Friday, 23rd May 2008

SPORTS SHORTS

* Sir Run Run Shaw, the centenarian founder and chairman of Hong Kong based Television Broadcasts, is in talks to sell his stake in the world’s leading Chinese language broadcaster and has attracted interest from private equity groups including Bain Capital and Blackstone. TVB is Hong Kong’s dominant TV station, with a big presence in China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Singapore. It also has sizeable distribution and syndication overseas, including in the US and Canada. Almost 40% of its revenue was derived outside Hong Kong last year. The 40-year-old company is attractive to private equity investors because of its underleveraged balance sheet, according to Goldman Sachs analysts. They also said that TVB could squeeze more profits out of its operations in China. Shaw Brothers has a 26% stake in TVB. ATV, 19th May 2008

* Sony Pictures Entertainment Networks' sci-fi and mystery channel AXN Beyond is extending its footprint into Singapore, launching on the country's StarHub digital cable platform later this month. The 24/7 channel, a spin-off of SPEN's AXN channel, will debut in Singapore on May 27, offering shows including Lost, Supernatural, Pushing Daisies, The X-Files and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. AXN Beyond launched first in the Philippines and SPEN is pursuing an Asia-wide roll-out plan for the channel, mirroring the strategy with its progenitor. StarHub customers will be offered a free six-day trial. C21Media, 22nd May 2008

* NDS, provider of technology solutions for digital Pay TV, has increased its presence in India with the opening of a new, sales and support office in New Delhi. NDS aims to offer the Indian Pay TV industry the best service and support of any technology provider. ATV, 23rd May 2008

* NGC Network has announced its plans of extending its brand presence in India by introducing four new Nat Geo channels into the country. The channels - Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Adventure, Nat Geo Music and Nat Geo HD (Hi Definition) will now be available in India along with the core Nat Geo Channel that has already been present in the country for 11 years. Through the new channels, viewers will be able to access a comprehensive and diverse bouquet of accurate, credible and entertaining programming suitable for the entire family. The plan to launch the new Nat Geo Channels is in alignment with the NGC Network's strategy to offer its viewers a compelling offering on the DTH platform. As the broadcast environment evolves in the country, viewers will be looking for a bouquet of television offering that is suitable and rewarding for the entire family. Televisionpoint.com, 21st May 2008

* Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) will launch an IPTV service very soon in which triple play facilities would be provided to consumers including almost 150 TV channels , according to a high official of PTCL . ATV, 23rd May 2008

* A&E’s Biography Channel is launching May 27 in a j-v with Malaysia’s Astro All Asia. First reception will be in Singapore, followed by the Philippines. More territories will follow now that a satellite feed is available. Biography joins A&E’s other high-profile channels in the region, including The History Channel. A&E says that other aspects of the deal with Astro includes VOD services, plus mobile and broadband. Biography will immediately include locally-made programming. RapidTV News.com, World Screen, 22nd May 2008

* Taiwan-based High Tech Computers (HTC) on Thursday launched a new smartphone in India in tie-up with the mobile service provider Bharti Airtel and is aiming to sell 2.5 lakh phones this calendar year. The company sells HTC Touch smartphone bundling with Bharti Airtel network and the new phone is priced at Rs 27,500. Launching its latest smartphone -- HTC Touch Diamond -- HTC President and CEO Peter Chou said, "We are targeting a sale of two lakh HTC Touch smartphones and 50,000 units of Touch Diamond phones this year.'' HTC's Diamond Touch will face competition from iphone, when Apple Computers launches its smartphone with host of video and content features in India this year. The Hindu Business Line, 22nd May 2008

* A Philippine mobile service provider plans to offer free service to subscribers who agree to receive advertisements on their cellphones. Subscribers will get $2 worth of prepaid service every month. Each time they view an ad on their phones they'll earn extra service and other rewards, said Ardie Balderama, marketing officer for Connectivity Unlimited Resources Enterprise Inc., a subsidiary of Smart Communications Inc. The service will be available by invitation only and limited to 10,000 subscribers each month. Sales director Noli Romualdez said Connectivity Unlimited was negotiating with several corporations keen on creating mobile-based advertisements for personal care, food and service products, among others. The new phone service will launch June 1 on the Smart network. Smart is owned by the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the largest telecommunications provider in the country. TheRecord.com, 22nd May 2008

