New Delhi: BES Expo 2023, a three-day international conference and exhibition on broadcasting and media technology, concludes with a vision to create a roadmap for broadcasters to meet the challenges posed by OTT and digital platforms, which are rapidly changing broadcasting . Emphasizing on the need for broadcasters to be future ready, Sunil, Chairman, BES and ADG-Technology, Prasar Bharati, in his welcome address, said that the focus of this year’s BES Expo & Conference was on 5G and OTT, which are growing rapidly. Bringing it from Paradigm shift in broadcasting.
“The next challenge for broadcasters is content. Going from analog to digital has opened up many opportunities. Today consumers are accessing more and more digital content on a daily basis on mobile phones, laptops, desktops and other devices. Broadcasters are recognizing this need to stay in business and a change of pace. This will require changing the business model,” explained Sunil.
Reflecting on content regulation in the digital age, Vikram Sahai, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said that the digital world has allowed interactivity posing a challenge to the sustainability of content.
The government is also planning to launch an OTT platform for Prasar Bharati to increase presence in the fast-changing broadcasting industry. The government also aims to take FM radio to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities this year with more auctions for new FM radio stations.
Apoorva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, in his inaugural address said that Prasar Bharati should have its own OTT platform as it has its own archival content which would offer invaluable content to its viewers.
“To increase its footprint, the government is planning a fresh auction of FM radio stations this year, launching an OTT platform and testing direct-to-mobile television broadcasts. Also working towards auctioning the stations. We hope to take FM radio to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities this year.”
The Information and Broadcasting Secretary said that though there are a large number of FM radio stations, the service is limited to only 60 per cent of the country. “The government has allocated Rs 2,500 crore over a period of four years for the Broadcasting Infrastructure and Network Development (BIND) scheme to widen the reach of Prasar Bharati, including Left Wing Extremism, border and strategic sectors.” He added.
Chairing the session “Innovations in Radio Broadcasting and Community Radio”, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Senthil Rajan spoke about the status of community radio stations in India. He said that 50 community radio stations were set up in the last one year and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting is working with IIMC for best practices.
On the third day of the programme, Mr. Rajaraman, Secretary (Telecom), Ministry of Communications were present. Addressing the gathering of global broadcast engineers, he stressed on the importance of spectrum and mentioned that it being a natural and scarce resource, needs to be used in an efficient manner.
“The technology development fund is 500 crores and we would be happy to support the establishment of community radio stations building. If MIB, MEITY and Ministry of Communications can come together, it is only a question of scale and quantity. Innovation in our country There is a new wave of COVID-19 and we will use it, the government is clearly involved in this and we will be happy to support it,” Mr Rajaraman said.
Ahmad Nadeem, Secretary General (designate) and Director, Technology and Innovation, ABU, Malaysia, giving a presentation on “Cyber Security and Media”, said that due to the pandemic a lot of content has gone online. We are moving towards connected systems and relying on cloud systems, which opens up the possibility of cyber attack. Citing facts, he said that there is a cyber attack every 39 seconds.
BES Expo 2023, being held from 16-18 February at Pragati Maidan, Delhi, saw experts from across the world discuss emerging broadcast technologies and the changes taking place in the sector.
Over 40 national and international exhibitors showcased new and emerging broadcast technologies at BES Expo 2023. The event helps BES fulfill its objective of disseminating knowledge in radio and TV broadcasting among engineers and scientists in India.
Broadcast Engineering Society (India) is the largest society of broadcast engineers in India. Established in 1987 with the objective of disseminating knowledge in radio and TV broadcasting among engineers and scientists in India, the Society encourages education, research and training in broadcast engineering.