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Week ending December 2, 2006

Ifra announces 6th annual Asia Media Awards 2007 – December 1, 2006

from Jen Teo/Ifra

The 6th annual Asia Media Awards 2007 will take place in conjunction with Publish Asia from 27 to 28 March 2007 in Manila, Philippines.

For the sixth consecutive years, the Asia Media Awards will be held for newspapers and magazines in the Asia Pacific and Middle East. The highly prestigious competition is being organized by Ifra Asia to promote the highest standards of publishing and creativity in the industry.

Hundreds of newspapers and magazines in Asia Pacific and the Middle East have taken part in the competition over the past six years. And with each year, the standard of print quality and journalism has been on the rise, a sign that the publishing industry is indeed in a most healthy state.

For the 2007 Asia Media Awards, Ifra Asia has introduced several new categories as part of its objective to encourage better and better journalism. The competition is now open to all newspapers and magazines in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. All entries except for Best in Print Award must be submitted to Ifra Asia by 26 January 2007.

The categories are as follows:

1. Best in Design Award:

The award will be presented to entries whose overall design; originality and content have achieved high levels of excellence. Entries will be judged not only on design but how design is used to project the contents. This includes the use of typography, photography, information graphics and color.

2. Best in Infographics Award:

This award aims to acknowledge excellence in design, usefulness and clarity of information conveyed in newspapers and magazines.

3. Best in Print Award:

The Best in Print awards will be presented to newspapers for excellence in standardized printing. The focus of the award is to show the ability of newspaper to print according to existing international standard (ISO 12647-3:2005). This competition is open to newspapers only.

4. Best in Newspaper Supplement Award:

This new award recognizes the most innovative and successful newspaper supplement.

5. Best in Photojournalism Award:

The award is open to all professional photographers working for either newspapers or magazines or supplying work to either news, sports or feature agencies or providing content for websites affiliated with newspapers, magazines or sites providing independent and non affiliated photojournalism content.

Asia Media Award Gala Dinner:

The awards will be presented to all winners during the Asia Media Awards 2007 Gala Dinner, to be held on 28 March 2007 in Manila.

Informa - Consumer demand for anytime, anywhere media confirmed – December 1, 2006

from Kathryn Bushnell/Informa

The mantra’s the same on convergence the whole way down the value chain, from content owners to consumer electronics makers to platform operators – “consumers want anytime, anywhere media.” This is the main conclusion of Converging Media Futures: Sector Strategies for Anytime, Anywhere Content. The new report from Informa Telecoms & Media showcases 24 in-depth interviews with senior executives of international media companies.

Attila Gazdag, vice president and managing director of Walt Disney Internet Group Europe, puts it in a nutshell. “Many consumers today do multiple activities at the same time, consuming on more than one platform at the same time,” he says. “Disney’s task is to provide them with the content they want, when they want it and across TV, PC, mobile or other platforms.”

Don’t just take it from the Mouse. “Young viewers today don’t care about the platform, but simply want to watch programming when and where they want – on laptops, portable players, mobile phones, etc,” agrees Ted Harbert, president and CEO of E! Networks.

Or listen to Dan Whiley, commercial vice president for digital media at MTV Networks International. “Rather than being a contest between which platform is better, it’s more a case of how they work together to augment one another,” he says.

And there’s little doubt as to the kind of content people are after over every single platform either – they simply want everything. “Of the things that consumers want, one is music – all the music, all the time, anywhere. Internet radio, FM radio – these kinds of music experiences,” says Tommi Mustonen, director of multimedia at Nokia. “Then it’s about photography, both still and video. And it’s about commercial video – being able to acquire and watch video. It’s about mobile TV. Then it’s about being able to access the Internet. It’s about search.”

The optimism that shines through the executive interviews is also generally apparent in the Converging Media Survey. An overwhelming number – almost 90% - of respondents see convergence as an opportunity, while a mere 2% view it as a threat to their businesses. But that doesn’t mean that they believe the benefits of convergence will be evenly spread. To the question “Who is best placed to profit from media convergence?” 53% of those surveyed say content producers/distributors. Platform operators get the nod from 25%.

The broadcast sector ought to be concerned. While 46% of respondents think television is the hottest convergence category, broadcasters aren’t viewed as particularly well-placed to do well out of the expected TV boom – just 9% of respondents think they will profit from it. Plus, when asked which platform would benefit most from convergence, only 18.6% of those questioned say broadcast – online get 53% of the votes, mobile 25%.

On the mobile front, almost 60% of respondents say mobile TV will take off, while 23% are naysayers.

The survey results don’t make for good news for big business. Add the percentage of respondents who think small- and medium-sized companies are the most likely source of digital-media innovation to that for those who believe start-ups are the innovators and that makes a whopping 54%. Only 18% think large organizations will cut the mustard and come up with digital advances.

Interestingly, those surveyed think most industry players wouldn’t be going it alone in the digital future. Almost 50% believe media convergence will boost the number of alliances, while close to 37% reckon M&A activity will increase as a result.

