobile, the company chose Pixel
Party to create the TV brand’s
packaging and on-air broadcast
design, using high-quality
commercial CG imaging, animation
and VFx for a fresh new look that
differentiates the channel from
other news channels in the
market. Kalli Purie, India Today’s
Group Editorial Director said the
new channel would bring a web
philosophy to the TV screen.
According to BARC India, India
Today TV beat rival channel
Times Now in audience ratings
in the last week of May.
India Today
rebrand
Islam Channel Urdu launches
The UK is home to the largest
Urdu speaking community in
Europe – over 1.17m – and this
figure is expected to more than
double in the next 15 years. "We
have reached yet another
milestone as we launch Islam
Channel Urdu in providing an
essential platform for the Urdu
speaking community,“ said
Mohamed Ali, CEo, Islam
Channel Urdu. Islam Channel
Urdu aims to enable Urdu
speaking Muslims to engage
fully with the complexity of
issues facing Muslims around
the world. Its programming
includes current affairs, lifestyle,
entertainment, documentaries
along with religious programming
featuring renowned scholars on
aspects of Islamic life. Broad-
casting from London and available
FTA on Sky Channel 851, Islam
Channel Urdu joins Ethical Media
Group’s established family-
oriented network which includes
international TV station Islam
Channel which airs in English.
Islam Channel’s new series
Selfies in Africa
followed 15
ordinary people on their
extraordinary journey through
Africa as they attempted to live
like the locals in Senegal. The
shorts produced by Islam
Channel about food, culture,
history, sport and charity can be
viewed on YouTube.
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ISSUE 2 2015
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THE CHANNEL
