PCBL representatives take the stage at SMPTE METExpo Sydney 2025, during a panel focused on Connecting the Pacific.
By Michelle Curran
Strategic Communications, Pasifika TV
As the media industry continues to evolve, Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL) is ensuring it is ready to pivot, by staying current, upskilling and implementing new learnings.
Representatives from PCBL recently attended the SMPTE METExpo Sydney 2025: Innovation, AI, and Pacific Connectivity Take Centre Stage, which brought together bright minds in media, technology, and storytelling from across the region and beyond.
Chief Operations Officer at PCBL Junior Hunter says the event was a powerful reflection of the industry’s evolution.
“It covered everything from AI-driven workflows and virtual production to regional connectivity and the future of live sports broadcasting,” Junior says.
He joined Chief Executive Officer Natasha Meleisea, Chief Technical Officer Shane Ormsby, PACHUB Operations Manager Karl Schodt, and facilitator Paul Marsalek from PCBL, along with Intelsat’s Nigel Stitt and Chris Dredge from LiveU, on the Pasifika TV panel.
“During the three-day event, PCBL and Pasifika TV led one of the panels, which highlighted the unique challenges and solutions in delivering media across Oceania and beyond,” Junior says.
“Our talanoa focused on the need for practical, cost-effective, and innovative solutions to connect Pacific communities through media.
“Our approach at PCBL emphasises story sovereignty, helping communities tell their own stories in their own voices, while strengthening sustainability, capability-building, and regional collaboration.
“Through initiatives like Pasifika TV, PCBL continues to assist and empower local broadcasters with the tools, and support needed to help them survive in a difficult, evolving media landscape.”
Artificial intelligence emerged as a central theme across the event programme in Sydney, with sessions such as Sound is Story, presented by the Australian Screen Sound Guild (ASSG), exploring how AI-generated sound is reshaping narrative techniques.
Other panels tackled the role of AI in live sports commentary, newsroom research, and even “vibe to code” workflows that accelerate product development in digital newsrooms.
Junior says beyond the panels, the exhibition floor was a vibrant hub of activity, with extensive networking taking place, and media professionals, engineers, and technologists showcasing the latest tools and services.
“During the Expo, we had the opportunity to connect with Warren Roberts from our Vanuatu Broadcasting Television Corporation (VBTC) whānau, who joined us for many of the conference sessions,” he adds.
“From cloud-based production platforms to AI-enhanced editing suites, the event offered attendees a hands-on look at the future of media technology.
“The conference provided a collaborative platform for progress, where regional voices like PCBL stood alongside global innovators to shape the future of storytelling, connectivity, and technology in Oceania.”
