23 May, 2014

News Views

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending May 23rd. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!

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Christopher Slaughter

Christopher Slaughter

CEO

Last weekend, a pretty amazing internal document was leaked from the New York Times, an analysis of the news organisation’s struggles to remain relevant in this disruptive digital environment. It’s a hefty bit of investigative journalism, weighing in at 97 pages, and contains all manner of insights, including the clearest explanation of “disruption” as a concept I’ve ever seen. And while some commentators love the report, others find it depressing, and still others think it will never be implemented; but pretty much all agree that it represents the sort of deep soul-searching every media organisation needs to conduct as it develops its digital strategy.
John Medeiros

John Medeiros

Chief Policy Officer

The Tilted Playing Field is Alive and Well in Thailand.  Maybe we should be happy?   One of the first actions of the military’s Peace and Order Maintenance Command (POMC) after declaring martial law in Thailand this week was to order a shut-down of a double handful of satellite TV stations. It’s not clear specifically what the stations did to provoke such attention, but a number of them had political affiliations.  (Apparently, the broadcasting regulator was not consulted.)  In any case, various political actors have already figured out how to get around the ban:  they’re streaming their (sometimes inflammatory) campaign messages and speeches over YouTube.
John Medeiros

John Medeiros

Chief Policy Officer

Meanwhile, closing down TV is not only de rigueur in Thailand, unfortunately – in Pakistan, the country’s regulators ordered a shut-down of the country’s largest private broadcaster – for airing a segment which sequenced images of shoes with a song referencing Mohammed’s daughter.     The rest of us in broadcasting can be happy we don’t have to deal with such sensitivities….good luck, Geo!
Sara Madera

Sara Madera

Director, Member Relations & Marketing

Large screen mobile phones, measuring at 5 inches or more, are taking over with 34% of shipments. Not to mention all smartphone sales are up 29% from last year. The largest market? China, with the US following a distant second. Why do we need such big screens? Maybe to ensure we don’t miss out on our favorite shows.

Godfrey Chan

Marketing & Member Relations Executive

While Youtube is trying to redefine its own live and social TV aspect by acquiring Twitch, there are two issues worrying live streamers, and gamers: a) Youtube has an automated Content ID system with copyright and content rules, which could block use of copyrighted material (e.g. background music) by Twitch users, and b) Youtube remains banned in China (while Twitch is accessible). Will this change? Interestingly, for every U.S. citizen player there are 1.6 Chinese gamers.
John Medeiros As technologies and consumer habits continue to evolve, how will the satellite industry remain relevant during this time of transition? Join CASBAA and a high-profile roster of industry thought leaders as they explore what’s next for satellites in the Asia Pacific market. Regular rates end on 9 June.
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