India: Bad Channels Driving Out Good Ones?

BBC Entertainment’s pull-out symbolises deep flaws in the TV channel business

06/11/2012 – BBC Entertainment could not survive due to extreme fragmentation of the advertising cake and high cost of operations. But then how are so many other Indian channels surviving? By a combination of paid news and endless supply of dubious funding? If so, we have created a system by which bad channels will drive out the good ones

BBC Worldwide has confirmed the closure of two of its channels, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies in India. In a statement it said, “BBC Entertainment and CBeebies are to be withdrawn and will no longer be available beyond the end of November 2012 for viewing from India.” The closure of these channels, which were providing quality entertainment, raises a key question over the means and methods of survival by other mediocre TV channels that continue to thrive in the country.

According to data from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), as of March 2012, there were 831 registered private satellite TV channels in the country, out of which 184 are paid channels. Maximum number of TV channels including pay, free-to-air (FTA) and local being carried by any of the multi-system operators (MSOs) is 377, while the same for conventional analogue form is limited at 100 channels. Last year, the number of TV channels in India was 745, out of which 366 were in news and current affairs category while 379 were in non-news and current affairs category. That too when the government increased the net worth criteria for those seeking permission to run TV channels in the country in order to deter non-serous players from crowding the electronic media landscape.

Turner launches WB channel in Pakistan

Hollywood arrives with the ultimate movies, series and stars

HONG KONG (November 6, 2012) – Audiences across Pakistan can now tune in to the very best of Hollywood-style entertainment with the launch of WB.

WB is Turner’s 24-hour, English entertainment channel and the premiere destination for all Hollywood enthusiasts. It offers the biggest hit movies, hottest action, best drama, funniest series and brightest stars from the world’s most prolific studio, Warner Bros. – all in a sleek and exciting environment.

Three years after the channel debuted in India, WB is now also available in homes across Pakistan from November 1. WB will be distributed in Pakistan through Homecast Entertainment Private Limited and will be made available to advertisers by TBS Pakistan with the help of their ad sales representatives Strategic Alliances.

Steve Marcopoto, President and MD, Turner International Asia Pacific Ltd., said, “For nearly a decade Turner has built its leadership in the Pakistan media and entertainment industry on a bedrock of rich, powerful and compelling content. Now we expand our foundation with WB, leveraging the greatest hits from the largest and fastest-growing film and television library in the world. With a distinctive on-air feel and the biggest hits, it will indeed be ‘entertainment made better’ for all Hollywood movie buffs in Pakistan.”

The channel is targeted at an upscale urban audience with an appetite for quality programming and 24-hour Hollywood content. WB will bring the best of award winning Hollywood entertainment to TV sets in Pakistan.

Highlights of WB’s premium movie titles include the Harry Potter series, the Lord of the Rings series, The Hangover, Sherlock Holmes, Clash of the Titans, Rumble in the Bronx and The Dark Knight. From launch, WB will also air hit series including The Big Bang Theory, Fringe, Friends and Nikita.

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About WB in Pakistan

WB is Pakistan’s gateway to Hollywood! This premiere destination is meant for all Hollywood aficionados, offering the biggest movies, hottest action, best dramas, funniest series and the brightest stars from the world’s most prolific studio. Showcasing programming licensed from Warner Bros., WB is aimed at a Pakistan audience with a colossal appetite for Hollywood’s best content, around the clock. WB is a 24-hour, English-language entertainment channel from Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. Now That’s Hollywood! itsonwb.com

For more information, please contact:

James Moore
Turner International Asia Pacific Limited
Tel: +852 3128 3720
Email: James.Moore@turner.com

FOX Movies Premium, STAR Chinese Movies and now TV jointly launch new play service

Viewers can now enjoy their favourite blockbusters, series, concerts and award-winning documentaries while on-the-go

November 5, 2012 – FOX Movies Premium (FMP), Star Chinese Movies (SCM) and now TV have joined forces to bring to viewers a better premium movie channel experience through the introduction of a new and exclusive Play service.

now TV customers subscribing to FMP (Channel 117) and SCM (Channel 139) will be able to access the FOX Movies Play and SCM Play platform through the now Player website (nowplayer.now.com) and a “now ID” to catch up with their favorite content on FMP and SCM anytime, anywhere.

