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 www. s o c a s t - t ec hnol og y . c om | 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.