by Alexandra Wingate
Representatives from across Europe met on Friday to discuss the future of broadcasting at The Scottish Storytelling Centre, when Hybrid TV was launched. The event was attended by broadcasting and media experts, industry professionals as well as professors and media students.
Hybrid TV combines traditional TV broadcasting with other forms of media, particularly the internet. While viewers are watching TV they can also connect to the programme they are watching through their tablets, for example, and interact on an additional level to the viewing experience alone. This would, for example, allow users to take part in discussions linked to the TV programme in real time. This also means that viewers will utilise many forms of media technology all at once to have a new kind of viewing-interaction experience.
Ignasi Guardans, Director of Public Affairs & Member Relations at the European Broadcasting Union, explained that Hybrid TV has developed into more than just a concept. “This isn’t just an idea in science fiction, it really exists. It is being tested now, and the only problem that remains is making sure all of the different media stream at the same rate.
If you’ve ever listened to the radio at the same time as TV, you’ll know that there’s a delay between the two. In order for Hybrid TV to work this delay needs to be removed, with everything happening simultaneously.
In the same way everyone has a mobile phone, soon everyone will have a tablet. That’s the reality; it’s going to happen.”
However, not everyone was confident that such a move would be beneficial. Some thought that it would lead to a cultural divide, as a significant number of households still do not have access to broadband. This is particularly problematic in Scotland, where the proportion of the population with broadband access has reached a plateau, while the rest of the UK continues to see an increase.
Bobby Hain, Managing Director of Broadcasting and Regulatory Affairs at STV said:- “Glasgow has been singled out for scrutiny because the figures are so stark. The chart that sticks in my mind is the 61% penetration as being the plateau, while other parts of the UK have continued to grow.
There’s an economic aspect that goes beyond the provision of television as more public services are routinely expected to be delivered digitally as well as in an analogue or offline manner.”
Donald Campbell, Chief Executive of Gaelic Media Services agreed that this division in broadband access is a problem:- “Government policy on broadband is coming quite late in the day. They’re just realising that broadband is a huge economic driver and catalyst for economic growth. It’s not only about economics – it’s about education. There’s investment being put towards it now, but personally, I don’t think it’s enough.”
It is also a cause for concern at OFCOM Scotland, as Regulatory Affairs Executive Alan Stewart explained:-“The broadband figures for Glasgow were one of the main topics at a recent OFCOM meeting. We had to say at that meeting that we did not have the resources to do more in depth research. We’re very keen to hear from any organisation who might be willing to contribute to a greater understanding of the Glasgow situation in particular.”
The conference “Serving the Citizen:Broadcasting Accountability in an online Europe” was organised by the European Alliance of Listeners’ and Viewers’ Associations in association with Voice of the Listener and Viewer.
