ITV

Tag: SK Telecom

  • Something Special announces five new formats for Mipcom

    Something Special announces five new formats for Mipcom

    Mumbai: Something Special’s president Jin Woo Hwang has announced the company’s new slate for Mipcom, featuring five formats: Unforgettable Duet, a series about music, family, and memories; Penthouse Game, a reality game show for individuals facing financial challenges; Hit-and-Miss Tour, a celebrity comedian travel show; I Am Single, Korea’s top-rated dating reality show; and the company’s first scripted drama, Who is She! They will also highlight the celebrity game show Battle in the Box. Something Special will be at the KOCCA pavilion (R7.E1, R7.E2) and present at KOCCA’s showcase on 22 Oct at 3:30 pm in Auditorium K.

    Unforgettable Duet: This emotional unscripted series follows dementia patients whose families collect mementos and a favorite song to help them recall lost memories. Participants travel on a “Memory Bus” filled with personal items, triggering forgotten life moments. The journey culminates in a studio duet performance by the patient and a family member, followed by a tribute from a popular singer. Created by Eun-seol Mo (Culinary Class War) and co-produced with Studio Rudolph.

    Penthouse Game: An experimental reality game show where contestants facing financial challenges compete for a cash prize. They use gold tokens to move around a penthouse with an elevator at the center. The show features three hosts with key roles. Originally aired on Channel A and local streamer WAVVE.

    Hit-and-Miss Tour: A comedy travel show featuring five comedians who’ve been friends for 20 years. They take on six to eight mini-challenges per day, with the loser footing the bill. The format has completed over 210 mini-games and is sponsored by tourism boards like those of Turkey and Greece. It was the top-rated show on Channel S (owned by SK Telecom) and produced by Media S.

    I Am Single: A hyper-realistic dating reality show where 12 singles seeking marriage spend six days together to find their partner. Participants use nicknames and cannot reveal their real identities during their stay. The show is a top-rated dating series in Korea, airing on ENA and SBS Plus, and streaming on five platforms. Created by Chonjang Entertainment.

    Who is She!: A scripted drama adaptation of the hit film Miss Granny, about a 70-year-old woman who is magically transformed into her 20-year-old self after having her picture taken. With a second chance at youth, she pursues her dream of becoming a singer. Produced by Studio V+ and Idea Factory, the series will premiere on KBS2 in December 2024.

    Battle in the Box: A celebrity game show where two teams live in an empty box divided by a movable wall, armed only with a toothbrush for 24 hours. Teams win more space and luxuries by completing challenges, but as one team gains space, the other loses it. Interstellar recently acquired the US rights, after producing the U.K. version hosted by Jimmy Carr on U&Dave TV. Created by Nmedia, the show originally aired on MBN in Korea.

    Hwang stated: “Something Special is honored to bring the very special Unforgettable Duet format which premiered in Korea last month on MBN in primetime and was the number one show on the channel that night; as well as two fun formats are The Penthouse Game, and celebrity comedian travel format Hit or Miss. We also will present our first scripted drama format Timeless Time and our popular, hilarious, and precarious celebrity format, Battle in the Box which premiered this past July in the UK on BBC’s U&Dave TV and is now optioned in the US by Interstellar, producer of the UK version. Our Korean formats are ready to hit the rest of the world.”

  • Airtel forges partnership with Korean mobile broadband co SK Telecom

    Airtel forges partnership with Korean mobile broadband co SK Telecom

    MUMBAI: India’s largest telecommunications services provider Airtel will partner Korea’s SK Telecom to potentially create the country’s finest telecom network and leapfrog into being a next-gen future-ready telco.

    The partnership will work across several areas including developing bespoke software to dramatically improve network experience, leveraging advanced digital tools including machine learning, big data and building customised tools to improve network planning based on every customer’s device experience. The capacity to identify, monitor and deliver improvements to the network experience on an individual device basis will be a first in India, helped by SK Telecom’s global leadership in this area.

