Macau, 8 November 2016 – TVB officially launches on APSTAR, today jointly announced with APT Satellite Company Limited (APT Satellite) this major breakthrough in a ceremony held in Great China Content Showroom during CASBAA Convention 2016. The new pack includes TVB8 and TVB Xing He, which are tailored for Asia, the Middle East, Australia and Central Asia audiences.

“TVB is the most influential TV content provider in overseas Chinese communities. We have established a worldwide distribution network through cable, satellite and OTT technologies. The cooperation with APT Satellite will expand the coverage of our content to the new areas,” said Mr. Sherman Lee, Controller of TVBI.

“We are excited of the cooperation with TVBI, it greatly broadened the variety of our satellite’s TV neighborhood. And we are especially proud of being given the opportunity to team up with TVBI, showcasing the theme of Great China Content Showroom here. APT Satellite is always standing with our customers, brings more value to them,” said Huang Baozhong, Senior Vice President of APT Satellite.

The new TVB package is available throughout Asia Pacific, South Asia, and Middle East on APSTAR-7 satellite at 76.5E.

Reception Parameters

About TVBI

Established in 1976, TVBI Company Limited (TVBI) is the worldwide operating arm of Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB), which enjoys exclusive rights to distribute TVB programmes to more than 40 countries and 100 cities, reaching over 300 million households. TVB’s business has reached the Mainland China, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, North America, South America, Africa, and so on, offering high-quality TV entertainment to global TV viewers.

TVBI enjoys exclusive rights to distribute TVB programmes, many of which are dubbed into different languages for global TV viewers. TVBI’s business scope covers telecast and programme licensing, overseas pay TV business, channel licensing, video licensing, cross-media business, and international advertising sales. TVB also established TVBC, the joint venture in the Mainland China.

One of our latest achievements, the electronic shopping mall named TVB Anywhere, which looks set to change the way people around the world watching TVB dramas and other programmes, is launched in this September. Viewers worldwide can access TVB Anywhere which will offer them more than the usual OTT or video streaming service. It carries the popular TVB Jade, News and other thematic channels including Asian Action, Entertainment News, TVB Live Shows and TVB Radio as well as voluminous video-on-demand programmes which can be viewed on our prescribed set-top box or mobile app.

With our footprints all over the world, TVB has been spearheading dynamic developments in the TV industry and building its brand around the globe. TVBI will continue offering high-quality services and lead the industry!

About APT Satellite

Based in Hong Kong, APT SATELLITE COMPANY LIMITED (“APT Satellite”) is a satellite company operating a fleet of five satellites, namely APSTAR-5, APSTAR-6, APSTAR-7, APSTAR-7B and APSTAR-9. APSTAR-5C and APSTAR-6C are currently under construction, they will replace APSTAR-5 and APSTAR-6 respectively in 2018. The footprints of the fleet cover Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and most part of Europe and Africa, extending services to over 75% of the world’s population. Currently distributing 600+ TV channels around the world including HBO, Disney, Sony Pictures, NBCU, RTL-CBS, EBU, GMA, TVBI, TVn, Celestial Tiger etc, APT Satellite is also supplying transponder capacity to a variety of DTH platforms, as well as to media networks for video contributions across the world.

Huang Baozhong of APT Satellite and Sherman Lee of TVBI@ CASBAA Convention 2016.

Hong Kong, 8 November 2016 – Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat – SEHK: 1135), Asia’s leading satellite operator, has been granted a patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office, titled, ‘Methods and Systems for Providing High-speed Connectivity to Aircraft.’ (US Patent No. 9,425,888)

The patent is about the methods and systems that enable effective aviation communication via satellite over a broad area at high altitude. Example methods include the use of a wide-beam antenna on a satellite to provide a wide flatten coverage by transmitting signals at a frequency higher than 10 GHz and at a relatively low satellite power (EIRP) to avoid interference with ground stations or adjacent satellites. At the same time, the satellite system is configured with a spot beam antenna to receive signals from a mobile antenna on the aircraft at a different frequency of at least 13.75 GHz to achieve better gain for higher data throughput rate of the connection.

