Desmond Chan, General Manager, TVBI Company Limited; Lam Kwai Hing, Chief Operating Officer, MyTV Super Limited; Rex Ching, Head of Technical Engineering, TVB New Media (Hong Kong)
What's the biggest technology challenge you face in adding (or boosting) your online and/or streaming video elements?
"In 2016, TVB launched its OTT services, myTV Super and TVB Anywhere, in Hong Kong and overseas. myTV Super offers more than 55 channels and 68,000 hours of video-on-demand programmes via set-top box, mobile phone, tablet and computer. The service has succeeded in garnering over 7.7 million users (June 2019), making it the largest and leading OTT platform in Hong Kong. TVB Anywhere, the only legitimate OTT platform showing TVB programmes overseas, provides live channels and content-rich on-demand services in more than 200 countries and regions, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Europe. The biggest technology challenge is how to generate personalised manual or auto editorials. Without such technology, end users will not be able to discover effectively their desired content."
Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical difference to the way you operate? What is it?
"Both myTV Super and TVB Anywhere offer a wide array of programmes subtitled and dubbed in local languages. Automatic subtitling and dubbing for different languages are essential to us."
What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say or offer) for you that they aren't doing now?
"We hope there will be a standardised stream video measurement for rating, reporting and monitoring."
What's at the top of your tech wish list for 2019?
"Machine learning engines for operation, monitoring and editorials automation that bring continuous improvement will be at the top of our tech wish list."
Note: TVB New Media Group Limited is a fully-owned subsidiary of TVB responsible for supporting all the technology and engineering of myTV Super and Big Big Channel
Published in ContentAsia Issue Six 2019, 4 November 2019