MUMBAI: BroadcastAsia2012, the international conference for the film and TV industries, returns to Singapore with a line-up of over 80 speakers to deliberate on the most critical issues facing broadcasters today.
Running from 19- 22 June 2012 at the Suntec Convention Centre, the conference agenda foretells the ‘reinvention‘ of the broadcast industry as content is re-purposed towards viewers who have become increasingly more mobile and who view content on various devices. Broadcasters are forced to reckon with this fact and gear up to cater to this growing trend.
With this in mind, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will address the multitude of challenges and opportunities broadcasters face today. Speakers representing the various members of the broadcast ecosystem will touch on many inflection points that are occurring as the industry grapples with shifting content as well as moves towards digitisation in terrestrial broadcasting.
The conference will feature two C-level keynote panel discussions and tracks, spread over four days. Speakers from companies across the globe will bring participants the latest technology developments, future strategies for broadcasters to stay cost effective and profitable, new industry alliances that they will need and outline the workings of future business models. Held concurrently with the BroadcastAsia2012 exhibition, the conference is expected to host 400 senior level executives from all across the world.
Charting the future in broadcasting: As the broadcast industry grapples with shifting landscapes and disruptive technologies, the BroadcastAsia2012 International Conference will commence on 19 June with a keynote panel discussion on Future Business Models.
The panel will focus on the question that is on every broadcaster‘s mind - "What direction is the broadcasting industry taking?" Panelists will closely examine next generation broadcasting models, debate the impact of Google TV, Apple TV, Netflix and Hulu on traditional broadcasting, share perspectives on how to better engage their audiences, and how to continue building and maintaining a robust brand in the eyes of their viewers. Lastly, in the move towards digitisation, panellists will also discuss how they intend to mitigate technology obsolesce and bring their organisations forward with a clearly chartered vision for the future.
Industry watchers say that this decade will see the migration of TV from its historical model of film to the Internet as new technology and consumption patterns pave the way for this migration[1]. According to Gartner‘s estimate, manufacturers will produce over 70 million broadband connected TV sets worldwide by 2014. Day one proceedings will cover the dynamic interplay of broadcasting and broadband, digital migration roadmaps with suitable enhancement strategies and the outlook for Pay TV operators.
With 10,000 channels and 365 million subscribers, Asia‘s pay TV industry is booming[2]. Over The Top (OTT) TV is gaining a foothold, offering content to consumers via handheld devices and computer screens. The Pay TV track will explore the promising synergies between Pay TV and OTT as broadcasters recognise the potential of OTT to expand the content they provide to subscribers and the ways to deliver it.
Singapore Exhibition Services (SES) director of PR and conference Lindy Wee said, "The explosion of broadband, mobile broadcast and Over the Top Technology (OTT) delivery is challenging the industry to embrace transformational changes as broadband and broadcast come together. As broadcasters touch new markets and previously unreachable audiences, the conference will guide industry professionals and business leaders through a rethink of what customers need and how best to adapt their business models to drive further growth."
The panel on 20 June will discuss the state of social media and the significance to broadcasting. Speakers of the various tracks will be discussing the impact of social media on broadcasting and explore business models for monetising content on multi-platform, technology for multi-screen and OTT delivery and cloud broadcasting. LiveAsia TV CEO Jonathan Benartzi will review the value proposition of the hybrid platform; how broadcasters can aggregate all content on one platform to disseminate to multiple platforms. Pixelmetrix president, CEO Danny Wilson will be discussing the topic of Over-the-Top Television and the technologies, and the differences in OTT and the unique challenges and opportunities.
Day two of the conference will also discuss cloud technologies which are currently used to distribute video content to consumers in a number of scenarios. Frost & Sullivan Global Industry Manager Vidya S Nath will share how they can also be used effectively for professional video content production and management.
The road ahead for other technologies: On 21 and 22 June, industry people will cover the latest developments in file-based workflow and media asset management, expound on the road ahead for DVB-T2 technologies, follow the evolution of HDTV and explore the next frontier in digital radio broadcasting. DVB Asia representative John Begini will be chairing the DVB-T2 track which will cover case studies on DVB-T2 planning, DVB-T2 Trials and Implementation in various countries, and DVB-T2 Lite for mobile applications.
