India opens the batting for Day 2 at CASBAA Convention 2017

Macau, 09 November 2017 – News of the Pay-TV and digital video markets in India topped the agenda as the second day of the CASBAA Convention 2017 in Macau kicked off yesterday morning.

“An improvement in India’s global ranking for the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ is not just eyewash”, said NK Sinha, India’s Secretary for Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) during a special CASBAA Convention 2017 conference session dedicated to the India market with a focused on satellite, broadband and content issues.

Sinha added that talks between the Department of Space (DoS) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) remain on-going on the liberalisation of licensing constraints on Indian Pay-TV platforms and channels capacity leasing on foreign satellites.

Meanwhile, RS Sharma, chairman of the powerful Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said his organisation continues to press for an “open skies” satellite policy. But “these are not issues of principle, but of operation”, he told the CASBAA annual meeting.

Referring to the provision of broadband services for India, for which TRAI is also responsible, Sharma also had words of encouragement for satellite operators saying that to ensure affordable broadband in rural areas, India needs to make use of satellites. He added that TRAI is studying stakeholder comments on a consultation paper on the ease of doing business in the broadcast sector “to resolve matters”.

As for the rollout of a multi-million dollar National Fibre Network in India, or Bharat Net, Sharma said the project now has a “public-private” business structure, not only for broadband data distribution, but also for the delivery of video services. “Come, analyse and invest in the Indian broadcast sector”, he told the 400 CASBAA delegates in one of Macau’s vast casino complexes.

Sudhanshu Vats, Viacom18:
As the Keynote Speaker for the day, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO Viacom18, said that “India’s market evolution is now similar to that of China. In 2017 India is where China was in 2011”, and the opportunities remain enormous.

However, “as in China, we need a robust pipeline for content and creative talent, but the challenge is developing that talent, and retaining it. Secondly, media companies need to pivot a little bit to be vertically capable. That’s why Viacom18 will build an engineering hub in Bangalore which will help us with our technical products”.

“What has surprised me is the nature of the media disruption we are experiencing in India. Not long ago you wouldn’t have expected some of the big media companies to consolidate with the telecom companies.”

And just a few more quotable quotes.

“New Channels”:

Jean-Rene Aucouturier: Lagardere: “OTT gives us opportunity. We all have strong libraries. Non-linear development offers other revenue for that content.”

Nela Pavlouska, My Zen TV: “We have succeeded in developed mature and difficult markets of Europe and North America – we can do so in Asia too, not in two months or one year, because the market is mature, but we take a long term view.”

Roch Pellerin, TRT World: “TRT is an independent Turkish news organisation launched six weeks ago in Australia and now carried on Roku, an OTT platform … People who watch news … watch more news … and watch the channel”.

Roger Wyllie Rialto / Pulse TV: “Pulse TV offers a platform for emerging [documentary] filmmakers to showcase their long form content. We often tell hard stories told from two/both sides – balanced”.

On Research:

Nick Burfitt, Katar Media: “It’s important not to lose sight of core TV measurement. Only then can you layer extended video measurements … Matching viewing data to purchase data … reports based on buyer behaviour. e.g I want to reach non-buyers of a certain brand or category”.

Partho Dasgupta, BARC: “BARC is in the unenviable position of being both the joint industry body and the operator of the service. It was a herculean task to change the currency … The broadcasters took the lead and the advertisers, agencies came in followed by the government and regulators. BARC has now collected 7.5 petabytes of data which will move to about 20 petabytes in a couple of years.”

Aimee Gerry, Nielsen: “More data is not necessarily better. For us it is about bringing disparate data together with a Truth Set … one centralised data set.”

Rita Chan, GfK: “Trust is very important: from broadcasters, advertisers, panellists, [panel] recruiters, your own staff.”

Dave Downey, INVIDI: “We don’t oversaturate or under-deliver the audience … With addressable advertising clients can reach the right audience no matter what or when they are watching.”

Sally Wu, BBC Global News: A BBC audience survey across five markets. “Seventy-seven percent of respondents see international news as more important than previously. 79% in APAC concerned about ‘fake news’ … two in three find it hard to distinguish fake from real. … 79% value accuracy over speed … 65% are more inclined to try a brand if it’s promoted on a trusted source. … international news channels are most trusted … 34% International news will be viewed first to follow up on breaking news. … Social media amplifies and drives viewers to traditional news channels (BBC). … International news is the most used segment on pay TV.”