With the use of a low-power wide beam antenna, the described system enables communication coverage for aircraft with fewer beams, fewer antennas and receivers onboard a satellite thus reducing its payload, hardware and ground stations requirements, and results in a more reliable service that can be achieved with less switching and traffic handover issues.

The same method and system can also be configured to provide connectivity to an unmanned aviation vehicle (UAV) for establishing immediate communication links in emergency situation due to natural disaster or warfare.

The invention was developed by Dr. Roger Tong, Vice President, Engineering and Operations and Chief Technical Officer of AsiaSat and his team members, Fred Vong and Harry Leung. “Being in the satellite industry, where technologies and user needs are rapidly changing, we recognise there is no boundary to our imagination and we have to continue to innovate in order to provide the best services to our customers,” said Dr. Tong.

Full patent specification is available on AsiaSat website at http://www.asiasat.com/technology/technical-support/technical-resource-centre

# # #

About AsiaSat
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited (AsiaSat), the leading satellite operator in Asia, serves over two-thirds of the world’s population with its six satellites, AsiaSat 3S, AsiaSat 4, AsiaSat 5, AsiaSat 6, AsiaSat 7 and AsiaSat 8. The AsiaSat satellite fleet serves both the broadcast and telecommunications industries. Over 700 television and radio channels are now delivered by the company’s satellites offering access to more than 830 million TV households across the Asia-Pacific region. AsiaSat’s next satellite, AsiaSat 9 on order from the manufacturer is planned to be launched in Q2 2017. AsiaSat is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings Limited, a company listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 1135). For more information, please visit www.asiasat.com

Media Contacts:
Asia Satellite Telecommunications Company Limited

Follow AsiaSat on:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asiasat
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/asiasat2014
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/asiasatellite
Website: http://www.asiasat.com

AsiaSat provides effective satellite solutions for high speed connectivity to aircraft

TAIPEI (NOVEMBER 8, 2016) – Boomerang, Turner’s global kids’ brand and companion channel to Cartoon Network, is now available in Taiwan for the first time.

With an additional 1.6 million subscribers across Kbro and Taiwan Mobile platforms, the agreement increases the channel’s distribution in Asia Pacific to 32 million households since the channel’s relaunch in late 2014.

From November 14, the all-animation network will have both Mandarin audio and traditional Chinese subtitles, boasting an impressive line-up of new series and movies programmed for both kids and their families.

In addition to the ever-popular Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and Looney Tunes, new shows include Bunnicula, Talking Tom and the hilarious Grizzy and the Lemmings – the most-talked-about animated series at MIP Junior in Cannes last month. Other channel highlights in November feature new episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Sunday movies with Barbie and Tom and Jerry.

Phil Nelson, Turner’s Managing Director for North and Southeast Asia Pacific, said: “To see Boomerang’s country count and regional distribution maintain this kind of momentum is fantastic. Cartoon Network is already the No. 1 international Kids channel in Taiwan and Boomerang will complement it perfectly – providing viewers with the ultimate family-friendly destination for iconic cartoon franchises.”

Boomerang is created for kids aged 4-9, as well as their families and caregivers. In addition to new and exclusive content from Warner Bros. Animation, international premium acquisitions include: The Garfield Show, Pink Panther and Pals, Strawberry Shortcake, Mr. Bean: The Animated Series and Inspector Gadget.

To complement the on-air offering regionally, Boomerang Watch and Play hosts both video and gaming content in a safe and fun app designed for tablets.

-Ends-

Take a peek at the “Caturday” block on Boomerang in Taiwan:
https://vimeo.com/189909335

For further information, contact:
James Moore
Director of Communications, Turner Asia Pacific
+852 3128-3720 / James.Moore@turner.com

About Boomerang
Boomerang provides light-hearted and fun moments, showcasing a mixture of internationally recognised comedy and fantasy series to more than 144 million households worldwide. Core programs includes Tom and Jerry, Mr. Bean, Scooby-Doo, The Garfield Show, My Little Pony and The Looney Tunes Show. A companion channel to Cartoon Network, Boomerang is a dynamic and quirky place where girls and boys can be inspired, laugh and play with the whole family. In Asia Pacific, Boomerang is owned and operated by Turner, a Time Warner company.

