News

October 2017

CASBAA Convention 2017

The CASBAA Convention 2017, being held from 6-8 November 2017 at Studio City in Macau, highlights the latest innovations in the multichannel TV Industry from across the Asia region, and around the world. With a content, technology, finance and regulatory agenda, the CASBAA Convention 2017 provides the most balanced representation of the needs of all stakeholders, plus a networking forum in which develop new business opportunities. For more information, and to register as a delegate, visit www.casbaaconvention.com.

What are you waiting for?

Book your ticket before the Convention starts!

The details

Members – Individual: US$2,100

Non-members – Individual: US$2,700

For Registration: Mandy@casbaa.com

For Sponsorship: Adela@casbaa.com

CASBAA meeting with Hong Kong SAR Secretary for Commerce

CASBAA Chairman, Joe Welch, led a strong delegation from some of our Hong Kong-based members to meet with the Hong Kong SAR Secretary for Commerce, Edward Yau, Friday 20 October. It was a great opportunity for CASBAA members, including Celestial Tiger, Fenez Media, Fox, PCCW, Turner, and TVB to directly make the case for action by the Hong Kong government on piracy issues and a plea for support for the industry. Janice Lee from PCCW and others noted the direct impact that piracy was having on businesses in Hong Kong, and Desmond Chan from TVB explained that piracy at home was weakening Hong Kong’s content production and sapping its export potential. The group identified some of the self-help steps that industry was taking, and asked for pro-active government support. Yau was interested to hear the extent of the challenge but highlighted the difficulties of bringing any new legislation given domestic politics. CASBAA said much more could be done under current laws, and also urged consideration of narrow, targeted legislation that might not face so many political obstacles.

CASBAA Research Committee Lunch

After the last CASBAA Research Committee’s meeting in October, a number of the Singapore-based members had a lunch to welcome committee chairman David Webb, of Turner, who recently relocated here. (L-R) Aditi Guha, Disney. Seth Lee, Discovery. Sally Wu, BBC. Sobia Siddique, NBCU. Nenita Chu, Singtel. Annie Yuan, Sony. Mark Lay, CASBAA. Yu Mei Chan, CNBC. David Webb, Turner. Martyn Uren, Twitter (guest). E-Lin Kok, A+E. Leonard Lim, Scripps. Charmaine Yuen, BBC.

Video industry thrive on satellite transmission

Radio frequency spectrum is the life-blood of the video distribution industry. Given the inexorable push by mobile operators for more spectrum for every next generation of mobile technology, pressure is bearing on the satellite industry to free up spectrum for 5G service provision.

CASBAA has been working with the Asia Pacific Satellite Communications Council, (APSCC), and Global VSAT Forum, (GVF), on joint submissions to regional regulators in Japan, Hong Kong, Philippines and India that:

Show how satellites will play a key role in delivering certain 5G content and services to mobile base stations, as they do today for 3G and 4G.
Explain why certain spectrum (re-)assignment proposals would harm existing and future satellite services, especially where the proposals differ from ITU regional allocations agreed internationally
Defend existing satellite spectrum band assignments and priorities and seek satellite’s priority access to new spectrum bands

At the recent APSCC annual conference in Tokyo, CASBAA’s CEO, Chris Slaughter, gave insights on some of the other areas of common interest, including UHD rollout and take-up, the rise of both legitimate and illegitimate OTT services, the continued need for better advertising measurement on pay TV in many territories, the economic unsustainability of the high volume of high quality content being produced for TV, and the inevitability of consolidation.

After the conference, CASBAA, APSCC, GVF and a number of interested companies met with representatives of the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications to discuss 5G spectrum allocation policy, and in particular, regional and global harmonisation of allocations. The discussions centred on satellite’s role in 5G, and in technology developments in high throughput and non-geostationary satellites. Specific strengths of satellite for remote coverage, emergency services and the wide distribution of broadcast and popular video content to caches were also covered. Video alone is forecast to grow to the high 70’s to low 80’s by percentage of total mobile traffic in the next five years.

New Members

This month we welcome:

We help clients overcome the challenges of competing in the global economy. We solve complex legal problems across borders and practice areas. Our unique culture, developed over 65 years, enables our 13,000 people to understand local markets and navigate multiple jurisdictions, working together to instill confidence in our clients.

“TRT World is one of the leading international news organisations delivering new perspectives on world events. We have a distinctive voice to global news landscape; our news is told from every angle. We aim to expand understanding, encourage debate and influence positive behaviour. TRT World keeps you informed and connected.”

GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK’s 80 years of data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers’ experiences and choices.

For PR enquiries, contact pr@casbaa.com For membership enquiries, contact membership@casbaa.com CASBAA is the Association for digital multichannel television, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across Asia. The CASBAA mission is to promote the growth of pay-TV and video content through industry information, networking exchanges and events while promoting global best practices. To view the full list of CASBAA members, please visit here. You have received this email from CASBAA as you are currently part of the Association’s database. If you do not wish the Association to use your personal data for direct marketing, you may make a request below.

HBO ASIA’S FIRST ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS PREMIERES ON NOVEMBER 26 EXCLUSIVELY ON HBO

The Four-Part Documentary Following The Trials And Aftermath Of India’s Biggest Murder Mystery Will Be Streaming On HBO GO And Will Also Available On HBO On Demand

Catch the Official Trailer here
Download Hi-Res Stills here

SINGAPORE, OCTOBER 30, 2017 – HBO Asia’s first original documentary, THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is a gripping documentary that examines the double murder of a teenage girl and her family’s household servant in Noida, India, that quickly became one of India’s biggest murder mysteries, capturing worldwide attention. Produced in association with Star India, the four-part hour-long HBO Asia Original Documentary Series premieres on Sunday, November 26 at 9pm (SIN) exclusively on HBO. Parts 2, 3 and 4 will debut on subsequent Sundays at the same time. The documentary will be streaming on HBO GO and will also available on HBO On Demand.

The documentary begins with Drs. Rajesh and Nupur Talwar on the morning of 16 May 2008, discovering their daughter, Aarushi Talwar, lying dead in her bed, bludgeoned and with her throat cut. Their Nepali servant, Hemraj Banjade, is missing and believed to be the culprit until his bloated and battered body is discovered on the apartment roof terrace. There were seemingly just the four people in the apartment that night and only two of them are still alive. To the police investigation teams leading the inquiry, the parents must be the murderers, but after nine years, three investigations, a trial and appeal, and now an acquittal, nothing is as it seems. In English and Hindi with English and local language subtitles*, the documentary features never-before-seen exclusive interviews with Aarushi’s parents, THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS speaks with those most closely involved in this twisted tale of intrigue, mystery that has turned this double murder into one of India’s most notorious crimes.

Mr. Jonathan Spink, CEO of HBO Asia, says, “THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS marks HBO Asia’s first original documentary, adding to our ever-expanding repertoire of HBO Asia Original productions which includes series and movies. With this documentary, HBO Asia continues to showcase interesting and relevant stories from around the region that resonates strongly with the Asian audience.”

Episodes Include:
Part 1
Debut: Sunday, November 26 at 9pm (SIN) on HBO
After the brutal murder of their teenage daughter, Aarushi, hopes of swift justice crumble for the Talwars as the prime suspect, the family servant, is found dead and decomposing on the roof terrace of the family home. Under intense media scrutiny, the local police scramble to find the culprit quickly, leading them to arrest the grieving father.

Part 2
Debut: Sunday, December 3 at 9pm (SIN) on HBO
What appears to be a botched local police investigation into the double murder, forces authorities to quickly replace the police with India’s elite investigative unit – the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI clears the father of killing his daughter and servant as the investigation’s focus swings to nearby servants and staff, escalating social and class tensions.

Part 3
Debut: Sunday, December 10 at 9pm (SIN) on HBO
A new officer reinvigorates the stalled CBI investigation, switching track and pursuing both parents. Despite little hard evidence and increasingly desperate legal battles, Drs. Nupur and Rajesh Talwar eventually find themselves in the dock charged with murdering their own daughter and servant.

Part 4
Debut: Sunday, December 17 at 9pm (SIN) on HBO
After more than nine years and three investigations, this is a case that still haunts India. As the parents win their appeal, the case is reassessed and troubling questions emerge over what really happened the night Aarushi and Hemraj died.

THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS is HBO Asia’s fourth Original production this year following the second season of HALFWORLDS, the dark action fantasy drama series set in Bangkok which premiered in January, the award-winning THE TEENAGE PSYCHIC, HBO Asia’s first original Chinese series set in Taiwan that premiered with breakthrough ratings in April, and SENT, HBO Asia’s first comedy drama series that premiered in September. To date, HBO Asia has produced ten Asian Originals with more slated to premiere in the coming years.

