The BroadcastAsia and RadioAsia conferences have ended on “a vibrant and positive note” according to organisers. The event has attracted more than over 12 500 attendees from the Asian broadcasting industry to Singapore.
The exhibition at the Singapore Expo showcased 748 exhibiting companies from 41 countries and included 10 group pavilions and feature areas highlighting emerging digital technologies including digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB) and digital audio broadcasting (DAB). 430 delegates and speakers were at the BroadcastAsia2005 International Conference.
Singapore Exhibition Services CEO, Stephen Tan, has told radioinfo: “Both the show and conference surpassed our expectations… BroadcastAsia2005 drew praise and favourable comments from exhibitors, visitors, conference speakers and delegates alike.”
RadioAsia was a new feature at BroadcastAsia this year. The RadioAsia Conference 2005 was the first of a planned annual conference on radio in Asia, examining hot topics such as digital radio and how radio can continue to play a vital role in reaching out to the masses and in being the voice of the people. RadioAsia is organised by the Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC) and the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in partnership with SES.
Commercial Radio Australia CEO, Joan Warner, and Clear Channel Entertainment China CEO, Ed Cunningham, were two of the key industry leaders who spoke at RadioAsia.
HD and mobile broadcasting were two more emerging trends at BroadcastAsia2005. DVB Executive Director, Peter MacAvock, led a discussion about this trend, part of the growing convergence between IT, communications and broadcasting, into the international development of this technology at the conference.
Speaking on his expectations of mobile TV, MacAvock told the conference: “Over the next couple of years, the multimedia features that are standard on mobile phones now will become video – at least part of it. As technology improves, you will have a phone that becomes a television and an MP3 player with significant storage for video files. Media companies will need to invest in new infrastructures to support the service. [They] have to think about how to get a return on their investment.
“On the positive side, this is going to generate an enormous demand for new mobile phones. Analysts expect demand for 100 million mobile receivers within the first three years of its release.”
Complementing the conference was the DVB and DMB showcase on the exhibition floor. Another key technology evident in both the conference and the exhibition was high definition (HD) technology. According to industry players, HD and digital terrestrial television are going to be the big drivers in broadcasting this year.
