Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending Apr 17th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!
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Christopher SlaughterCEO |
I spent an overwhelming couple of days at MIPTV in Cannes earlier this week, where the deals were being announced left, right, and center. One of the more interesting was Freemantle’s deal to develop entertainment formats for Shanghai Media Group. Fremantle will also handle world sales outside of China for all original formats developed under the agreement. Meanwhile, BBC Worldwide also announced an expansion of their strategic partnership with SMG to include programme and format production, distribution and co-production.
There was definitely industry excitement about the potential for deployment of Ultra HDTV, but away from La Croisette, some tech guys are warning: Ultra HD might not be simple after all. And just to add a bit more noise to the signal, over at NAB in Las Vegas, RED Digital Cinema have announced a new 8K camera to be shipped by the end of the year. |
John MedeirosChief Policy Officer |
My daily press summary has been swamped by outraged screams about “Internet FREEDOM” emanating from India. It leaves me a bit bemused to see complicated and multifaceted issues of economic policy reduced to sloganeering. Voices of reason get drowned out, in all the online shouting. The important issue that keeps getting lost is the need to find mechanisms to finance massive investments in India’s internet infrastructure. This should see telcos on one side of the issue, internet companies on the other, and media companies straddling the fence, given their different economic interests… but in fact what happens is that the wave of populist online bullying leaves companies like Airtel as well as its Internet partners beating a hasty retreat, proclaiming theireverlasting commitment to net neutrality. (Airtel was the company which last December prompted this whole whirlwind by proposing to charge its customers more for outside messaging services, and it was forced to retreat then, too.)
The Telecom Minister has already undercut the TRAI consultation process. So the decision-making is clearly going to be political, and prospects for a reasoned debate are not great. That’s too bad for India; the risk, as one wag put it to me, is that “The Indian public may just get what they ask for in all this, which may include fully non–discriminatory, low cost (low performance, low value) broadband services for all. Or of course the government may step in to announce a publicly funded broadband network — which action may just ensure all of the above!” But lest you think things are better elsewhere, have a look at this slick advocacy video from the USA. It was clearly produced by the ANTI-neutrality forces, but notice how the (rather shadowy) sponsor is branded “Protect Internet Freedom.” It justifies OPPOSITION to net neutrality regulations by concern for a “Free and Open Internet.” Apparently, modern American values require devotion – on all sides – to motherhood, apple pie, and FOI. Let’s all cheer for FREEDOMMMMMM! |
Mark LayVice President, Singapore |
Could OTT ad revenue surpass TV’s $69B ad revenue in just 5 years?This was the topic discussed at NAB. One interesting comment came from the CEO of Net2TV, who said, “By the time that occurs, the definition of OTT will disappear. Because Netflix and Hulu will be on cable and cable networks will be on OTT.” According to the Diffusion Group, TV advertising revenues, including both legacy TV and OTT, will grow over the next 3 years. It’s up to the savvy players in the programming business to make sure their programming get’s it share of the pie. |
Kevin JenningsProgramme Director |
The early bird rates for the CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum will expire on Friday 17th April. As an added benefit to CASBAA members reading News Views we will extend the early bird rates to Monday 20th April, for those who haven’t already registered. The Satellite Industry Forum has a very strong speaker line up including Houlin Zhao, Secretary-General, ITU, Michel de Rosen, CEO, Eutelsat, Steve Spengler, CEO, Intelsat and Ferdinand Kayser, CCO, SES. Click on these links to download theregistration form and latest draft programme. |
Anjan MitraExecutive Director, India |
Amazon has announced that it will add the service X-Ray to its Fire TV in the US which offers the opportunity for viewers to learn more about a TV programme or movie you’re watching on TV. While not the first to incorporate use of metadata this way within online services, the X-Ray service can be voice activated via the remote without having to stop or pause content. |
Jane BuckthoughtAdvertising Consultant |
With all the hype around OTT, second screens and out of home viewing, a global survey from Nielsen has provided some insight into viewing habits in the “always on” world which shows that the TV screen is still the number one device for watching video. While there are notable exceptions with mobile championing short form content, and generational trends aside, it is still interesting to see data out there supporting the much maligned TV remains primary device of choice for watching videos in the home. |
Sara MaderaDirector, Member Relations & Marketing |
Late last week, CASBAA member TV5 Monde became the latest victim of a major cyber-attack, understood to have been carried out by hackers with links to the Islamic State. Transmission of the network’s 11 channels was temporarily disrupted globally, along with its website and social media accounts. Although normal broadcast operations resumed within the day, Managing Director TV5 MondeAsia Pacific Alexandre Muller says, “Our email addresses have not yet been reactivated and we still do not know when things will be back to normal.” |
Mark LayVice President, Singapore |
In the US anyways, it looks like it’s getting tougher for fringe channels as, it’s survival of the fittest as channels drop from the bundle. With more OTT-delivered, slimmed down basic packages this may only get worse. But while The Weather Channel is being frozen out and could be heading into a very long winter, HBO shows the way forward. “Interesting, isn’t it,” he (Richard Plepler, the chief executive of HBO) said, “that at a time that’s been called the most competitive moment in our industry’s history, we have, in my opinion, the best array of content in our history.” |
Kevin JenningsProgramme Director |
After last month’s launch of Netflix in Australia, CEO Reed Hastings hascriticized the data caps used by Australian internet service providers,despite Netflix having signed a number of deals with Australian ISPs to allow Netflix usage to be unmetered, meaning the data used would not count towards a customer’s limit. In a comment that seems somewhat counter intuitive Hasting has said at a shareholder’s meeting that Netflix now regrets the unmetered usage deals, and will avoid them in the future, saying ”Data caps inhibit internet innovation and are bad for consumers” . |