AIBD/TM In-Country Seminar on Broadcast Management

AIBD/TM In-Country Seminar on Broadcast Management

The In-Country Seminar on Broadcast Management organised by AIBD in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia (TM) was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 19 August 2014. The seminar was designed specifically for TM staff from sales, marketing, technical, customer care centre, officers and managers. The seminar aims to bring understanding the broadcast industry, especially to get a feel of developments concerning technology, business and regulation.

Today Malaysia is in the brink of migrating from the traditional analogue TV broadcasting to digital. The transition will have immense impact on the media landscape of the country because among others it will change the roles of the traditional broadcasters which will become content providers after the Analogue Switch Off (ASO). From the date of ASO onwards the role all terrestrial broadcasters will be taken over by the newly appointed CIIP (Common Integrated Infrastructure Provider), who will unify all Digital Terrestrial TV services (DTT) under the single umbrella of the national platform.

In view of the approaching shut down of analogue TV transmission and the start of the digital terrestrial TV operations not only today’s broadcasters but also all other contributors to this huge and challenging undertake in Malaysia will have to redefine their roles. They will have to review the existing and prepare for new business models, they have to investigate whole range of new services the digital transmission will enable and as a result they will have to realign their strategies and the kind and range of services they shall provide. And of course they will have to propose also new services and explore new revenue chains.

Currently Telekom Malaysia is the key service provider for signal transport services from the premises of today’s broadcasters to the transmitter sites as well as for the operation of the transmitters, the towers and of all peripheral infrastructures which are used for the analogue TV transmissions in Malaysia.

In order to prepare its staff for the new challenges that the new era of digital transmissions in Malaysia will impose on the technical infrastructure, on the operational workflows and on its maintenance capabilities and for to be ready to manage them to the full satisfaction of its customers – the content providers, the DTT platform operator and the public – Telekom Malaysia has started a range of internal educational seminars.

Invited by AIBD and TM, local and foreign experts have introduced the role of the state regulator SKMM/MCMC during the preparation phase of the digital transition and for the time after, have outlined the DTT standards and the services TM could provide to the DTT players, have explained the trends of new technologies and services and their impact on manufacturers and suppliers of equipment for broadcast professionals and explained the point of view of RTM radio with regards to habits and expectations of the Malaysian public on the future digital broadcasting.

The seminar which organised with the intention to encourage the active interaction between TM staff and the speakers was attended by more than 50 participants. The resource persons were Ms Azlina Mohd Yusof, Mr Nikos Kalpidis, Dr Amal Punchihewa, Mr Peter Bruce and Dr Syafiq Alfonse.