News Broadcasting
Japan launches digital TV broadcasts for mobile phones
MUMBAI: After South Korea, Japan has become the second Asian power to launch free-to-air digital TV for mobile phones through terrestrial digital broadcast system.
Digital TV broadcasts for mobile phones equipped with special receivers began in Japan’s major urban areas on Saturday, following several months of test broadcasts.
But the new service in Japan, which is free, will potentially reach the broadest market yet through the country’s terrestrial digital broadcast system, which relays images through the air via TV towers, not satellites.
It also uses broadcasting air waves, rather than an Internet connection, to relay streaming video.
Although South Korea has offered the service since the end of last year, Japan is a frontrunner in the new technology, popularly known as ‘One Seg,’ after ‘One Segment.’
One Seg takes its name from the one frequency segment out of 13 allocated to terrestrial digital broadcasting that is reserved for mobile phones.
Users with a TV tuner-equipped cell phones, car navigation systems and portable game players will be able to watch the broadcasts free of charge.
If one considers how embedded mobiles are in Japanese life, the service has the potential to be the biggest of its kind in the world, by reaching more subscribers than in any other country.
Handsets have been on the market in Japan for several weeks that are equipped with the service, which can also broadcast programmes onto laptop computers, high-end video-game machines and other terminals.
Mobile operators have lined up agreements with television networks to develop the service. NTT DoCoMo has tied up with Nippon Television and Fuji Television. DoCoMo’s main rival, KDDI, has forged a partnership with TV Asahi.
Kazunori Higuchi, a spokesman for NTT, describing how the service works, was quoted in Japan Times as saying: “A viewer is watching a drama and decides she likes the dress the lead actress is wearing. At the bottom of the screen is a link to an online shopping mall. She clicks on the link and buys the dress. Or maybe she just likes the show’s catchy theme song and downloads a ring tone of the opening bars.”
One major drawback that may hold back the penetration of the service in Japan though, is that handsets with tuners are still scarce and expensive.
Japan has 90 million mobile phone users who already play video games, download music files, exchange e-mail, read news, trade stocks, store digital photos and surf the Web.
News Broadcasting
BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in biggest overhaul in 15 years
Cost pressures and leadership change drive major workforce reduction plan
LONDON: BBC has unveiled plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce, in what marks its biggest downsizing in 15 years.
The announcement was made during an all-staff meeting led by interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, as the broadcaster moves to tackle mounting financial pressures and reshape its operations.
Between 1,800 and 2,000 roles are expected to be eliminated from a workforce of around 21,500. The cuts form part of a broader plan to save £500 million over the next two years, aimed at offsetting rising costs, stagnating licence fee income and weaker commercial revenues.
In a communication to staff, BBC interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said, “I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” acknowledging the impact the move would have across the organisation.
The restructuring comes at a time of leadership transition. Former director-general Tim Davie stepped down earlier this month, with Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, set to take over the role on May 18, 2026.
While some cost-cutting measures are being implemented immediately, the majority of the structural changes are expected to roll out over the next few years, with full savings targeted by the 2027–2028 financial year.
The broadcaster had earlier signalled its intent to reduce its cost base by around 10 per cent over a three-year period, warning of “difficult choices” as it adapts to shifting economic realities and audience expectations.
With operating costs hovering around £6 billion annually, the BBC’s latest move underscores the scale of the financial challenge it faces, as it balances public service commitments with the need for long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
