BY SHAUN LIM
Broadcast technologies are advancing at a blinding pace, and many broadcasters are struggling to keep up. A high degree of agility in adopting emerging and appropriate technologies is essential in order to gain efficiencies and cost savings.
Speaking exclusively to APB+, Dr Amal Punchihewa, an ITU expert and advisor/consultant to the Asia-Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development (AIBD), remarked, “As the industry adopts more software-based solutions, the more agile broadcasters would find it easier to accommodate these technologies.”
Taking a deep dive into the trends impacting the present and future of broadcast and media in Asia-Pacific, Dr Amal identified the evolution of native IP in broadcast and media delivery as a key development. Encouragingly, he pointed to the successful implementation of Integrated Broadcast-Broadband (IBB) technologies such as Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malaysia.
“Such IBB technologies provide seamless integration between over-the-air (OTA) delivery with a high level of interaction for content delivery direct to consumers. This has now been extended to a true convergence of distribution, making the delivery platform-agnostic to audiences,” said Dr Amal.
He also urged broadcasters to consider the additional investment and operational expenses (OPEX) required to facilitate multiple content distribution methods, be it terrestrially or over satellite and broadband.
“With fragmented audiences, it is not possible to reach the majority of audiences using one method,” he said. “To mitigate the total cost of distribution, broadcasters need to find the appropriate mix of content distribution methods.”
Asia slow in embracing next-gen technologies
While the use of IP in broadcasting has generated interest across the world beyond production, it is also evident that Asia-Pacific as a region has some catching up to do.
As Dr Amal pointed out that only 25% of countries in the Asia-Pacific region have completed a full analogue switch-off (ASO); many still remain in the throes of working on their transition from analogue to digital terrestrial television.
“Hence, no other country other than early adopters like South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand will look at another technology transition from first-generation digital terrestrial television (DTT 1.0) in the near future,” he explained.
With organisations such as the Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) and Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) continuing to offer network-agnostic distribution standards, Dr Amal encouraged broadcasters to consider how native IP technologies could provide service discovery and encapsulation of content to be delivered via IP networks.
He added, “The same content can be fed to current delivery networks such as direct-to-home (DTH) via satellite and DTT while broadcast delivery complements such services. This creates a converged delivery mechanism that could serve fragmented broadcast and media audiences.”
As for what content will appeal to audiences, Dr Amal produced an analogy: “Broadcast and media content is like food. There is a limit to consuming food, and it is important to have variety.
“Much like how mass-produced food may not be healthy or sustainable, broadcasters can produce and provide local content that appeals to their audiences.”
Immersive applications limited for now
Artificial intelligence (AI), gaming, Mixed Reality (MR), metaverse, and Web 3.0 are but some buzzwords that have been discussed in various broadcast conferences and workshops over the past 12 months.
Of these, which will have the greatest impact on the broadcast and media industry?
“We may find slow adoption of AI in professional media creation that will enable some applications, such as identifying key video moments and re-creating bite-size content for the mobile, on-the-go viewer to consume quickly,” Dr Amal predicted. “As AI solutions could be expensive for some broadcasters, the adoption of AI in broadcast media will take time, although it will make operations more efficient.”
Due to current constraints over distribution network capacity, availability of devices, and health implications, Dr Amal also expects immersive technologies such as MR and the metaverse to be limited in their applications, for now.
Challenges remain in an evolving media landscape
Another issue that has continually perplexed broadcasters is monetisation, an issue that has been exacerbated in recent years by global content platforms advertising on their digital platforms.
Dr Amal observed, “National and local media organisations started losing advertising revenue as global platforms aggressively encroach on all media markets. Having online services based on technologies such as IBB could not compensate enough for the loss due to the lack of understanding of operational mechanisms, disclosure and regulation.”
He is, however, heartened by how countries, driven by a maturing broadcast and media landscape, are beginning to take steps to put regulations in place. In Australia, for example, a code for news media has been published, where global platform operators are invited to work with the Australian journalism industry.
“The news media bargaining code of Australia pushes digital platforms to pay a fair price for Australian journalism,” explained Dr Amal.
In the near term, there are also issues that will have a direct impact on the long-term sustainability of the broadcast and media industry in Asia-Pacific. In April 2022, the region held its 8th Spectrum Management meeting, with the protection of spectrum used for terrestrial and satellite broadcast at the top of the agenda.
With global over-the-top (OTT) players taking advantage of a tilted playing field to provide fierce competition in many countries, Dr Amal urged policymakers to protect local industries by ensuring that spectrum remains available for terrestrial services.
As broadcasters embrace software solutions and the cloud, the onus is on them to actively take action to protect their key assets and services. Dr Amal advised, “Cybersecurity is going to be a live issue that our industry and all other digital players need to work on to improve their resilience and mitigate the risks that arise out of cyberspace.”
Last but certainly not least in importance, Dr Amal also called for more to be done in the Asia-Pacific region to address sustainability and environmental issues, including climate change. He prayed, “Moving ahead, I hope to see more sustainable solutions from the broadcast and media industry that can mitigate the negative impact on the environment.”