Advanced Television

NHK wins ABU awards

October 24, 2024

By Chris Forrester

Japan’s public broadcaster NHK has won three awards at an event in Istanbul held by the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU). The prizes were won in three categories.

The ABU Perspective Award went to a documentary in the broadcaster’s ‘Frontiers’ strand and was for ‘How Smart is AI?’ It examined the evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) which appears unstoppable. The documentary looked at projects designed to create the ultimate AI — with powers surpassing even ChatGPT — and are being pursued around the world. And they’re coming astonishingly close to matching the intelligence of humans. This documentary features dialogue with a robot equipped with generative AI. It follows the effort of creators using AI to make up a new story for the “Black Jack” manga series created by the legendary Tezuka Osamu. And it features an AI robot with tireless physical ability that enables it to get back up no matter how many times it’s kicked over. And beyond all the mindboggling technology is a glimpse into the astonishing nature of human intelligence.

The ABU prize for Screen Entertainment went to an 8K production, ‘Mirador:Soundscape through Japan’. The programme followed world-class beatboxer SHOW-GO as he travelled around Japan to search for sounds that we may never be able to hear in the future unless we take action. In this episode, SHOW-GO visits the northern island of Hokkaido. Using special microphones, he records natural sounds such as waves on a desolate peninsula and the wind in withered trees. He performs with local people, beatboxing to the sounds of a fisherman’s traditional rake basket and a traditional Ainu bamboo musical instrument. Finally, SHOW-GO creates music using the sounds from his journey.

The third award was won in the Screen Sports category. ‘At Home in Kobe: Soccer Star Andrés Iniesta’. Football player Andrés Iniesta has had a stellar career as part of the Spanish Primera División club Barcelona and later as captain of the Japanese squad Vissel Kobe, where he guided the team to great success. During his five years in Kobe, he developed a deep affection for the city and its tenacious inhabitants — a feeling that was returned by supporters, who see the team as a symbol of the city’s rebirth after a devastating earthquake in 1995. This documentary reveals how Iniesta fell in love with Japanese football and culture and why he ultimately decided to leave.

The ABU (Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union) is a federation of broadcasting organisations in the Asia-Pacific region. Founded in 1964 by NHK and other leading broadcasters, it currently has 232 members from 65 countries and regions as of October. The ABU Prizes Award Ceremony is held every year in conjunction with the ABU General Assembly. An ABU Prize is awarded to the best entry in each of seven TV categories, seven radio categories, and one category for digital media. There were 342 entries (182 for television, 110 for radio, and 50 for digital media) this year.

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