Once upon a time, Vietnam’s railway industry tried to set up televisions on its trains to entertain passengers taking long trips across the country, but the initiative didn’t work due to the lack of reception when the locomotives passed through remote areas.
Rides on Vietnam’s trains were interminably dull for passengers until an innovator discovered a way to “broadcast” television programs on railway journeys three years ago.
Operated by a combination of cable systems, media player devices and software programs, RailTV created by Ho Chi Minh City-based Sen Communications has satisfied 98 percent of the annual four million passengers on trans-Vietnam trains, according to the latest survey conducted by the AC Nielsen Vietnam Company.
“RailTV provides quality images as good as those of DVD,” said the founder of the service, Company Director Hoang Tich Tam Trang.
Supported by high-end technology and around the clock presence of technicians on board, RailTV to date has been introduced on six top class North-South trains and is expected to be broadcast on all of Vietnam Railways’ locomotives by next year.
RailTV channels offer a variety of news, entertainment features and sports broadcasts in addition to promoting local tourism via displaying clips of areas which trains pass through and disseminating public service announcements.
Two recent public campaigns involving helmet safety and public health awareness organized by the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIPF), the HCMC Health Department and the Center for Health Education, were aired on RailTV.
The television service also offers effective opportunities for advertising since passengers’ consumption habits are greatly influenced by what they watch during their journeys, the survey reported.
Pioneering cause
Trang said she had hoped RailTV would not only be a successful business project but also a means to discover her passion in life.
“RailTV is the first project that proved I can make some contribution to society,” she said.
“In addition to being a business goal, I hope the program would serve as a warm companion for millions of train passengers.”
The idea about providing television programming for train passengers had come as an accident, Trang remembered.
After finishing several work projects, Trang decided to take a trans-Vietnam trip by train five years ago.
She soon realized it was really boring to spend 30 hours aboard the vehicle since there was almost no means for recreation.
That’s when the notion of railway television first sparked inside her head.
Although other passengers considered the concept unique, “everybody thought it was absolutely impossible to broadcast television programs on trains,” Trang said.
Yet, the idea persisted in her mind.
Trang bought the copyright of movies from centers producing films and programs from television stations.
Together with her staff, she edited programs and saved it on hardware.
She then distributed 78,000 questionnaires to train passengers and gathered information about preferences for recreational programs.
After completing such preparations, Trang requested Vietnam Railways to let her company exclusively broadcast programs on trains.
She was given authorization on the condition that her company had to invest 100 percent into equipment and be responsible for all contents.
The firm launched the project in 2005 with an investment of around VND3 billion (US$185,000).
Remembering the days when she and her staff set up LCD panels on board and nervously waited for customers’ reactions, Trang smiled and said: “That’s why I love the nature of being a pioneer.”
Trains, according to the impressions of many people, are something very noisy, crowded and not “civilized.” But Trang firmly believed that with a small injection of innovation, all the dull moments would be revolutionized.
“Digital technology allows us to overhaul the image of the railway industry,” she said.
Reported by Lan Anh |
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