News and Notes: 29 November 2007

Asia Television Forum Opens with a Bang

Here are highlights of the opening proceedings from the Asia Television Forum, a key event of the Asia Media Festival 2007.

Record US$60m Worth of Deals Expected at Asia Television Forum

This year’s Asia Media Festival (AMF) and Asia Television Forum (ATF) officially opened with a bang – literally and figuratively.

After percussion group Strike Force pounded a fiery beat to mark the start of the events on Wednesday, Ms Michelle Lim, General Manager, Reed Exhibitions, announced that an estimated US$60 million worth of deals were expected to be made at the ATF. This is a 22 per cent increase from the figure of US$47 million last year and almost 10 times the modest US$6.3 million that was recorded in 2002.

The ATF, Asia’s leading programming market held at the Shangri-La Hotel, brings together more than 4,700 participants from some 50 countries, with 140 companies participating for the first time.

In his opening speech, Dr Lee Boon Yang, Singapore’s Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts, gave an overview of Singapore’s media industry, placing emphasis on the importance of international co-production deals.

Citing figures, he noted that the global entertainment and media market was growing rapidly and that Asia Pacific would lead the way.

“This is not surprising since Asia, with its cultural diversity and growing affluence, is both a rich source of media content as well as a major consumer of such content. There is tremendous potential to create content which appeals to global audiences while encapsulating the new spirit, dynamism and confidence of Asia. We are indeed seeing the emergence of what may be called New Asia Media,” said Dr Lee.

For more information about Asia Television Forum, go to www.asiatvforum.com

Digital Future Symposium Tackles Content Protection

Painting a vivid picture of a future world where consumers will be able to “watch what they want, where they want it and on whatever device they happen to be carrying”, panelists at the Digital Future Symposium – part of the Asia Television Forum – also highlighted the various issues that would crop up in such a scenario.

Foremost would be: How to prevent piracy and other forms of digital theft.

In the first of three panel discussions of the day, panelists – ranging from broadcasters to academics to industry experts – gave an in-depth look into the different types of “New Media” and how these were affecting traditional forms of media.

In the second panel discussion on Digital TV and Electronics, industry specialists talked about the different strategies taken to ensure content is protected. Mr Youji Itagaki (IPR Supervisor, FujiTV Television Network, Inc) described Japan’s unique system of encrypting free-to-air content at the source. Consumers would then need a set-top box and smart card in order to view programmes.

He also described how Japan deployed a “copy management” system where content stored in a hard drive would disappear after a copy is made. “It is like magic, but Japanese microchip companies can make it (happen),” he quipped.

Other panelists similarly gave an overview of the different technologies – both hardware and software – that could be used to protect content.

Mr Yeo Chun Cheng, Chief Information Officer, Media Development Authority of Singapore, gave a presentation on MDA’s Role in the Changing Media Landscape. “MDA studies in a holistic way how to effect changes that will allow the media industry to grow. This includes looking at the areas of finance, capability, R&D, infrastructure and the regulatory environment.”

Centre for Content Protection Launched

Participants at the Digital Future Symposium on Wednesday were also privileged to witness the launch of the Centre for Content Protection (CCP).

Set up with the support of the Motion Picture Association, the centre aims to enhance media content and intellectual property protection in Asia. Its three areas of focus will be: unauthorised redistribution of digital television; education efforts to facilitate the digital transition; and evaluating technical solutions for legal downloads.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Isa Seow, Director, CCP, said the centre would hold outreach events, seminars, training and research-related projects. Mr Seow, who is also the Director of Technology Initiatives at the Motion Picture Association – International, added that Singapore was a choice location for the centre because, among other factors, it had a technologically-savvy population, good infrastructure and good support from government policies.

For more information about the Centre for Content Protection, go to www.contentprotection.net

Fever Pitch at SuperPitch 2007

With just five minutes to say their piece, and a further five minutes of grilling by a panel of seven judges, it was fever pitch at SuperPitch 2.0.

Six production houses from Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan were shortlisted to pitch their concepts in person. No money was at stake.

“The end goal of this is to get people more familiar with how to pitch,” said one of the judges on the panel, Mr Biren Ghose, CEO, Kahani World. “We sometimes ask creators on stage to work on a project we have.”

SuperPitch 2.0, part of Asia Television Forum, offers contestants rare access to a judging panel of commissioning editors, broadcasters and funding companies from channels in the Asia Pacific region.

All genres were eligible, and the judges heard and saw pitches on animation features, travel programmes, a reality series on a pastry competition and a children’s news show. In the end, The News Kids from Hong Kong, and two Taiwan ideas, Monster Coins and Splash Nash, garnered most marks from the judges. Splash Nash, from ODD Incredible, won the plaque, and will receive a full-page ad in Television ASIA.

For more information about Asia Media Festival, go to www.asiamediafestival.com

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