8 September 2010
Leading African media executives are preparing to meet in Tanzania from 26-29 September for the 2010 edition of the Africa Media Leadership Conference (AMLC). This years summit will focus on identifying and developing Sustainable Media Business Models in the Digital Age.
The AMLC series – now in its ninth year – is the foremost pan-African gathering of senior media professionals, and the gathering represents akey opportunity for Africas most influential media leaders to discuss strategic, operational and other challenges in a fast and constantly changing media landscape.
Since its inception in 2002, the meetings have developed into an annual high-level forum for strategy formulation, networking and sharing by senior executives of print, broadcast, online and converged media on the African continent.
The conference is co-hosted by Rhodes Universitys Sol Plaatje Institute for Media Leadership (SPI) and Germanys Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) , and was convened to promote high-level interaction among Africas media chiefs.
This year we switch focus from a broad look at understanding and doing digital media in Africa to specifics of what works and what does not work under African conditions, said SPI Director Francis Mdlongwa.
Frank Windeck, the director of Konrad Adenauer Stiftungs Sub-Sahara Africa Media Programme, the sponsor of the AMLC series, said: These meetings provide Africas top media people with a unique opportunity to network at the highest level, debating key industry challenges, while seeking practical solutions by examining case studies drawn from Africa.
The conference meets annually in an African country, and past AMLC summits have debated timely topics such as Managing Media in a Recession (Mauritius, 2002); South Meets East: Strategic Challenges for African Media (Nairobi, Kenya, 2006); and Learning from the Future: Africas Media Map in 2029 (Accra, Ghana, 2009).
8 September 2010
Intelsat S.A., leading provider of fixed satellite services, announced that Orion Express, a major satellite television provider in Russia, is now offering expanded direct-to-home (DTH) programming via capacity on the Intelsat 15 satellite (IS-15). Under the multi-year, multi-transponder contract, Orion Express is distributing news, sports, entertainment and childrens programming for its new satellite platform, CONTINENT TV, which crossed the 100,000-subscriber threshold within three months of its service launch. CONTINENT TV offers viewers access to 50 television channels and 16 channels for cable network operators.
IS-15, launched in November 2009, provides video and data services through its high power Ku-band payload. Located at 85º E, the satellite offers Orion Express the ability to deliver television and media services across the Russian territory and supports the countrys ever-growing demand for DTH services.
The IS-15 coverage has enabled us to rapidly grow our services, reaching a large number of subscribers across the country within the few months since CONTINENT TVs launch, said Maria Zhilina, Marketing Director of Orion Express. Intelsats expertise in supporting global DTH platforms, as well as IS-15s broad coverage, has helped us meet the growing DTH market demand and strengthen our position in Russia.
The success of Orion Express demonstrates IS-15s ability to be one of the regions leading DTH distribution satellites, said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsats Regional Vice President, Europe and Middle East. Intelsat has already developed a strong position in Russias data sector and is committed to further strengthening its media service offering in the region. DTH programming in Russia remains a strong growth market for satellite providers and CONTINENT TVs success represents a significant milestone for Intelsat in the region.
8 September 2010
Google Inc will launch its service to bring the Web to TV screens in the United States this autumn and worldwide next year, its chief executive said, as it extends its reach from the desktop to the living room.
CEO Eric Schmidt said the service, which will allow full Internet browsing via the television, would be free, and Google would work with a variety of programme makers and electronics manufacturers to bring it to consumers.
“We will work with content providers, but it is very unlikely that we will get into actual content production,” Schmidt told journalists after a keynote speech to the IFA consumer electronics trade fair in Berlin. Sony said last week it had agreed to have Google TV on its television sets, and Samsung has said it was looking into using the service.
The announcement comes less than a week after rival Apple unveiled its latest Apple TV product and will intensify a battle for consumers’ attention and potentially for the USD 180 billion global TV advertising market. (Source: Reuters)
8 September 2010
Digital Media Centre, one of Europes most advanced digital media facilities and RRsat, a global communications network, have announced a new partnership focused on offering complete global play-out and content delivery solutions.
DMC and RRsat have combined capabilities and hooked up their networks, through a dedicated fibre connection, to offer a cost effective, global play-out and delivery service with a range of advanced solutions. The alliance will combine DMCs world class capabilities in multi-lingual, multi-territory play-out solutions with RRsats outstanding global content management and distribution services.
The companies say that the partnership has been launched to satisfy the growing demand from media companies and channel owners for a cost-efficient centralised approach to reaching large audiences. The alliance meets the need for localised content working with a single service partner for comprehensive end to end delivery worldwide, including disaster recovery and backup services.
DMC, launched in 2000, provides advanced play-out, content management, multi-territory and multi-lingual solutions from its main operation in a suburb of Amsterdam which AIB has visited. It’s an impressive operation.
DMC currently delivers over 60 HD and SD channels including History Channel, National Geographic, MGM, E! and Fox. With a history of innovation, DMC first launched a HD channel and full digital delivery in 2006 and made its first 3D broadcast in 2010.