Bringing FMP & SCM Wherever They Go Online

With the FOX Movies Play and SCM Play services, now TV subscribers who subscribe to FMP and SCM, will have free online access to watch FMP and SCM premium content a day after its screening on the channel. Now, no matter where viewers are – whether at home or on-the-go – they will be able to watch their favourite programmes, including Hollywood and Chinese blockbusters and concerts, on the online now Player.

Mr. Rajesh Sheshadri, Vice President Territory Head – Hong Kong, FOX International Channels, said, “FMP and SCM’s viewer-centric approach strives to keep viewers ahead of the entertainment curve by offering leading content and first-and-exclusive rights along with features and services that enhance the premium TV experience. We are pleased to partner with now TV for the introduction of FOX Movies Play and SCM Play service, so that viewers can watch their favorite programmes anytime, anywhere.”

Ms. Mamie Leung, PCCW’s Senior Vice President of TV & Media, said, “Being the largest pay-TV operator in Hong Kong, now TV is committed to bringing the best viewing experience to our customers. Through now Player, viewers already can enjoy a variety of now TV’s self-produced channels, including news, entertainment and sports content on multi-screens. The addition of exclusive FOX Movies Play and SCM Play further enhances the exciting content lineup of now Player.”

Enhancing the Home Watching Experience with HD & SVOD

In addition to the new Play service, FMP, SCM and now TV has further enhanced the viewing experience by providing High Definition channels and Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) services via now Select. This means that viewers can be assured of the best visual quality of FMP and SCM programmes at home.

Providing Access to Hollywood Like No One Else

As Hong Kong is one of the top destinations in Asia for all things Hollywood, now TV viewers of FMP will continue to get access to their beloved blockbusters as well as the hottest series, live UFC fights and special events, concerts and award-winning documentaries.

Fans of mixed martial arts will get the chance to witness the action-packed UFC MACAO LIVE: FRANKLIN VS. LE event on 10th November at 8pm when epic middleweight fight pitting former champion Rich Franklin goes up against former Strikeforce champion Cung Le. And, be sure to watch Zhang “The Wolf” Tiequan, the first Chinese fighter ever, compete in the Octagon and fight for glory in his home country with his ferocious fighting style.

And, the dead has once again taken over TV screens and continues to surprise audiences for a third season of The Walking Dead. FMP subscribers can follow the latest exploits of Rick Grimes and his band of survivors as they try to keep themselves safe from new and old foes. The latest season airs just one week after the U.S. premiere and an entire season ahead of broadcast of the series on other local TV channels.

Giving Viewers the Most Popular Chinese Content

SCM will continue to offer viewers Chinese blockbuster movies, live events, concerts and award-winning documentaries they have come to expect from the channel.

The upcoming live broadcast of the 49th Golden Horse Awards on 24th November is a must-see for all Chinese movie lovers. The Best Leading Actor Award will be a highlight this year as four Hong Kong actors, including Nicholas Tse, Nick Cheung, Lau Ching Wan and Chapman To, will be competing against Taiwanese actor Joseph Chang for this honor.

The Weekend Gala slot on Saturday at 9:30pm also has an exciting line-up of movies including The Soul of Bread starring Taiwanese actress Michelle Chen on 17th November and The Second Woman starring Shu Qi and Shawn Yue on 3rd November.

now TV’s FMP and SCM subscribers can enjoy premium pay-TV experience by visiting nowplayer.now.com. For more information of the premium content available, please visit www.facebook.com/FOXMoviesPremium or www.facebook.com/SCMClub. To subscribe, please call now TV at 2888-0008.

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About FOX International Channels

FOX International Channels (FIC) is News Corporation’s international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 300+ wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, factual, sports and movie channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 37 languages. These networks and their related mobile, non-linear and high-definition extensions, reach over 1 billion cumulative subscribing worldwide. We also operate a global online advertising unit;FOX (pronounced “dot-fox”) specialized in online video and display, and four TV production houses, in operation since August 14, 1993.

In Asia, FIC operates or distributes 37 channel brands, including the FOX, STAR and National Geographic brands, with over 100 feeds across 15 markets, reaching more than 550 million cumulative subscribers in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. We have offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.foxinternationalchannels.com.

