10 September 2018
It’s something nobody expects and in all likelihood is not planned for. Yet the number of early morning raids by authorities on media companies is rising.
John Schmidt and Wilson Mudge, partners in the London and Washington, DC offices of law firm Arnold & Porter, are keen to make sure that potential targets for raids are better prepared. They have written a guide for media companies that’s published in The Channel.
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10 September 2018
Australia’s ABC has complained about the blocking of its website in China. Access to the website and mobile applications of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation have been cut off in China for ten days, said the ABC’s board on 3 September.
The Central Cyberspace Affairs Commission, which is directly controlled by Chinese President Xi Jinping, confirmed that it has classified ABC as a media “damaging [China’s] national pride” that should be banned.
ABC’s critical coverage of China, especially its publication of a 2017 report denouncing the growing influence of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in Australia, appears to have triggered Beijing’s recent shutdown of the Australian broadcaster’s service.
According to the ABC, officials at two separate Chinese government departments have declined to specify how the ABC allegedly violated Chinese laws or cite any content as an example. Access to other Australian news websites inside China, including those of Fairfax, News Limited and SBS, appears not to have been affected.
In a statement, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) denounced China’s increasing censorship of foreign media. “Given the Chinese government’s stranglehold on the media, foreign websites such as ABC are the only platforms providing independent information to Chinese citizens,” said Cedric Alviani, director of the RSF East Asia bureau. “By adding ABC to its blacklist, which already counts more than 8,000 domain names, Beijing again demonstrates its commitment to keep Chinese citizens in ignorance.”
According to official sources, over two million people are involved in China’s censorship and internet surveillance effort. The “Great Firewall of China” keeps 800 million Chinese netizens away from a wide range of foreign news websites, including Wikipedia, Radio Free Asia, the New York Times, BBC and Bloomberg News.
China is towards the bottom of the 2018 RSF World Press Freedom Index, ranking at 176 out of 180 countries.
7 September 2018
Serb entity president denies responsibility for recent incidents
Threats and assault
With general elections due to be held in Bosnia-Hercegovina (BiH), journalists in this Balkans country of some 3.6 million have come under increased pressure.
Recent data from the Bosnian Journalists Association (BHN) note 41 cases this year in which journalists reported having been victims of attacks – including five death threats and 14 assaults and other forms of pressures.
In the most recent serious case, which took place in Banja Luka, in Republika Srpska (RS), the Serb entity of BiH, Vladimir Kovačević, a TV reporter with private BN TV, was brutally beaten up with iron bars by two masked individuals in front of his house on 27 August.
Banja Luka District Prosecutor’s Office announced that the attack would be treated as attempted murder.
This assault follows a series of repeated verbal attacks on and insults to BN TV journalists by officials from the ruling coalition, not least by RS President Milorad Dodik, who had attacked BN TV as an “enemy” television station and a “factory of lies”. Dodik insisted that the RS authorities were not behind the event.
On 21 August Dodik accused Dino Jahić, editor-in-chief of Center for Investigative Journalism of Serbia (CINS), of “destroying regional political structures with money from international organisations.” Following this accusation Jahić said that he received threats on social networks.
Bosnian journalists’ union, intergovernmental bodies’ condemnations
Milorad Dodik, RS President
In a statement following the assault on Kovačević the Association of BH Journalists (BHN) accused “President Milorad Dodik of often directing his public and political attacks on journalists and the media, humiliating them and insulting them in the most primitive ways; he declared them enemies, spies and foreign mercenaries, turning them into ‘live targets’ and opening up space for direct violence.”
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Representative on Freedom of the Media (RfoM), Harlem Desir, said in a statement that “the negative rhetoric being used against the media must end, in order to prevent further such attacks against journalists.”
For her part, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights (and 2010-2016 OSCE RfoM), Dunja Mijatović (of BiH), said that she was “profoundly shocked by the violent assault on Kovačević.”
3 September 2018
Arqiva, the international satellite and media services provider, has today announced an upgrade of its five-year contract with France 24 to incorporate the launch of a new high definition (HD) channel in the UK.
France 24, an international rolling news channel broadcast in French, English, Arabic and Spanish to 355 million households around the world, has been available to UK audiences in standard definition (SD) in the UK since 2012. The announcement means that UK customers of Sky and Freesat can access its breaking news coverage in HD with immediate effect.