One of the biggest changes respondents see going forward is the movement of advertising dollars – 53% say there would be a huge shift in spend from traditional channels to online. In addition, 45% think old media need to react more quickly to media convergence if they are to survive (those surveyed were allowed more than one response). And more bad news for broadcasting – close to 32% of respondents think time-shifted television will radically reduce the power of broadcast TV.

Futuristic Insights Unfold as ITU TELECOM announces Digital Life Theatre competition winners – November 30, 2006

from Sanjay Acharya/ITU

ITU TELECOM WORLD 2006, the leading global ICT event, has announced the winners of its contest to uncover the industry's top future-gazers. The Digital Life Theatre competition, comprising four categories to capture the scope of digital life, revealed the following category winners: Ericsson (Digital Life at Home), Motorola (Digital Life at the Office), Lucent Technologies (Digital Life in the field of Media & Entertainment) and Teldat (Digital Life in Society).

The Digital Life Theatre Competition provides its category winners with an exclusive platform to increase their visibility at the week long event in Hong Kong from 4 to 8 December 2006, attracting new business prospects, investors, partners and industry attention. The 2006 winning category demos, appearing in a range of formats from DVD to Flash, will be displayed on individual digital stations as well as taking centre stage at The Digital Life Theatre.

The judging committee, consisting of key ITU TELECOM figures, was set a difficult task in selecting the category winners. Rigorous selection criteria, which emphasized originality, content and technical competence, were applied in order to sift through the entries received.

Fernando Lagraña, Executive Manager of ITU TELECOM events, said: 'It is of paramount importance for the ICT industry to address the ways in which the digital age may affect the way we live and how we communicate with each other. The objective behind this competition was to generate inspiration and guidance in the digital age and all our category winners have definitely fulfilled this goal."

The Lucent demo dramatized the seamless interaction of home and mobile TV, voice, and location-based IP applications and directories. John Giere, Chief Marketing Officer, Lucent Technologies, said, "Our Mobile Multimedia demo illustrates only one of the many ways our IMS (IP Multimedia Subsystem) solutions create a simple, seamless, personal communications experience that will enrich the communications experience whether at work, on the road and simply enjoyment at home. Our goal is to give individuals the equivalent of their own personal communications experience that bring to people around the world blended digital services based on their needs, lifestyles, preferences and communities. We're excited to receive this award and to be in a business with such amazing potential impact on all our lives."

On winning the 'Digital Life at the Office' Award, Simon Leung, President, Motorola Asia Pacific, said "Motorola's video Edgar's Afternoon demonstrates the impact of the shift towards IP-based networks and how they improve productivity through Seamless Mobility. Until recently, to stay connected people had to constantly log-on and log-off going back and forth from a PC, to a mobile device. Now with the mobile internet and wireless broadband instead of following the web, the web follows you---and that's so empowering."

Susanna Barrena, International Sales & Marketing Manager of Teldat, the winner of the Digital Life in Society category, added, 'Winning this category has been very exciting and flattering for us. Teldat is a small company which is very close to, and committed to, its customers. We prepared a submission that we felt demonstrated the company in a human way and which used imagery to reflect our philosophy as a company committed to its customers.'

Reinforcing Susanna Barrena's comments, Fernando Lagraña added, 'The Teldat entry was unique, it promoted a vision for the future in a completely original way and the category award very well deserved. He concluded, 'On behalf of everyone at ITU TELECOM, we would like to congratulate each of these four category winners on their contribution to the Digital Life Theatre exhibition.'

Médiamétrie - Visibilité dans la presse TV et niveau d’audience des programmes – Novembre 30, 2006

from Charles Juster/Médiamétrie

En 2004, NPA Conseil avait pu confirmer l’impact de la presse TV sur les comportements d’écoute des téléspectateurs, à travers l’étude des corrélations entre la visibilité d’un programme dans les magazines spécialisés et son niveau d’audience.

Les transformations qui sont intervenues depuis dans le paysage de la presse TV (multiplication des quinzomadaires) et plus encore dans l’offre audiovisuelle (lancement de la TNT), ont conduit NPA Conseil et Médiamétrie à s’associer pour vérifier si cette relation était toujours valide.

Cette 2 e édition, effectuée sur la période avril-juin 2006, confirme ces premiers enseignements : la presse TV exerce toujours un impact sur les audiences des programmes.

Les quinzomadaires Télé 2 semaines et TV grandes chaînes, nouveaux arrivants dans le paysage de la presse TV, ont réussi à établir un lien avec leur public aux côtés des grandes marques historiques (Télérama, Télé 7 Jours, Télé Poche, Télé Star, Télé Z...) et bénéficient d’un impact important sur les audiences.

On constate sur cette vague un impact plus marqué pour les chaînes qui ont fortement fait évoluer leur format ou leur programmation récemment (M6/France 3), ou encore qui ont des grilles moins identifiées (Arte).