About Turner Asia Pacific
Turner Asia Pacific creates and distributes award-winning brands throughout the region, running 61 channels in 14 languages in 40 countries. These include CNN International, CNNj, CNN, HLN, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Boomerang, POGO, Toonami, World Heritage Channel, Warner TV, Oh!K, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, MondoTV, TABI Channel, and HBO, HBO HD and WB in South Asia. Turner manages the business of Pay- and Free-TV-channels, as well as Internet-based services, and oversees commercial partnerships with various third-party media ventures; it teams with Warner Bros. and HBO to leverage Time Warner’s global reach. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (“Turner Asia Pacific”) is a Time Warner company.

Macau, 8 November 2016 – APT Satellite Company Limited (APT Satellite) and Chinese International Communication Co. Ltd (CICC) today announced a major breakthrough in their cooperation. After 2-months test run on APSTAR-6 satellite at 134^⁰E and APSTAR-L satellite at 128^⁰E, CICC officially commits APT Satellite to promote Great Wall TV Platform, a mix of 25 TV channels from China with Chinese, English or French voice-over, to new viewers in ASEAN countries.

“The Great Wall TV is the only platform, with exclusive right, to export TV contents from China to the world. The new expansion this time is a strategic move to attract new audience. Though APT Satellite has proved to be our reliable partner since we launched first Great Wall TV platform on APSTAR-5 satellite nearly one decade ago, we are very excited to find new synergy between two companies. APT Satellite has over-20-years experience and an extensive network in this area. We can make best use of these resources, quickly tap into the new markets,” said LYU Chunguang, General Manager of CICC.

“APT Satellite plays two roles in this cooperation: providing satellite capacity and promoting Chinese TV content landing in ASEAN countries. We are pleased of being awarded the capacity supply contract by CICC for its new endeavor in ASEAN countries. And we are especially proud of being given the opportunity to team up with CICC, explore into the content distribution business arena. APT Satellite is willing to step out of its comfort zone, care for the need of the customers, share our experience with them, and most importantly grow together with them,” said Huang Baozhong, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Sales of APT Satellite.

Great Wall Asia platform is available throughout Asia Pacific region by its operation on three APSTAR satellites, namely APSTAR-5 at 138E, APSTAR-6 at 134E and APSTAR-L at 128.5E. The whole package or any channels inside can be contributed to cable TV, satellite DTH, or OTT operators based on authorization.

Reception Parameters of Great Wall Asia Platform

About China International Communication Co. Ltd.

China International Communications Co., Ltd (CICC) is a sub company wholly owned and operated by China International Television Corporation (CITVC) of China Central Television (CCTV). The major business of CICC is to integrate the Great Wall TV Package (GWTV) with qualified TV channels from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and some other overseas regions, and distribute it to different parts of the world, providing the overseas Chinese and main stream audience worldwide with high quality content. CICC distributes GWTV to its target areas with the most advanced transmission technologies including digital satellite and fiber optical transportation services. With different local service providers from the satellite direct-to-home (DTH), cable network as well as IPTV operators, GWTV has been providing its service to the global potential audience and making efforts to maximize the number of its subscribers. This fulfills its target to enlarge and enhance its penetration into the world media market. CICC’s other business includes the overseas distribution of CCTV’s international channels, and render services to foreign TV crew who intend to make programs of China.
About APT Satellite

Based in Hong Kong, APT SATELLITE COMPANY LIMITED (“APT Satellite”) is a satellite company operating a fleet of five satellites, namely APSTAR-5, APSTAR-6, APSTAR-7, APSTAR-7B and APSTAR-9. APSTAR-5C and APSTAR-6C are currently under construction, they will replace APSTAR-5 and APSTAR-6 respectively in 2018. The footprints of the fleet cover Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and most part of Europe and Africa, extending services to over 75% of the world’s population. Currently distributing 600+ TV channels around the world including HBO, Disney, Sony Pictures, NBCU, RTL-CBS, EBU, GMA, TVBI, TVn, Celestial Tiger etc, APT Satellite is also supplying transponder capacity to a variety of DTH platforms, as well as to media networks for video contributions across the world.

