Tuesday, 8th January 2008

WHAT’S THE BUZZ?

Hong Kong Launches Digital TV

Hong Kong has entered a new era of digital broadcasting with the launching of digital terrestrial television, allowing viewers to enjoy high-definition programmes. Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development, Frederick Ma, said digital broadcasting will bring viewers a wider array of quality programmes and entertainment, as well as a brand new audio-visual experience. "The use of digital technologies could release spectrum for the development of new multimedia services and lead Hong Kong to scale new heights in the technology arena.

"The government is making every effort to help (free-to-air broadcasters) ATV and TVB speed up construction of their digital networks with the aim of providing 75 percent coverage by August next year, so more than five million Hong Kong citizens will be able to view in the comfort of their homes the 2008 Beijing Olympics through digital broadcasting," Mr Ma said. With the launch of DTT broadcasting, ATV and TVB will simulcast their existing four television channels in digital format, and launch new free channels in standard and high definition. ABU, 31st Dec 2007


CCTV-China to Launch HDTV in Beijing

China's Central Television will launch High Definition TV services starting 1 January 2008. The service will first broadcast in Beijing, and then roll out throughout the country over the next few years. The new HD channel will be transmitted through wireless broadcasting system. The high-definition programmes are expected to give Beijing viewers a new, sophisticated experience. The State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) had unveiled the technical standards to receive the HD channels' signals, reports CCTV.com.

Zeng Qingjun, Deputy Director of Technology Department said: "Viewers have to buy high-definition TV sets. However, if it is not compatible with CCTV's HD technical standards, viewers will have to buy an additional set-top box." Once viewers have a standard HDTV and a separate set-top box, they can receive the channel through private, public or CATV antennas. He said: "SARFT has ordered all cable systems and public antennas to transmit the CCTV HDTV signal as well. So the service will be free of charge." ABU, 30th Dec 2007


SPORTS SHORTS

* The Board of Control for Cricket in India has suspended India’s present tour of Australia in a racism row, after an Indian player was banned for three matches in an allegedly racist remark to one of his opponents. Harbhajan Singh was alleged to have called Andrew Symonds, a black Australian player, a ‘monkey’ during Australia’s defeat of India in the second test match of the series in Sydney. The BCCI suspended the tour pending the outcome of an appeal against the ban imposed by the International Cricket Council yesterday, saying that it did not accept the findings of the match referee. Sportcal, 7th Jan 2008

* Polish pay-television, Canal Plus Poland, is in danger of losing the rights to show Polish soccer’s top-tier Ekstraklasa after Polsat, the national commercial broadcaster, and ITI Neovision, the satellite television operator, signed an agreement to launch a new channel named Polska Ekstraklasa TV. Ekstraklasa is seeking bids for the rights for three seasons beginning next season. The proposed new channel has offered to guarantee Ekstraklasa about 100 million zlotys ($41 million) a season for the rights. It plans to offer the channel to cable and satellite operators at a cost of 16 zlotys per subscriber per month. Under the present deal, Canal Plus paid just €35 million ($52 million) for a three-year contract, showing about 240 matches a year, of which 100 are live. Sportcal, 7th Jan 2008

* Matchroom Sport and the recently merged Premium TV/Inform Group launched Championship League Snooker, a new league that will be solely broadcast on and funded by internet distribution. Championship League Snooker will be optimised specifically for an internet audience, with matches scheduled Monday-Thursday so not to coincide with major football competitions. Premium TV/Inform have already started distribution discussions and expect Championship League Snooker to be distributed by a variety of major portals, ISPs, web TV and betting websites globally. Sport Business, 7th Jan 2008

* The opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Beijing this year could become the first sporting event to attract a record total live audience of one billion, according to a report by Initiative Sports Futures. The actual number of people watching sporting events live is slowly growing, despite audiences for more international events, like the Olympics, fluctuating widely. Kevin Alavy, head of analytics at Initiative Sports Futures said, however, that only a handful of elite competitions truly attract global audiences. The final match of one of the biggest international sporting events last year, the Rugby World Cup, for example, drew only 33 million viewers globally, according to Initiative. Sport Business, , IndianTelevision.com, 7th Jan 2008

