Takeaway From BroadcastAsia 2017

BroadcastAsia 2017, as expected did  not  disappoint.  With 640 exhibitors showcasing innovations featuring the latest in dedicated technology clusters, the Show lived up to its reputation.

One major takeaway is the inevitable move to IP for the broadcast industry as it deals with an explosion of content getting delivered OTT (Over The Top). Production teams within broadcasters are under pressure to get more efficient and to reduce cost. Technologies that can help by automating workflows, inserting metadata, and creating a single source of truth for the entire media operation, helping teams identify bottlenecks to reduce production costs, while increasing revenues by getting content to market faster, are available. The Indian industry will sooner or later have to take the call to transition to IP-based systems.

Senior management of leading brands were unanimous that in 2016-17 business was good in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. Apart from one or two projects for each vendor, India was a dull market. The broadcasters in India are increasingly demanding customized, competitively priced products, equipped with certain key features, which the vendors are especially developing.

The vendors are looking forward to India to complete its transition to digital terrestrial TV by deploying second-generation DTT technologies (DVB-T2). The plan envisages setting up of 630 DTT transmitters, of which 23 DTT transmitters are under various stages of implementation, and bids opened for 44 sets of transmitters in February 2017. Going in line with the TRAI’s recommendation that DTT no longer remain under the exclusive domain of the public broadcaster, private participation will be necessary to ensure growth and popularity of DTT services.

The Authority has recommended that implementation be in hybrid mode having a main transmitter in MFN and gap fillers in SFN, the public broadcaster operate  three  transmitters and private broadcasters four transmitters at a given location and number of DTT providers be capped at five (one public broadcaster and four private broadcasters) as per availability of spectrum, A phase-wise DTT migration and analog switchoff may be done, with Phase-I timeframe being December 31, 2019 and the entire exercise concluded by December 2023.

Data-driven video, the beating heart of the digital age, can no more be ignored!