HBO Asia’s first original documentary, THE TALWARS: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS, premieres exclusively on HBO on Sunday, November 26 at 9pm (SIN). New episodes from the four-part hour-long series will premiere on subsequent Sundays at the same time. The documentary will be streaming on HBO GO and will also available on HBO On Demand.

# # #

* Where available.

ABOUT HBO ASIA
Singapore-based HBO Asia brings the best of Hollywood to Asia first through its exclusive licensing deals with major Hollywood and independent studios, including Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, Warner Bros. and Lionsgate. HBO Asia has proprietary and award-winning HBO and HBO Asia Original programmes that are produced exclusively for HBO viewers. Wholly owned by HBO (a Time Warner company), HBO Asia reaches 23 territories across Asia and offers a bouquet of channels and services including 24-hour commercial-free subscription movie channels in standard-definition and high-definition – HBO, HBO SIGNATURE, HBO FAMILY, HBO HITS, CINEMAX and RED by HBO – as well as HBO GO and HBO ON DEMAND. HBO Asia is also the exclusive distributor of BabyFirst and the DreamWorks channel in Asia. Log on to www.hboasia.com for more information.

HBO, Home Box Office, HBO Asia Originals and related service marks are the property of Home Box Office, Inc. Used with permission. ©2017 HBO PACIFIC PARTNERS, V.O.F. AND STAR INDIA PRIVATE LIMITED. ©2017 HBO Asia. All rights reserved.

For more information, please contact HBO Asia:

Karen Lai
Senior Director, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1796
Email: karen.lai@hboasia.com

Cheryl Foong
Manager, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1838
Email: cheryl.foong@hboasia.com

Chan Zi Ning
Executive, Communications
Tel: (65) 6381 1746
Email: zining.chan@hboasia.com
This e-mail is intended only for the use of the addressees. Any copying, forwarding, printing or other use of this e-mail by persons other than the addressees is not authorized. This e-mail may contain information that is privileged, confidential and exempt from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately by return e-mail (including the original message in your reply) and then delete and discard all copies of the e-mail. Thank you.

TV Connect MENA conference: Security expert Conax to present essential insight for pay-TV operators on deploying Android STBs

Dubai, Oct 27th, 2017: Conax, part of the Kudelski Group and a leader in total service protection for digital entertainment services worldwide, announced at the TV Connect MENA conference in Dubai it will share key insight in deploying Android STBs. In addition, a team from Conax will be demonstrating the Contego Multi-DRM and the Conax GO Live OTT multiscreen solutions at the exhibition, Stand #1, October 30th – 31st, at the “The Address Dubai Marina” conference center.

TV Connect MENA Conference: Oct. 30th, Session II at 4:10 pm

“Learn how Android STBs fit within your pay-TV service”
Conax` SVP EMEA, Thomas Blichfeldt, brings extensive market experience in the European, Middle East and African markets and expertise in connecting pay-TV operators with the solutions that best match their business and target market. In this special conference session, Thomas will provide participants with valuable insight on the following topics:
• Android options for next generation set top boxes
• Benefits and impact for a pay-TV service
• Potential security pitfalls in a connected Android eco-system
• How to successfully create a compelling and secure Android-based pay-TV proposition

“Consumer interest for Android is growing in all markets based on its additional rich features and access to a wide range of 3rd party apps and connected devices,” confirms Thomas Blichfeldt. Thus, hybrid STBs based on Android OS and Android TV are increasingly attractive for pay-TV operators interested in creating a broadcast OTT offering with a wider range of entertainment services for its subscribers.”

“However, the large network of app developers also makes Android potentially highly vulnerable and exposed platform as Android STB populations are deployed on open, connected platforms. Conax is providing crucial guidance for operators deploying Android STBs to help reduce complexity and make Android a secure, lucrative option for pay-TV. Conax is partnering with Google and numerous leading technology partners to provide comprehensive, secure Android STB solutions.”

During the TV Connect MENA conference, a team from Conax will be available for discussion and demonstrations on launching future-oriented pay-TV services including comprehensive, fast-to-market Multi-DRM and pre-integrated OTT multiscreen solutions.

About Conax

A Kudelski Group company, Conax is a leading global specialist in total service protection for digital TV and entertainment services via broadcast, broadband and connected devices. Based on the Conax Contego security back-end, Conax’ future-ready technology offers modular, fast-time-to-market solutions that enable easy entry into a world of secure multiscreen, multi-DRM and IPTV content delivery and secures rights for premium content delivery to a range of devices over new hybrid network combinations. Headquartered in Oslo, Norway, ISO 9001 & 27001 certified Conax technology enables secure content revenues for 425 operators in 85 countries globally. For more information, please visit www.conax.com and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube to join the conversation.

