Report from the 55th ABU General Assembly and Associate Meetings in Ashgabat

How Broadcasters Are to Address Media Diversity in the Digital Age

Abstract

The Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) annually holds the General Assembly and Associate Meetings in autumn, where heads of member broadcasters and persons responsible for each division gather together to discuss and report on the theme of the year. The 2018 Assembly was held in Ashgabat, a capital city of Turkmenistan in Central Asia. Nearly 500 people from about 50 countries and regions participated, and debated under the theme of “Thriving in the New Media Era: Broadcasting for Diverse Audiences” to seek how to address not only the generation and value gaps among audiences but also the diversity of ever-emerging new digital media. While there were reports on innovative approaches utilizing digital technology, there also was a heightened interest in co-productions that would enable member broadcasters share programs produced in Asian and Pacific area as well as know-how of the production by taking advantage of ABU’s network. NHK President Ryoichi Ueda, who was chosen as a new President of ABU at the General Assembly, stated, “We are seeing the emergence of new media brought about by the digitalization of broadcasting and widespread use of the internet. While they can be perceived as new rivals, they are also new partners that can connect us to ever-larger audiences. We in the broadcast media will not be able to survive unless we adapt to this change in the environment and evolve.” NHK will host the General Assembly next year, which will be held in November in Tokyo. The author strongly felt that it would be indispensable to further discuss the roles and missions of public service broadcaster more deeply.