Is television evolving into a more authentic interactive medium?

Revision of Guidelines Concerning the Protection of Personal Information of Broadcast Recipients

In May 2017, the "Act on the Protection of Personal Information" was amended. Within the broadcasting sector, the "Guidelines on Personal Information of Broadcast Recipients" were also revised, clarifying procedures for handling and utilizing viewing history data.

When BS digital broadcasting began, there were movements to enclose viewers as members, and also movements to dissolve such efforts due to the risks of holding personal information as membership lists. However, it can be seen that the course has now been set anew towards utilizing individual viewing behavior for business purposes.

However, for broadcasters, there are likely to be many uncertainties, such as the need for prior viewer consent or the use of anonymized processed information to circumvent this requirement. At the very least, free advertising-supported broadcasting, which has traditionally been a medium targeting "unspecified masses," will likely see increasing opportunities and demands to engage with "individual viewers."

Increased Entry into Platform Business

2017 saw a noticeable trend of broadcasters creating new platforms. JOCDN, established in 2016 by IIJ and Nippon TV, conducted a third-party allotment of new shares in April 2017, accepting Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya-based stations as participants. In May, the establishment of Premium Platform Japan (PPJ) was announced, funded by TBS, Nikkei Inc., TV Tokyo, WOWOW, Dentsu Inc., and Hakuhodo DY Media Partners.

JOCDN is a CDN (a delivery network optimized for content distribution), thus representing the distribution infrastructure itself. PPJ, on the other hand, is interpreted as a distribution service brand. However, considering the current reality where distribution ≈ platforms often hold pricing power, it seems likely that the actual business scope of both will gradually shift from their initial assumptions.

Regardless, it appears a trend is emerging where broadcasting, often criticized as a one-way medium, will accelerate trials as an interactive medium by directly engaging in the communications and billing domains.

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This article is edited based on Video Research Ltd.'s VR Digest published in December 2017.