About now TV

now TV is one of the world’s largest commercial deployments of IPTV and Hong Kong’s largest pay-TV provider. It is delivered by PCCW Media, the multimedia and entertainment subsidiary of PCCW Limited. PCCW also holds interests in telecommunications, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.

now TV serves Hong Kong with more than 180 channels of local, Asian and international programming, including premium content such as Spanish La Liga, English FA Cup, NBA, French Open, US Open, ATP World Tour, BWF Super Series, World Snooker Tour, F1 and PGA Tour. In addition, now TV is both a leading producer of news, sports and infotainment programming and a provider of a wide range of interactive services. now TV can be enjoyed on the eye devices provided by HKT, the telecommunications business of PCCW. Select now TV content and interactive applications can also be accessed via HKT’s 3G mobile network and broadband service. To learn more about now TV, please visit www.now.com.

About PCCW Limited

PCCW Limited (SEHK: 0008) is a Hong Kong-based company which holds interests in telecommunications, media, IT solutions, property development and investment, and other businesses.

The Company holds a majority interest in HKT, Hong Kong’s premier telecommunications service provider. HKT meets the needs of the Hong Kong public and local and international businesses with a wide range of services including local telephony, local data and broadband, international telecommunications, mobile, and other telecommunications businesses such as customer premises equipment sale, outsourcing, consulting, and contact centers.

PCCW also owns a fully integrated multimedia and entertainment group in Hong Kong, which includes a highly successful IPTV operation, now TV. As the provider of Hong Kong’s first quadruple-play experience, PCCW offers a range of innovative media content and services across four delivery platforms – fixed-line, broadband Internet access, TV and mobile.

Also wholly-owned by the Group, PCCW Solutions is a leading information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing provider in Hong Kong and mainland China.

In addition, PCCW holds a majority interest in Pacific Century Premium Developments Limited, and overseas investments including the wholly-owned UK Broadband Limited. To learn more about PCCW, please visit www.pccw.com.

Media Enquiries

Ogilvy Public Relations
Joyce Lai
Tel:+852 2884 8530
Email: joyce.lai@ogilvy.com

Michel Wong
Tel: +852 2884 8575
Email: michel.wong@ogilvy.com

PCCW
Ivan Ho
Tel: +852 2883 8747
Email: ivan.wy.ho@pccw.com

Inmarsat Q3 up 5%

November 5, 2012 – Satellite company Inmarsat posted a 5 per cent rise in third-quarter revenue, excluding its LightSquared partnership, helped by take-up of its broadband services by shipping customers globally.

The company, which provides communications to shipping, aircraft and remote land locations, said it added 2,128 FleetBroadband terminals in the quarter, taking its installed base to 32,000.

Six “must-carry” sports for Thai

November 6, 2012 – The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) approved a draft of “must-have” rules yesterday to govern free-TV broadcasters transmitting six international sporting events through all broadcast platforms without any conditions.

Under the must-have rules, companies holding broadcast rights of the Fifa World Cup, SEA Games, Asean Games, Asean ParaGames, Paralympics and the Olympics must be aware of the must-have rules before striking any deals with free-TV operators, said Col Natee Sukonrat, the chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee.

The draft on the must-have principle passed the public hearing yesterday and will be submitted to its board on Nov 14 for approval.

A sustained boom forecast for global online TV and video

31 October, 2012 – Global online TV and video revenues will reach $28.72 billion in 2017, a massive increase from the $3.79 billion recorded in 2010 and the $11.14 billion expected in 2012, according to a new report from Digital TV Research. The Online TV and Video Forecasts report (which covers fixed broadband developments – not smartphones or tablets) explains that the over-the-top TV sector is on the brink of a huge take-off as the key players expand globally, companies consolidate and as new partnerships are announced on a daily basis.

By 2017, 480 million homes in 40 countries will watch online television and video, up from 182 million in 2010. By 2017, 64.6% of the world’s 745 million fixed broadband homes will view television and video online, up from 33.5% of the 473 million fixed broadband total in 2010.

Brightcove reports “strong Q3”, signs Viacom

November 2, 2012 – Brightcove, a global provider of cloud-based solutions for publishing and distributing professional digital media, has announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30th, 2012.

Total revenue for the third quarter of 2012 was $22.1 million, an increase of 32 per cent compared to $16.7 million for the third quarter of 2011. Subscription and support revenue was $21.5 million, an increase of 35 per cent compared with $15.9 million for the third quarter of 2011. Professional services and other revenue was $0.6 million, a decrease compared to $0.8 million for the third quarter of 2011.

