ASIA

The first session of the ongoing ABU Digital Broadcasting Symposium 2022 was on the latest industry developments and standards update.It was moderated by Hamid Dehghan Nayeri, ABU Technical Committee Chairman and Director, International Technical Affairs & ABU Technical Liaison Officer, IRIB-Iran.It included presentations by Lindsay Cornell, Principal Systems Architect, BBC Digital, Chair, WorldDAB Technical Committee and Ruxandra Obreja, Chairman, DRM Consortium.Cornell’s presentation was titled DAB+ Global Update and Developments. He spoke about DAB+ establishing itself as the core future platform for radio in Europe, which is also influencing regulation in the EU. European Electronics Communications Code (EEEC) has made it compulsory for all new cars in the EU to have digital terrestrial radio and it has become a standard feature in majority of new cars. Outside EU also there is a lot of interest and activity with DAB well established in Australia, and trials going on in South East Asia, North Africa and Middle East.He also discussed the role of WorldDAB Asia Pacific Technical Group, which is dedicated to assisting the broadcast industry in APAC region implement DAB+. Its primary focus is to help people learn from others’ experiences on DAB+ adoption process, planning, design and network construction.Highlighting the energy efficiency aspect of DAB over analog broadcasting, he said it’s 33 percent more efficient than FM. For broadcasters, it preserves the core strengths of traditional radio. It’s free to air, there are no gatekeepers, no one is controlling access to information and it’s reliable in times of emergency.This year, its Hybrid radio Service and Programme Information specification has been updated to enhance the user experience. In cars it offers enhanced Voice Control Assistance with alternative names for radio stations and programme names along with Phoneme support and more metadata.Ruxandra’s presentation, DRM-Smart Radio Enhances Lives, began by showing how DRM serves all coverage needs across bands and territories.“Radio is local, national, global, simple technology and mobiles and smart speakers have not killed radio, they have enhanced and also spurned radio to do better,” she said.She quoted many leaders from Asia Pacific region who see radio as very relevant and crucial.DRM offers both conventional audio and data services. It can deliver free-to-air information and education to everybody without the need for internet, making it ideal for distance education.She presented the DRM Radio School user experience which offers live sessions with a teacher as scheduled audio programmes. One can go to the radio screen, choose the audio school, language, subject and chapter and also ask questions which would be answered the next day.DRM Consortium is currently partnering with a school in West Africa on a pilot showcasing DRM School in action. […]

The DRM Consortium will hold its virtual General Assembly on March 30 with the participation of members and guests from Indonesia, Pakistan, UK, Germany, Romania, Australia, India, Canada, Brazil, Romania, South Africa and USA.The first session, which is open to members only, will review the progress made by DRM in the past year and then confirm the election of the new officers of the Consortium and their role in the Steering Board and other bodies of the Consortium for the next two years (2022-2024).The following open session, open to all members and guests, will be an opportunity to take stock of the DRM rollout in the world, of new developments and practical applications of the standard. It will also showcase new prototypes announced by receiver and chipset manufacturers including Cambridge Consultants/CML, Gospell, RF2Digital, Inntot, NXP, Fraunhofer IIS and Starwaves. They are now supporting the full DRM standard (AM and FM) and all the DRM features set giving extra benefits, like EWF (Emergency Warning Functionality), distance learning, extra content in various languages.The agenda also includes a presentation on the facts and data gathered during the India DRM FM trial and the recent initiatives of the strong DRM India automotive group. The keynote speech will touch on the revival of radio and shortwave in the current general climate.The online meeting will give members and guests a chance to share news and ideas and to contribute to the strategic directions of the Consortium. It will continue to strengthen the links with the automotive and receiver industry and will enhance the general communication, be it virtual or face to face, in new, transparent and innovative ways.According to DRM Chairman, Ruxandra Obreja: “The Consortium is strong and looking with confidence to the future. Even in these difficult months, Digital Radio DRM has proven to be flexible, green, smart, as DRM digital broadcasts can be easily deployed for large coverage or be inserted even in what looks like a full FM band spectrum. We are practically demonstrating that DRM can offer audio and data, vital information, distance learning, and disaster warnings at low energy costs. DRM is part of the digital landscape making it possible for everyone, no matter where they are and, whether they are connected to modern technology or not, to stay informed, educated and safe.” […]

