Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) January 2015 Volume 32, Issue 1
www.apb-news.com | JANUARY 2015
NEWS & VIEWS
W O R L D I N B R I E F
Bid for harmony in EU
COPENHAGEN – The Electronic
Communications Committee
(ECC) has produced a draft deci-
sion for the harmonised use of
the 700MHz range (694-790MHz)
for wireless broadband in Europe,
which is now subject to public
consultation. With the announce-
ment of the draft decision, a
policy debate is now taking place
at the EU level on a possible dead-
line to allocate the 700MHz band
to mobile operators.
India beams 821
satellite TV channels
6
CREATION
14
MANAGEMENT
18
SINGAPORE – A US$100-mil-
ion media fund to enhance
China’s entertainment industry
was announced at last month’s
Singapore Media Festival. The
Singapore-based private equity
fund is expected to be formalised
by March 31 this year.
DISTRIBUTION
22
CMMB Vision to
dish out Chinese
multimedia format
by kamarul arifin a hafiz
HONG KONG – CMMB Vision, an
investment company developing
and promoting the China Mobile
Multimedia Broadcast (CMMB)
standard, has agreed to acquire
51% of full-service satellite and
NEW DELHI – There are now
821 satellite TV channels in India,
according to the latest figures re-
leased by India’s Information and
Broadcasting Ministry. Of these,
404 are news and current affairs
channels, while 417 are general
entertainment channels. A total
of 693 channels are permitted to
uplink and downlink from within
India as of end-November last
year, while 93 are from overseas
and downlinked into India.
Media fund for China’s
entertainment industry
5
NEWS & VIEWS
January 2015
The acquisition of Dish-HD Asia will enable CMMB Vision to offer integrated
multimedia and data services across all consumer screens … for China’s 1.4
billion population and the rest of Asia.
digital TV provider Dish-HD Asia.
According to CMMB Vision,
the US$6-million deal, subject to
regulatory approval, will enable
the company to jump-start its
planned mobile multimedia service
platform in China — and become
the “first” converged satellite ser-
vice provider in Asia to offer an
integrated entertainment environ-
ment across consumers’ screens
and devices.
Dish-HD Asia, founded by
Asia Satellite Telecommunications
Company and Echostar Corpo-
ration (a related Dish Network
company), currently delivers 76
satellite TV channels of mostly
HD programmes, and has plans to
8 8
Singapore a hub for 4K production?
SINGAPORE – Is Singapore ready to be a leading re-
gional hub for content distribution and a port of call
for international productions?
Last January saw the official opening of Infinite
Studios at Mediapolis, Singapore’s digital media hub
located in One-North, an integrated research area in
South-west Singapore.
Strategically located within Mediapolis@One-
North, the 24,078sqm development brings under
one roof a full suite of digital media services — from
production, post production to transmission — that
supports large-scale television, film and animation
productions.
And the company behind Singapore’s drive to be a
regional media hub is now ready to work with produc-
ers around the region and beyond, to produce Asia’s
own 4K Ultra UD (UHD) content.
Last November, Infinite Studios launched a full
8 8
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| VOLUME 32 |
ISSUE 1
X-PLATFORM
24
VTV’s remake of The Arbitrator will
be locally known as Đối mặt trong
bóng đêm (Facing the Darkness) and
is scheduled for broadcast in early
2016.
The Arbitrator
coming to
Vietnam
HANOI – Vietnam’s state broad-
caster VTV has signed an agree-
ment with Armoza Formats to
adapt the popular crime series The
Arbitrator.
Known locally as Đối Mặt Trong
Bóng Đêm (Facing the Darkness),
VTV has signed up for four seasons,
which include 45 episodes of the
series.
Avi Armoza, CEO of Armoza
Formats, said: “The Asian market
is an incredibly important one
and we are happy to be build-
ing the foundation for long-term
partnerships.”
The Arbitrator follows a by-
the-book social worker in his mid-
twenties who discovers that he is
the lost son of the underworld’s
most powerful man.
The Vietnam Television Film
Centre — VTV’s production unit
— will commence production work
in 2015 in preparation for an early
2016 debut.