Comme en 2004, l’étude fait apparaître un lien plus fort entre visibilité dans la presse TV et audience pour les programmes événementiels, moins connus et identifiés par le public, que pour les programmes récurrents. Ainsi les genres « documentaire » et « cinéma » (communication plus événementielle) montrent une plus nette corrélation que les genres « divertissement » ou « série étrangère ».

De même, les genres les plus diffusés bénéficient d’une plus forte corrélation : face à un choix étendu, la presse TV joue un rôle de prescription et aide le téléspectateur à faire sa sélection.

WAN - 2006: A Year of Living Dangerously - November 27, 2006

from Larry Kilman/WAN

One hundred and five journalists were killed in 2006, the deadliest year on record, according to the half-year review of press freedom by the World Association of Newspapers.

The report, presented Monday to the Board of the Paris-based WAN, meeting in

Kiev, Ukraine, said that the killings accelerated in the second half of the year, when 71 were killed. The number of journalists killed in Iraq – 23 since June -- surpassed all other countries.

The murder of journalists is the ultimate form of censorship, but by no means the only form. "Legislative measures, financial harassment and security laws continue to be used as means to harass journalists and limit press freedom," said the report. "Self-censorship, a natural response to repression and the threat of violence or death, is an endemic problem in Central Asia, Latin America and the Middle East."

The full report can be read here .

The list of journalists killed with details about their cases can be found here here

Region by region, the report said:

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA

Conflict and political instability throughout the Middle East and North

Africa continues to undermine the ability of press freedom to make serious advances in region. Increasing violence and insecurity in Iraq has once again made the country the most dangerous environment in the world for media practitioners, and the war between Lebanon and Israel cost the lives of two media employees in July of this year. In Algeria, Morocco and Egypt, arguably the most tolerant environments for journalists in the region, the governments rely on criminal defamation laws as a means to exert pressure and control on the media.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Africa’s media and its journalists face manifold threats: war, lack of infrastructure and funding, censorship, harassment, criminalizing media laws, and violence. Additionally, attackers, harassers, and murderers of journalists have largely acted with impunity on the continent thus contributing to continuing the cycle of violence. Despite this gloomy picture, improvements have been noted; for example the abolition of censorship in Mauritania. And African media continue a praiseworthy battle in a media environment that imposes substantial challenges both with regards to infrastructure, legal aspects and widespread illiteracy.

THE AMERICAS

In the Americas, 15 journalists have been killed in a series of ruthless murders over the past six months. Other press freedom concerns have been mainly of a legal character, prompting calls for greater freedom of expression in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. More than 20 journalists continue to linger in prison in Cuba.

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

The region covering the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe is one of stark contrasts when it comes to the state of press freedom. Countries such as Ukraine and those in Eastern Europe have shown steady progress in the fifteen years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Press freedom in Belarus and the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan has declined considerably in recent years, and the past few months have proved no different. Russia is characterized by a complex and often contradictory media environment.

ASIA

Asia’s press freedom record continues to be largely influenced by the repressive governments of Burma, China and North Korea. As the political situation in Afghanistan deteriorates, journalists are among the latest victims. A number of killings have occurred across the region, contributing to the overall high number of journalists killed this year in the world.

EBU-TeliaSonera to present Eurovision Song Contest 2007 - November 27, 2006

from Bjørn Erichsen/Eurovision

The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) today announced that TeliaSonera would be the presenting sponsor of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007. The 52nd Song Contest will be hosted in Helsinki by the Finnish national broadcaster YLE and will include two live televised shows in one week: the Semi-Final on 10 May and the Final on 12 May 2007.

TeliaSonera, the leading telecommunications operator in the Nordic and Baltic regions, has been granted extensive pan-European event, association, media and new media rights for the upcoming events. TeliaSonera plans to launch a new mobile and broadband interactive experience for the fans.

The agreement, which is part of an international commercial and marketing platform developed by the EBU for the Eurovision Song Contest, was negotiated by T.E.A.M. (Television Event and Media Marketing AG) based in Lucerne, Switzerland. T.E.A.M. is the worldwide exclusive marketing agency for the commercial rights of the Eurovision Song Contest since 2004.

“The partnership with TeliaSonera will offer our fans a new way of experiencing the Eurovision Song Contest via their mobile phones and marks another important step in the technical and commercial development of the event. The EBU therefore welcomes TeliaSonera as the presenting sponsor of the Eurovision Song Contest 2007,” says Bjørn Erichsen, director of Eurovision TV.

Kelly Odell, senior vice-president at TeliaSonera, adds: “Over the last four years we have noticed growing customer demand regarding music via broadband and mobile services. To help meet this demand TeliaSonera now makes it possible for Eurovision Song Contest fans to participate digitally in the greatest music party of 2007.”

The Eurovision Song Contest has a rich tradition and heritage, dating back to 1956. It is one of the few truly pan-European television programmes transmitted live via the Eurovision satellite network, in prime time on free-to-air television and is watched by some 100 million viewers throughout Europe and beyond.