* Leading global Internet TV platform, Brightcove Inc., announced formation of a majority-owned Japanese subsidiary, Brightcove KK (BKK). The new subsidiary is backed by $4.9 million in new investment from Brightcove Inc. and four Japanese strategic partners: Dentsu, Inc., J-Stream, Inc., transcosmos Inc., and Cyber Communications, Inc. (CCI). Dentsu, J-Stream, and CCI, along with Brightcove Inc., will be sales agents in Japan, giving BKK immediate and powerful access to the Japanese market. BKK will operate a localized version of Brightcove's on-demand Internet TV platform, currently used by media companies and marketers in North America and Europe. With BKK, Japanese media companies and marketers will gain access to the most powerful and scalable software as a service (SaaS) solution available for online video players, distribution, and advertising. Yahoo! Biz, C21Media, RapidTV News.com, 22nd May 2008

* Jupiter Telecommunications (J:COM), the multiple system operator in Japan controlled by Liberty, has announced that the total subscribing households as of April 30, 2008 served by J:COM’s 20 managed franchises reached approximately 2.85 million, up 180,000, or 6.7 per cent since April 30th, 2007. Combined revenue generating units for cable television, high-speed Internet access and telephony services reached 5.05 million, up 427,500 or 9.2 per cent since April 30th, 2007. ATV, 19th May 2008

* Electronic Arts Inc. today announced that it had agreed to acquire the assets of Hands-On Mobile Korea, a leading Korean mobile developer and publisher, best known for its mobile role-playing game, Heroes Lore. Upon completion of the acquisition, the former Hands-On Mobile Korea team will become EA Mobile Korea and will play a strategic role in the EA Mobile(TM) Asia development and publishing growth plans. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to be completed by the end of this fiscal quarter. Hands-On Mobile Korea is a subsidiary of parent company Hands-On Mobile(TM), based in the United States. Central Daily, 22nd May 2008

* While many MNOs are planning to use a combination of 3G and dedicated mobile broadcasting networks to deliver mobile TV and video services, they must not overlook emerging alternatives, according to a a report published by Analysys Mason. Many MNOs already offer TV and video services over their 3G networks. Concerns over capacity and quality of service are driving MNOs to combine 3G networks with dedicated mobile broadcasting networks (such as DVB-H and MediaFLO). However, these are not the only ways of delivering mobile TV content. Indoor wireless systems (such as femtocells and WLAN) and sideloading (where content is transferred from a PC or other device to memory in a mobile handset) are important delivery mechanisms with valuable benefits. iPhone users can already watch a range of TV content without the need for 3G or mobile broadcasting capability, using sideloading and WLAN streaming," says Dr Alastair Brydon, Analysys Mason Associate and co-author of the report. ATV, 23rd May 2008


MORE NEWS

Singapore/New Media: Mobile mio TV Launched

SingTel has upped its presence in the mobile TV market by launching mio TV on Mobile which will initially offer 12 live channels and 3 video-on-demand channels, from its mio TV platform, to subscribers on the move. Channel 8 Prime Time, Channel NewsAsia, Mom-On-Demand and KBS World are some of the channels available on the new mobile service which will mirror the content shown, including the ads, on mio TV. But a SingTel spokesperson said the company was currently "exploring different ways" for it, as well as advertisers, to better take advantage of the mobile medium. Selected Nokia phones will be able to carry the service which has been formatted specially for viewing on the mobile phone.

"Mio TV has revolutionised the way people watch TV, and the mio TV on Mobile service provides our customers with yet another convenient medium to expand their viewing options," Wong Soon Nam, SingTel's VP of Consumer Marketing, said. In response to the mio TV on Mobile announcement, corporate communications manager, Cassie Fong from rival StarHub said it would "continue to supplement its line-up with new content as well as introduce new content and channels in the coming months".

"The first of which will be UEFA Euro 2008 content. Live matches will be streamed over our 3G/HSPA network, allowing customers to watch the games on their 3G or 3.5G mobile device or HSPA-connected laptop," she said. StarHub currently offers six live channels on the mobile. Marketing-Interactive.com, 21st May 2008

China/New Media: China's Internet Users Get the Buzz

Buzz Technologies, Inc. is pleased to announce that the company has successfully launched Web, News and Video search linked to Buzz Marketing ad network in China and Thailand. Web Site Traffic Rankings from Alexa have gone from 90,000 to now 7,700 (www.alexa.com), making Buzz one of the world's most popular web sites only 1 month after the official launch. Traffic has increased most dramatically in Thailand and China; in Thailand, Buzz is now one of the top 500 web sites, and in China, it has rocketed from 200,000 to 15,000 in a few weeks.