Fiji TV chooses Intelsat for DTH distribution

November 3, 2012 – Fiji TV has signed a long-term distribution agreement with satellite provider Intelsat.

The programmer will use capacity on the Intelsat 19 video neighborhood, located at 166° East, to offer direct-to-home (DTH) services to customers across the Pacific Ocean region, which includes Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa and the Solomon Islands.

In addition, Fiji TV renewed its video contribution requirements and capacity for its subsidiary Media Niugini Limited, which operates EMTV, a commercial, free-to-view channel that is uplinked from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. EMTV is Papua New Guinea’s only free-to-view channel.

CASBAA’12 Day 2 Summary

Convention 2012 Day 2 Photo

Convention 2012 Day 2 Press Release

Chairman Awards

Convention 2012 Day 2 Panel Summaries

A quick recap of yesterday’s event and the introduction of the CASBAA 2020 program kicked off a technology-and-innovation-as-a-differentiator day. This will be a theme that underlies much of the day’s dialogue.

The In Conversation series continues to be a platform for insightful knowledge sharing with the first being a wonderful look at the progress and developments Foxtel in Australia has made. Although operating in a challenging environment, there are ways to stay competitive, for instance by securing exclusive content to create a compelling offerings.

With the DirectTV interview, the notions are similar; leverage technology to deliver content to consumers in the way they want, especially in a market where the similarities in content type and offerings limit the ability to differentiate.

Then again in Tablets, Terminals and Consumption, the recurring theme of taking care of consumer needs from the point of view of enhancing the experience for consumers. It is important to make sure consumers enjoy the service experience and identify with what the service brand stands for, and only then will monetization opportunities extend themselves.

Sports are a big thing in the industry and are often the “battering ram” for many markets. Interestingly, here too, the need to innovate and differentiate is apparent. The market has become very discerning, subscribers are demanding more than just the live feeds. They want the statistics, the athlete profiles, and interviews, often simultaneously with the live feed. Technology and innovation has a huge part to play in this space and some of the possibilities are very exciting, as is the opportunity to package sports content targeted to female consumers. Perhaps the gender inequality in sports viewership is not as apparent as was first thought, however, it is obvious that the market is not currently tapping into this wider audience base.

With Video on Demand, it was clear again just how much technology can do and how it brings brands closer to consumers. These are enablers that can compliment tactics that manage the maximization of windowing strategies, especially for movie related content.

Following on from yesterday’s security focus, today’s session on securing content looked at one of the weak links in the security chain and exposes how hackers are exploiting these weaknesses, often without operators even knowing. Whether improving the security robustness of set top box deployments or making security central to corporate operations culture, anything that can be done to improve security and protect content is a step to winning the battle against piracy.

And speaking of piracy, there is no question that this is an issue that will affect everyone in the industry in some way or another. But there is still no clear consensus as to the way forward. There is still no clear leadership, nor ownership of responsibility to make things move. The opinions are split as to the reasons for piracy; consumers don’t acknowledge the fundamental right for content creators to receive payment for their work and hence refuse to pay, and consumers obtain content illegally because there are no legal avenues to purchase the desired content. Then there is the complex issue of embedded devices purpose built to source pirated content streams. Whichever way the industry is heading, it’s not in the direction of the pirates.

Moving to a review of Indonesia reveals the potential for massive growth. Yet nothing is ever straightforward in this industry it seems and Indonesia also throws up its fair share of challenges. Nevertheless, there are interesting market segments to approach, lots of room for development and consumer demand is in on the rise.

To cap the day’s events, a distinguished panel of the industry’s leaders shared their views on the path ahead for their respective business and markets. There was much optimism and certainly no lack of passion or determination from the panelist and all the speakers who graciously gave their time to participate in this event.

And what better way to bring CASBAA 2012 to a close than to salute someone who has led CASBAA to become the big family it is today, the winner of the 2012 Chairman’s Award and former CEO, Simon Twiston Davies.

Piracy and Potential at CASBAA 2012

Hong Kong, 1 November 2012 – The multichannel TV sector must embrace the entire market value chain from content creation to end user subscribers if it is to make an effective approach to defeating endemic content piracy, said Tom Keaveny, President & MD, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific during a panel discussion at the CASBAA Convention 2012 in Hong Kong.

For Richard Freudenstein, the CEO of Sydney-based subscription-TV operator Foxtel, it is not the “cost” but the “under supply” of relevant content that is the most pressing item in the Australian market. In addition, set-top boxes are not as expensive as imagined by some operators who should make “security” a central part of their operating culture.