Conax media contact
Leslie Johnsen
Head of Public Relations & Communications, Conax
Mob: +47 41 45 80 43
Email: leslie.johnsen@conax.com

Astro Awarded Digital Transformer Award in Malaysia by IDC ASEAN

Inaugural awards seek out disruptive, leading-edge organisations who have successfully carried out digital transformation in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, October 24, 2017 – Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (‘Astro’) was awarded Digital Transformer in Malaysia by International Data Corporation (‘IDC’) ASEAN in its inaugural Digital Transformation Awards (IDC DX Awards). IDC’s DX Awards recognises outstanding organisations that have made critical breakthroughs in digital transformation across the Asia Pacific region.

Dato’ Rohana Rozhan, Group CEO of Astro said, “In our journey of reinvention, Astro is embracing change brought about by digital, online and mobile while staying true to our core as a consumer-focused company. Our household proposition has been strong over the past 20 years, where today we serve 72% of total Malaysian households. While we will continue to grow this base, our aspiration is to be top of mind in both the household and individual spaces across Malaysia and the region.
The company has launched and built digital consumer brands such as Astro GO and Tribe, our local and regional OTT service; Go Shop, our ecommerce platform; Gempak, top Malay entertainment portal and Awani, a leading digital news platform. Today, Astro operates over 40 digital brands across websites and apps, reaching almost 7mn unique visitors per month.
Along with the digital transformation of the entire organisation, the last few years have been instrumental in learning and building our capabilities in software development, artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, video delivery, ad technologies and e-commerce, and in so doing, improving efficiencies and cost to serve, enhancing our customer experience in omni-channel interaction and personalisation as well as delivering effective advertising solutions and reach to marketers.
We see the need to step up our pace and immersion in learning and relearning, building on our strengths and capabilities in our quest for increasing customer relevance in the New World. We are encouraged by the IDC DX award which recognises Astro’s progress in our journey to remain a focussed customer centric, digital, cloud and mobile-first, analytics driven organisation.”
“One of the most important steps in a successful digital transformation journey is to be able to visualize where the company needs to be in the near future, and how digital technologies can play a role. This require both business and technology teams working together, supported by the top leadership of the company. Based on IDC’s assessment of digital transformation projects for the 2017 DX awards, Astro’s nomination is impressive in its all-inclusive scope that examines the external and internal aspects of DX success, with the goal being towards a leader in the market segment. Not many companies take up this approach because it is quite challenging to execute and implement it.” said Pranabesh Nath, Research Director – IDC Malaysia.
Astro’s digital transformation project was selected among hundred high-quality entries received from end-user organisations across different industries in Asia/Pacific. Astro’s win in Malaysia automatically qualifies the company for the IDC DX regional awards final where all country winners will be benchmarked against one another for Asia/Pacific’s very best.
For more information about the award, visit www.IDCDXawards.com.

For media inquiries, please contact Tammy Toh tammy_toh@astro.com.my, Tessa Rago trago@idc.com or Alvin Afuang aafuang@idc.com

###

About Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (‘Astro’)
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad (‘Astro’) is a leading Malaysian and ASEAN content and consumer company in the Digital, TV, Radio and eCommerce space, serving 5.3 million customers representing 72% of Malaysian households and 21 million individuals in these homes, 15.4 million listeners weekly on 11 radio stations and 6.7 million unique visitors per month across its entertainment and lifestyle portals and mobile apps. Regionally the group serves over 1.1 million consumers in Malaysia and Singapore through Go Shop’s ecommerce platform and 2 million users on its OTT service, TRIBE in Indonesia, The Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Astro holds the distinction of the ‘Gold’ award in the Media and Entertainment category at the Putra Brand Awards for 7 consecutive years from 2010 to 2016, including the ‘Brand of the Year’ award in 2012, the ‘Brand Icon’ award in 2013 and the ‘Malaysian Marketer of the Year’ award in 2016. Astro has also been recognised by CNBC for Asia’s Best Talent Management and Asia’s Business Leader Awards. Astro Kasih is the company’s CSR arm, who has won multi award winning programmes including the Guinness World Book of Records for the Longest Underwater Clean Up.

About IDC
International Data Corporation (IDC) is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDC’s analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the world’s leading media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visit www.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at @IDC.

