It seems that such occasions occur all too frequently in the lives of nine-to-five office workers, but according to HoChen Tan, chairman of Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd., headaches like these may soon be a thing of the past.
Speaking at the Summit Forum: The Future of TV & Film Industry in Asia, held Nov. 23 at the Taipei International Convention Center, HoChen discussed the future of the broadcast and film industry--and in particular--the looming TV revolution. The host of the forum Louis Chen, also chairman of Taiwan Broadcasting System, said digital technology has developed at breakneck speed in recent years, spurred on partly by the advent of internationally popular TV programs. "The improvement of technology brings infinite potential and innovation to this industry," he said.
Chen believes that advancements such as Internet protocol television, high-definition television and mobile television have created a glut of opportunities for the broadcast and film industries. He said this would be the main topic of discussion at the forum addressed by industry heavyweights HoChen, Choi Young-ho, executive vice president of the Korea Cultural & Content Agency's strategic planning division in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and Lee Yuan, general manager of Chinese Television System.
Drawing on his experiences as the executive overseeing the relaunch of Chunghwa's multimedia-on-demand fiber network, HoChen captured the attention of audience members by outlining a promising future for the TV industry based on innovative technologies in telecom service. For business users, open platforms such as MOD mean they can stay abreast of the latest market news and developments via the mobile office. This freedom also delivers cost benefits by enabling employees to work at home, minimizing paper waste and time lost through commuting. Domestic users can also use TV to access their home security system as well as a variety of entertainment packages including films and interactive gaming channels.
According to HoChen, Chunghwa aims to provide user-friendly interfaces that stress interaction. Service operators can then strengthen the content, combining video and non-video options to establish a cross-platform synergy service. As an example of this, he cited the virtual polling station used in the hit program "One Million Star," where a group of young people aged from 5 to 35 go head-to-head in the singing and performance stakes. The audience votes for their favorite contestant with the results analyzed by the production team. HoChen also suggested that operators could take advantage of the baseball mania craze by including a service promoting and selling sports lottery tickets since the appeal of baseball players is usually widespread and enjoys long-term popularity.
"The demand for multimedia is also on the increase," HoChen said. "People want to watch the major-league baseball, sing karaoke, play games and do their banking online at home all while watching TV."
Chen shared HoChen's view and joked that it could even be a good idea to install multimedia on demand in restaurants and department stores to stop people from staying home and ceasing to contribute to economic growth.
South Korea's Choi spoke in glowing terms about the development of the broadcast and film industry in his country. Many companies had merged their content and made it available in a search engine, like Google. Major enterprises in the music, film and online-game industries have been encouraged to integrate into large-scale entertainment firms. For example, he said that South Korean cable TV operator Skylife's use of the IPTV platform provides an enhanced service in terms of images and music. Successful business models also included the transformation from two-dimensional animation to three-dimensional animation.
This transformation using cultural technology that allows anime characters to live anew on the silver or big screens has extended their reach to new audiences and in the process, furthered the country of origin's cultural appeal.
Choi agreed with HoChen on the future of the broadcast and film industry, describing the present situation as an age of convergence. "In the early 1990s, TV and wireless services made up the bulk of consumer requests," he said. "But these days, it is the multiple platform of broadband, cable TV and satellite TV that is in demand."
In a move that took advantage of this new marketplace reality, Choi said that the KOCCA set about promoting the cultural aspect of South Korea through developing innovative programs that showcase the country's rich--but relatively unknown--history.
Chen said the KOCCA's efforts fostered an environment where it was possible to create content that serves as a vehicle for South Korea's traditional cultural heritage. "This is why TV programs based on the country's dynastic periods, such as 'Jewel in the Palace,' 'Hwang Jin Yi' and 'The Four Guardian Gods of the King' have become big hits with Asian viewers in recent years," he said.
In 2001, the South Korean government created the KOCCA, tasking it with revitalizing the nation's moribund TV and film exports. This goal was achieved through a combination of strategic partnerships with foreign media distribution companies, international exchanges and programming forums held in Europe, America and Asia.
According to Chen, the organization's policy researchers and managers worked closely with the South Korean government, particularly in the area of media content to deliver the nation's culture to the world market. "It really is a model worth emulating," he added.
CTS's Lee continued the discussion on history and culture in media production. He divided Taiwan's development into several stages from the Japanese colonial period and authoritarian domination under the Kuomintang, to the intrusion of American subculture and the freedom of the press after 1987.
Explaining that Taiwan's changing social structure had a dramatic impact on film and TV production, Lee said that local voices were now making themselves heard in the industry. He pointed out that independent filmmakers produced around 200 movies, supplying the Asian markets in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In addition, the content shifted from history to social issues, exposing problems such as the widening gap between rich and poor. This swift expansion in the media business, however, has had some drawbacks. Lee said training programs have not kept pace with the increasing number of media workers, so the compatibility and quality of the industry's manpower were of concern.
Noting that the next step for Taiwan's new media industry needs professional experts and multiple platforms, Lee said, "We can shape Taiwan into a hub of innovative culture and history," referring to the structural changes occurring in the Asian broadcast and film industry.
HoChen agreed with Lee, and believes that with the onset of globalization, the strengths of different societies should be valued and respected. "If we start with this belief, the authorities responsible can then launch regional cooperation programs to strive for diverse and high-quality content," he said.
Write to Sandra Shih at sandrashih@mail.gio.gov.tw