MEDIA PROFILE: HBO Asia chief faces challenges head-on

Jonathan Spink applies Australian-style ‘just-get-on-with-it’ principles as pay-TV channel moves swiftly to keep up with changing technology and consumer behaviour.

Oct 10, 2012 – For someone billed as media-shy, Jonathan Spink is surprisingly unguarded in one of the few interviews he’s given since taking on the chief executive role for HBO Asia in 2003. Admittedly, he’s not one to use 20 words when 10 will do, but he is frank about how the pay-TV broadcaster plans to develop and the challenges that it faces as it enters its 20th year.

His no-nonsense approach is perhaps, in part, a throwback from his early years in the TV industry at Sky Channel—then a fledgling business with just 40 staff in the United Kingdom.

Read more at Campaign Asia-Pacific

10-10-2012/EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND BETZDORF, LUXEMBOURG – SES S.A. (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) and Boeing announced today that SES has selected Boeing to build a new communication satellite, SES-9, to serve the fast growing markets in Asia.

The new satellite – ordered through SES’ affiliate company SES Satellite Leasing Ltd – will expand SES’ capabilities to provide direct-to-home broadcasting and other communications services in Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia, as well as maritime communications for vessels in the Indian Ocean.

The spacecraft will be positioned at the orbital slot of 108.2 degrees East and provide incremental as well as replacement capacity to this well established SES slot over Asia, where it will be co-located with the existing SES-7 and NSS-11 satellites.

SES-9 will be built in Boeing’s El Segundo Satellite Development Center based on the Boeing 702HP platform. The satellite is designed to operate for 15 years in geosynchronous orbit with a 12.7-kilowatt payload and 57 high-power Ku-band transponders (equivalent to 81 x 36 MHz transponders). The spacecraft will carry a xenon ion propulsion system (XIPS) for all on-orbit maneuvering and a chemical bi-propellant system for initial orbit raising.

Boeing has a 25-year relationship with SES. SES-9 is the 11th spacecraft that SES has ordered from Boeing and the contract includes an option for an additional satellite. Financial details are not being disclosed.

States Romain Bausch, President and CEO of SES: “We look forward to work again with Boeing on an important addition to our global fleet: SES-9 will greatly expand our transmission capacity over Asia, while adding increased flexibility and redundancy to a strategic orbital slot. SES is convinced that Boeing’s 702HP will prove to be mission-critical in order to provide state-of-the-art, high-power satellite capacity to the thriving markets of Asia.”

“We are pleased to be selected by SES to build a highly flexible 702HP satellite, which has a uniquely configured XIPS propulsion system and chemical bi-propellant system, reducing the spacecraft’s launch weight while allowing for maximum payload capacity,” said Craig Cooning, Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Satellite Systems International and Vice President and General Manager of Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems. “Boeing has continuously evolved the 702 design since it was introduced over 15 years ago, allowing us to provide SES a satellite that will be consistent with their business requirements.”

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About SES

SES is a world-leading satellite operator with a fleet of 52 geostationary satellites. The company provides satellite communications services to broadcasters, content and internet service providers, mobile and fixed network operators and business and governmental organisations worldwide.

SES stands for long-lasting business relationships, high-quality service and excellence in the broadcasting industry. The culturally diverse regional teams of SES are located around the globe and work closely with customers to meet their specific satellite bandwidth and service requirements.

SES (Paris:SESG)(LuxX:SESG) holds participations in Ciel in Canada and QuetzSat in Mexico, as well as a strategic participation in satellite infrastructure start-up O3b Networks. Further information under: www.ses.com.

About Boeing

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world’s largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 61,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

Chin Han Joins Main Cast
Lim Kay Tong, Tan Kheng Hua, Edmund Chen, Xiang Yun And More Guest Star

SINGAPORE, OCTOBER 10, 2012 – More Singaporean local talent will feature significantly in HBO Asia’s first prime-time television drama co-production with ABC TV, SERANGOON ROAD. HBO Asia’s latest signing is Chin Han who is joining a cast led by Hollywood’s Joan Chen, and will feature prominent Singaporean guest stars such as Lim Kay Tong, Tan Kheng Hua, Edmund Chen, Xiang Yun.

“We are very proud to be able to showcase the breadth and range of Singapore’s talent and feature recognisable locations in Singapore to a worldwide audience in our very first original television series co-production,” said Jonathan Spink, Chief Executive Officer, HBO Asia. “This international production reflects Singapore’s ability to provide accessibility to a vibrant pool of talent connected to the film and television industry as well as an exchange of knowledge and skills between the various international parties involved.”

Singaporean Chin Han, joins the cast of SERANGOON ROAD as a series regular and is best known for his role in the box office blockbuster The Dark Knight and appearances in other Hollywood hits including the Roland Emmerich epic, 2012 and Steven Soderbergh’s star-studded thriller, Contagion.

Previously announced series regulars from Singapore include, Alaric Tay (International Emmy® Award nominated series, The Noose) and Pamelyn Chee (Little Nyonya). Guest stars include some of Singapore’s most prominent actors, including veterans Lim Kay Tong (The Photograph), Tan Kheng Hua (The Blue Mansion), Edmund Chen (Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li) and local television and film legend Xiang Yun (We Not Stupid). Other guest stars include television drama regulars Priscelia Chan (My Sassy Neighbour) and Bernard Tan (Point Of Entry), Singapore Idol finalist, Nurul Huda and theatre mainstay Timothy Nga (The High Cost Of Living).

Singapore writers that contributed to the writing of SERANGOON ROAD include Andrew Ngin Chiang Meng (Fighting Spiders, Under One Roof, 80s Rewind) and Dennis Chong (Maggi and Me, Rock DJ).