* Reporters Without Borders, the campaigning group for press freedom, has hit out at new rules restricting video streaming on Chinese websites to those of state-owned or state-controlled companies, as this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing approach. Reporters Without Borders said in a statement: ‘This is an unprecedented act of censorship. Under the pretext of developing China’s media industry, the authorities are stepping up their control of online content, especially in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. Preventing people from sharing video and audio files denies them the ability to show and describe their lives. Any censorship could now be portrayed as a legal measure.’ The new video streaming rules are set to take effect by January 31.

* ESPN and mobile entertainment provider MobiTV have announced the availability of ESPN Mobile TV, a 24/7 linear channel exclusively for the mobile platform. The channel offers a blend of live simulcast sports events, comprehensive and breaking sports news, commentary and analysis, and real-time sports scores and game updates. ESPN Mobile TV will replace the existing non-linear ESPN channel available through MobiTV, which launched in July 2005. Worldscreen, 7th Jan 2008

* Eurosport has announced it will air a series looking at the history of the Dakar Rally, after organisers of the event cancelled this year’s edition of the race. The Pan-European channel was scheduled to carry coverage of this year’s Dakar Rally, but the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), which organises the event, on Friday announced the cancellation of the 2008 race due to security threats, leaving Eurosport to seek other programming. Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on December 24, which led to the French government advising against any travel to the country. Nine of the rally's stages were due to pass through Mauritania. Sports Media, Sports e-Media, 7th Jan 2008

* Puma, the Germany-based sportswear company, will sponsor pan-European coverage by Eurosport, the pan-European broadcaster, of soccer’s African Cup of Nations. Puma, which is supplying kit to nine out of the 16 teams competing in the competition, will use the sponsorship to promote its new v1.08 soccer boot. The competition is being hosted by Ghana and is scheduled for January 20 to February 10. sportcal, 7th Jan 2008

* French ratings institute Médiamétrie is launching a new study that will take into account the new digital ways of consuming TV. Called Global TV, the study will scrutinize TV viewing in France through online video or video-on-demand, Catch-up TV and mobile TV. Every six months the institute will deliver a survey encompassing the equipment used; the place, at home or out of home, in which viewers consume TV; the ways in which viewers are watching (live, catch-up TV, time shifting etc). First conclusions will be delivered this month. This new study is addressed to audiovisual professionals such as TV networks, web suppliers, media agencies or mobile operators. Rapid TV, 7th Jan 2008


MORE NEWS

Japan/Rights: TBS and Wowow Win Euro 2008 Rights

Japanese free-to-air broadcaster TBS and pay-television platform Wowow TV will share coverage of soccer’s European Championships this year after being granted rights in their home market today. TBS will provide viewers with a selection of live games and extensive highlights, while Wowow will offer full match coverage and additional programming from the tournament in Austria and Switzerland in June. Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, has also confirmed the award of rights for all 31 matches to CCTV, China’s largest public service broadcaster, and Sina.com, the Chinese internet portal.

CCTV, which reaches 350 million homes, will televise 27 matches on CCTV5 and four on the CCTV Soccer Channel. All 31 games will be shown live and for free on the internet and mobile services of Sina.com, which already holds new media rights to the Uefa Champions League, Uefa Cup and Uefa Super Cup club competitions. Uefa president Michel Platini said: ‘China is one of the most important football publics in the world and thanks to CCTV and Sina, Chinese football lovers will now have full opportunity to enjoy the entire Uefa European Football Championship live on television, the internet and through their mobile phones. Sportcal, 7th Jan 2008

Korea/Broadcaster: Broadcasters, Tech Companies Launch Consortium

A group of major consumer electronics manufacturers, technology providers and South Korean broadcasters, including pubcaster KBS, have formed dotTV, a consortium whose mission is to build a next-generation interactive TV viewing experience leveraging social networking and online video. Members of the consortium include broadcasters KBS, EBS (Educational Broadcasting System) and SBS, technology providers Irdeto and VMark, and major consumer electronics makers Samsung and LG. dotTV seeks to bring the interactivity of online media and social networking to the TV and set-top box. Initial services based on the dotTV standard will be deployed in Korea in 2009, with expansion to other regions soon thereafter.