    The two companies will also collaborate on an on-going basis to evolve standards for 5G, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), Software-defined Networking (SDN) and Internet of Things (loT), and jointly work towards building an enabling ecosystem for the introduction of these technologies in the Indian context.

    Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said, “This partnership will bring an improved experience to Airtel customers in India by leveraging the expertise of a company that has built one of the best mobile broadband networks in the world.”

    “We will work closely with Bharti to achieve new network innovations so as to deliver a greater value to Bharti’s customers,” SK Telecom president and CEO Park Jung-ho.

  • 5G TV may rival cable, satellite & IPTV: Report

    5G TV may rival cable, satellite & IPTV: Report

    MUMBAI: TV and video delivery is likely to become a core capability of next generation 5G wireless services, concludes a new report from Strategy Analytics. Recent demonstrations have suggested that 5G will support 1Gbps data throughput rates. Combining 5G with other networking enhancements and technologies would allow operators to support TV-equivalent services which could eat into the $500Bn global TV and video market currently served by cable, satellite, IPTV and terrestrial broadcast service providers.

    Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies.

    “Data rates get the headlines, but other network technologies will also make or break the business case for 5G TV services,” says Service Provider Analysis director Sue Rudd. “The efficiency of the end-to-end network will determine whether 5G TV is possible, but we have seen enough from early demonstrations by operators like Verizon, Deutsche Telekom, SK Telecom, AT&T and BT to suggest that it will arrive sooner or later in many parts of the world.”

    The report points out that the number of households and devices supported by a 5G TV service within any cell will make or break the 5G TV business case. The number of termination locations can be increased by a factor of three or more by deploying several network enhancements that deliver ‘trunking’ efficiency in the Radio Access Network (RAN). These include MIMO and beamforming for optimal spectrum use, virtualization of cell sites, dynamic throughput over backhaul networks and network slicing to guarantee data rates to the household.

    “Television is already being transformed by new digital services like Netflix and Amazon,” notes Michael Goodman, Director, TV and Media Strategies. “The arrival of 5G TV wireless services could herald another wave of TV disruption through the 2020s and beyond.”

    “The emergence of 5G TV would represent a further stage in the convergence of media and communications, and wireless and fixed services,” says David Mercer, VP and Principal Analyst. “It would also raise important questions relating to the roles of different ecosystem players and the future structure of the media value chain.”

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  • Echostar buys a stake in South Korea’s TU Media

    Echostar buys a stake in South Korea’s TU Media

    MUMBAI: US satellite service provider Echostar has become the second-largest shareholder in South Korea’s TU Media.

    It operates a satellite digital mobile broadcasting (S-DMB) service.

    TU Media has raised $74.7 million.

    The company said that its largest shareholder, SK Telecom, and Echostar purchased 9.95 million new shares of TU Media to raise the company’s capital to 288.2 billion won.

    TU Media said that the partnership with Echostar would help accelerate its efforts to make inroads in overseas markets.

    In 2005, TU Media started the S-DMB service. This allows users to watch TV on a mobile device.

    The company cliams to have attracted more than 1 million subscribers for the fee-based mobile broadcasting service since its launch. It aims to raise the number to two million this year.

  • China to have over 32 million mobile video users in 2008

    China to have over 32 million mobile video users in 2008

    MUMBAI: The mobile video market in China will take off in 2008, driven by interest in the Beijing Olympics.

    A new study from ABI Research published out of Singapore forecasts total mobile video users at more than 32 million in 2008. About 27 per cent of these consumers will use broadcasting technology, and 73 per cent will use unicast streaming technology, while a number of viewers are likely to use both.

    In 2006, SARFT, the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, announced two handset-related standards. DAB is likely to be the first phase of mobile multimedia broadcasting standards development in China. DAB paves the way for upgrading to China’s proposed mobile multimedia broadcasting standard, T-DMB, a terrestrial implementation of SK Telecom’s mobile video format.