Jean-Christophe Jubin, Viaccess-Orca: “Big data is changing the way TV is run. It’s making understanding your customers more efficient; and, is creating a new business model. … With improved pattern analysis, addressable TV/Programmatic TV has become easier, putting TV operators in a better position to sell their ad space to advertisers.”

Jeremy Butteriss, Google: “YouTube has seen 90% year on year growth in access from connected TV/Smart TVs. … Voice already represents 20% of our global searches and we believe that will be 50% by 2020, fuelled by Assistant. Nine out of the top ten TV shows in China are exported to the rest of the world via YouTube. … Cloud and AI have taken clipping and segmentation [e.g. of gameshows, sports] from an art to a repeatable automated service.”

OTT:

Simon Vella, MPP Global: “It’s easier to say “no” rather than to say “yes”. … Drivers of choice split between rational drivers and emotional drivers. … People are irrational, they want choice, but it’s important that are not forced into choice. … When forced with two extremes most will choose the better value. … Introduce a middle tier between the two extremes, and ARPU can increase by up to 21%. … Consumers can process 4-7 offers, provided they are clear, and are guided. …Think: Where can I start them from and where can I lead them to? Start small and build habits, event timed purchases, limited time offers to drive the F.O.M.O: (Fear of Missing Out).”

Three OTT Things in 6 Mins with Simon Trudelle, NAGRA: Thinking about launching an OTT service? Three key things you need to know: 1. Invest in a compelling user experience on all screens; 2. Leverage your platform technology; 3. Invest in anti-piracy measures: monitoring systems/take down programs.

Scot Mason, ARRIS: Delivering Gigabites to every corner of the home. … Broadband subscribers just want same speed they’re paying for. … Home gateways are asked to do a lot … “Improve home coverage with small WiFi extenders which adapt to the traffic generated by a device”. [“Don’t skimp on antennas, equipment quality and industrial design”]

Birathon Kasemsri, True Corp: “eSports is the next generation of sport for millennials. There are 200 million spectators annually, 40,000 professional players and US$20 million in prizes. … It is like no other sport because it is not a monopoly … and media companies must take control of their digital destiny … and create an international league which would eventually fill a 24-hour eSports channel. … Unlike normal sports, eSports value is created by broadcasters who can leverage eyeballs and thus sponsorship value.”

CASBAA Chairman’s Award 2017: The CASBAA Chairman’s Award for the best contribution to the development of the Pay-TV and digital video industry in Asia over the past 12 months was made to Singtel and StarHub for their combined initiative to lead the fight in Singapore against Video Piracy Syndicates. The presentation was made by Joe Welch, Chairman, CASBAA Board of Directors, and S.V.P. Public Affairs Asia, 21st Century Fox.

CASBAA would like to thank CASBAA Convention 2017’s Supporting Sponsor, TRT World, along with our other Sponsors:
21st Century Fox, ABS, Amagi, APT Satellite, ARRIS, AsiaSat, Australia Channel, Brightcove, Cisco, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, Deutsche Welle, The Walt Disney Company, FashionTV, FOX Networks Group, France 24, Friend MTS, Google, Intelsat, INVIDI Technologies, Irdeto, Leyard, Lightning International, MEASAT, MPP Global, NAGRA, SES, True Visions, Turner Asia Pacific, TV5MONDE, Viaccess-Orca, Vindicia and Viu.

We would also like to thank CASBAA Patrons: A+E Networks, Astro, BAM Asia Entertainment Network, BBC Worldwide, Celestial Tiger, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal International Networks, PwC, Scripps Networks Interactive Asia-Pacific, Star India, and Viacom International Media Networks.

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About CASBAA

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA’s members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.

Contact CASBAA

For media contacts and additional background contact:

Tel: +852 2854 9913 pr@casbaa.com

Macau, 07 November 2017 – The CASBAA Convention 2017 in Macau kicked off this morning with welcoming remarks from Joe Welch, CASBAA Board Chairman and SVP Public Affairs Asia, 21st Century Fox, during which he highlighted the association’s escalating efforts to curb the on-going regional revenue leakage caused by piracy.

“Most importantly”, said Welch, “CASBAA recently launched the Coalition Against Piracy, funded by 18 of the region’s content players and distribution partners”.

In the meantime, CASBAA CEO Christopher Slaughter, emphasised the yet to be fully-realised digital dividends for the Asia Pacific. Additional points made by speakers during the opening conference sessions to the 400 media executives, regulators and government officials, participating in the event, reinforced that CASBAA and its Members are meeting the opportunities presented by the Asian markets for new audiences, new technologies, new business models and new content.

