Hong Kong, 2 November 2011 – TV Everywhere and Over the Top Television (OTT) via the internet created some sharp debate during the first day of the CASBAA Convention 2011 in Hong Kong on November 1st. The onset of new and global internet-delivered TV services such as Hulu, Netflix and the BBC I-player as extensions of traditional cable, satellite and IPTV systems was declared as “inevitable” by many speakers and delegates drawn from Asia and the rest of the world.
“You can’t stop the OTT revolution,” said Johannes Larcher, SVP of International, Hulu. “There are many incremental revenues to be made from OTT.”
Yet the question remains “Who will pay?” and how will content and multichannel TV platform operators monetize and retain revenues while engaging with “authorized” customers?
In the opening session of the day on the changing world of TV, Blair Westlake, Corporate VP, Media & Entertainment Group at Microsoft shared his anticipation that the evolution of the smart, digitally “Connected TV” could soon match the speed of collaborative innovation witnessed in the past three years. He added that tablets and smartphones and “smart glass” have fast become the focus of the entertainment experience.
Even so, Jana Bennett, President, Worldwide Networks & Global iPlayer atBBC Worldwide, noted that audiences still want a mass experience. Yet part of the future growth for content will come from mining niches and catering to passions.
Jayne Leung, Director, North Asia at Facebook later highlighted the multiplier effect of new audience engagements. Fans recommending TV content to friends present an immense opportunity to content owners and marketers to establish life-long connectivity, she said. Michelle Guthrie, AP Director, Strategic Business Development at Google, reinforced that collaboration is key to the future innovation of the industry and ecosystems should underpin this collaboration.
Meanwhile, in his welcoming remarks, Mr John C Tsang, Financial Secretary of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (Hong Kong SAR), highlighted the benefits to the multichannel television industry of Hong Kong’s level playing field for business and the free flow of information, including a free and unfettered media.
“We pursue market-driven, technology-neutral broadcasting policies, and regulate the broadcasting industry with the lightest touch,” he said. “I am pleased that CASBAA rates Hong Kong as one of the most favourable and competitive environments for the pay TV industry. This tells us that we must be doing something right.”
Rapid media convergence has made the traditional boundaries between telecommunications and broadcasting increasingly blurred, Mr Tsang said. To sustain a regulatory environment that will help Hong Kong capture new opportunities and meet new challenges, a unified regulatory authority called The Communications Authority will be established in April next year.
“What we have seen at the Convention 2011 is that our industry’s first 20 years is a journey that has only just begun,” added Simon Twiston Davies, CEO, CASBAA. “Even with more than 420 million non-terrestrial TV connections across the Asia Pacific, there is phenomenal opportunity for even more expansion and growth in the region.”
The CASBAA Convention 2011 is generously supported by Fox International Channels, Turner Broadcasting, Eurosport, Dolby, Getty Images, ABS, Al Jazeera, APT, AsiaSat, Bloomberg Television, CNBC Asia Pacific, Conax, Deutsche Welle, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, Disney Channels Worldwide, ESPN STAR Sports, Fashion One, Fashiontv, Food Network Asia, France 24, GE Satellite, Globecast, HBO Asia, Intelsat, Invest Hong Kong, Irdeto, ITV Granada, Life Inspired, MEASAT, MGM Channel, now TV, Paul, Weiss, Playboy TV International, PwC, RRsat, SES, Sundance Channel/WE tv, Synovate, Time Warner, TRACE, TrueVisions, TV5MONDE, Universal Networks International, Viacom, WarnerTV and YouTube.
For the second year running, leading sponsor Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) has shown its support to the CASBAA Convention by sponsoring the Community Outreach Programme. Complimentary passes were offered for local SMEs in TV sector and tertiary students of relevant courses to attend the event for networking and knowledge exchange. CreateHK is the dedicated office set up by the Hong Kong SAR Government to promote local creative industries.
For more information about the CASBAA Convention 2011, please visithttp://www.casbaa.com.
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About CASBAA – www.casbaa.com
First established in 1991, CASBAA is the Association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across Asia for the past two decades. Spanning 17 geographic markets, CASBAA and its Members reach over 420 million connections through a footprint ranging from China to Australasia, Japan to Pakistan. The CASBAA mission is to promote the growth of multichannel 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.
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For enquiries, please contact:
Desmond Chung
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Desmond@casbaa.com
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Adela Chen
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