YTL Communications announced that it has entered into a collaboration with RTM and Primeworks.
Press Release from YTL Communications below:
KUALA Lumpur, Malaysia — November 15, 2010 — Continuing the strong momentum to launch a next generation TV service by the end of 2011, YTL Communications Sdn Bhd today signed agreements with RTM and Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd of the Media Prima Group to collaborate and further enhance the local television experience and propel Malaysia into a regional, digital broadcast hub.
RTM is a Malaysian state-owned public broadcaster and Primeworks Studios is Malaysia’s biggest production company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Media Prima Group, Malaysia’s leading integrated media investment group.
YTL’s next generation TV service is the most advanced, digital TV service that seamlessly integrates traditional television and Internet content, while automatically recording and organizing the customer’s favourite shows. This is a continuation of YTL’s journey to bring Malaysians into a true digital era that will start with the launch of its Yes 4G Mobile Internet with Voice service, on November 19. Based on this leading-edge 4G mobile Internet architecture, YTL’s Yes service will bring together the world of mobile Internet and voice communications at the launch.
This network will grow into a fully wireless quad-play service by 2011. This will effectively give users mobile broadband, mobile voice, home TV and mobile TV all in one account.Under the agreements signed today, YTL Communications will work towards hosting RTM’s and Media Prima Group’s channels and their existing quality local content on its next generation TV service. The partners will also undertake to jointly create new productions for local and regional broadcast.
“With YTL’s next generation TV service, we are accelerating the Government’s plan to digitize broadcast by 2015. This certainly bodes well for our local content industry, as it will spur digital media creation called for by the domestic and regional demand”, said Datuk Ibrahim Yahaya, Director General of RTM.
“Together, we are making Malaysia the regional hub for digital media and content. I’m positive that through our existing content and the new productions that we will be making together, we will grow to serve a market that is beyond the 28 million people of this country and reach to the billions across Asia Pacific”, said Dato’ Amrin Awaluddin, Director of Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd and Group MD Media Prima Berhad.
“I am very pleased with this collaboration and I thank both RTM and Media Prima Group for their support of YTL’s efforts to make Malaysia a fully converged wireless quad-play country. This will cement our position as the world’s most advanced wireless country”, said Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) Francis Yeoh, Executive Chairman of YTL Communications Sdn Bhd. “With this collaboration, content and technology are coming together to encourage those who have never felt the need to embrace broadband, to now do so. We are working side by side to provide quality content and make it relevant to all Malaysians to adopt broadband at a faster rate. This is what a true nation building exercise is all about”.
YTL’s next generation TV service will enable content providers to deliver new and innovative services to their stakeholders and customers. This is the foundation of an advanced two-sided business model, where a next generation TV network serves as a distribution platform for content as well as new application services. Such capability will unlock many new business opportunities and drive economic growth.
This collaboration between YTL Communications, RTM and Media Prima Group will create a vibrant and healthy ecosystem of content services, which will drive the growth of high skilled, high-income jobs, in line with government’s drive towards high-income economy, anchored in innovation.
