2 EDITORIAL

If you are visiting 2017 NAB Show this month , what will you specifically be looking out for ?

Are you keen to learn more about how IP can be successfully integrated into your existing broadcast workflows ? Perhaps , you are considering offering 4K / Ultra HD ( UHD ) services in the near future — within the 4K / UHD ecosystem , what role does HDR have to play ?

As viewing habits continue to evolve , this year ’ s NAB Show can also be a timely platform for sharing ideas and strategies on how to manage the rise , and rise , of over-the-top ( OTT ) services .

What about the new kid on the block ? Can virtual reality ( VR ) broadcasting truly become a reality , and provide a new dimension in TV viewing ?

Clearly , the broadcast industry is in the midst of confronting one of the largest multi-faceted transitions in its history . Change is relentless , and only those who step up to embrace these changes will have a genuine opportunity of not only surviving , but also thriving in a new digital world . What should broadcasters do then ? Perhaps , the answer lies in going back to basics , particularly in the Asia-Pacific region .

As last month ’ s Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union ( ABU ) Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2017 highlighted yet again , it will be near to impossible for broadcasters to truly enjoy the benefits of emerging technologies , if they are not already deploying digital terrestrial television .

For starters , it is not economically feasible to continue analogue-digital simulcast on a longterm basis . Broadcasters who have not gone digital are also running the risk of losing audiences due to lack of access to mechanism to interact , obtain analytics and build loyalties , cautioned Dr Amal Punchihewa , the ABU ’ s director of technology and innovation .

The competition these days , of course , does not only come from traditional broadcast platforms . Video streaming services , led by a relentless

pace set by the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video , have clearly identified Asia-Pacific as the next big market to capture eyeballs for their services .

Being on digital platforms , at the very least , offers broadcasters the opportunity to compete . As Dr Amal highlighted , analytics and interaction will be key in the OTT battle , because the new norm will arguably be about delivering increasingly niched content to niched audiences .

The big question for many broadcasters is of course , this : How do I monetise my OTT service ?

At the CASBAA OTT Summit 2017 held last month in Singapore , the clear consensus is that OTT is a necessity for media operators today . More ambiguous is just what is the correct price point to charge for OTT , bearing in mind that online viewing still equates to free content for many consumers in Asia-Pacific .

Delegates at the CASBAA event also discussed how much more can be done to measure and aggre gate eyeballs in the OTT domain .

Of course , to do that , operators must first attract eyeballs to their services and answer this question emphatically : With so many choices available to me today , why should I pick your service over others ?

Confined in an analogue world of mass distribution , broadcasters are potentially isolating themselves from the digital natives of today . It is time to tear down the analogue wall , because , as it would seem , all roads start from going digital .

SHAWN LIEW MANAGING EDITOR

April 2017 ( volume 34 issue 3 )

EDITORIAL managing editor Shawn Liew , shawn @ editecintl . com contributing editor ( technology ) Karl K Rossiter , karl @ editecintl . com contributing editor Shirish Nadkarni , shinads @ yahoo . co . uk reporter Josephine Tan , josephine @ editecintl . com

CORRESPONDENTS

■ India Shirish Nadkarni , shinads @ yahoo . co . uk

■ USA Mike Feazel , mfeazel @ gmail . com

PRODUCTION production editor Zuraini Ridzwan , zuraini @ editecintl . com junior sub-editor Genevieve Chan , genevieve @ editecintl . com senior multimedia designer Raymund Jaudian , raymund @ editecintl . com multimedia designer Waldomar Zuniga , waldomar @ editecintl . com ad / office administrator Irene Lok , irene @ editecintl . com accounts manager Tan Hui Min , huimin @ editecintl . com

MARKETING director - sales & marketing Jessie Tan , jessie @ editecintl . com manager - sales & marketing Lynn Chee , lynn @ editecintl . com

CIRCULATION & PROMOTIONS executive - circulation & promotions Jared Han , jared @ editecintl . com

PUBLISHING publisher / editorial director Andrew Yeo , andrew @ editecintl . com

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

■ China Yang Ou

BEIJING BUNCH EXHIBITION SERVICES LTD Room 501 / B1 , Thunis Development Building , No . 11 Huixin East Street , Chaoyang District , Beijing 100029 Tel : + 86-10-6482 3808-106 Fax : + 86-10-6482 3670 E-mail : yangou @ bbes . com . cn

■ Japan Mikio Tsuchiya

WORLD MEDIA SERVICES INC 3-35-1-302 , Hongodai , Sakae-Ku , Yokohama 247-0008 Tel / Fax : + 81-45-891-1852 E-mail : mikio . tsuchiya @ worldmedia . jp

■ USA & Canada Gary L Rhodes

SEDOR MEDIA INC 775 Park Avenue , Suite 255 , Huntington , NY 11743 , USA Tel : 1-631-274-9530 Fax : 1-631-667-2871 E-mail : sedorusa @ optonline . net

Stay connected

with

Find us on Facebook

n www . facebook . com / APBnews

Asia-Pacific Broadcasting is published by :

Editec International Pte Ltd 61 Tai Seng Avenue # 05-01 Crescendas Print Media Hub Singapore 534167 Tel : 65 6282 8456 www . apb-news . com