To get the authentic look of Singapore in the 60s in which SERANGOON ROAD is set, scenes have been shot across various locations such as Raffles Hotel – including the iconic Long Bar – and former colonial houses along Mount Pleasant Road, Mount Rosie Road and Mount Faber. Sets featuring parts of Bugis Street, Chinatown, and more, have been recreated at Infinite Studios’ facilities in Batam, Indonesia.

The series is currently in production and is supported by the Media Development Authority’s (MDA) Production Assistance grant.

SYNOPSIS

SERANGOON ROAD is a ten episode hour-long fast-paced detective drama series set in vibrant and tumultuous 1960s Singapore, bringing to life the dangerous underbelly of secret societies, the opulent world of European and international expatriates, and the colourful street life of Bugis Street, Chinatown and Serangoon Road. The series takes its name from Serangoon Road, which was one of the earliest roads built in Singapore and was then known as “the road leading across the island”. Serangoon Road was the key thoroughfare which spanned the length of the island when it was built, making it a unique crossing point for all walks of life, and it is symbolic of the series as an important main road that traditionally linked the various communities in Singapore.

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About HBO Asia

Singapore-based HBO Asia is able to bring the best of Hollywood to Asia first because of its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood studios – Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios and Warner Bros. In addition to the proprietary and award-winning HBO Original programs that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers, HBO Asia works with a large number of major independent production companies to secure exclusive rights to a host of quality movies. HBO Asia offers five subscription movie channels with uninterrupted programming – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS and CINEMAX – as well as a subscription video-on-demand service, HBO ON DEMAND, HBO HD, the first regional movie channel to broadcast in high definition in Asia, and HBO HITS HD, which delivers Hollywood blockbuster hits 24-hours a day in 100% high-definition, available in selected territories. HBO Asia is a joint venture of HBO (a Time Warner company) and Paramount. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

For more information, please contact:

Karen Lai | Director, Communications | HBO Asia | T: (65) 6381 1796 | karen.lai@hboasia.com

Angela Poh | Manager, Communications | HBO Asia | T: (65) 6381 1838 | angela.poh@hboasia.com

(October 9, 2012) – Global mobile satellite communications services provider Inmarsat and networking giant Cisco have announced the creation of a long-term alliance that will enable Inmarsat to deliver advanced services, from applications to business collaboration and video to multimedia content over Inmarsat’s new, high-throughput satellite broadband network, Global Xpress (GX).

Read more at Advanced Television

Portland, Oregon – October 9, 2012 – Elemental Technologies, the leading supplier of video solutions for multiscreen content delivery, today announced that Media Prima in Malaysia has deployed Elemental Live to ramp its live multiscreen offerings to Internet and mobile users. With this deployment, live events and traditional TV content can now be viewed via Media Prima’s TonTon digital portals. The TonTon multiscreen video portal is a flagship product of Alt Media, Media Prima’s digital communications and broadcasting subsidiary, which presents content in a cinematic environment on personal computers and connected devices such as mobile phones, and soon on gaming and media set-top boxes and Internet TVs.

Media Prima is one of Malaysia’s leading integrated media investment groups and owns four television stations (TV3, 8TV, ntv7 and TV9), three radio stations, three newspapers, outdoor advertising and additional digital media assets. In a nation of 29 million, the company leads new technology in the media landscape. Earlier this summer, Media Prima seized the opportunity to live stream the Euro 2012 soccer championship, the Union of European Football Associations’ entertainment appetizer for the four-year World Cup, using Elemental equipment.

“Our prior experience with other compression products forced us to look with a keen eye towards a next generation multiscreen solution for video delivery to smart phones, tablets, PCs, and other Internet-connect devices,” noted Mohamad Rezwan Khalil Azmi, Head-New Media Operations, MIS. “We chose to partner with Elemental because its innovation, quality, support and pricing were the most favorable in the market given our desire to set our offering apart from all of our competitors.”

In support of the region, Elemental today also announced the opening of its regional sales and support office in Singapore. Local sales and support engineers will provide expert sales, installation and support services for Elemental deployments throughout Southeast Asia.

“Since opening our first offices in Asia earlier this year, we’ve seen a host of companies like Media Prima that are perfectly suited for the ground-breaking technology that Elemental can deliver,” said David Godfrey, Elemental’s VP of sales in the Asia Pacific region. “We are excited to play a critical role in the evolution of multiscreen video delivery in Malaysia and in Asia as a whole.”

Elemental will demonstrate Elemental Live as part of an end-to-end solution for multiscreen video delivery at the CASBAA Convention October 29 – November 1, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt in Hong Kong. At the event, Elemental CEO and co-founder Sam Blackman will participate in a panel on the topic of OTT.

About Elemental

Elemental Technologies is the leading supplier of video solutions for multiscreen content delivery. Founded in 2006 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, the company pioneered the use of graphics processors to power adaptive video streaming over IP networks. Providing unmatched solutions for top media and entertainment companies worldwide, including the BBC, Comcast, Eurosport, HBO and Terra, Elemental helps content programmers and service providers bring video to any screen, anytime – all at once. The company has offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil. To learn more, please visit www.elementaltechnologies.com and follow @elementaltech on Twitter.

Press Contact

Lisa Epstein
Elemental Technologies, Inc.
lisae@elementaltechnologies.com
503.953.4743

October 9, 2012 – Bloomberg Television has become the first international broadcast news in Mongolia.

In partnership with the Trade & Development Bank of Mongolia (TDB), the media group has launched Bloomberg TV Mongolia, covering international business and financial news to the local community.

Read more at Marketing-interactive.com