SINGAPORE, 18 JUNE 2009—The Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) released a statement on Tuesday (June 16) saying that it had made a joint call with the FutureTV partner network for proposals by "Singapore media companies and startups...on innovative services that incorporate greater interactivity and personalisation in the consumption of visual media."
The FutureTV partner network comes out of the eponymous MDA-supported initiative just established by Singapore's leading media and communications companies—MediaCorp, StarHub, PGK Media, ServTouch-ETI, Glocal Media Networks, SingTel, EON Reality and Ufinity—as well as US-based technology powerhouses Motorola and Microsoft. FutureTV partners are working in concert toward the long-term objective of turning the city state into a visual media hub. One that, according to MDA officials, hosts setups capable of aggregating "content from around the region".
Early targets of the FutureTV initiative include the sophisticated delivery of highly interactive and personalised visual media that makes possible "the seamless consumption of rich visual media on multiple screens over the Internet, mobile devices and large format out-of-home displays," the MDA statement said. "Imagine this: a day when you could pre-programme a slate of television programmes beyond the traditional television sets and watch them on virtual space together with your friends from different parts of the world. Or watching an entire movie seamlessly, beginning with the cinema, continuing on your handphone while on the train and then finishing it on your TV set when you reach home."
MDA CEO Dr. Christopher Chia would have us know that that is only the beginning, and that FutureTV is part of the broader Singapore Media Fusion Plan (SMFP). "The FutureTV initiative is one of the key efforts under the SMFP aimed at galvanising the industry to secure a foothold in niche sub-sectors of the emerging new media arena," Dr. Chia said at the time of the Tuesday announcement. "It will be one of the supporting pillars to attain[ing] Singapore's vision of being a trusted global capital for new Asia media."
Reach Everyone
According to MDA officials, the FutureTV partner network has broadcaster MediaCorp and connectivity and communications services provider StarHub as its leading members (referred to as "co-chairmen" in the media statement) and collectively promise "access to global markets, advertisers and partners for promotion needs, payment and infrastructural support."
"In terms of access to customer base, MediaCorp and StarHub combined reaches almost every Singaporean consumer," the MDA statement said. "The partner network aims to cluster up to 100 companies, ranging from start-ups, small and medium enterprises and flagship companies and is encouraging the industry to be part of this network."
Executives from FutureTV members clearly have no doubt about the potential of this latest MDA initiative. "I am personally very excited about the possibilities that the Future TV partner network brings," said MediaCorp's Deputy CEO Shaun Seow. "It holds out the promise of a new television viewing experience that’s more engaging and interactive, delivered either online or via the Next Generation Broadband Network that’s being built. As co-chair of the partner network, MediaCorp hopes to partner local companies in developing applications such as advanced video search, contextual advertising and user interface personalisation. We have a range of media assets and original content for deploying such technologies. Through our media, we also hope to raise awareness of some of these Future TV initiatives, and assist industry players to break into regional markets via another association, called SMART Alliance, formed between MediaCorp and other major ASEAN broadcasters."
StarHub COO and co-chairman of FutureTV, Tan Tong Hai, wants to see participation from more companies. "I would encourage companies with the relevant expertise to step forward to join us in this collaboration to position Singapore as the international hub for aggregating and distributing innovative new media TV content and services worldwide," Tan said. "StarHub will contribute its experience and knowledge in the TV, mobile and online platforms and serve as a test-bed for partner companies to try out 3D programmes, preference-detecting technology and the personalisation of TV across multiple platforms anytime, anywhere."
Under FutureTV, the partner network will test out their applications in Singapore before refining and rolling them out to the rest of the world, the MDA statement said. This should have as one of its primary benefits, the fostering of "grassroots innovation among startups and media companies in Singapore." Another primary benefit: increasingly more powerful, simply more useful, and eminently more valuable applications, services and content for consumers across the globe.
"In this global market, there is a compelling need for industry to collaborate and leverage one another’s capabilities. We are heartened that the major players of the TV sector have come together to provide combined offerings to help support start-up innovation,” said Michael Yap, deputy CEO and executive director of the Interactive Digital Media Program Office hosted by the MDA. “Through this partner network, MDA is better able to marshal its resources to support the collective aspiration of the industry. Singapore consumers can also look forward to more innovative services and enjoy a whole new world of the latest interactive visual media offerings to empower digital work-styles and lifestyles."
Ideas, Ideas, Ideas
Details of the call for proposals by MDA and FutureTV below.
Currently being sought are ideas for: "creating, aggregating, managing, distributing and monetising visual media to anticipate and shape future patterns in the consumption of visual media. The FutureTV partner network expects that this will result in technologies, applications and services that would leverage the core offerings of network’s anchor companies."
The MDA has said that it will be providing the FutureTV partner network with "R&D support, help in matchmaking companies and bringing in demand drivers as well as co-funding of proposals. "
FutureTV and the MDA hope "to solicit exciting ideas to enhance consumers’ experience of visual media, innovate with tools and devices to allow content to be delivered to a variety of access devices, and create a variety of value added services such as media (rather than text-based) search, advertising engines, interactive video, customisable interfaces, and next generation advertising engines. In particular, the [joint call for proposals] also offers Singapore start-ups a jumpstart by collaborating with established players to access bigger markets globally, leveraging the network of user base, marketing channels, promotion tie-ups and sharing of market intelligence offered by the FutureTV Partner Network. " [sic]
Go to www.idm.sg for more information.