    Because both standards are voluntary, there are questions surrounding their effect in the market. “It is likely that local media groups and TV stations will deploy DAB initially, and implement T-DMB at a later date,” 3g.co.uk quotes ABI research director Jake Saunders as saying. “The Chinese government will give preference to a standard that will be used in the 2008 Olympics, and DAB has been listed as one of the broadcast services that will be available at the Beijing Games.”

    “Although lack of content is still deemed to be a bottleneck for mobile video in mainland China, the problem will be solved in the next two years,” adds Saunders. “The current content shortage is caused by the limited number of handset TV SP licenses. When more companies obtain licenses, competition will become the lubricant to drive up the market.”

    Meanwhile in Hong Kong, mobile operators are active in mobile video streaming. Their international operations backgrounds allow them to provide diversified content to users.

    PCCW’s experience in operating its IPTV business will boost its performance in the 3G market. ABI Research forecasts approximately 715,000 mobile video users in Hong Kong in 2008, of which 99 per cent will be streaming users. In Taiwan, ABI Research forecasts that there will be over 1.5 million mobile video users in 2008, with 97 per cent receiving content via streaming.

    “Mobile Video in China” analyzes the mobile video market in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. It lists the streaming mobile services offered by mobile operators in the three areas, discusses the regulatory environment in mainland China, and charts the directions that will be taken by mobile video development based on different technologies.

  • HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    HBO launches mobile Vod service in Korea

    MUMBAI: HBO has announced a deal with telecommunications company SK Telecom for a mobile video on demand service in Korea. The service launched a few days ago.

    The mobile service features full episodes from HBO’s series Sex and the City, Six Feet Under and Curb Your Enthusiasm. SK Telecom is supporting the launch by offering a free one month trial period to 21 January, making four episodes of both Sex and the City and Six Feet Under available during that time.

    HBO International senior VP Stanley Fertig says, ” With one of the most advanced mobile networks on earth, SK Telecom is a leader in providing on-demand mobile entertainment to its subscribers. This deal is also an example of the many opportunities HBO is finding around the world as digital technology advances in the international marketplace.”

  • Pan Asian Mobile TV consortium formed

    Pan Asian Mobile TV consortium formed

    MUMBAI: SK Telecom, TOSHIBA , Glocal Media, and International Mobile Broadcasting Pte. Ltd. have announced the formation of the Pan Asian Mobile TV consortium to enable digital multimedia broadcasting for mobile operators in the region.

    Trials are set to begin in early 2007 with leading mobile operators in Asia, asserts an official release.

    Masashi Suenaga TOSHIBA said, “The vision will bring a new era of Broadcasting in the Asia region. People can enjoy informative, educational and entertaining live contents from all over the world anytime and anywhere with cell phone most cost effectively by adopting S-DMB system that was commercially proven in Japan and Korea.”

    SK Telecom vice president J.H. Kah said, “The Pan Asian Mobile TV initiative will open a window of opportunity for the mass in the Asia Pacific region to enjoy a buffet of global contents ubiquitously through their mobile handset. This multilateral, cross-cultural initiative will exemplify the vision of a united Asia.”

    Project leader Tom Navasero added, “The Pan Asian Mobile TV consortium is the region’s first enabler for a regional mobileTV service. The initiative will contribute to the public by providing mobile learning, and disaster prevention media. Pan Asian Mobile TV will be able to contribute to the mutual understanding and the unification of this region through content reciprocity.”

    Glocal Media CEO Dennis Young said, “Glocal Media is very excited to be the content partner in this mobileTV consortium, we believe strongly that mobileTV is the next big thing and Asia is the place to do it. It offers us content owners a new distribution path to reach our customers and at the same time an opportunity to develop brand new forms of content that will be specific to mobileTV.”

    SK Telecom is Korea based mobile communications company with more than 20 million subscribers. Toshiba deals in digital multimedia broadcasting and is the founder of MBCO (Mobile Broadcasting Company in Japan). Glocal Media is a content aggregator. International Mobile Broadcasting is the holder of Asian mobile TV licenses and spectrum.