24 March 2015
Globecast today announced the launch of its new Los Angeles Media Centre, offering broadcasters and content providers a converged workflow to prepare, deliver and playout content to any kind of distribution platform. The new Media Centre compliments established Globecast facilities in London and Singapore, enabling Globecast to offer a truly one-stop-shop for Media Management, Playout, Satellite and OTT distribution globally.
The new facility, which has been upgraded to include Globecast’s Media Factory for content logistics and converged workflow, brings broadcast and OTT solutions together under one roof, and leverages Globecast’s proven expertise in handling both linear broadcast and on-demand services.
Globecast’s Media Factory steps beyond traditional media management, logistics and playout services. It replaces multiple, siloed operations, with a single, efficient process that handles everything from VoD preparation and content formatting through to creative services, quality control and compliance. The Media Factory approach allows Globecast to pass on economies of scale to customers who also benefit from the greater flexibility and the ability to scale up and down as required.
A flexible and scalable workflow enables broadcasters to easily adapt to growing audiences or new delivery platforms without having to make costly infrastructure investments of their own. Globecast has already signed up customers for its newest Media Factory, including equestrian lifestyle channel, Ride TV. Internationally, BBC Worldwide is also a customer.
The LA Media Centre features state-of-the art technology from leading providers to create a fully integrated and efficient broadcast facility with industry-leading redundancy and proactive and predictive fault monitoring.
Globecast’s Managing Director in the US, Eddie Ferraro, said, “In this constantly shifting media landscape, cost-efficiency and time to market are key to a successful business model. Broadcasters today have to cover off traditional linear playout as well as VoD and catch-up services across multiple platforms in order to reach their viewers. Our new Media Centre enables them to do exactly this from right here in the heart of LA. Bringing our Media Factory concept to the US will enable us to offer tried and tested approaches from the world of industry to media management and combine it with our unique heritage to deliver effective solutions.” (Source: Globecast press release)
24 March 2015
MediaCorp regional broadcaster Channel NewsAsia will offer a live telecast of the funeral of Singapore’s first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Coverage will include the procession from the Istana, the official residence of the President of Singapore, to the lying-in-state proceedings and funeral ceremony:
1) Lying in State (“Farewell to Lee Kuan Yew, Lying in State Ceremony” 25 – 28 March 2015)
2) State funeral (“Farewell to Lee Kuan Yew” 29 March 2015, 2pm)
CNA says all the coverage will be made available to the international media and news agencies. Selected daily news coverage will be uploaded for the Asiavision News Exchange for participating members, which can be accessed by submitting a request at the Channel NewsAsia website. Video clips can be used free of licensing charge within 14 days from the time of broadcast or upload by Channel NewsAsia. After 14 days, use of the footage will be priced at prevailing licensing fees.
All of the funeral proceedings will be shown live on Channel NewsAsia and streamed
on Channel NewsAsia’s website (www.channelnewsasia.com) and YouTube channel
(https://www.youtube.com/user/channelnewsasia). There will be no relay or upload of recordings of these live coverage. Broadcasters wishing to use the coverage will need to record the proceedings off the Channel NewsAsia international feed.
The Channel NewsAsia International coordinates are:
Channel NewsAsia International
AsiaSat 7 @ 105.5°E
Satellite transponder: 3H
Downlink frequency: 3706 MHz
Symbol Rate: 6MSym/s
FEC:
3/4
Video Format: MPEG-2 (Free to Air)
Modulation: DVB-S/QPSK
19 March 2015
Amid major political transitions and conflict, Iraq remains a market dominated by TV. This is despite the attention given to ISIL’s use of Internet and new media, according to new data issued today by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and Gallup.
“Television has nearly ubiquitous viewership across Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan,” said Diana Turecek, director of audience research for the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN). “While lower than neighboring countries, past-week Internet use has grown to 40% of adults – and 82% of those users rely on it for news.”
The research revealed a politically divided and transitioning country, and this is reflected by differing media patterns across regions. In ISIL-controlled Anbar and Ninevah provinces, young men (15-34) who are poorly educated and struggling economically have high rates of TV usage (91%) but low levels of trust in it, with only 11% reporting that they “strongly trust” what they consume. On the other hand, a smaller percentage of that group used the Internet in the past week for news (28%), but an impressive 28% of those users say they strongly trust the platform.
The research highlighted “information hubs” in Baghdad – those that consume news multiple times per day and share it daily. These “information hubs” have a more diverse media diet, and use a variety of media for news each week including television (93%), the Internet (46%) and SMS (35%).
These findings indicate that the best media avenues to reach Iraqis during this turbulent political period depend on the audience you are trying to reach.
According to Gallup World Poll data, while regions are politically divided, the entire country shares grim attitudes towards worsening economic conditions. Most find it difficult to live on their present income (59%), lack enough money for shelter (50%) and have experienced food insecurity (47%).
