Vietnam unveils vision for Asean-friendly TV
Play
Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has on called on local broadcasters to innovate, create, and integrate with the rest of the region to meet the increasing demands of the public in the new era.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 50th General Assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) in Hanoi on Monday, Dung said the boom in information technology had allowed viewers more freedom but also posed major challenges to the industry.
“I believe this meeting, which focuses on serving viewers, will allow policymakers and experts to develop better co-operative solutions and contribute to the maintenance of security and peace in the region,” he said.
The annual ABU General Assembly meeting attracted representatives from 150 broadcasting stations from 54 countries and territories. Members of ABU cover about 3.5 billion viewers worldwide.
Tran Binh Minh, president of VTV, said broadcasters have to adapt to fast-changing tastes and provide more interactive programmes, especially for young people who rely heavily on the Internet and social networks.
But experts cautioned Asia-Pacific broadcasters to balance new technol-ogies against the needs of different audiences so viewers not connected to the digital world were not left out.
Nguyen Thi Kim Hoa of Vietnam’s state-owned VTV broadcaster said creativity and quality content were effective tools to be used to reach audiences, and also stressed the value of local services. such as Vietnam’s commune radio programme, set up by central and local governments to reach people in rural areas.
Under a national plan, Vietnam’s television stations are set to switch to 100-per-cent digital broadcasting by 2020.
VTV and Voice of Vietnam are members of ABU, which was established in 1964.
