ABUGA 2014: ABU members offered hundreds of free programs

ABU members are being offered free up to 1,600 TV programs in international version by the Japanese broadcasting development organisation JAMCO.

The offer was announced at a meeting of the ABU Programme Committee in Macau, China. The programs are on traditional culture, education, drama and children’s programs as well as popular disaster prevention programs such as Kids Survival School and Listen to the Earth.  All are available in English with some in Spanish and French.

Mr Akira Murakami, Executive Managing Director of the Japan Media Communication Centre (JAMCO), made the offer at the ABU meeting, one of many in the run-up to the Union’s General Assembly in the Special Administrative Region on 27-28 October 2014.

JAMCO is a non-profit organisation established in 1991 to promote international mutual understanding and to contribute to the development of broadcasting around the world. Originally created with funds from Japanese public broadcaster and ABU member NHK and commercial TV broadcasters in Japan, its main activity is to expand and maintain a library of the Japanese TV programs that can be provided free-of-charge to TV stations in developing countries.

Programs are acquired from NHK and commercial broadcasters, to be reproduced in English, Spanish and French versions as well as music and effects versions available for language localisation.

Mr Murakami said that for more than 23 years, JAMCO had accumulated 1,577 high-quality Japanese programs in international versions including documentaries, educational programs, children’s programs and drama. A total of program loans have so far been provided to TV stations in Asia, Oceania, Latin America, East Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

For the full catalogue, ABU members can visit the JAMCO site.