Desmond Chan, General Counsel of Hong Kong broadcaster TVB, added that piracy-driven innovations such as the Android-based “TVPad” set-top box, are encouraging unauthorized Chinese-language content to be illegally pulled down from the Internet. Andrew Marshall, SVP, Legal & Business Affairs and General Counsel at ESPN STAR Sports noted that the impact of piracy “is potentially crippling”, especially with pirate operators streaming free-of-charge, advertising-loaded content such as high value cricket.

Besides piracy, the Convention 2012 examined the still unfulfilled market potential of Indonesia, via innovations in sports programming and VOD. Bettina Cavenagh, a CASBAA Consultant working for Clarity Research of Jakarta, provided a positive overview of the market again illustrating the huge room for growth.

Cam Walker, Territory Head of Indonesia for FOX International Channels sees the successful entrance of new platform players underscoring the optimism. Alex Lambeek, CEO the Aora platform, said his company will tap into the B-C consumer segment. Adi Kusma, President Director, Biznet Networks interestingly observed that when laying fibre, consumers demand IPTV regardless of content.

Meanwhile, during another segment of the Conference 2012 programme, Peter Hutton, the MD, of ESPN STAR Sports, believes quality delivery systems are an important “battering ram” for IPTV operators to attract new consumers. But it can also be challenging, added Arjan Hoekstra, MD, Eurosport Asia Pacific describing today’s subscribers as “wanting more”, including statistics, interviews and athlete profiles.

Promotion and education is important to improve demand said Conor Woods, GM, Asia-Pacific, Setanta Sports while Laurent Dumeau, CEO, TRACE Sports HD argued that this may be difficult if budgets are being exhausted by purchasing rights.

However, Scott Levy, SVP & MD, NBA Asia, cautioned against providing “too much information”, as this may enable match-fixing.

Meanwhile, Saul Berman, Partner & VP, Global Strategy Consulting Leader, IBM Global Business Services cautioned against relying on content alone. “It’s also about the experience and how to make it interesting and enjoyable for consumers.” He advised industry players to give consumers what they want. “The revenue is there,” he added.

The Convention ended on a look at the future of the multichannel industry, featuring Rohana Rozhan, CEO of Astro in Malaysia, Richard. Freudenstein of Foxtel; Shuichi Mori, CEO, J:COM; George Chan, Group MD, PCCW; Sompan Charumilinda, Executive Vice Chairman, True Visions and Rohit Jain, Deputy CEO, Videocon d2h. Key points includes tough economic conditions, growing competition, fragmentation and the need to adopt new technologies, as well as subscriber demand for the latest local and global content. A consumer culture conditioned on free TV in Japan and a tough PTV market in Thailand were among other challenges discussed.

The CASBAA Convention 2012 is supported by FOX International Channels, Turner, Eurosport, Dolby, A+E Networks, AMC/Sundance Channel Global, APT Satellite, ABS, AsiaSat, Bloomberg Television, Brightcove, Conax, Discovery Networks APAC, Disney Media Distribution, Elemental Technologies, Ericsson, euronews, Food Network Asia, France 24, HBO Asia, Intelsat, Invest Hong Kong, Irdeto, ITV, MEASAT, Movideo, NBA, NBCUniversal, now TV, Paul Weiss, Playboy Plus Entertainment, PwC, SES, Sony Pictures Television Networks, TBN Asia, ThinkAnalytics, Time Warner, True Visions, TV5MONDE, Verimatrix, Viacom International Media Networks, WarnerTV and YouTube.

For a third year running, leading sponsor Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) has also shown its support for the CASBAA Convention by sponsoring a Community Outreach Programme. Complimentary passes have been offered to local SMEs in the 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 on the CASBAA Convention visit: http://www.casbaa.com/events/events-calendar/details/314-casbaa-convention-2012

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About CASBAA – http://www.casbaa.com

Established in 1991, CASBAA is the Association for digital multichannel TV, content, platforms, advertising and video delivery across Asia. Spanning 18 geographic markets, CASBAA and its Members reach over 445 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
PR & Communications Manager
CASBAA
Tel: +852 3929-1712
Email: desmond@casbaa.com

Adela Chen
Director, Marketing & Communications
CASBAA
Tel: +852 3929-1711
Email: adela@casbaa.com

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