Telecommunication, Technology & Media

Japan - Sony, Samsung wind up LCD joint venture

Source: The Independent, 26 December 2011

Japanese electronics giant Sony has agreed to sell its stake in a joint liquid crystal display panel venture in South Korea to its partner Samsung Electronics, the two companies said Monday. Samsung will acquire all of Sony's stake in S-LCD Corp., making it a wholly owned subsidiary of the Korean company, they said in a statement.

Sony is increasingly relying on other manufacturers for the key TV component as LCD panel prices continue to slide due to a supply glut. The two companies have also agreed to enter into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels. The new deal will help Sony secure a "flexible and steady supply" of LCD panels, based on market prices and without the cost of operating a manufacturing facility, the statement said. Samsung expects "heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations", it said.

South Korea - Koreans embrace social TV

Source: Warc.com, 20 December 2011

Korean consumers are rapidly adapting to new online technologies such as social and mobile TV, in a trend that is reshaping the nation's media landscape. According to a new report from Motorola Mobility, which looked into the video consumption habits of online consumers across 16 markets, the Asian nation shows consistently high engagement levels with new media platforms.

Use of social TV, defined as online applications allowing TV viewers to interact with the content or chat with other viewers, had increased from 31% of Korean respondents in 2010 to 76% this year. Over the same period, the proportion of Koreans that had viewed TV content on a smartphone also rose seven times over. Moreover, South Korea was the only nation in the region in which a majority (71%) preferred to use their mobile phone, rather than a laptop, to watch TV.

India - Indian technology majors brace for a stormy 2012

Source: The Hindu, 28 December 2011

In the Indian IT circles, 2011 will be remembered for its shaky global economy and uncertainties that forced a re-think on business plans. It will also be remembered as a year of top deck recast in large companies such as Wipro and Infosys.

Industry watchers, across the board, concede that the coming year will continue to be difficult for tech service vendors, as deteriorating macro-environment casts a cloud on decision-making cycles and business volumes.  “Between this year and the next, it is definitely 2012 which is more challenging. If the global macro-economic environment does not improve, everything goes for a toss,” says Mr Sanjeev Hota, Associate Vice-President - Institutional Equities at Sharekhan.

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