SNI’s Audience Engagement in the Food,
Home and Travel Categories Outrank Regional Competitors

Singapore, 8 November 2016 – In a recent pay-TV study of viewer behaviors and lifestyle habits in Asia-Pacific, Scripps Networks Interactive found its channel portfolio significantly outranked its competitors in the food, home and travel lifestyle categories. The channels, which include Asian Food Channel, Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel, have a highly engaged audience, who have an affinity to lifestyle brands and content. They are more receptive to advertisers, trusting the channels as an authority in the lifestyle ahead of other pay-TV networks.

“It is without a doubt that our channels offer a unique proposition for clients looking to break through today’s competitive media landscape to form meaningful relationships with their consumers,” said Derek Chang, Head of International Lifestyle Channels, Scripps Networks Interactive. “The results of the study confirm our audiences are up-scale, affluent, and engaged in both lifestyle programming and its associated products, be that in their kitchen, home or in the holiday they choose.”

The study, which was commissioned by Scripps Networks in Singapore and conducted by Kadence International, surveyed more than 4,000 respondents, 25-55 year olds who frequently watch lifestyle programming in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Survey highlights include:

Asian Food Channel (AFC):

• AFC is 47%more likely to be recognized by viewers for local Asian food and cooking content than its channel competitors
• 50%of AFC viewers visited a restaurant, city or destination featured during a show as compared to 28% of other pay-TV viewers

HGTV:

• 87%of HGTV viewers have performed some form of renovation in the past 12 months as compared to 69% other pay-TV viewers
• HGTV inspires viewers and is their go-to channel for all things renovation, taking the lead when it comes to topics such as “Home Renovations” (47%), “DIY Renovations” (46%)  and “House Hunting” (45%)

Food Network (FN):

• 91%of FN viewers are willing to pay more for quality ingredients and meals
• FN has a 31%lead against the nearest competitor channel as being one that presents inspirational cooking content

Travel Channel:

• 87%of Travel Channel viewers are likely to travel to a destination featured on a travel show as compared to 69% other pay-TV viewers
• 74%of Travel Channel viewers agree that advertisements are a good way for them to learn about new products

* This study was conducted between April and June 2016. It combined over 4,000 online interviews and 12 group discussions with 25 to 55 year old lifestyle and general entertainment channel viewers across Asia.

About Scripps Networks Interactive

Scripps Networks Interactive (Nasdaq: SNI) is one of the leading developers of engaging lifestyle content in the home, food and travel categories for television, the Internet and emerging platforms. The company’s lifestyle media portfolio comprises popular television and Internet brands HGTV, DIY Network, Food Network, Cooking Channel, Travel Channel and Great American Country, which collectively engage more than 190 million U.S. consumers each month. International operations include TVN, Poland’s premier multi-platform media company; UKTV, an independent commercial joint venture with BBC Worldwide; Asian Food Channel, the first pan-regional TV food network in Asia; and lifestyle channel Fine Living. The company’s global networks and websites reach millions of consumers across North and South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive is headquartered in Knoxville, Tenn. For more information, please visit scrippsnetworksinteractive.com.

For further information, please contact:

Evonne Baath

M: +65 9459 3123

T: +65 6809 1318

E: Evonne.baath@scrippsnetworks.com

###

MACAU – Tuesday 8^th Nov 2016 – Leading satellite operator ABS has announced today that it will partner with PT Sarana Media Vision (SMV), using SMV’s DTH license to launch a consumer FreeView satellite service – FreeViewSat – across Indonesia in January 2017. The service will be called SMV FreeViewSat and will initially broadcast over 60 television channels via the ABS-2, ABS-2A and ABS-6 satellites in both Ku and C-band.

For the first time in Indonesia, a free-to-view platform will be available throughout the entire country, allowing advertisers the opportunity to reach the full potential of the Indonesian audience.