According to CASBAA, TV production quality is soaring across Asia. Audiences are engaging with our Members’ products as never before. New ways of video distribution such as Over-the-Top (OTT) broadband services are reaching millions of additional customers across a CASBAA footprint that reaches from India and Pakistan to Japan and Korea, from China and Mongolia to Australia and New Zealand.

Operator workshops and conference sessions such as “New Ecosystems: Myanmar & Cambodia” and “OTT in China” showcased the plus side, while digital negatives were highlighted during sessions such as “Under Attack” and “the ISD Battle”, as well as clear-eyed examinations of the India market and new content offerings both domestic and international.
A few other “Quotable Quotes” heard during Day One of the CASBAA Convention 2017 in Macau.

Opening Keynote:
New Wine, New Bottles: Henry Tan, COO Astro: “We need to expand beyond our domestic market, it would be foolhardy to be satisfied, with 75% of Malaysian Households. The way the world is going, is mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships.”

“Last year at the CASBAA Conventions I met with Group M’s Irwin Gotlieb; he told me ‘Bet on transactions’. Since we have 75% market share, how to do that? Home shopping, eCommerce. We have to see ourselves as a consumer care company, our biggest asset is our customer base.”

On Piracy:

Kevin Plumb, Premier League: “In the past 18 months the illegal broadcasting of live Premier League matches in pubs in the UK has been decimated.”

Matthew Hibbert, Sky UK: “It (site-blocking) really has moved the goalposts that significantly. In the UK you cannot easily now watch live Premier League content. It drives piracy back to the margins.”

Kieron Sharp, Federation Aganst Copyright Theft (FACT): “The most successful thing we’ve done to combat piracy has been to undertake criminal prosecutions against ISD piracy. Everyone is pleading guilty to these offences.”

Ros Lynch, UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO)
“The UKIPO provides intelligence and evidence to industry and the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) in London who then take enforcement actions. We first heard about the issues with ISDs from TVB in Hong Kong and we then consulted the UK rights holders who responded that it wasn’t a problem. Two years later the issue just exploded.”
“While the UK works to update its legislation, we can’t wait for the new legislation to take enforcement actions and we rely heavily on “conspiracy to defraud” charges, and have successfully prosecuted a number of ISD retailers.”

“The cat is out of the bag. I would encourage any government to reach out to the search engines, if they’re interested in collaborating on similar measures.”

Some Advice to Asian governments
“It’s a matter of initiative, evidence, and political will. Always start with the evidence and to obtain strong evidence you must work with the rights holders making it easier to show the government that this is a problem, and convince them to contribute to taking meaningful enforcement actions.”

On New Content New Platforms:

Hosi Simon, VICE Media: “The business isn’t in some regional office where people send out emails, it’s about local offices building local content.”

“What VICEice trades in is being able to identify emerging trends – artists, music, movements – that young people care about. We trade on an understanding about cultural diversity and nuance, and we don’t believe there is just one global lens, the excitement is about the local story.”

On Security:

Mallory Delaporte-Bernues, TV5Monde: “Media companies, do not have the same security measures, as the financial industry which makes them low-hanging fruit for hackers… You know that black screen you never want to see in your office? When we turned our network back on, that’s what happened… You shouldn’t let your company do anything new until you’ve covered security.”

Matt Polins, CMS: “It’s not a question of if it will happen, but when it will happen. The key is how you respond to it when it happens… You shouldn’t be afraid of adopting new technologies, but be aware of the risks involved and plan accordingly.”

The Death Of Television?:

Sam Scott: The Promotion Fix @ The Drum: “As Ad Contrarian Bob Hoffman said, we need to counter the falsehood that TV is dying by pointing out that it’s having babies.”

“Marketers are not normal people. We love social media, but most people do not. 93% of marketers are on LinkedIn. Among everyone else, it’s 14%. 81% of marketers use Twitter. Everyone else, 22%.”

“The marketing industry has its own ‘fake news’ problem. Too many marketers – especially in digital marketing – accept what is said in our industry’s echo chamber without thinking critically or asking for evidence.”

“Don’t let those who are biased towards digital mediums and tactics frame the debate.”

On C-band and Satellite:

Huang Baozhong, APT Satellite: “With complementary OTT services, we add value instead of lowering prices.”

“If other countries will follow [the US/FCC]: Japan, Europe, Australia, Korea and others … this will completely destroy the broadcasting industry in C-band.”

Raymond Chow, ABS: “C-band is a precious resource, not only for broadcast, but also mission-critical for military applications.”