“While regions are divided on political opinions, life evaluation as well as perceptions on bread and butter issues have worsened across the board in recent years,” said Mohamed Younis, senior analyst and senior practice consultant with Gallup.
A research brief and presentation with further information about this data can be found here, and a video of the briefing will be added in the coming days. More information about the BBG’s media research series is available here. (Source: BBG press release)
17 March 2015
SES S.A. (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) sees significant progress in the spacecraft and launch technology as a strong catalyst for the role that satellite plays in global digitisation and the roll-out of next generation video and data networks.
In the new White Paper “Creating Space – The Satellite Revolution” published by SES, the leading satellite operator summarises satellite as “a proven technology that has built a stunning track record over more than a generation and is now making another quantum leap into a new era of connectivity”.
The White Paper describes three key elements of the “new mantra for satellites”: lightness in weight, efficiency in beams and speed to market, and details how electric propulsion, digital on-board processors and modular production of satellites will benefit the industry.
This new thinking — the design and manufacture of satellites, coupled with the recent revamp of the satellite launch industry — has already resulted in the first benefits for the satellite industry. With Orbital Transfer Vehicles set to be commercially feasible in the near future, “the upside potential to play a key role in the world´s ongoing digitisation is dramatic”, concludes SES.
Read the full White Paper
SES also announced that it has increased its reach in 2014 to 312 million TV homes worldwide and thus reaches 1.1 billion people worldwide with its services. This represents an increase of 7 percent compared to the previous year.
SES’s annual market research, including the detailed Satellite Monitor studies in Europe, shows that the growth is coming from emerging markets of Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America, where SES reaches 7 million, 44 million and 24 million homes respectively. In Europe, the household reach has increased to 154 million, and in North America to 84 million.
The direct reach from the SES fleet to satellites TV homes grew from 106 million in 2013 to 125 million worldwide in 2014. While the reach in cable slightly decreased (- 3 percent), the number of IPTV homes fed from SES satellites increased by 21 percent to 38 million. These figures confirm satellite’s continuous increase in reach and its leading role as a broadcasting infrastructure.
The SES Satellite Monitor results also illustrate the important role of satellite as an infrastructure and of SES in Europe. Satellite remains the most widespread mode of TV reception in this region, now reaching over 90 million homes directly. With over 64 million SES satellite homes, SES is serving the vast majority of these homes. Europe therefore remains the strongest SES market in terms of direct reach. Germany remains the largest DTH market for SES, with 18 million homes reached by ASTRA, while France remains by far the biggest IPTV market – with now almost 11 million homes, of which 9 million are indirectly served by ASTRA.
The reach figures have also confirmed the HD expansion in Europe, with 47 million satellite homes watching HD in 2014, compared to 38 million the previous year. Of these, 77 percent of the European satellites homes are watching HD from SES satellites. At the end of 2014, SES transmitted more than 6,500 TV channels, over 1,800 of them in HD globally.
“The results of SES’s annual market research and Satellite Monitor studies confirm SES’s leading role as a TV broadcasting infrastructure,” said Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) of SES. “We are continuously investing to better serve the broadcasting industry, especially in the emerging markets. As an example, SES-9, scheduled to be launched this year, will expand SES’s capabilities to provide DTH broadcasting in Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia. On the other hand, the results show that the African market is full of opportunities, and we will continue to develop our services to support TV operators and help them grow new audiences. Of course, we also keep our eyes on mature markets such as North America and Europe, where SES will play a key role in Next Generation Video.”
|
Total SES reach |
SES direct reach (DTH) |
| Europe |
154m |
65m |
| North America |
84m |
17m |
| Latin America |
24m |
200K |
| Africa |
7m |
7m |
| Asia-Pacific |
44m |
37m |
17 March 2015
European news channel Euronews and Ukrainian channel Inter Media Group have reached a cooperation agreement aimed at developing and reinforcing the Ukrainian version of Euronews.
The agreement, which includes technical and content exchange, was approved by the Euronews Supervisory Board in Paris and has been officially signed at the beginning of March, making the Inter Media Group an exclusive strategic partner of Euronews in Ukraine.
Under the agreement, which will be effectively immediately, the Ukrainian Euronews team will be based in Lyon and Kiev. This team will produce a 24/7 Ukrainian version of Euronews, broadcast worldwide, as well as expanded content aimed at the Ukrainian market. The local development plan includes the additional hiring of journalists and audio-visual professionals in Kiev.
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“For us the partnership with Euronews is very promising, especially in light of the current social and political situation,” said Anna Bezliudna, Head of Inter Media Group, “It is extremely important to make concrete steps which will help form a real picture of the European way of living, enabling our citizens to obtain timely information from Europe in their own language.”
Michael Peters, Euronews CEO, said, “We are very excited to partner with the number one media group in Ukraine. There is a double benefit as this partnership will strengthen the presence and visibility of Euronews in Ukraine, but also the presence and visibility of Ukraine in the rest of the world”.
Euronews says they will release more concrete information about the specifics of the agreement in the coming months.
