ASIA

On behalf of the President of India, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB) has announced an invitation for proposals to select an agency for conducting the e-auction of private FM channels as part of FM Radio Phase-III.Eligible entities include companies registered under the Companies Act of 1956/2013, foreign companies with a registered office in India, or consortia of such companies. The selected agency will oversee the allocation of FM radio frequencies according to the MIB’s guidelines.Detailed information on the application procedures is available on the official MIB website and the Government’s e-procurement portal. The RFP, including the scope of work and eligibility criteria, can be accessed at [MIB’s website](http://www.mib.gov.in ) and [CPPP Portal](https://eprocure.gov.in/eprocure/app ).

The deadline for bid submissions is 17 September 2024. Bidders must register on the e-tender portal and submit their proposals online, accompanied by a non-refundable application fee of Rs 50,000 through the Bharatkosh Portal.Eligibility criteria for agencies include a minimum paid-up capital of Rs 25 million and a combined net worth of at least Rs 100 million.Phase III of this expansion aims to rejuvenate the FM radio sector by introducing more private players, enhancing regional representation, and broadening content offerings, from local news and cultural programming to diverse music genres. […]

In an ADMA conference session examining trends and predictions for the coming 12 months, Professor Scott Galloway explored big picture media trends, largely from an American viewpoint.Looking back over the past 12 months he says the losers were: Movie Studios, Theatres and Traditional Creators.  The winners were: Sport, TikTok, Netflix and Generative AI.In trends for the coming year, Galloway believes “the streaming laggards will bounce back,” but that we will see the first streaming service close down as unbundling and rebundling lead to consolidation in the streaming industry.

He predicts that Tiktok will compete with Spotify and come up with original music and programming.Making observations about the TikTok business strategy, Galloway observed that TikTok has one channel not many, “but it knows you so well you don’t need channel choice.”“Choice isn’t a good thing, consumers want more value not necessarily more choice. Passive consumers want that… most consumers are passive… they are happy that the AI told them want to eat and what to watch.”TikTok gets more data about what you enjoy, because most of its videos are short and there are many actions a user can take in a short time, so it can calibrate using the many actions viewers take with each video.Galloway says there has been “unbelievable revenue growth for the main companies, Amazon, Meta, Youtube and Alphabet.”The difference between AI and traditional search is that Google puts the emphasis on you to make decisions about the search results. “AI won’t give you all results for you to make a decision, it tries to give you the top result in the best way,” Galloway says.If a consumer doesn’t like the results they can refine them, but many people won’t. He thinks there will still be life for traditional search.“The things that save you time are most valuable,” says Galloway. Amazon, Netflix, ChatGPT help you zero in on products or save time from watching ads. ChatGPT helps you save one third of your time in writing emails or reports. He believes consumers will find these time saving features usefulIn the new instant AI environment, traditional media companies will still have a strong hand due to their content. “Traditional content platforms have some leverage, they will be in a position to licence or create other ad streams to get money from AI companies.”More predictions for 2024 are:
India is the new China, it will lead growth rate
Meta’s new growth vehicle is Whatsapp, while Facebook will decline
Swing countries such as Saudi Arabia and India will sit in the middle of the big powers and will be in a positive position while the others play off against each other
Nigeria and Indonesia are set for growth
A big observation is that people don’t read emails as much anymore, but that text messages and Whatsapp messages will be able to get to themOne of the biggest threats, according to Galloway, is misinformation and the concentration of power. “This is a worthwhile fear… All platforms will see the mother of misinformation near the US election.”“AI won’t take your job, someone who understand AI will take your job,” concluded Galloway. […]

Day one of Radiodays Asia 2024 will feature a must-attend session called “Making Hard Work Look Easy – 10 ‘secret’ sauces for 20 years of success in radio and podcasting” on Monday, September 4, from 10.10 am to 10.45 am.It is a chance to learn from the best in the world as Chris Marsh, Senior Lead Future State Sound Design and Audio Production LiSTNR Original Podcasts, SCA shares the secrets to motivate talent and achieve success.Over the past 20 years, Marsh has been a driving creative force behind many of Australia’s biggest radio shows and podcasts. He has collaborated with notable names such as Carrie Bickmore and Tommy Little, Mick Molloy and Jane Kennedy, Matt Tilley and Jo Stanley, as well as podcast hosts Abbie Chatfield, Tom Tilley, The Shameless Girls, Alex Dyson, Matt Okine, and even former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