The FreeViewSat model will promote maximum distribution and the cost of the STB & dish will be less than US$35.  Customers will only need to make this one-time purchase to enjoy all the TV channels on the platform (with no monthly recurring subscription fees).

Tom Choi, CEO of ABS commented that “SMV’s FreeViewSat will be very attractive for Indonesia by providing great quality international and unique domestic programming to the entire country.  The goal is to deliver high quality entertainment and educational content affordably to all – For the first time, everybody, not only the affluent or those in the urban areas, will be able to receive high quality programming for free, with just a one-time purchase of a set-top box and dish.  FreeViewSat will also give advertisers the first real opportunity to reach the whole population of Indonesia, even in rural areas. ABS is delighted to be partnering and supporting this highly worthwhile venture.’’

At launch in January, FreeViewSat will carry at least 30 local Free-to-Air channels and more than 30 high quality international channels.  The number of channels will continue to grow to over 100 channels in the first 6 to 12 months as new and interesting content is added.

FreeViewSat will be available via 75cm Ku band dishes from 75E on ABS-2 and ABS-2A, and via 1.6m C-band antennas from 159E on ABS-6 simultaneously, so that consumers have the choice of small dishes, or larger ones with better rain protection. Since Indonesia already has over 10 million C-band antennas installed, the adoption rate is expected to be rapid.

ABS has selected the ABV conditional access and middleware system, along with Ali chips for its Set-Top Boxes.

Confirmed channels for launch include:

TV9 Nusantara, TVRI Nasional, DAAI TV, TV One, ANTV, Metro TV, Trans 7, Trans TV, SCTV, Indosair, Kompas TV, Net TV, Bali TV

H2, Bloomberg TV, France 24, Fix & Foxi, Action Hollywood Movies, Pulse TV, Al Jazeera English, CCTV-News, CCTV-4, CCTV-9, Russia Today, MediaCorp Channel, Landscape HD, TRACE Urban and TRACE Sport Stars, B4U Music, B4U Movies, NDTV 24/7 and NDTV Good Times, and many more

For further information, please contact:

Amanda Yang, Lightning International amanda@lightninginternational.net +852-9400-2605

or Penny Hill, ABS, penny@absatellite.com

——————————————————————————————————————————-

About PT Sarana Media Vision

PT Sarana Media Vision (“SMV”) is an Indonesian company licensed by the Indonesian Ministry of Communications and Informatics to provide nationwide Direct-To-Home broadcast services.

The SMV FreeViewSat DTH service is the digital direct broadcast satellite platform operating on the ABS-2, ABS-2A, and ABS-6 satellites in both Ku-band and C-band with excellent coverage over Indonesia.  The platform carries a rich bouquet of local Indonesian and International channels including High Definition (HD) channels.

It is a unique Free-To-View DTH platform available nationwide that provides TV services directly to households in Indonesia. Unlike other PayTV services, subscribers of SMV FreeViewSat only need to purchase the receiver equipment (set-top box and antenna) at a very affordable one-off cost and enjoy the TV services without recurring charges.

About ABS

ABS is one of the fastest growing global satellite operators in the world. ABS offers a complete range of tailored solutions including broadcasting, data and telecommunication services to broadcasters, service providers, enterprises and government organisations.

ABS operates a fleet of satellites; ABS-2, ABS-2A, ABS-3A, ABS-4/Mobisat-1, ABS-6, and ABS-7.   The satellite fleet covers over 93% of the world’s population across the Americas, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, CIS and Russia.

Headquartered in Bermuda, ABS has offices in the United States, UAE, South Africa, and Asia.  ABS is majority owned by funds managed by the European Private Equity firm Permira.

For more information, visit: www.absatellite.com

About Lightning International

Lightning International is a content solutions company. Core businesses are: 1) Channel representation and distribution, 2) Syndication of finished TV programmes and formats from a catalogue of 3000+ hours of content, and 3) Content and media business consultancy. The Lightning team have over 35 years of content distribution experience in the region. As well as the Hong Kong team, we have representatives in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, and India, and have just opened a UK office.