On OTT:
Greg Armshaw, BrightCove: “Really start understanding your customer base is the essential to selling OTT …. Even though there are free offers, not everyone is signing up to it, so personalised offers, being flexible about bundling and looking at marketing partnerships are key…”

Rohit d’Silva, Fox Network Group: “Data science is now front and centre for a multitude of industries. In the media industry the sooner they understand that data science is a huge part their operations, then they won’t get left behind.”

Uday Sodh: Sony India: “There is a huge mindset change required, when you move from traditional the broadcast business, to digital platforms. You have to deal with the huge explosion of data that you develop.”

In addition to the CASBAA Convention 2017 business sessions, “Desperate for Love”, produced by Yomiuri Telecast and broadcast by NIPPON TV of Japan, was announced as the winner of the CASBAA/ABU UNICEF Child Rights Award 2017 for the best children’s television programming and coverage of children’s issues produced in the Asia Pacific.

Day 2 of the Casbaa Convention 2017 in Macau, audience and speakers will reconvene at 9.00am at the Ball Room, Studio City. We look forward to seeing you.

CASBAA would like to thank CASBAA Convention 2017’s Supporting Sponsor, TRT World, along with our other Sponsors:
21st Century Fox, ABS, Amagi, APT Satellite, ARRIS, AsiaSat, Australia Channel, Brightcove, Cisco, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, Deutsche Welle, The Walt Disney Company, FashionTV, FOX Networks Group, France 24, Friend MTS, Google, Intelsat, INVIDI Technologies, Irdeto, Leyard, Lightning International, MEASAT, MPP Global, NAGRA, SES, True Visions, Turner Asia Pacific, TV5MONDE, Viaccess-Orca, Vindicia and Viu.

We would also like to thank CASBAA Patrons: A+E Networks, Astro, BAM Asia Entertainment Network, BBC Worldwide, Celestial Tiger, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal International Networks, PwC, Scripps Networks Interactive Asia-Pacific, Star India, and Viacom International Media Networks.

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About CASBAA

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA’s members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.

Contact CASBAA

For media contacts and additional background contact:

Tel: +852 2854 9913 pr@casbaa.com

Macau, 07 November 2017 – Members and supporters of the newly-established Coalition Against Piracy gathered at the annual CASBAA Convention in Macau on November 7th to mark the initiation of joint work in southeast Asia against Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs) and the app networks that underpin them.

PHOTO: The Coalition Against Piracy members toast the launch of CAP (L-R): Jason Chan, CAP; Paras Sharma, Viacom International Media Networks; Laila Saat, ASTRO; Malobika Banerji, A&E Networks; Kevin Plumb, Premier League; Nirav Haji, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia; Lawrence Yuen, HBO Asia; Joe Welch, CASBAA Chairman; Birathon Kasemsri, True Visions; Amit Malhotra, The Walt Disney Company; Alexandre Muller, TV5MONDE; Rohit d’Silva, Fox Networks Group; Neil Gane, CAP; Chih Yeong Voo, Turner Asia-Pacific; Mike Kerr, beIN Asia; Keith Huang, PCCW Media; Erwin Galang, Cignal TV; Gidon Freeman, NBCUniversal; Jake Smart, National Basketball Association and John Medeiros, CASBAA. Not represented on stage were BBC Worldwide and Media Partners Asia.

In toasting the launch, Birathon Kasemsri, Chief Commercial Officer, True Visions Group said “Piracy is an international issue that cannot be dealt with by a single entity or country alone. It cannot be dealt with by a single platform alone. It must be a coordinated, integrated effort. We need to create an environment where we can grow and prosper. I invite you to put all your efforts together to make CAP the new initiative in the region a huge success – because we can only prosper from CAP’s success.”
The Coalition, which brings together a wide range of content providers and major Pay-TV platform operators, was established by multichannel video Association CASBAA to provide a vehicle for cooperation in copyright and anti-fraud enforcement against the small streaming devices which media publications have described as “the little black box(es) which took over piracy”. The illicit TV boxes have become a major drag on both traditional Pay-TV and “new media” OTT markets in Asia; a recent market survey reported that 14% of consumers in Singapore, for example, admit to regularly using an ISD. And those numbers are believed to be growing.

“The driving force behind establishment of CAP is the need for united, collective action by all branches of the video industry”, said CASBAA Chief Policy Officer John Medeiros. “Sports, films, TV series, international as well as local content – everyone trying to deliver quality content to the public is threatened by the inundation of ISD boxes and apps from commercial piracy syndicates. CAP aims to bring all these stakeholders together, and work in parallel with other similar coalitions around the world.”

