Brittney Marie: Digital Television in Developing Countries? Reflections from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Asia-Pacific Conference in Tonga

Digital Television in Developing Countries? Reflections from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Asia-Pacific Conference in Tonga

Posted by Brittney Marie Cadott |

Scholarly Article 1

Back in February 2009, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association held its Asia-Pacific Regional Conference. The CBA organized their conference on the main island of Tonga called Tongatapu.

Conference Center in Tongataptu, Tonga.

The conference delegates were drawn from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Brunei, and Taiwan, as well as the Pacific Island nations of Fiji, Papua-New Guinea, the Cook Islands, the Solomon Islands, Samoa, Vanuatu and Kiribati (Starks, 1). The agenda for this conference involved Digital Television along with regulatory and technical planning. Australia and New Zealand had the most experience with launching Digital Television. Their strategy faced challenges on the way, and eventually will lead to an Analog shut off. The purpose of this conference was to consider the relevance of Digital Television in the smaller, less developed countries. At the start, they voiced that these smaller, less developed countries should wait a decade or two. However, Fujian government stated that they already put this transition into the works along with South Africa.

Arguments against such as development priorities had been brought up. On the other hand, since the larger countries will be fulling switch to digital, analog equipment will be extinct. If leapfrogging, by the spread of mobile phone with limited landline networks, is being use now in these countries, you can enhance the television with an all-digital design. Unemployment rates would go down, even if the switch off is a decade away, there is areas for work in the preparation, such as spectrum planning.

Indeed, on this last point, Rick Ellis, Chief Executive of TVNZ, having described New Zealand’s own plans for digital switchover, stated:

Whilst the transition to digital in the Pacific Islands is likely to be some years out, I believe it would be strategically beneficial for the Pacific Forum of Leaders to consider establishing a working group to agree a common pan-Pacific approach to digital transition and standards, so that the Pacific can reap the benefits of standardization and economies of scale. Some sort of harmonization with Australia and New Zealand would also make sense, so that technical support, equipment supply etc. can continue to be provided in the same way that TVNZ has supported the analogue services in the Pacific over the past several years. (Starks, 1)

The Apple iPad official commercial 2010-launched during the Oscars

According to an article written for New Zealand PCWorld Magazine, Australia has a set launch date for when they get the Apple iPad. Late April, is now the new delivery date, a full month later than expected. New Zealand does not have a confirmed delivery date yet.

Being that both Australia and New Zealand are a part of the CBA, these other countries are capable to get on the same level with technology. Yes, it might take them a little longer than the rest of us, but they will get there.

This in relation to my group's webisode, shows that portable media is spreading quickly all over the world, as well as into less developed countries. Even though the conference was only a year ago, look how far Australia and New Zealand had come. They have the technology to support the Apple iPad in which they will have in their hands this year.

From the Ferguson and Eastman's Media Programming textbook, It states that expanded international distribution has become the primary means of growth for cable and satellite programmers. Hundreds of millions in such countries as China and India are potential subscribers in which creates a more powerful lure for the United States cable program suppliers. Increasing access to these potentials in once-inaccessible countries helps fuel the first run of these new types of niche services. This in relation with the hopes to amateurs who dream a world market of substantial size to go with their programming. (Chapter 9, page 331)

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Digital Television in Developing Countries? Reflections from the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Asia-Pacific Conference in Tonga *Scholarly Article from the International Journal of Digital Television written by Michael Starks ,2010.