Arqiva will provide its satellite services to deliver the France 24 service to Sky and Freesat through its media facility in Paris. Using state-of-the-art encoding, Arqiva is also helping France 24 optimise the use of satellite capacity for HD delivery.
Alex Pannell, Managing Director, Satellite & Media at Arqiva, said: “The most satisfying wins are undoubtedly those that result from a long-standing, successful relationship with a partner – we are delighted that we can help France 24 with the next phase of its growth.
“Arqiva prides itself on delivering high quality services that are flexible to the specific needs of our customers, and as France 24 reaches more and more audiences in the coming years, we look forward to evolving our proposition with them.”
David Couret, Director of Technical Distributions at France 24 added:“The launch of France 24 HD represents an important step in our journey to bring instant, high quality news and events coverage to UK viewers, and it is crucial to have a trusted partner like Arqiva working alongside us on this project.
“Arqiva helped us launch our first UK SD channel back in 2012, and its reliable service and technical expertise has been critical in helping us to grow in this essential market.”
29 August 2018
Encompass Digital Media has announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Babcock International Group’s (Babcock’s) Media Services business. This deal expands Encompass’ scale in EMEA and extends the company’s combined channel play-out, transmission and digital products portfolio while adding international radio distribution to its suite of services.
“Acquiring Babcock’s Media Services business increases our presence in the EMEA region, expands our video services offering, specifically in the live streaming sports arena, and bolsters our collective relationships with some of the most important media companies and public service broadcasters around the world,” explains Chris Walters, Encompass CEO. “We are thrilled to be adding a large number of highly regarded industry professionals to the Encompass team.”
The amount of technical complexity required to generate and deliver content to viewers continues to grow exponentially, and the acquisition of Babcock’s Media Services business represents a continued push to offer end-to-end, highly reliable and scalable services to media companies. With combined resources, Encompass will offer enhanced solutions to capture, process and deliver video content from any source, in any format, to any destination in the most efficient manner possible.
“I am delighted that Babcock’s Media Services business is becoming a part of one of the leading global providers of managed video services. The combination of Encompass’ significant international presence and prestigious customer base, together with Babcock’s growing capabilities in the rapidly expanding live streaming market and our market-leading position serving many of the world’s leading international radio broadcasters, will further cement Encompass’ global reputation as THE provider of choice,” states Nick Thompson, Managing Director of Babcock’s Media Services business.
Encompass has existing facilities in the UK, US, Singapore, Argentina, Latvia and India; this acquisition will grow its operations in the UK and Singapore and add operations in Oman and Ascension Island.
23 August 2018
Ukraine long-delayed analogue TV switch off comes into effect
Following a Ukrainian cabinet decision from 13 June 2018, countrywide analogue switch off (ASO) will take place and analogue TV will be replaced by digital terrestrial television (DTT) on 31 August.
However, Ukraine’s National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting (NRADA) made proposals, accepted by the government on 18 July, to continue analogue broadcasts “near the border [with Russia and occupied territories] where there are risks of information influence (…) for the public broadcaster and local broadcasters that do not have digital licences.”
High demand for DTT-compatible equipment expected
The council warned Ukrainian companies of a possible sharp increase in demand for DVB-T2 (MPEG-4) compatible tuners and TV sets.
It also appealed to small suppliers of digital equipment to consider the situation on the domestic market and to ensure the availability of tuners and televisions from different price categories in shops, in order to satisfy the demand for the equipment needed to receive DTT signals.
It was announced in May 2006 that the NRADA had allocated four DTT multiplex licences and that the first services would be launched by the end of that year. Initially, ASO was planned for 2014 or 2015, but the deadline kept slipping over the years.
Broadcasting council calls for more DAB+ receivers
The NRADA also called on retailers to ensure the supply of DAB+ radio receivers as nine stations started DAB+ broadcasts to Kiev and surrounding areas on 15 June.
On 31 July, the Association of Digital Broadcasters was set up and held its first meeting.
It aims at promoting the wide adoption of digital radio across the country to implement a marketing strategy, negotiate with retailers and encourage broadcasters to join the association.
As of 31 July NRADA had granted 13 DAB+ broadcasting licences.
Picture Kiev TV Tower. At 385m high, it is the tallest freestanding lattice steel construction in the world.