About IDC DX Awards
The IDC DX Award categories and corresponding selection criteria are aligned to reflect the present-day transformation in the IT industry. The categories include: Digital Disruptor of the Year, Digital Transformer of the Year. IDC DX Awards is the first program in the market that acknowledges the game-changing stride and achievements of different organisations, to lead the region at the dawn of DX economy.
IDC’s DX Awards follows a three-phased approach for determining country and regional winners. Each nomination goes through an initial assessment carried out by a local IDC analyst. The second phase requires all nominated organisations to go through IDC’s MaturityScape benchmark for Digital Transformation. Lastly, local and regional analysts, with inputs from the academe, will convene to review the nomination, the MaturityScape results, and the country/industry landscape.

Asian content creators and distributors unite to create the Coalition Against Piracy targeting Illicit Streaming Devices (ISDs)

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.

-ends-

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

20 October, 2017

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending October 20th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!

Brought to you by:

Kevin Jennings

Vice President

More than 30 operators are already confirmed to attend the CASBAA Convention being staged at Studio City in Macau next month. Mainstage speakers include Henry Tan, COO, Astro; Janice Lee, Managing Director, PCCW Media Group; and Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya, Chief Content & Media Officer, True Corporation. If you haven’t yet registered please click here for more information and delegate registration details.

John Medeiros

Chief Policy Officer

Bad week for Goobook: Martin Sorrell made headlines in India, saying that Facebook and Google should stop pretending to be tech companies. They are media companies, he said and should take responsibility for the content they serve up. And three US senators made headlines there, proposing legislation that would oblige the internet giants to “follow the same standards for political advertising that broadcast television and radio stations in the America have followed for decades.”

Clare Bloomfield

Director, Policy & Research

And staying with Goobook, in the UK the government is revisiting the legal status of sites such as Google, Facebook, etc in the ongoing battle against copyright infringement and the spread of extremist material online. These organisations are currently, for legislation purposes, classed as conduits of information which means they have limited responsibility for their content. But if they were treated as publishers this would invoke more regulation. No decisions yet made but it opens an interesting debate on how best to treat them without impacting on civil liberties and freedom of speech.

Kevin Jennings

Vice President

Elsewhere, it was predictably a full house at the Facebook presentation at MIPCOM this week. Content and the Facebook Watch platform were front and centre. It was all about content – and they are producing a lot of it… But somehow it still seems mixed messaging – on the one hand Facebook say Watch will remain a user-driven platform with nearly 1,000 shows on the platform with the vast majority being from publishers and with content that will be community driven. From a platform base of 2 billion people, putting on a show would mean even a small piece of that number is still interesting (even enviable) and they certainly have enough money from their war chest to commission enough shows to seed growth to find a lucrative model. The end game is still advertising revenue …So shows will keep viewers engaged as long as possible.

Clare Bloomfield

Director, Policy & Research

Meanwhile in the Philippines, the government is hoping to improve the country’s reputation for having one of the slowest internet speeds in Asia Pacific. Legislation has been proposed by the NTC which would classify broadband internet as a “basic” service rather than a “value added” service. They are hoping that by introducing legislation they will have the ability to force telecom companies to provide increasing internet connection speeds to its citizens. This should result in the internet connection speed going up from its current 4.5 Mbps, although it may take a while to get close to South Korea’s 26.1 Mbps.

John Medeiros

Chief Policy Officer

With 24 DTT operators licensed in Thailand, after a brutal license bidding process (that was great at raising revenues for the Treasury but horrible for the industry) and the rapid shift of advertising to online platforms, the TV operators have been bleeding. They’ve had various kinds of support from the NBTC, but they weren’t getting all they wanted, so this week they asked the Prime Minister to give them some goodies. He gave them the brush-off, and said go back and talk to the NBTC. The next day, the NBTC actually gave them some goodies, in the form of lower licence rates. But no word on whether they will be allowed to exit the industry if they can’t make money, which was one of their other requests. Isn’t free-to-air regulation wonderful?

John Medeiros

Chief Policy Officer

And along that line…..there was another amusing item from Thailand: the government’s regulatory interventions (“Must Have”) mean that the next FIFA World Cup will have to be available to all TV platforms. But that reduces the TV revenue potential so much that the local Sports Authority felt it had to ask for government assistance to help the country procure the World Cup rights! If the government debases the content, it’s only fair they help pay the price, eh?