Traffic is coming most noticeably to Search and Buzz Marketing; Buzz has their sights firmly set on becoming Thailand's number 1 online ad supplier this year. Google predicted Thailand would see an explosion of spending on online and search-related advertising that would be worth an estimated $250 million (7.88 billion baht), according to Google's regional managing director for Australia, NZ, Korea and Southeast Asia, Richard Kimber.

Buzz also expects to be in the top 3 across Asia within the next 3 months competing directly with Yahoo, Google, MSN and Baidu. Buzz has seen a rapid uptake and use of the English Beta of the Buzz Search Engine. The Search Engine offers Keyword enabled 120 x 60 banner ads as well as relevant Text ads in the search results. Online Ads and Search ads are available for Buzz Advertisers on the Bangkok Post (www.bangkokpost.com) and many Thai sites, as well as being on 1000s of PCs in internet cafes in Thailand and over 20,000 in China and growing daily. Yahoo! Biz, 22nd May 2008

GyPSii, the leading geo-location and mobile social networking provider, today announced it has entered into a map licensing agreement with NAV2, a Shanghai-based provider of world class digital map data. The deal means GyPSii users will have complete access to NAV2’s comprehensive China map database. The database will play a crucial part in the roll-out of the GyPSii service across China. The licensed map database contains coverage of more than 980 cities and more than five million local points of interest (POIs), meaning users will have access to the country’s most up-to-date map database and a wealth of local content relevant to the Chinese market. GyPSii has recently boosted its infrastructure in China with the opening of a Data Centre in Shanghai and a major partnership announcement with China Unicom and Shanghai Rannuo to launch GyPSii during the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. GyPSii has also been made available to members of the Dopod Club, the exclusive online community for Dopod device users in China. Yahoo! Biz, 22nd May 2008

China/General: China Leads Asia-Pacific Surge in Online Games Market

The online gaming market in the Asia-Pacific region is predicted to see " very rapid" growth over the next five years, according to new research. Research firm In-Stat said that growing consumer awareness, together with new communications and computing technology, will improve the quality and variety of games and content. Regional revenue from online games is expected to grow at an average rate of 20.6 per cent per year, reaching $21.1bn by 2013 from $5.8bn last year.

"The online gaming market in Asia-Pacific is growing in tandem with the significant increase in consumer internet use," said In-Stat analyst Stephanie Ethier. China is now the fastest growing online games market, and is expected to become the largest market in the region next year. While several imported games, such as World of Warcraft, have been major hits in China, more than half of online games played in the country are now developed locally.

Chinese developers have also begun to sell their online games overseas, for example to Vietnam. Competition continues to heat up across the region as rising revenue attracts more companies. "The number of market players is rapidly expanding, and improved content and a greater variety of games are keys to success in this market," said Ethier. "Online games are no longer restricted to slow-action strategy games. Faster connections are allowing the popular MMORPGs to enter the mainstream. "In turn, this is rapidly increasing consumer acceptance of the internet as an entertainment medium." Informaticsonline.co.uk, 22nd May 2008

Asia/General: India Earns Place in Revamped AFC Champions League

Recognising the potential of the Indian market, the Asian Football Confederation, soccer’s governing body in the region, has announced that the country will be one of 11 definitely represented in the revamped AFC Champions League, the continent’s top clubs competition, next year. The number of teams in the competition is increasing from 28 to 32 in 2009 as the AFC relaunches the tournament on completely professional lines. India are currently ranked a lowly 151st in the world, but soccer is becoming more popular in the country and the AFC is eager to tap into the population of 1 billion plus. As a result, the winners of the domestic I-League, which had its first season in 2007-08, will automatically qualify for the 2009 AFC Champions League.

The 11 confirmed participating countries were chosen on the basis of recommendations from the AFC Pro-League Ad-Hoc Committee chaired by Saburo Kawabuchi. They are Japan (4 clubs), South Korea (4), China (4), Saudi Arabia (4), United Arab Emirates (4), Iran (4), Australia (2), Indonesia (1), Jordan (1), Kuwait (1) and India (1). The other two participants will emerge from two play-offs. The first will involve teams from Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam and one of the finalists from the second-tier AFC Cup and the other teams from Syria, Uzbekistan and Qatar and the second finalist from the AFC Cup. Japan was the only country to receive an A grade from the committee, as it met all the desired criteria, while 10 others received B grades, meaning that there is confidence that they will meet the criteria by the October 1 deadline.

AFC president Mohamed Bin Hammam said: ‘I am very proud of the achievements of this committee and they are laying down the blueprint for the professionalism of Asian football. ‘Asian football needs a big reformation process to make it professional and successful and I know radical changes might not please everybody. But we must have the courage of conviction.’ The agreed new AFC Champions League format will be used in 2009 and 2010, after which other countries will have a chance to earn automatic places in the competition.