Attachments are

Macau, November 7^th 2016  – France 24 has signed a distribution agreement with satellite operator AsiaSat, making its English channel available in HD via AsiaSat 5.

France 24 English HD is currently available exclusively in the Asia-Pacific region and this launch marks an important new step in the channel’s development.

This agreement reinforces the attractiveness of the channel for cable operators, DTH and IPTV as well as for major hotel chains.

Thanks to recent distribution deals in South Korea and the granting of a broadcast license in Vietnam, France 24 is now available to 60 million TV households and more than 300,000 hotel rooms across the Asia-Pacific region.

For further information about how to include France 24 English HD in your offer, please contact Brice Bertrand and David Couret attending CASBAA Convention 2016:

• Brice Bertrand, mobile +33 (0)6 76 82 09 64, bbertrand@france24.com
• David Couret,mobile +33 (0)6 33 69 52 24, dcouret@france24.com

About France 24, a France Médias Monde channel (france24.com)

France 24, the international news channel, broadcasts 24/7 to 315 million homes around the world in French, Arabic and English. The three channels have a combined weekly viewership of 50.9 million viewers (measured in 64 of the 180 countries where the channel is broadcast). From its newsroom in Paris, France 24 gives a French perspective on global affairs through a network of 142 correspondent bureaus located in nearly every country. It is available via cable, satellite, DTT, ADSL, on mobile phones, tablets and connected TVs, as well as on YouTube in three languages. Every month, France 24’s digital platforms attract 16.3 million visits, 37.6 million video views (2016 average) and 28.9 million followers on Facebook and Twitter (August 2016).

The Love Nature television channel will offer wildlife and nature enthusiasts across Singapore exclusive and original natural history series and documentaries

Wildlife Icons, premiering on Love Nature HD in Singapore, will introduce StarHub TV’s audiences to the Big Five of the Savannah,

while giving a closer look at the some of the remarkable wildlife within Africa’s mighty ecosystem.

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/2eNk6d1

(Macau, China, November 7, 2016) – Love Nature, a joint venture between Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Networks, announced from the Casbaa Convention in Macau, China today that the natural history brand will be available later this month to audiences in Singapore via HD television on StarHub TV. The deal marks Love Nature’s debut into the Asian market as the brand continues to reach out to audiences globally via multiple platforms.

“The introduction of Love Nature to Singapore is an important milestone for us as we work aggressively to expand the brand’s offerings and stunning natural history content across Asia and all over the world,” said Jo Parkinson, Managing Director, Love Nature International. “Our collaboration with StarHub will allow us to reach out to wildlife and nature lovers across Singapore with our unforgettable and cutting-edge content.”

“As Singapore’s leading pay TV operator, we are always looking to strengthen our content leadership in the market. With its captivating programming, Love Nature further expands our offering and we are excited to welcome the channel to our ever-growing line-up of factual channels,” said Lee Soo Hui, Head of Content & TV, StarHub.

StarHub’s pay TV customers will have access to Love Nature’s exclusive, original natural history content, shot all over the world in majestic locales including Asia Pacific, Africa, Scandinavia and South America. Family-friendly programming will include stunning wildlife and nature series and documentaries such as Wildlife Icons, Waterworld Africa and Land of Primates. Love Nature will be available to StarHub TV subscribers on channel 416 in late-November 2016. Multi Channels Asia (MCA), Asia’s leading distributor of independent Pay-TV channels, brokered the milestone carriage agreement with StarHub.

Love Nature will showcase the brand’s content and offerings at the Casbaa Convention at booth A13.

