12 March 2009
AIB says broadcasters are ready for partnerships to make mobile TV a quality experience
If there is one mobile communications event that showcases mobile’s staggering growth, it is Mobile World Congress. Over the past few days in Barcelona, the industry explored ways of sustaining this growth even in difficult times. With 4 billion connections to date and 6bn expected by 2013, content is playing an increasingly important role.
So why is there a visible disconnect between mobile operators and broadcasters who can supply content? Chairing the session on synergies between broadcasting and mobile, Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), said “With one or two notable exceptions, broadcasters are having trouble engaging with the right people in mobile operators to discuss potential partnerships that will bring quality content to subscribers.”
During the MWC session chaired by Spanswick which brought together Richard Titus from the BBC, Stanislas Leridon of France 24, Michel Mol of Netherlands Public Broadcasting, Sean Kane of Bebo and Jonathan Marks of Critical Distance – , one panellist talked of how his national TV channel had to “name and shame” a mobile operator that had declined to make the broadcaster’s Olympic coverage for mobiles available. Only when the broadcaster explained on air why the content would not be available to some subscribers did the mobile operator rethink and join the ranks of other operators who carried the broadcaster’s material. In the end, the mobile operator’s subscribers overwhelmingly supported the content, vindicating the decisions taken by both the broadcaster and the operator.
Spanswick says that what is needed is dialogue as it’s a win-win situation for mobile operators and content producers alike. “Broadcasters are ready to make mobile TV a reality by producing content specifically tailored for the mobile handset and want to work in partnership with mobile operators. It’s time for people in the two industries to start talking to each other to make mobile TV a success.”
See also
www.aibceo.blogspot.com.
12 March 2009
AIB says broadcasters are ready for partnerships to make mobile TV a quality experience
If there is one mobile communications event that showcases mobile’s staggering growth, it is Mobile World Congress. Over the past few days in Barcelona, the industry explored ways of sustaining this growth even in difficult times. With 4 billion connections to date and 6bn expected by 2013, content is playing an increasingly important role.
So why is there a visible disconnect between mobile operators and broadcasters who can supply content? Chairing the session on synergies between broadcasting and mobile, Simon Spanswick, CEO of the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), said “With one or two notable exceptions, broadcasters are having trouble engaging with the right people in mobile operators to discuss potential partnerships that will bring quality content to subscribers.”
During the MWC session chaired by Spanswick which brought together Richard Titus from the BBC, Stanislas Leridon of France 24, Michel Mol of Netherlands Public Broadcasting, Sean Kane of Bebo and Jonathan Marks of Critical Distance – , one panellist talked of how his national TV channel had to “name and shame” a mobile operator that had declined to make the broadcaster’s Olympic coverage for mobiles available. Only when the broadcaster explained on air why the content would not be available to some subscribers did the mobile operator rethink and join the ranks of other operators who carried the broadcaster’s material. In the end, the mobile operator’s subscribers overwhelmingly supported the content, vindicating the decisions taken by both the broadcaster and the operator.
Spanswick says that what is needed is dialogue as it’s a win-win situation for mobile operators and content producers alike. “Broadcasters are ready to make mobile TV a reality by producing content specifically tailored for the mobile handset and want to work in partnership with mobile operators. It’s time for people in the two industries to start talking to each other to make mobile TV a success.”
See also
www.aibceo.blogspot.com.
5 March 2009
Radio Netherlands Worldwide is focussing on the crisis in Zimbabwe this week. On Friday March 6 the English service will produce a special edition of its current affairs programme Newsline. For this broadcast, RNW is working closely together with the independent Zimbabwean radio station Voice of the People.
The special broadcast will be carried in full and transmitted live on short wave by Voice of the People. The station has around one million listeners in Zimbabwe. This is the first time journalists from RNW and VoP have worked together so closely on programme content.
Listeners can send in questions to put to the guests during the Newsline special on Friday. The programme will also contain an interview with President Mugabes former finance minister, Simba Makoni. Apart from Africa, the programme will available on short wave and satellite in other English-speaking parts of the world as well as on our website www.radionetherlands.nl
Radio Netherlands Worldwide provides independent news in countries with little or no press freedom. Working together with local partners, RNW can bring the news closer to the people and help provide them with more diversified news coverage. You can find more information about the broadcast schedule and our broadcasts on www.radionetherlands.nl
5 March 2009
Wohler Technologies Inc., today announced that Tata Sky, a joint venture between the TATA Group and STAR, is using a range of Wohler monitoring systems to support direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service that delivers 170 channels to more than three million connections across India. As Tata Sky, the fastest growing DTH provider in India, expands its channel offering, the company’s Wohler gear provides mission-critical monitoring for uplink, downlink, master control, and transmission areas.
Tata Sky’s New Delhi facility includes eight AMP1-S8SDA eight-channel multiformat audio monitors; four AMP1-VS, one AMP1A-LP, and nine AMP1A two-channel stereo audio monitors; four AMP1A-LP10S monitors capable of handling up to 10 stereo analog inputs; and two LM26-24 24-channel level meters. All of these Wohler systems provide convenient functionality in a compact design. The AMP1-S8SDA, for example, offers exceptionally high-quality audio monitoring, processing and monitoring up to eight channels from an SDI bit stream, two sets of four AES/EBU signal pairs (balanced and unbalanced), or eight balanced analog channels all while occupying just one rack space in a standard 19-inch wide rack.
“With its commitment to providing DTH services that offer superior-quality pictures and audio, Tata Sky sets a high standard for India’s television industry,” said Carl J. Dempsey, Wohler’s president and CEO. “Our monitoring systems offer ease of use, reliability, and convenience even in complex multichannel facilities, and we anticipate a continued rise in adoption of Wohler monitoring gear in India as this exciting market continues to grow.”
3 March 2009
GlobeCast has today announced that its African DTH platform has successfully started transmissions on SES ASTRAs Astra 4A (Sirius 4) satellite. African broadcaster VoxAfrica is one of the first channels to sign up for the new platform which provides sub-Saharan Africas widest and most powerful coverage.
VoxAfrica called on GlobeCast to provide capacity and distribution its programming to Africa. The new platform on Astra 4A, located at 5° East is the first Ku-band DTH platform with coverage over sub-Saharan Africa, providing broadcasters with the opportunity to reach households across the continent.
GlobeCast has contracted one transponder on the satellite that facilitates uplink from Europe and is compliant to distribute services to IPTV or terrestrial network headends. The new platform, which is an alternative to the pay TV bouquets in sub-Saharan Africa, responds to a strong demand for free-to-air Ku-band coverage of this crucial region. Several African broadcasters are already in contact with GlobeCast to secure positions in this coveted space to secure positions in this coveted space and extend their audience to 56 African countries.