Robin Kroes, Vice President, Commercial, Operations and Corporate Development at DMC, said: “As the media industry becomes fully digitised, broadcasting without geographical boundaries is now a reality. DMC has always been a leader in the European market, offering its clients cost competitive, multi-territory, multi-language playout solutions. We are tremendously excited to now be working side by side with RRSAT in a new, global broadcast service to take our offering to a global scale. We believe that the bundling of our capabilities with RRsats leading fibre and satellite networks will deliver a convenient, high quality, cost efficient service that clients will find very appealing.”
Lior Rival, Vice President, Sales and Marketing at RRsat, commented: “Our strategy has been to build an extensive content management and distribution network of fibre and satellites to offer clients a global, one-stop service. We are delighted to partner with DMC, a recognized leader in playout, based in mainland Europe, to continue to offer first class, global solutions together, with a complementary focus and philosophy.”
6 September 2010
The Association for International Broadcasting (AIB) today revealed its climate change portal (climate.aib.org.uk) as part of its social media campaign to attract voters to the Peoples Choice category at the 2010 AIBs (international media excellence awards).
The Peoples Choice is a new category at the annual broadcasting awards and allows online viewers to choose their favourite entry and vote for it. This year the award will be given for Best Coverage of Climate Change.
In September the shortlisted entries will be made available to view online and viewers from around the world will start voting for their favourites and spreading the word to their friends. Latest news on the voting process can be found at theaibs.tv/peoples-choice/view-and-vote/
The climate change portal, powered by technology from UltraKnowledge (www.ultraknowledge.com), automatically pulls in and links the latest news and opinions on climate change from news sources and blogs across the Internet. It allows visitors to check out trending topics and move easily between articles which contain the same keywords. It includes a newswall which gives a visual snapshot of stories by date and a different way of browsing for interesting content.
The portal will include special features and information that draw visitors to the Peoples Choice viewing and voting – so it will not only provide a valuable source of information for those interested in following the discussions and latest research on climate change but will also attract a large audience to vote for select the Best Programme on Climate Change for the 2010 AIBs.
The portal is currently in its initial version with additional content and enhancements being developed. As a not-for-profit organisation, the AIB is looking for support to build this innovative information tool. It will provide an excellent platform for a sponsor to show their commitment to the climate change debate.
It uses technology which can automatically index and aggregate content on any given topic. This technology has already been used on the websites of a number of magazines and newspapers and can easily be adapted to work with audio or video content.
The AIB climate change portal demonstrates how content can automatically and rapidly be cross-indexed and tagged, allowing visitors to follow interesting threads, explains Simon Spanswick, AIB CEO. It has tremendous potential for broadcasters who have vast archives of material which they struggle to utilise in the most profitable way. So alongside using the portal for building the audience of the Peoples Choice award, we are also encouraging our members to investigate the potential of this approach for their own content.
Andrew Lyons, co-founder of UltraKnowledge, comments: We are delighted to be involved in developing AIB’s climate change portal. Our technology helps people follow trending stories more easily, allowing them to access different viewpoints and more details as they emerge. This is particularly important for a subject like climate change which raises such fundamental issues, engages people passionately but invokes such differing views.
The Peoples Choice is one of 16 categories at the 2010 AIBs, the international media awards. Full details of the award categories, judging and information on the awards ceremony can be found on www.theaibs.tv. The 2010 AIBs are sponsored by: 1GOAL (Education for All), ADB (Advanced Digital Broadcast), Bloomberg Television and Eurosport. The 2010 AIBs will be presented at a gala evening in London on 9 November.
6 September 2010
Pharos will release a Content Delivery Module for its Mediator content management platform on stand 10.D31 at IBC 2010 in Amsterdam, September 10-14. The new module manages content preparation, metadata production and approvals workflow. It deals with all necessary file transfers and file transcoding for platform-specific content, including stills and metadata for electronic programme guides and Web sites.
“Content owners looking for a content management system to automate material and metadata delivery for On-Demand & Mobile distribution should consider Mediator 4,” comments Pharos Commercial Director Roger Heath. “The Mediator Content Delivery Module provides unprecedented workflow efficiency by integrating new media content preparation with existing programme material processes. Media logistic features include automatic transcoding of assets for each specified delivery platform, plus the ability to combine playout and on-demand infrastructures. The Mediator 4 platform is core for any content-focused business looking to increase revenues through the use of existing media, delivering tightly coupled targeted advertising, promotions and branding whilst keeping operating costs under control.”
Pharos Mediator 4 is a complete content management and workflow platform for video and audio content preparation. A Web-browser user interface provides users and operators with the tools they need to access and view all material at the desktop in a manner which is easy to understand, including content browsing, task prioritising and automatic alerts. Incorporating industry-leading technology Oracle, Java and Adobe Flash as well as utilising MXF and BXF standard files, Mediator manages content efficiently from ingest and quality assessment through to publishing and playout.
Founded in 1997, Pharos has pioneered collaborative desktop workflow and integrated third-party infrastructure management. Pharos solutions today handle millions of media assets across hundreds of television channels and new media distribution networks. Pharos is an open company embracing open standards. Pharos software architecture, integration and support services enable disparate broadcast and IT processes to be unified across the enterprise. The unique Mediator content management platform, with its integrated Playtime playout and Pilot control options, provides efficient tools to deliver multi-format content globally.