According to a recent global survey by  YouGov quoted in Variety, Indonesia, UAE, India and China are top four countries where listeners are interested in paying for podcasts over the next 12 months.The survey was conducted between January 18 and February 4, 2022, among 18,855 adults aged 18+ across 18 countries including Great Britain, US, Mexico, Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia, India and UAE. All samples were composed of consumers who said they listened to podcasts, and they were asked how likely, if at all, would they be to pay or donate money to access/listen to a podcast in the next 12 months?68 percent Indonesians, 65 percent from UAE, 59 percent from India and 55 percent from China said they were Very or somewhat likely.When asked how often they listened to podcasts, UAE, Mexico and India, were the top three countries where respondents listened to podcasts once or a few times a day.This could encourage podcast companies to pursue a model where they could generate subscription revenue through international channels. It would, however, also be affected by varying degrees of internet freedom and censorship across territories.With an expanding listener base, tech platforms have also shown interest in courting more podcast listeners across regions. Apple Podcasts has launched subscriptions last year in over 170 countries, and YouTube is reportedly offering grants of up to $300,000 to podcast networks to help podcast producers create filmed versions of their programs and Twitter may soon have a tab to allow listeners to listen to podcasts. […]

History Channel Asia is launching its first original podcast on Astro Radio Malaysia’s SYOK App.‘History On Our Plate’ reveals unique and compelling stories behind many local favourite and nostalgic dishes across states and cultures. This podcast series will be available exclusively in Malaysia on the SYOK website and app from March 18.Co-hosted by Hitz FM announcers Keanu Azman and Ili Ruzanna, the podcast will take listeners on an immersive audio journey exploring the distinctiveness of local food while increasing awareness and interest about the backgrounds of these dishes.The 10 episodes of ‘History On Our Plate’ include:
Episode 1 : Nasi Kandar with Anwar Hadi, food vlogger
Episode 2 : Kopitiam Culture with Andrew Lee, founder of VCR Cafe
Episode 3 : Laksa with Anis Nabilah, celebrity chef
Episode 4 : Mamak Culture with Kyle Jacob, SYOK talent
Episode 5 : Cendol with Sue Lynn ‘Bangsar Babe’, lifestyle blogger
Episode 6 : Viral Foods with Ceddy, food vlogger
Episode 7 : Street Burgers with Chin Ren Yi, founder of MyBurgerLab
Episode 8 : Nostalgic Brands with Prem Shanker, Mix FM radio announcer
Episode 9 : Malaysian Brands with Ili Sulaiman, TV personality
Episode 10 : International Brands with Rod Monteiro, Lite FM radio announcer
Kenny Ong, CEO, Astro Radio, said: “We are excited to expand our podcast library to offer more relevant content catered to local audiences while featuring various popular local talents across industries. As we embark on this collaboration with A+E Networks for our first joint podcast series, we look forward to a robust partnership for a wider range of quality content in the audio realm.”“We are building on the tremendous initial success of A+E Networks in the US as an originator of compelling original audio content. True to our storytelling DNA, we’ll seek to illuminate local perspectives and stories for local audiences in this part of the world and also bring those to the world through international distribution,” said Saugato Banerjee, Managing Director of A+E Networks, Asia. […]

Reporters from Pajhwok Afghan News have won awards from two different media associations in the country.Afghanistan Journalists’ Center (AFJC) awarded four top journalists with Afghanistan Journalist of the Year Awards at a ceremony organized by the Afghan Journalists Association in Kabul on March 16.Farhad Behrooz, deputy head of the association, said that top journalists of the year were Pajhwok Afghan News correspondent Qutbuddin Kouhi, TOLO News correspondent Sedaqat Ghorang, Hasht-i-Subh reporter Hasibaullah and AFP correspondent Aref Karimi.Afghanistan Journalists and Media Organisations Federation (AJMOF) has named Pajhwok Afghan News’ Ahmad Sohaib Hasrat the Best Investigative Reporter and Farog Tarin as the Best News Agency Reporter for 2022.The announcement came on the eve of National Journalist Day celebrated annually on March 18.AJMOF Head Mohammad Gul Geran said that a competition in this regard was launched one month ago in which 400 reporters from all over the country participated. […]

The French audio equipment manufacturer Digigram has announced the signature of a distribution agreement with the Italian broadcasting solutions leader AxelTech.Effective immediately, Singapore-based Digigram Asia Pte Ltd. is appointed distributor for AxelTech’s Falcon audio processors, Macrotel telephone hybrids and Oxygen Digital mixers ranges over the Asia Pacific region. Except for Japan and Vietnam, Digigram becomes the exclusive distributor of the Italian products.Digigram Asia Pte Ltd already covers the APAC region as a distributor of Digigram, Auvitran and Barix audio solutions and equipment.“The addition of AxelTech products to our portfolio is a significant move for Digigram as we are now capable to address our customers with full scale, high-end solutions for their broadcasting and studio needs” states Singapore-based Nancy Diaz Curiel, Digigram’s Director of Sales, Marketing and Communications.Enrico Vaccari, AxelTech’s Director of Sales adds: “We are very excited to partner with Digigram to open new opportunities. AxelTech solutions will benefit from their broad coverage of the Asia Pacific territory, and the Singapore office providing expertise and support is a great asset to assist customers in achieving their broadcast projects”. […]