Kevin Jennings

Vice President

Back to Cannes, Snapchat has revealed more about its plans to delve deeper into the world of original programming, thanks to new partnerships with NBCUniversal and Mindy Project actor Mark Duplass and his actor brother Jay, who will work on the new formats through their Donut creative studio. Snap and NBCU have previously partnered early on with its launch of the unscripted The Voice series tailored for Snapchat audiences. Now Snap and NBCUniversal have set up a JV studio and are developing and producing original content in the form of scripted shows and other genres. Meanwhile, in a separate deal Discovery teams with snap on Olympics coverage in Europe.

Cathryn Chase

Regulatory Assistant

In a landmark case, Netflix, Amazon, and several major Hollywood studios have filed a lawsuit against American ISD retailer, TickBox TV. In their complaint filed to the federal court, the founding members of the newly-formed Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) accused TickBox of inducing copyright infringement by promoting their device as a piracy tool and showing users how they can access infringing content. Although TickBox TV doesn’t technically host any infringing content, the coalition has argued that the company deliberately facilitates copyright infringement, and markets its device as a free substitute for legitimate streaming services. The complaint also demands that TickBox TV stop the sale of its set-top boxes, and that it pay statutory damages up to US$150,000 per copyright infringement. Tickbox defended itself with statements that “it is legal to stream content….Tickbox TV is 100% legal.” This case will be precedent-setting, with respect to US law.

Mark Lay

Vice President, Singapore

I dig for the best OTT stories of the week so you don’t have to. At Mipcom, Discovery’s David Zaslav Talks Scripps, Skinny Bundles & Going Direct-To Consumer. SportsPro has an in-depth piece on sports: Live and Direct – a look across the OTT landscape. Netflix crushed the subscriber numbers again this quarter and now has 109.2 million subs worldwide…and $17 billion in content commitments. Whoa. The charts in this ZeroHedge article put a lot into perspective. And, if these commitments have you a bit worried, you will like this bear-stock porn that looks further into the cash-flow. “All of this competition is going to be great for consumers; these companies are collectively spending tens of billions of dollars to entertain us. And they’re going to lose money doing it.” But, would YOU short the stock? And to finish off, a new spectator sport for the TV superfan: ‘binge racing’. Catch even more OTT stories on the CASBAA OTT Group Newsfeed.

Clare Bloomfield

Director, Policy & Research

And in the continuing industry swell against online piracy in this region, as foreshadowed by yours truly last week, Indonesia has now launched its own infringing website list.

Jane Buckthought

Advertising Consultant

Google, Facebook and Microsoft are among 23 major tech and media companies who have signed up to a new initiative that aims to raise standards across the digital advertising industry in the UK. Launched yesterday by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) UK, the trade body’s new Gold Standard initiative seeks to “address the key issues facing the industry”. Initially, these cover the need to reduce ad fraud, improve the digital advertising experience and increase brand safety, but could expand to include other issues, such as audience measurement and viewability.

Clare Bloomfield

Director, Policy & Research

Much interest in the news this week about Netflix with separate reporting on what Netflix shows are being binged the fastest and Nielsen making more data available about how many people watch Netflix programmes, which may provide a path towards a more reliable third-party ratings system for streaming services. Perhaps predictably, Netflix says Nielsen’s numbers aren’t even close.

Member News

Additional News

BBC Worldwide signs Blue Planet II co-production deal with Tencent in China

Left to right: James Honeyborne, Executive Producer of Blue Planet II, Mr Lexian Zhu, Deputy Director of Tencent Penguin Pictures Documentary Studio, David Weiland, EVP Asia, BBC Worldwide Asia and Julian Hector, Head of The Natural History Unit, BBC Studios

BBC Worldwide has announced a co-production deal with Tencent, the leading internet value added services provider in China, for Blue Planet II, the BBC’s landmark natural history series this year.

The agreement, sealed at Mipcom, was signed by Lexian Zhu, Deputy Director of Tencent Penguin Pictures Documentary Studio and David Weiland, EVP Asia, BBC Worldwide Asia. It was witnessed by Stephani Sun, Senior Manager of Tencent Penguin Pictures, Kelvin Yau, GM Greater China, James Honeyborne, Executive Producer of Blue Planet II, and Julian Hector, Head of The Natural History Unit, BBC Studios.

Blue Planet II is the brand new seven-part landmark series from the multi-award winning BBC Studios Natural History Unit,. Broadcast in 2001, multi-award winning The Blue Planet was the Natural History Unit’s unprecedented look at the world’s oceans, the scale and breadth of which had never been seen before. Twenty years on, the team returned to these underwater worlds for Blue Planet II, with even more ambitious filming and a fresh cast of extraordinary aquatic animals, filming off every continent, and in all of the earth’s oceans, to immerse the audience in some of the most expansive but least known parts of our planet. By using cutting-edge breakthroughs in science and technology to explore this final frontier, Blue Planet II will reveal the astonishing characters, otherworldly places and extraordinary new animal behaviours.