“By leveraging the confluence of digital terrestrial television tuners, DVRs and Internet access in Digital Televisions, set-top boxes and other consumer electronics devices, dotTV is developing a platform that provides viewers with a more social, interactive viewing experience,” said Won-Kun Lee, the executive VP of KBS. “By supplementing our broadcast content with relevant metadata, viewers will be able to search for content of interest, retrieve more information about specifics presented in the content as well as share this content with friends over any connected viewing device. Combining the power of social networking and online video with broadcast television is the next step in engaging the viewer anytime and anywhere.”

Added Dr. David Lee, the CEO of VMark, “Television viewers will be able to record content, mark individual scenes of interest by means of a video bookmark, and share these bookmarked scenes with friends and communities of interest over the internet, all while respecting the rights of copyright holders. This ability for ‘scene-sharing’ enables the viral distribution of content over social networks and generates traffic to sites or locations where media and broadcast companies can once again engage their viewers. With the close proximity of CE manufacturers, content providers and broadcast studios, Korea provides the ideal test bed for dotTV.” Worldscreen, 7th Jan 2008

India/General: Bharti Makes Huge Cash Pledge To Development Programme

Bharti Enterprises (BE), one of India’s largest conglomerates, has made a US$25 million pledge to improve football in the country. Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman of the telecommunications and finance giant, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi on Friday. BE’s funding will be put towards a National Football Development Programme, which will include a Bharti-AIFF Academy in either Haryana or Goa. Cricket-mad India is one of the few places left on Earth yet to be engaged by football, and despite being home to around 1.1 billion people, the national team is struggling to make any impact on the international stage and is currently 143rd in FIFA’s official world rankings.

“Bharti has signed an MoU with the AIFF with an aim to make this country a football nation and over the next 10 years it must be a target for India to qualify for the World Cup,” said Mittal. “This project has the capacity to transform the nation and all the investment will be made by Bharti Enterprises. We have become too obsessed with cricket and the time has now come for us to develop football in the country. Nothing is more pulsating than the 90-minute entertainment on a football field. I assure you I am ready to invest any amount of money, whatever it takes, for the academy and a few other initiatives.” The academy will develop young footballers from the ages of eight to 18, and plans for the project are expected to be finalised by the end of March. BE is thought to favour the academy being built in Goa.

The academy will initially take around 100 youngsters across four age group categories, and on top of the training facilities, the site will also have classrooms and halls of residence for the children. The young athletes will be selected by a nationwide search for talent, and they will receive a full education during their time at the academy. The development appears to be similar to the ASPIRE academy, which opened in September 2004 in the tiny Gulf state of Qatar. The ASPIRE academy also provides living quarters and an education for young athletes, who are trying to forge a career in sport, with football one of the key areas of focus. Football Insider, Sportcal, 7th Jan 2008

Elsewhere/General: Yahoo Makes Mobile Move

Internet company Yahoo is following Google's lead and is set to launch a new assault on the mobile space on Monday. At the mammoth Consumer Electronics Show, which kicks off in Las Vegas on Monday, the web firm will announce a platform which promises to help developers get their applications onto mobile devices. Yahoo will open up its Go mobile platform to third party developers, allowing them to create widgets that will run across a wide variety of handsets without the need for rewriting them for each device. The company will also launch a revamped version of many of its own services for the mobile platform.

"Yahoo! is leading and enabling the mobile ecosystem by partnering with some of the most recognized consumer brands, including eBay, MySpace and MTV further extending their mobile presence and providing mobile consumers with the content they desire," said Marco Boerries, executive vice president for Connected Life at Yahoo. "By providing all developers access to our Mobile Widget Platform and giving them the necessary tools to create, we are setting the stage for dramatic growth in the number of third party widgets and creating an innovative new experience that we believe will ultimately drive further adoption of mobile services." Telecoms.com, 7th Jan 2008