Christopher Slaughter
CEO
|
Hong Kong’s NOW TV is the latest platform in the region to announce a partnership with streaming giant Netflix, integrating the service into its set-top boxes and new 4K all-in-one appliance “now one” starting in Q2 this year. This is definitely part of a broader trend
that’s emerged since Netflix began partnering with cable companies in late 2014; so far this year, it’s also struck partnership deals with Starhub and Singtel. |
John Medeiros
Chief Policy Officer
|
Lots of governments in Asia are focused on Netflix (lucky them!), but as we in the industry know, there are also plenty of other OTT services also coming online. Taiwan is having a public debate about OTT policy because Chinese internet TV company iQiyi is seeking to enter Taiwan’s market. Mainland media investment in Taiwan has long been controversial, and politicians in the now-ruling DPP have expressed alarm about mainland OTT platforms entering the market. But the chairman of the regulators at the NCC pointed out
there are no laws allowing them to regulate internet content. Attention to this issue is likely to continue. |
Mark Lay
Vice President, Singapore
|
Other notable stories in the OTT realm this week: Turner Broadcasting said it plans to jump into the direct-to-consumer business with a couple of products by the end of the year. At the same time, CBS Predicts 8 Million Subscribers for CBS All Access and Showtime Streaming Services by 2020. Meanwhile closer to home, Celestial Tiger and LeEco team up for horror OTT, Thrill 360. |
Kevin Jennings
Vice President, Programme
|
It wasn’t exactly a nail-biter, as these deals go, but Youku Tudou shareholders have approved the company’s acquisition by digital behemoth Alibaba. That means Youku Tudou’s 290 million active users will be added to Alibaba’s 390 million, which makes for a pretty compelling logic. It’s an all-cash transaction, and although Youku Tudou will de-list from the NY Stock Exchange, the brand will continue to operate independently under Alibaba’s ownership. |
Christopher Slaughter
CEO
|
Just in time for the FCC’s presumptive draft approval of the Charter/Time Warner Cable merger proposal, Variety is featuring a lengthy cover story on “Cable Cowboy” John Malone, positively chock full o’ speculation about what his Liberty Global is up to. But it’s also a pretty good look at the “content consolidation” landscape among US media companies, filtered through the prism of
Malone’s various holdings, and quotes the man himself saying on CNBC late last year: “Clearly there is still room in the media sector to create some bigger and more global entities.” (That quote comes about 15-16 minutes in, but there’s more than 45 other minutes of Malone wisdom in that link, so fill yer boots!) |
Mark Lay
Vice President, Singapore
|
Every week, I try to provide at least one article that gets you thinking about where this business is going and how you can play a part. This week I link to the 3rd in a series of articles from REDEF that does just that. And like the other two, it’s a must read. By Obsessing over the Present, Big Media Has Forgotten Its Past and Endangered Its Future (But It’s Not Too Late). If you missed them before, click for Part 1 and Part 2. Worth your time.
|
John Medeiros
Chief Policy Officer
|
In piracy news this week, French police jailed the 22-year old operator of pirate website Full Stream, which according to one newspaper, was “one of the world’s most-visited French language websites.” In Italy, the police busted a “hybrid” pay-TV piracy ring, which delivered content to its users either by hacking satellite CA systems or just streaming it over the web. And in Australia
the first site-blocking suit seems to be moving forward and the press says the key hearing will be held on May 6. Meanwhile, the content industry announced a rebranded copyright alliance called Creative Content Australia. |
Kevin Jennings
Vice President, Programme
|
Napster’s co-founder Sean Parker is ruffling more than a few feathers with a controversial new business plan to make new movies available in the home for $50 on the same day they hit theaters via an encrypted set-top box . While Parker has said he would offer a revenue split, hundreds of smaller independent and art house theaters are crying foul. In an open letter to Penn’s new company, the Screening Room,
the Art House Convergence
— representing 600 cinema owners — said the proposed model is “incongruous with the movie exhibition sector by devaluing the in-theater experience and enabling increased piracy”. Major US theatre circuits Cinemark and Regal Entertainment aren’t expected to immediately partner with The Screening Room, and Hollywood studios may be reluctant to license their films unless a majority of the bigger circuits go along, even as a raft of top filmmakers, including Steven Spielberg, J.J. Abrams and Peter Jackson, are reportedly supporting the Screening Room, saying the plan is good for cinema owners since
it will target consumers who don’t normally go to the movies. |
John Medeiros
Chief Policy Officer
|
Not surprisingly, the idea of replacing national copyright laws with a US-style “fair use” system continues to be much discussed. After Hong Kong (where a “fair use” amendment went down the tubes, along with other Copyright Ordinance changes), it’s on the table in Australia, and the Sydney Morning Herald published a very good column explaining that
“The only certainty of moving to a US style fair use system is that a significant increase in litigation will be required to determine its boundaries.” “Proponents of fair use say copyright stifles innovation but cannot say how,” says the author. And from far-off Winnipeg, in Canada, comes a heartfelt plea from an author that it’s time for folks to consider the negative effects of their actions: “I’ve tried to get the pirated copies (of her books) removed from the web,” she says, “but it’s like a game of whack-a-mole. Folks just keep passing along my work illegally for free.” |
Kevin Jennings
Vice President, Programme
|
Twenty-five members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences who are of Asian descent — among them two-time best director Oscar winner Ang Lee and the actor George Takei have sent a letter to the organization protesting “tasteless and offensive skits” about Asians
that were featured on the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28, the same ceremony at which the Academy’s alleged bias against black people was a primary focus of host Chris Rock. The Oscar-night references to Asians that have members of the Asian community most upset: a skit in which Rock introduced three Asian children as Academy accountants, and comments ad-libbed by presenter Sacha Baron Cohen that insinuated that Asians have small genitalia. Dawn Hudson, AMPAS, has responded
and called their concerns “valid” , promising that “future Oscar telecasts [will] be more culturally sensitive.” |
Jane Buckthought
Advertising Consultant
|
Ever have a thumbstopper moment? Maybe its because you’ve passed the age of 24, or more likely you have them but had no idea they had a name and for more info click here.
|
Christopher Slaughter
CEO
|
Amidst all the hoo-hah about VR over the past couple years (remember the Gartner hype curve…?), the latest has been Sony’s announcement that it will launch its Playstation VR headseat in October for US$300. For those of you suffering from VR hype fatigue, there is a compelling argument that this one might be the gadget that actually cracks the market open. |
John Medeiros
Chief Policy Officer
|
Hey, we all hate paying bills, right? But one Bangladesh cop, confronted with a request to pay his cable TV bill, just pulled out his gun and shot the bill collector. This is not what the pay-TV industry means when it asks the police to pay more attention to our issues…….. |
Christopher Slaughter
CEO
|
During the OTT Summit a couple weeks ago, we talked about gamer-focused streaming platform twitch.tv, which allows gamers to watch other gamers playing games (I know, right?). Now the platform is branching out in a bizarre way, running a marathon of classic cooking show “The French Chef” by Julia Childs. It seems like the real reason for running these is to give twich’s chronically ADD viewers a chance to make sarcastic live comments… a typical contribution, from user outergrafia: “THINGS JUST GOT VEAL.” |
Christopher Slaughter
CEO
|
And while it might not be related to Julia Childs, it was only a matter of time… the trend toward legalisation of cannabis in the US has created a market opportunity for… you guessed it… “Weed TV.” (As distinct from the TV show “Weeds” that is.) There are at least two companies exploiting the niche (and providing financial info on pot-related stocks), so this might be more than just a pipe-dream. Just don’t expect to see either channel go beyond the Internet any time soon. |
