26 September, 2014

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending Sept 26th. 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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John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	Across the water, the tussle between Netflix and Canadian regulators continues. Netflix is refusing to comply with data requests from the Canadian Radio and Television Commission. The Toronto Star calls this a “high-stakes game of chicken,” but notes that Netflix enjoys considerable backing in Ottawa’s political circles. It’s interesting to watch… and we should also bear in mind that such regulatory decisions are unfortunately not made in a political vacuum. In this interesting analysis, the New York Times writes that Netflix (like other tech firms) has been rapidly bulking up its lobbying activities but doesn’t like to disclose any data on its activities and contributions. Hmmmm… does anybody want to look into support for Canada’s ruling party? (Or am I tooooo cynical?)
Christopher Slaughter CEO	Perhaps it’s singing to the choir here, but a new report from KPMG in the US shows that most top movie and TV titles are available on legal digital streaming and/or download services. The report was commissioned by NBCUniversal, and as with CASBAA’s own “Digital, Legal, and Anywhere” reports on Singapore and Australia (produced in conjunction with Olswang), it is evidence that lack of availability is NOT a legitimate argument to justify online piracy.
Mark Lay Vice President, Singapore	Who here hasn’t enjoyed watching a video of a dog surfing, a compilation of Russian dashcam driving exploits or the classic “Charlie Bit My Finger”? But, when is comes to settling down and enjoying a tv show with my beautiful wife, I’ll take old-school all the time. Maybe this is an example of “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” Well, except for the character Piper Chapman in Orange Is The New Black… she seems to be getting darker and darker.
Sara Madera Director, Member Relations & Marketing	Sports have long been the backbone of pay-TV, but the current domestic violence issues facing numerous National Football League (NFL) players may shake up the model in the US. If viewers are turned off by these scandals, some are worried that cable bundles will unravel without the draw of live sports.
Anjan Mitra Executive Director, India	Here’s an interesting take on a little-discussed aspect of India’s pay-TV economy. People lining their pockets from the proceeds of carriage fees. A consulting firm reported that in their survey of the media and entertainment industry, one in six respondents had reported increasing instances of fraud in their organizations.
John Medeiros Chief Policy Officer	See this report of a good speech by the UK IP police chief. He is spot on that global collaboration between police authorities and ancillary industries (e.g. advertising, payment processing) is going to be essential to prevent piracy from turning into The Blob that eats the creative industries everywhere.
Desmond Chung Associate Director, PR & Communications	OTT services are posting some over-the-top numbers! According to a new report from Digital TV Research, global online TV and video revenues will reach $42.34 billion in 2020; up from $3.96 billion recorded in 2010 and the $19.03 billion expected in 2014. And where is everyone going? As expected, the usual suspects YouTube and Netflix are right up there in the popularity contest.
Godfrey Chan Member Relations & Marketing Executive	Twitter is urging networks executives to do more live-tweeting of their shows. Don’t miss your chance to get up close and personal with Twitter as Danny Keens, Global Chair of TV, talks about engagement between broadcasters, advertisers and audiences at the CASBAA Convention 2014.
Christopher Slaughter CEO	Meanwhile, more indications that social TV really is a thing: Kantar Media has released a study in the UK called “A Year in the Life of TV and Twitter” that indicates, among other things, strong correlation between TV Tweet levels and TV channel shares and viewership figures. Turns out 142 characters really can make a difference, after all.