24 August 2003
The AIB Global Media Business Conference opened in central London on 29th April with more than 150 people from Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia taking part.
Following a keynote speech from Mark Byford, Director BBC World Service and Global News division, the discussion moved into the business of the first day.
The first topic Defining the audience is of vital concern to international broadcasters, who have difficulty in obtaining accurate research. Expert researchers, including Intermedia, showed how research can be done effectively in international audiences.
Moving on to Global branding in local markets, the question was can global brands work across international frontiers, or should there be local modifications? Speakers included John Begert, Vice President, Content, of Discovery Networks.
A discussion on Partnerships concluded the morning session.
The afternoon was given over to Technology, chaired by Wolfgang Klein of Dalet, with observations from Phil Laven, Director of the Technical Department of the EBU. Subjects covered were Managing Content, Platforms, and Production Systems. Speakers included Christophe Duplay, Vice President Services Development, SES Astra; Ted Taylor, Panasonic Broadcast; Reinhard Penzel, Sony BPE; Anne-Marie Swift, AP ENPS; and Ian Fletcher, Omnibus.
24 August 2003
The first session looked at content. International broadcasters spend heavily on technology for production and distribution, but should they look more carefully at the content of their transmissions?
David Lowen, former Managing Director of Euronews, spoke of the role of news in cross-border broadcasting; international programming specialist Valerie Geller described how to create compelling content; and the conference heard about the business of running specialist niche channels, such as the newly-created best-of channel German TV. The session concluded with a consideration of rights and regulations, including the issue of piracy. Simon Twiston-Davies of CASBAA was a speaker in this section.
Two key sessions at the AIB conference followed – What Cost War? looking at how in the Iraq war broadcasters took decisions on resource allocation and the human issues of safety in the field; and International Public Diplomacy, the Media and the People, studying the relationship between governments who fund international broadcasting as part of their public diplomacy strategies and the editors who would rather remain independent, and the likely reaction of audiences to new services planned by the USA and France. Speakers included ITNs Michael Jermey, Brian Conniff of the US Broadcasting Board of Governors, Ahmad Fawzi of the UN and Ian Ritchie of news agency APTN.
24 August 2003
The BBC is recruiting a new Head for its Russian-language service.
The BBC’s Russian Service broadcasts to a sophisticated and highly competitive market, with more than four million listeners in Russia and the former Soviet Union and an important online presence at BBCRussian.com The service has an established reputation among audiences but faces challenges both in radio and online.
Providing editorial, managerial and strategic leadership you’ll be responsible for leading and inspiring a diverse team of journalists and support staff in the UK and overseas. Commissioning radio and online output and maintaining a network of reporters, you’ll plan coverage, manage resources, and train, motivate and develop staff. Inspiring editorial creativity and driving changes in technology, content and management structures that exploit emerging opportunities in Russia will be central to your role.
With experience of editorial leadership across a range of output you’ll have an extensive managerial track record that includes change management, recruitment, leadership and development. Your thorough knowledge of international current affairs, especially in the target area, should be complemented by an understanding of media markets, and the ability to negotiate within them with business and resource planning skills. Educated to degree level, you’ll have a good working knowledge of Russian together with the ability to contribute to the wider strategic goals of the World Service and Global News Division.
24 August 2003
The AIB will be opening its first international office in September 2003.
Announcing the move at the AIB Global Media Business Conference in London, AIB Director of Communications Kerry Stevenson said “This is an important development for the AIB. With more members on board and a wealth of developments in the Asia Pacific region, it is vital that the Association has an increased presence in the region.”
Kerry Stevenson will be opening the new AIB office in Sydney in early September. The head office of the organisation remains in London.
24 August 2003
What role will pay television play in the conversion of Europe television homes to digital? Which distribution platforms will dominate? How will each platform’s subscriber base grow in the five years to 2006? What role will digital terrestrial play in the pay television market? In which European market will pay television be most significant? How important are video-capable technologies like ADSL and Cable Internet?
Get the answers to all those questions and many, many more. The report provides an in-depth analysis of the pay TV markets in Western Europe and in key Eastern European territories. Detailed forecasts by delivery platform (including video-capable technologies like ADSL and cable modems) provides a detailed insight into the future of pay TV and the speed of conversion of the paying subscriber base from analogue to digital.
This essential guide will prove an invaluable resource for cable, satellite and telecoms operators; set-top box and hardware manufacturers; business analysts and strategists and TV content and multimedia providers. European Digital Pay Television Platforms: Market assessment and forecast to 2006 is the essential guide to the future of pay television in Europe.
Dr Guy Bisson, one of the authors of the report comments: “In many European countries, it will have to be accepted that free-to-air platforms offer the only route to full digital conversion. The UK is proving to be a test ground for such a service, but in countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, without a business model that will allow digital free-to-view services to work, the time frame to reach analogue switch off will remain a very long one.”
Dr Guy Bisson spoke at a panel session titled ‘Serving Niches, or is this the new order?’ at the Association for International Broadcasting – Global Media Business Conference 2003.
To receive your copy in print at £1245 or electronic at £2490+ VAT visit http://orders.screendigest.com/R.DIGTV_03_03 or e-mail beata.coluk@screendigest.com with details of you delivery address and payments.
23 August 2003
TV audiences in Washington and its suburbs can now watch lots more Russian and CIS television. The MHC networks are now carrying programmes for free from 1800 to midnight local time, on the MHC networks.
The Russo-US project aims to reach TV audiences in Washington and its suburbs, where around 100,000 Russian-speaking people live at present. Some programmes will have English subtitles, which is expected to broaden the TV audiences by approximately 1.5 million people.
President and chief producer of the Russian World Channel, Vladimir Ananich, emphasised that the financial and editorial politics of the new television project were independent of the state.
The Russian World TV channel has also extended its broadcasts on the MHz Networks free channel from one to six hours a day
