MUMBAI: The Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) is leading a delegation of Korean broadcasters to India to host the TV Korea Showcase 2006 and participate at the BES Expo 2006 as a sponsor.
At these two events, KBC will be presenting Korea's best broadcasting content and technology to show where Korea stands today in the field of broadcasting. Korean Broadcasting Commission chairman Noh Sung Dai will head the delegation to lay the foundation for further cooperation between Korea and India.
TV Korea Showcase 2006: Content and Technology
In Mumbai, KBC is hosting the TV Korea Showcase 2006 at the JW Mariott Hotel on 7 February. KBC has gathered four of Korea's terrestrial broadcasters (KBS, MBC, SBS and EBS) and a major program provider (CJ Media) to present their extremely popular content such as dramas.
Korean dramas have gained a wide audience in Asia and beyond. Winter Sonata (KBS) has been one of the most highly rated programs in Japan, while Jewel in the Palace (MBC) has gained tremendous amount of attention in China. Stairway to Heaven (SBS) is another Korean drama that has been successful in Asia. At the Showcase, a variety of Korean content will be presented to the Indian audience providing an opportunity not only to experience Korean broadcasting but also do business on site.
Next to the content Showcase, KBC will present, cutting edge broadcasting technology, Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB). DMB is the next generation broadcasting service provided in Korea. There are two types of DMB, Terrestrial-DMB (T-DMB) and Satellite-DMB (S-DMB). DMB enables the user to use PDAs, laptops, stand-alone receivers and even mobile phones to watch television on the move, anytime, anywhere.
Five broadcasters - KBS, MBC, SBS, YTN DMB and U1 Media - started commercial service for T-DMB from 1 December, 2005. Korea-DMB will launch in early 2006. For S-DMB, TU Media has already launched commercial service in May of 2005 with nearly 370,000 subscribers.
At the Showcase, KBC will be providing real-time broadcast of on site camera shots, live retransmission of one Indian channel as well as recorded content via state of the art mobile phones and many other types of receivers.
BES Expo 2006: Digital Multimedia Broadcasting
In New Delhi, KBC is sponsoring the BES Expo 2006 in cooperation with the Broadcasting Engineering Society of India. A demonstration of both Terrestrial DMB and Satellite Broadcasting will be presented. The exposition will be held from 9 to11 February at the Taj Palace Hotel.
Governmental cooperation and exchange
As an independent government authority in charge of over all broadcasting policy in Korea, KBC is planning to hold official meetings with Indian government counterparts, which includes signing an MOU with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) on 9 February. KBC is also preparing for a meeting with the ministry of information and broadcasting.
Through this visit to India, KBC hopes to lay the foundation for further cooperation and exchange both on a commercial and governmental level. While promoting business opportunities for broadcasters of both countries, KBC also seeks for information and policy exchange in facing the convergence age.
Chairman Noh's visit to India is more significant in that it coincides with the Indian president's visit to Korea. Forecasts of the bilateral relationship shows strengthened ties with the beginning of FTA negotiations this year.
