Transmission Methods of the Television Broadcasting

16.01.2023

Contents

With the impact of developing technology and growing fast-consuming culture, the concept of media is changing and getting wider every single day. The number and the market value of digital and streaming media contents is getting higher in accordance with the increase in investments in this field. While digital media platforms are rapidly replacing traditional media and television, Turkey, which is a very good market for the media and entertainment industry, is rapidly adapting to this change.

In 2022, TurkStat measured the Internet usage rate as 85 percent in individuals aged 16-74.[1] Users in Turkey spend an average of 7 hours and 45 minutes on the Internet on any device. 69 million of the population are social media users (about 80.8% of the total population). The high numbers of internet and social media usage brings with it the demand for digital media and streaming platforms and first digital media and streaming platform has been started broadcasting in 2015 in Turkey and others followed. Therefore, this development led to the necessity of taking some legal measurements and making some arrangements in this field by the authorities.

Non-paid monitoring systems, which are supported by technologies such as cable broadcasting and satellite, are being replaced by paid systems. There are many systems that are similar to each other but differ in terms of algorithms or membership systems.


I.   Transmission Methods of the Television Broadcasting[2]

Today the channels and transmission methods of the television broadcast are briefly determined as follows[3];

Free Tv: It is the oldest form of television, which is non-payment, that delivers the broadcast stream to the audience through wired, wireless and other means.

Pay Tv: It is the new generation, pay-per-view systems.

Iptv: It is a system that transmits the content to the viewer via an internet connection, a private network or a device called a “set-top box”. It provides high quality broadcasting and offers paid viewing. It is equipped with features such as stopping, forwarding or rewinding the watch. One of the terms brought by this platform is “catch-up”. It is the name given to the technology of providing opportunities such as forward and rewind by recording the content for a certain period of time.

Web Tv: It is a type of broadcast that offers the opportunity to reach the audience through internet pages and sites and services open to the public. It offers the opportunity to be watched from browser or media programs.

Internet Tv: It is a system that allows the viewer to record the content via the internet and delivers the broadcast to the user through the method known as streaming. Internet infrastructure, speed, bandwidth, devices used in the region are among the factors affecting the quality of the broadcast.

Mobile Tv: It is a system that delivers its content to the user through mobile devices, with the help of operating systems such as iOS, Android, websites or applications.

Smart Tv: It is a system provided by devices that enable data flow over the internet, which also has multimedia features that can benefit from other Free TV and Pay TV platforms by connecting to social media while playing games on the same device.


II.   Digital Media and Digital Broadcasting Platforms

“Digital Media” means any communication media including sound, video, graphics, etc. that operate with the use of any of various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device[4].

“Broadcast Platform” means the display of audio-visual video via traditional broadcast methods namely analogue and digital television.[5] A Digital Broadcasting Platform is an on-demand online digital media content source for TV Shows, movies, and other streaming media.

“OTT” (Over the Top) is the system that enables rapid distribution of cinema and television content over the internet and has already taken the place of traditional distribution technologies and OTT refers to the distribution of content over an internet network without any internet service provider. Therefore, the content distribution models of OTT are determined as “VOD” (Video on Demand) and “EST” (Electronic Sell Through).

  • EST (Electronic Sell Through): This technology, also called DTO (download to own), refers to the system that the viewer can watch at any time by licensing the content indefinitely or for a period of time with the purchase method of the end user, downloading the digital copy of the work to the internet-connected device, hard disk or saving it in a virtual storage.
  • VOD (Video on Demand): VOD is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. Television VOD systems can stream content, either through a traditional set-top box or through remote devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. VOD users can permanently download content to a device such as a computer, digital video recorder or a portable media player for continued viewing. VOD technologies have also created different business models within themselves.
  • “SVOD” (Subscription supported Video on Demand) is video on demand service that allows users to access an entire library of videos for a small recurring fee. This fee may be charged daily, weekly, monthly or annually, depending on the service. Once the users have paid for access to the service, the users can watch as many videos as they want on any device with internet access. SVOD, offers flexible subscription options, creates an ongoing revenue stream, engages your audience and creates loyal subscribers and gives you the ability to publish exclusive content. Examples of SVOD businesses include Netflix, HBO Max and Disney+.
  • “TVOD” (Transactional Video on Demand) is a video on demand service that allows the users to buy content on a pay-per-view basis. It’s basically the opposite of SVOD, in the sense that the users are charged per video or video package rather than gain access to the entire catalog. TVOD can also be known as Pay-Per-View (PPV) and allows the users to release exclusive, timely content, gives freedom to offer single videos, series, or feature films and provides options for videos to be rented or purchased, expanding your audience. Some of the most notable examples of TVOD services are Amazon’s Video Store, Apple iTunes and Sky Box Office.
  • “AVOD” (Advertising supported Video on Demand) is a video on demand service that is offered to the end user free of charge, but optionally, by adding any advertisement to the video, it is possible to earn money from Ad-supported video services. AVOD gives user’s audience the opportunity to watch the content for free, creating a low barrier to entry, doesn't require a cable or satellite subscription, available to a wider audience and provides a scalable revenue solution for very large or growing audiences. The most important player broadcasting AVOD is Youtube.

[1]https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Hanehalki-Bilisim-Teknolojileri-(BT)-Kullanim-Arastirmasi-2022-45587#:~:text=Hanehalk%C4%B1%20bili%C5%9Fim%20teknolojileri%20kullan%C4%B1m%20ara%C5%9Ft%C4%B1rmas%C4%B1,%92%2C0%20olarak%20ger%C3%A7ekle%C5%9Fti

[2] http://nek.istanbul.edu.tr:4444/ekos/TEZ/ET002854.pdf

[3] https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/1806259

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_media, access date: 11.02.2022

[5] https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/broadcast-platforms


Tagged with: Alper Law Office, Onur Alper, Media & Entertainment, Television, Broadcast, Media

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