I

n the age of high-definition screens and crystal-clear sound, televisions are multiplying, shaping themselves to suit the personalized tastes of their viewers.

A small group of Indonesians, who were having their pre-dawn meal in a fast food restaurant in downtown Seoul, South Korea, was quiet until one of their friends showed up with a new hat.

One of them quickly commented on how his friend looked like Pak Tino Sidin in the classic cap. Tino was a painting and drawing guru, who hosted a program called Gemar Menggambar (Fond of Drawing) that was aired by state broadcaster Television of Republic Indonesia (TVRI) in the 1980s.   

“I remember Pak Tino always said ‘good’ to any kind of drawing. Television programs nowadays barely feature such a strong figure,” said Andi Soesmono, a ministry official who was among the group.

Soon, the group was involved in warm conversation, digging through their memories to recall other old programs, including the soundtracks and theme songs that accompanied the programs.   

People who were born before the 1990s mostly have a strong collection of memories about TVRI. Some of the programs included puppet show series Si Unyil, quiz show Berpacu Dalam Melodi (Racing in Melody) and music program Aneka Ria Safari.

In the old days, viewers were quite happy just to have TVRI — monochromatic in its first years — watching everything it put on air. Established in 1962 to welcome the Asian Games in Jakarta, the state broadcaster only had state radio RRI as its competitor, which more or less offered similar music and news programming. Everything seemed memorable and easy to remember because there were not many options to choose from.

Today, people flock to 3D theaters to see movie characters leap off the screen. Laptops and netbooks are already too bulky compared to tablets. You put your PC at home, station your laptop at the office and travel with a tablet. There is a specific digital means for every occasion, for every person.

These days, people don’t really submit to centralized entertainment. Everybody wants an alternative.

Pay TV options have made such alternatives possible. Fathers, who watch news and sports, have different favorites than their children, who prefer Cartoon Network. Teenagers may only want music channels.

Similar trends are inevitable for free-to-air TV. After the end of TVRI’s monopoly, the first privately run television, Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI) was born on Aug. 24, 1989, while Surya Citra Televisi (SCTV) was inaugurated on the same date a year later.

With 47 transmission stations reaching 240 cities, SCTV claims to have 175 million potential viewers. Meanwhile, RCTI claims its 48 transmission stations reach some 190.4 million viewers in 478 cities.

To date, there are 10 televisions with nationwide coverage with headquarters in Jakarta.
     
As time has gone on, the government has made it possible for regions to run their own, localized private televisions. The window opportunity grows even wider with the on-going transition to digital technology.

By going digital, a broadcasting agency can send data more efficiently on a slimmer bandwidth, which means many more stations can fit on the airwaves.

Despite the rosy picture, a long road awaits players in the television industry. Broadcasting networks, national and local, are now engaged in a heated debate over how to run the switchover plan.

National and established networks fear the switch from analog to digital will cost them viewers, since analog TV sets will need to be retrofitted with decoders to view regular programming — something that may be difficult for poorer households. Middle-income families may opt for cable, as the service is potentially more attractive than buying a decoder box only to have local channels.

Established broadcasters argue the loss of viewers will impact their advertising slots.

The Nielsen Company recorded that advertisement budgets for TV accounted for over 60 percent of total advertisement spending, which reached Rp 60 trillion (US$6.3 billion) in 2011. Newspapers trailed in second position with 34 percent, while magazines came in third with 3 percent.

“Those who have received information from the analog system should not stop receiving the information when we move to the digital system,” SCTV corporate secretary Hardijanto Soeroso said.

Driantama, the corporate secretary of RCTI, said the challenge with new digital technology would be to provide great lighting and audio in their programs to attract audiences.

“The system gives us a chance to develop our programs. People will easily switch to other channels if they do not like one,” he said.

Local television stations face tougher issues.

The government’s new regime of digital TV would require them to pay expensive rents for broadcast frequencies at a time when they are struggling to survive with limited infrastructure and human resources, and a dwindling number of viewers as audiences increasingly opt to watch programs on the more established national networks.