In outlining CAP’s key priorities, Neil Gane, CAP General Manager, said “Two immediate priorities will be the disruption of the ISD ecosystem at its source and enhanced intermediary engagement with both eCommerce platforms and financial processors to disrupt transactions at the point of sale. Disrupting illicit commercial transactions is a key component of any anti-piracy strategy.”

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About CASBAA

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA’s members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.

Contact CASBAA

For media contacts and additional background contact:

Tel: +852 2854 9913 pr@casbaa.com

Hong Kong, 16 October 2017 – CASBAA, the leading Asian trade body serving the Pay-TV industry, today announced formation of the Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), a major initiative to coordinate industry resources in the fight against rampant content theft. It also announced the appointment of Neil Gane, an industry veteran in content protection, as the General Manager of CAP. Gane will direct CAP enforcement actions to disrupt, diminish and dismantle pirate enterprises across the region.

The Coalition Against Piracy includes leading video content creators and distributors in Asia. Members are: beIN Sports, CASBAA, The Walt Disney Company, Fox Networks Group, HBO Asia, NBCUniversal, Premier League, Turner Asia-Pacific, A&E Networks, Astro, BBC Worldwide, Media Partners Asia, National Basketball Association, PCCW Media, Sony Pictures Television Networks Asia, True Visions, TV5MONDE, and Viacom International Media Networks.

John Medeiros, Chief Policy Officer at CASBAA, said “One of CASBAA’s primary missions is to bring our members together to join the global fight against content theft. That’s what we are doing in establishing the CAP. CAP will focus on addressing the growing threat of illicit streaming devices (ISDs) and apps, which facilitate massive piracy of movies, sports, TV series and other creative video content. This does great harm to the content creation and distribution industries in Asia, as well as the millions of people who work in the creative economy around the world”.

“The Asia Pacific region has some of the worst rates of online piracy in the world”, said Gane. Formerly with the Hong Kong Police, he has worked on content protection issues for more than a dozen years. He noted that the unprecedented growth in delivery of legal creative content over global broadband networks is being undermined by a surge in the sale of TV boxes with pre-loaded infringing applications.

Online video and broadband distribution has the potential to be a massive economic growth engine in Asia with analysts forecasting market growth of more than 20% over the next five years, benefiting consumers and creators of quality video content within Asia and around the world. But this growth potential is threatened by piracy.

In the past two years there have been many new roll-outs of online content services across the Asia Pacific region, by existing players as well as new ones. Unfortunately, the likelihood of success for legitimate online content suppliers is severely reduced by online access to pirated content, resulting in the expectation of many consumers to get “something for nothing”.

“The prevalence of ISDs across Asia is staggering. The criminals who operate the ISD networks and the pirate websites are profiting from the hard work of talented creators, seriously damaging the legitimate content ecosystem as well as exposing consumers to dangerous malware”, said Gane.

“Current legal frameworks are not adequate to handle this newly-enabled crime”, said Medeiros. “Consumers are offered huge content bundles from overseas, as if they were legal. But receiving stolen content is wrong, and the fundamental purpose of an ISD network – with an innocent-looking box as its home node – is to monetise this redistribution of content without any recompense to those who worked to produce it.”

“This is a highly organised transnational crime”, agreed Gane, “with criminal syndicates profiting enormously at the expense of consumers as well as content creators”.

Mitigating the piracy threat requires international cooperation, added Medeiros, and CASBAA has established CAP to provide added support for the content and distribution companies in the world-wide fight against piracy. CAP intends to join hands with similar initiatives under way in other parts of the world, including with the newly-formed Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) and in Europe where a separate coalition of broadcasters and content creators initiated by BBC and the Motion Picture Association has made great strides in information sharing and coordination.

“We are excited about the launch of CAP in Asia to enhance collaboration between different segments of the industry – distributors, aggregators and creators – and to complement the other country specific and global initiatives in place and starting to show results. Collaboration is key and we look forward to the success of this new program”, stated CASBAA CEO Christopher Slaughter.

CAP will be officially launched at the forthcoming CASBAA Convention 2017, 6-8 November, at Studio City Macau, as a highlight of its robust Policy & Anti-Piracy conference track.

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About CASBAA

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across a variety of geographic markets throughout the Asia-Pacific. CASBAA’s members reach over 500 million connections within a regional footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. For more information, visit www.casbaa.com.

Contact CASBAA

For media contacts and additional background contact:

Tel: +852 2854 9913 pr@casbaa.com