However, his most significant creative relationship has been his 15-year association with Hamish and Andy Show. As the Creative Audio Producer for their radio shows and, for the past six years, on Australia’s #1 podcast, Chris has also contributed to several of their TV projects. In addition to his technical expertise in editing, recording, and all areas of audio production, Chris has unique skills in managing high-profile talent. He also possesses vast knowledge in creating compelling, entertaining content and understands what it takes to run highly effective teams.Another insightful workshop on day three will show how sustainability is much more than just how much electricity your studios and transmitters use.“Sustainability Workshop: Future-Proofing Your Media Company part 1” will be facilitated by renowned media industry leader Steve Ahern on Wednesday, September 4, from 9 am to 10:30 am.Discover the big picture and learn how the UN Sustainability Goals can help you to build a better media company for the future.The workshop will include examples of how broadcast companies are saving money on transmission and how they are thinking bigger as they formulate plans to sustain their business models into the future. Sustainability encompasses planet, people, processes and passion, learn how to harness all the important elements for success in the face of continued competition in the media industry. You will leave the workshop with guidelines you can use to start planning for your own company’s future sustainability.Steve Ahern is an internationally recognised trainer, digital media industry expert and broadcast management consultant. He is the author of the text book Making Radio and the publisher of the radioinfo industry trade magazines in Australia, Asia and Africa. Steve previously held various media industry leadership positions including Manager of ABC Radio in Sydney, Director of the ABU Media Academy in Kuala Lumpur and Director of the Radio faculty at Australia’s elite media university, AFTRS.Radiodays Asia will be held 2-4 September in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Register for the conference here. […]

StreamGuys will introduce a new ultra-low-latency streaming service at IBC that brings synchronicity to the “second screen” experience of a live sports event, removing the delay that takes live game action and audio/video streams out of alignment. The company’s new ULLS service provides broadcasters with the tools to synchronize the two experiences, returning control to fans that want to listen to alternative commentary – and providing stadium management with a way to make live streaming a part of the in-venue experience.The StreamGuys workflow first ingests streams into its Contribution Network, an enterprise-level streaming media ecosystem to move self-produced, locally originated, and/or third-party media content onto the public internet for end user consumption. StreamGuys employs low-latency streaming protocols inside the Contribution Network workflow that erase the delay at the output, where its HTML5-based SGplayer presents the live video or audio-only stream to the audience.“This returns the live broadcast to the spectator who enjoys listening to the local team announcers as they watch the game from the stands or in their homes,” said Eduardo Martinez, Vice President of Technology, StreamGuys. “That experience hasn’t been possible with streaming technology that typically adds 18 to 30 seconds of latency. We’re introducing widely supported low-latency protocols into our solution that produce a harmonious experience.”

StreamGuys has also built a bridge between ULLS and its SGrewind service, which gives listeners the power to return to a previous moment in the game. StreamGuys achieves this by simultaneously recording the ULLS stream to an SGrewind buffer, essentially providing the audience with the audio equivalent of a live DVR. StreamGuys has also engineered the ULLS service to support standards-based CEA-608 captions from broadcasters, with SGplayer presenting real-time captions for the deaf and hard of hearing in sync with audio streams.Martinez adds that the streams will ideally be consumed within an app related to a sports league or club where fans can engage with other services, such as purchasing tickets, merch or food and drink from concessions. The protocols employed will also deliver high-quality streams without consuming much bandwidth, producing a seamless consumption experience even when the stadium capacity is full.At IBC, StreamGuys will present a live demo with a low-latency and high-latency stream side by side that will allow visitors to compete the difference. “We will present a clock in the playout system so that people can see the real-time outputs from each stream and compare them to what they are watching,” said Martinez. “On the input side, our technology works with any audio or video streaming encoder that plugs into our ingest system. It’s all standards-based, with no specialized components required. As long as we can get it onto our Contribution Network, we can provide that experience fans have been missing for years.”StreamGuys is an official co-exhibitor with ENCO at IBC this year at Stand 8.C76. IBC takes place September 13-16 at RAI Amsterdam. […]

International Cloud Artificial Intelligence Awards Program has announced its 2024 shortlist, with leading AI Audio Platform Adthos included in the category Best AI Platform.A new awards program launched earlier this year by established cloud computing awards body The Cloud Awards, The A.I. Awards recognizes and rewards excellence and innovation in the use or development of cloud artificial intelligence technologies, and machine learning.The program contains a wide range of categories. Some focusing on specific industry verticals such as healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, others on the use of AI to drive process improvements such as personalization or automation. Overall excellence in AI practice is also recognized through awards such as ‘AI Solution of the Year’ and ‘Most Innovative AI Technology’. The program received entries from organizations of all sizes worldwide, including North America, across Europe, the Middle East, and APAC.CEO of The Cloud Awards, James Williams, said: “We’re thrilled to announce the shortlist of the inaugural A.I. Awards. The program gives a dedicated platform for organizations to highlight the exciting work that is being carried out in the world of cloud AI, and those who have been shortlisted represent the very best in this field, worldwide.The shortlist demonstrates that innovation is being driven by established household names to bold new startups, and everything in between. Our judges have an enviable task in determining which of these outstanding organizations deserve to be taken forward to the next stage of this year’s program. Good luck to all our shortlistees.”Adthos CEO Raoul Wedel adds: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted in the Best AI Platform category in The 2024 A.I. Awards. This achievement underpins our commitment to supporting our industry and customers on their journey into leveraging AI to transform their businesses. We are proud to stand alongside the other nominees and look forward to seeing how the next stage of the program unfolds.”The program now enters its second round of judging, reducing the shortlist to a handful of finalists in each category. A.I. Awards finalists will be announced on Tuesday 17 September 2024, with the final winners revealed in October 2024. […]

GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary dedicated to wireless content delivery, will flex its Audio over IP muscle at IBC2024 with a trio of new Intraplex solutions to help customers both streamline their infrastructure and take advantage of broader networking opportunities. Global debuts include the fourth entry into GatesAir’s second generation of Intraplex IP Link codec solutions, and the company’s first Intraplex solution to help DAB broadcasters strengthen their IP contribution and distribution strategies.“As networking technologies continue to mature, we see no limit to how Audio over IP can help broadcasters both simplify their infrastructure and unlock new possibilities to reach larger audiences,” said Keyur Parikh, Vice President of Engineering, GatesAir. “From consolidating more technologies inside our codecs to helping our DAB customers establish more efficient transport methods, GatesAir continues to evolve the Intraplex family to help broadcasters operate more efficiently and extend the reach of their content.”New Two-Channel Codec and MPX Bridge

IBC marks the global debut of GatesAir’s Intraplex IP Link 200n codec, adding a full duplex, two stereo-channel option to GatesAir’s second generation of IP Link solutions. The IP Link 200n comes one year after the debut of the IP Link 100n, a single stereo-channel version that otherwise offers the same impressive feature set thanks to modernized platform with greater capacity for more integrated features.Along with network path redundancy through GatesAir’s Dynamic Stream Splicing (DSS) software — long a characteristic of GatesAir’s Audio over IP innovations — the IP Link 200n’s greater capacity absorbs 10-band audio processing technology and updated audio compression algorithms. These enhancements at once improve program audio quality and optimize bandwidth management for radio broadcasters across STL, studio-to-studio, and streaming applications. The IP Link 200n also supports Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) for ultra-low-latency networking, cloud connectivity to simplify live stream monitoring, and backward compatibility with first-generation IP Link codecs. For large enterprise network applications, the IP Link 200n pairs well with Intraplex Ascent, GatesAir’s bulk cloud transport platform.GatesAir will demonstrate all four second-generation IP Link solutions at IBC, which also includes a half-rack codec ideal for remote broadcasting and contribution (IP Link 100c) and a module (IP Link 100e) for GatesAir Flexiva transmitters that removes the need for an external codec. All four solutions also support GatesAir’s Intraplex patented SynchoCast3 technology, a dynamic, scalable simulcasting solution for overlapping transmitters that helps broadcasters cover a broader geographic area with a single frequency.GatesAir will also introduce a new Intraplex device for radio broadcasters using analog audio processors to transport AES-192 and digital MPX signals. The new MPX Bridge provides a fast and convenient way to digitally transport an FM composite signal across an IP network, and eliminates the need to invest in a new processor to access the benefits of an IP network. Available immediately, the device works with all second-generation IP Link products.Low-Latency DAB TransportGatesAir will also unveil an enhancement to its IPConnect transport technology to help broadcasters establish ultra-low-latency IP transport for large DAB networks. IPConnect has been extensively used to reliably distribute HD Radio and DTV signals across IP networks using its SRT and DSS transport schemes. The newly added capability extends those same capabilities to real-time IP-based EDI streams, enabling DAB broadcasters to reduce their operational expense by migrating from ETI or satellite-based distribution to IP. The Intraplex technology ingests EDI streams and wraps them in the SRT protocol for transport to one or more points across the DAB network, with the added protection of network path redundancy through GatesAir’s DSS software. On arrival, the EDI packets are extracted and delivered to the local radio transmitter through Intraplex IP Link codecs.“Many broadcasters are using EDI to interface MUX outputs to the transmitter for the distribution of DAB signals, and DAB broadcasters using terrestrial IP networks are experiencing more packet losses and network jitter,” said Parikh. “GatesAir’s IPConnect technology within its codecs delivers the reliability and security of DSS and SRT when transporting EDI streams to eradicate these issues for stress-free distribution.”GatesAir’s new Intraplex solution for DAB transport with SRT works with all GatesAir DAB transmitters including the Maxiva OP Series of low-power transmitters, MultiD multicarrier systems, and PMTX-1 outdoor weatherproof transmitters. GatesAir will demonstrate all of the above Intraplex networking solutions and DAB transmitters at Stand 8.C74 in the RAI Amsterdam from September 13-16. […]