18 July, 2014

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending July 18th. 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:

Christopher Slaughter CEO	It wasn’t entirely expected, but then again, news that 21st Century Fox made a bid for Time Warner (and was rejected) doesn’t entirely come as surprise, either. After all, Rupert Murdoch has a history of bold media deals, and the news is certainly in keeping with the tenor of the times. Cue: readings between the lines, predictions on future moves, somewhat premature coronations, rumination on alternate deal scenarios, and plenty of regulatory hand-wringing.
John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	I know that on the weekend, there’s nothing you all like more than to curl up with a good copyright blog. [Cue loud boos, offstage] No? Well, here’s one that’s worth a look. In it, eminent jurist (and former WIPO Copyright chief) Mihaly Ficsor looks at the “netizens” lobby’s demands in Hong Kong for a broad exception from copyright for user-generated content. He says a broad exception is not necessary, potentially damaging to “primary creation” of copyrighted material, and in probable violation of WIPO’s treaties.(But other than that, it’s a cool idea, right?)
Anjan Mitra Executive Director, India	I’ve been wondering what would happen to the TAM service in India, after the regulatory action that effectively rendered continuation of their existing operations impossible. Here’s a commentary that answers the question of what is going on – but not what will happen in the future.
Sara Madera Director, Member Relations & Marketing	It’s rumored that Netflix is coming to Australia in March, but that’s not stopping Aussies from accessing the site in the meantime. Netflix is already the 2nd most popular paid content option and their numbers have tripled since last year, with locals using a VPN to watch their favorite shows. If this growth trend continues, an official launch may be more fizzle than sizzle.
John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	The turmoil in Thailand’s TV industry shows no signs of abating. Caused by the licensing of 24 digital channels that are required to be on all platforms (and will soak up available ad revenues), operators are rethinking their strategies. This article alleges that GMM Grammy may end all their free satellite channels, to just focus on their new DTT money-spinner.
Desmond Chung Associate Director, PR & Communications	Online is so on-trend! With online movie revenues set to increase and companies like Yahoo beefing up their online video technology, it only makes sense that the king of online videos, YouTube, is looking to boost premium content on its site. But will this spell the end of Grumpy Cat or Maru, the Cat in the Box? Yeah….like THAT’S gonna happen.
Christopher Slaughter CEO	Facebook has updated its status by doing a deal with Nielsen, to measure mobile TV viewership. On the surface, the deal sounds similar to the Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings launched late last year, but it’s actually quite different, and will allow Nielsen to track what programmes users are streaming to mobile devices, via their Facebook accounts. Which sounds sort of invasive… but both companies insist that the data will be anonymous and privacy-protected. Like…?
John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	This conference in Eastern Europe sounds like it could be in Asia, doesn’t it? “While pay TV operators and OTT providers have urged authorities for years to step up enforcement of copyright laws, the panelists said most regulators could not care less about the piracy problem.”