It will broadcast simultaneously in China and the UK on Tencent’s v.qq.com platform and video app. Tencent will also distribute Blue Planet II across digital on-demand platforms in Greater China.

“Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, Blue Planet II is set to be another game changer. The team has spent four years mounting 125 expeditions, visited 39 countries, and filmed off every continent and across every ocean,” said David Weiland, EVP, Asia, BBC Worldwide. “We are very excited to be co-producing this landmark series with Tencent whom we have had a long and mutually beneficial relationship. This production partnership is an affirmation of the shared commitment we have in producing ambitious natural history content. Tencent’s involvement will bring this landmark series to a wider audience in Greater China.”
“We’ve been partnering with BBC Worldwide for some time to bring premium documentaries to our audiences in China,” said Mr Lexian Zhu, Deputy Director of Tencent Penguin Pictures Documentary Studio. “Last year, we co-produced Planet Earth II which did extremely well – the entire Planet Earth II album online was viewed over 230 million times in China. We are looking forward to this new co-production partnership for Blue Planet II, and look forward to working with BBC Worldwide on more fruitful and successful partnerships.”

In China, state broadcaster, China Central Television’s documentary channel, CCTV9, is the exclusive TV partner for Blue Planet II.

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Further information:
Jeanne Leong
BBC Worldwide
Tel: +65 6849 5292
Email: Jeanne.Leong@bbc.com

The Digital Video Revolution at CASBAA Convention 2017

A 72-hour Masterclass on Pay-TV and Digital Video across Asia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Hong Kong, 11 October 2017 – Regional multichannel TV and digital video trade body CASBAA today announced the key themes (and workshop programme) for the CASBAA Convention 2017 to be staged at Studio City in Macau, from 6-8 November.

The line-up for the three-day CASBAA Convention 2017 has been designed “to capture the urgent issues facing our industry at a time of the most dynamic market changes seen in more than 20 years”, said Christopher Slaughter, CASBAA CEO.

CASBAA represents 100 corporations across 20 markets in the Asia Pacific, running from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan and encompassing over 623 million Pay-TV subscribers (source: MPA) and 2.5 billion broadband connections (source: MPA).

The full implications of the digital video revolution are at the top of the CASBAA Convention 2017 agenda, including solutions to the potentially devastating impact of digital piracy, the on-going opportunities presented by local, regional and global OTT platforms and the challenges arising from the mountains of detailed digital data now being assessed by broadcasters, carriers, technology vendors and advertisers alike.

“The blue-chip list of Pay-TV operators, content creators, broadband carriers, investors, sponsors and regulators attending CASBAA Convention 2017 guarantee unrivalled access to the Asia Pacific Pay-TV and Digital Video decision makers” said Slaughter. “Networking in every sense is a central element within the CASBAA Convention 2017 programme”, he added.

In the meantime, through a series of ‘Masterclass’ panels and presentations, the CASBAA Convention 2017 programme will deliver:

Real-time case studies focused on the crucial battle against on-line piracy, including a few “Wins!”
A fresh look at the best performing business models for Pay-TV
Deep-dive presentations on the vital security technologies and regulatory “fixes” under debate across Asia Pacific and around the world
Close examinations of the new ecosystems and revenue streams now available for the monetisation of emerging digital video markets
New insights on the impact of soon to be launched broadband satellite services across Asia

Plus Understanding the Viewer: a series of closely moderated conference sessions shedding fresh light on the complex worlds of digital media and programmatic advertising.

Key Speakers include:

Samuel Scott, Columnist, The Promotion Fix @ The Drum

Hosi Simon, Global General Manager, VICE Media

NK Sinha, Secretary, MIB, Government of India

Dr Ros Lynch, Director, Copyright & IP Enforcement, UK Intellectual Property Office

Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO, Viacom18

Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya, Chief Content and Media Officer, True Corporation

Jeremy Butteriss, Managing Director for Global Partnerships, APAC, Google

Joined by:

21st Century Foundation, ABS, ABU, Amagi, APT Satellite, ARRIS, AsiaSat, BARC, BBC, beIN Sports, Cisco, CMS, English Premier League, Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT), FOX Networks Group, Friend MTS, GfK, iDigitalish, Intelsat, INVIDI Technologies, Irdeto, Kantar Media, Leyard, MPP Global, NAGRA, Nielsen, OONA, Pi Pakistan, Pioneer Consulting Asia, Rakuten Viki, RiotGames, SES, Shadow Factory, Sky UK, SM Telemedia, Sony Pictures, TRT World, UNICEF and Viaccess-Orca.