The AFC has called for the Iraqi government to reinstate the country’s national soccer association. The Iraq Football Association was dissolved on Tuesday, the latest development in a conflict involving the soccer body, the national Olympic committee and government officials. In a statement, Bin Hammam said: ‘The Iraq Football Association and its executive committee are democratically elected bodies and only its congress has the right to dissolve them. AFC will recognise and deal with only the democratically-elected committee and office-bearers. Sportcal.com, 22nd May 2008


ARTICLES, COMMENTS, INTERVIEWS & OPINIONS

Gaming Industry Set to Surge in India
-India needs to encourage students to develop game creating skills

From playing video games years back to doing professional courses in order to caricature your own games, it couldn't get bigger than this. The story of Indian IT industry has been legendary but over the years, East European countries and the United States have been successful in developing models in the video animation domain.

Gaming as a culture

With gaming and animation industry entering a serious phase, India too joined the bandwagon with movies such as Hanuman and the much talked about Ghatothkach, developed indigenously. Analysts believe that India has a lot of catching up to do in terms of regularly churning out films, characters that are driving games etc. While the west has well developed gaming and developing domains, does our nation find to itself in the crossroads? Is India beginning to accept gaming as a culture? Many answer in the affirmative. Atindriya Bose, country manager, Sony Computer Entertainment avers, "From being looked upon with certain amount of doubt, gaming has come a long way towards becoming a mainstream entertainment. It has cut through the cultural barrier and is becoming more and more acceptable across the consumer segments." "Indian audience is now participating across the range. With the advent of social gaming, people are now using gaming consoles towards creating impromptu singing competition and quizzing contests, things that can be done in groups as unadulterated fun."

A serious game this

Undoubtedly, gaming and animation today are a serious business and rake in high moolah for companies specializing in this segment. Rajasekhar, vice president, HR and Operations for Crest Animation Studios points, "The profession of entertaining be it via gaming or animation is definitely a serious profession." An important element arising now is the need to ingrain animation into the curriculum. Pundits believe in the ardent need to expose students and encourage them to develop their game creating skills. "One of the big issues here is the education model, which focuses a lot on mugging up and reading everything in the book and writing it back in the exam. The IT specialists in India have great technical skills that can work to a specification but they cannot generate a specification. The next of Indian software industry has to be that they have to become developers of their own intellectual property," points out Prof. Lachlan MacKinnon, head of School of Computing and Creative Technologies, University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland.

This is important because MacKinnon feels-- "If they (India) do not, someone else will come and say that at lower cost we can do the same thing. It is more in digital media where you constantly need creative talent and fresh ideas. Part of that is definitely changing the way people are taught. Potential of that to happen through state university is very unlikely. They are very much driven by the fixed model." Analysts aver that there is an ardent need to develop new centers.

The University of Abertay Dundee is already working with the government of Maharashtra in creating new institutes and looking at how to develop creative process. "The way we do it is focusing at early stages on student experience their capabilities of problem solving by working in teams with different backgrounds. On our campus we have 75 different nationalities, so the outcome is that we have lot of different culture experience coming on together," says MacKinnon.

Change in mindset

Many believe that parental mindsets have to change in order to shape their children's career moves and that could go a long way in perhaps building gaming and animation as an attractive career opportunity. Rajasekhar enthuses, "Today's parents are much more aware and well informed; they are encouraging and supportive of the child's desire. The future would see more of such parents, who would support the child's career aspirations irrespective of the choice that he/she make. It is therefore imperative to focus all the energies and strategies towards educating, and generating the awareness amongst the workforce of the future, the future human resource pool who would be living and experiencing the amazing possibilities of the 3D CGI technology instead of the parents."

A roadblock for India stems from the fact that India, at the moment does not have degree programs in animation and digital media games. But worldwide, it is a massive industry growing at the blitzkrieg speed. MacKinnon believes that gaming unlike software engineering or semiconductor manufacturer could be done anywhere at lowest possible data as it is ingrained in human experience and culture which has a local as well as global nature. "We are helping to develop programs in India with institutes offering courses in these things. We will be seeing a massive growth in mobile games." The university is working with colleges in India and in China. "In the last 18 months to two years India has shown interest in our gaming program. Films like Hanuman have had a great effect in terms of thinking about Indian product in a video animation model," says MacKinnon. The mindset needs to change if India is to become a gaming development destination and the faster this happens, the better it is for the young Indian population that has over the years feasted on the Walt Disneys of the world. ciol.com, 22nd May 2008