Full event details can be found at www.casbaaconvention.com.

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, Cisco, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang, Deutsche Welle, 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, and Vindicia.

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

Contact CASBAA

For media contacts and additional background contact:

Tel: +852 2854 9913

pr@casbaa.com

Eurochannel upgrades to HD at Eutelsat’s key video neighbourhood at 16° East

Miami, Paris, 16 October 2017 – Eurochannel, the international channel dedicated to high-quality European films and series, today announced from MIPCOM in Cannes its upgrade from Standard to High Definition (HD) with Eutelsat. Already a direct customer of Eutelsat for the last five years, the channel is now expanding its capacity on thehigh-power EUTELSAT 16A satellite to launch its HD version for European viewers.

EUTELSAT 16A is positioned at Eutelsat’s 16° East key neighbourhood, a preferred location for TV distribution to terrestrial networks across Europe, from Reykjavik to Moscow and Tenerife to Tbilisi. Eurochannel is currently received by more than 70 cable and IP operators in 17 countries across Europe and will leverage EUTELSAT 16A’s reach to reinforce its European distribution that recently extended to Russia, Lithuania and Croatia. The upgraded HD channel will be uplinked from Bosnia via Eutelsat’s partner teleport “TEAM:MEDIA”.

Eurochannel is an award-winning world television channel dedicated to showing the diversity of European culture through films and series, as well as content featuring European fashion events, arts and destinations. Its move to HD underlines its commitment to meeting user expectation for an enhanced viewing experience.

About Eurochannel

Eurochannel is the award-winning world leading European cinema Pay TV channel. For more information, please visit: www.eurochannel.com

Media contacts

Joseph de Monvallier

VP Marketing & Sales

Eurochannel, Inc.

joseph@eurochannel.com

About Eutelsat Communications

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world’s leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across Video, Data, Government, Fixed and Mobile Broadband markets to communicate effectively to their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6,600 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to one billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris, with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1,000 men and women from 32 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

Eutelsat Communications is listed on the Euronext Paris Stock Exchange (ticker: ETL).

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com

Press

Vanessa O’Connor Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 voconnor@eutelsat.com
Marie-Sophie Ecuer Tel: + 33 1 53 98 37 91 mecuer@eutelsat.com

Investors and analysts

Joanna Darlington Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 jdarlington@eutelsat.com
Cédric Pugni Tel. : +33 1 53 98 35 30 cpugni@eutelsat.com

VIACOM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA NETWORKS NAMES ASIF ALI AS DIRECTOR, AFFILIATE SALES, SOUTHEAST ASIA

SINGAPORE, 16 OCTOBER 2017 – Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) today announced the appointment of Asif Ali as Director, Affiliate Sales, Southeast Asia. In this role, Asif is responsible for leading and growing channel and content distribution across linear and digital platforms in the Southeast Asian region for the Viacom brands – MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Comedy Central, Paramount Channel and BET. Based in Singapore, he will report to Paras Sharma, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Southeast Asia.

“In the midst of market shifts, we continue to see growth opportunities in Southeast Asia across the Viacom brand portfolio. The way ahead is to work even more closely with our partners and find different solutions thus Asif’s multi-market experience will be a valuable asset to VIMN, as we look to extend our product offering across linear and digital platforms,” said Paras Sharma, Senior Vice President and General Manager for Southeast Asia.

Asif was most recently Global Channel Distribution Manager at ITV International Channels, and based in Hong Kong. In his three-year tenure there, he drove the strategy, sales and distribution of ITV’s international channel – ITV Choice and implemented distribution strategies aligned to business objectives. Previously, he worked at Sky Vision and Metro International Film Sales in London, where he was involved in international sales at both organisations.

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About Viacom International Media Networks

Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN), a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA), is comprised of many of the world’s most popular multimedia entertainment brands, including MTV, MTV LIVE HD, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Comedy Central, Paramount Channel, and more. Viacom brands reach more than 3.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 180+ countries and territories via more than 200 locally programmed and operated TV channels and more than 550 digital media and mobile TV properties, in 40 languages. Keep up with VIMN news by visiting the VIMN PR Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/VIMN_PR. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com, blog.viacom.com and the Viacom Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/Viacom.

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