Love Nature, a joint venture between Blue Ant Media and Smithsonian Networks, brings audiences closer to the beauty and wonder of nature, sharing awe-inspiring stories and shining a light on the fight for survival in a changing world.Producing 200 hours of content annually, Love Nature offers the largest library of 4K wildlife and nature content in the world and is available internationally via linear television, streaming video (SVOD) services and as a turnkey factual 4K channel. LoveNature.com  

-30-

Media Contact:

Sarah Etherden

Director, Communications, Love Nature International

sarah.etherden@blueantmedia.ca, 416.440.7283

• Key findings highlight increasing demand for telco OTT video & broadband bundles but show mixed response across most SVOD-based OTT platforms
• Netflix, iflix and Viu fare best amongst regional majors but still have a long way to go
• Local pay-TV & free TV incumbents do well, led by Astro, Now TV, TVB and Toggle

(Hong Kong / Singapore / November 3, 2017) Media Partners Asia (MPA) today launched the ASIA VIDEO CONSUMER PANEL, a research report offering detailed insights into how consumers engage, use and interact with video content in emerging and mature markets, focusing on TV and digital video platforms, including key regional and local OTT video operators.

The panel covers six Asian markets – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – with a 1,000 user panel size in each market, taking in millennial and older demos as well as skewing towards mobile consumption in emerging markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand.

Commenting on the report’s key findings, MPA vice president Aravind Venugopal said:

The importance of bundling with telecom and IP-based pay-TV operators to drive online
video adoption is becoming critical, as illustrated by our survey. As we are still very much in the first innings of the SVOD online video cycle in most Asian markets, the journey for most platforms from building awareness to generating trial users, and then to finally converting them to regular users, is long and arduous.

In four of the markets surveyed – Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines – local players have taken the lead when it comes to building awareness and conversion, led by incumbent pay-TV and free TV operators, a number of which are reliant on local and Asian content, and in certain cases, sports. Global and pan regional SVOD services focused on providing international content, are fighting to take the lead, though conversion has been low in general. In terms of both awareness and conversion, Netflix and iflix both lead in selected markets with Viu also robust across most markets.

Some of the key highlights of the panel include:

Telco and pay-TV integration. The importance of bundling and OTT integration deals with telecom and pay-TV operators to drive adoption has emerged as key with most survey respondents indicating that they opted for OTT services via their telco or pay-TV operator. Netflix was an exception, with a high proportion of subscribers indicating that they opted for a direct sign up.

NPS in negative territory. Net Promoter Scores or NPS, which range from -100 to 100 and measure the willingness of customers to recommend a company’s products or services to others, were largely negative in most markets. The exception was Netflix, which received a positive score in four of the six surveyed markets, and also leads the NPS rankings in four of the six markets surveyed. Users in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia tended to award negative NPS to almost all SVOD-based OTT
video service providers. Users in Thailand, Malaysia and Philippines appeared to be more positive about OTT video service providers.

Key features. Feature sets that were most often highlighted as being essential to users was the ability to stream online video to TV, followed by the ability to download. These are also reflective of the type of content contained in the services, as well as the type and quality of broadband infrastructure available.

Content. The importance of day and date content, particularly Hollywood movies, was reflected in the survey with the genre coming out on top of the list of ‘must have’ genres for a premium SVOD service. This was closely followed by new Korean dramas, new Chinese dramas and new Hollywood series. Sports is also increasingly important.

UI /UX and lack of localization. A significant proportion of users indicated that they were unable to locate/find shows in the services – indicating either a lack of content, or limitations of the UI/UX – this, significantly, was highlighted as an issue even for Netflix. A numbers of respondents also indicated that the poor dubbing/subtitling of shows was a concern.

Pay-TV consumption. In two emerging Asian markets (Thailand, Indonesia) and in Hong Kong, the consumption of pay-TV is trending lower, with streaming/on-demand services accounting for a vast majority of content needs. In some instance (i.e. Hong Kong), the incumbent pay-TV operator (i.e. Now TV) is driving the legal consumption of streaming video services.

Piracy. There remains increasing prevalence of pirated STBs. On average, 5-10% of the surveyed base admitted to using a pirate STB to access pay-TV services.

Payment mechanisms. In the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia, the frequent topping up of prepaid credit balances is commonplace; on average, respondents topped up their services over three times a month. This provides insight on how much consumers are willing to pay for SVOD services and potentially supports the case for sachet pricing.

The ASIA VIDEO CONSUMER PANEL, conducted in partnership with BDRC Continental, covers six Asian markets (with a total sample size of 6,000 individuals), cutting across a broad range of demographics. The full findings from the second phase of this survey will be released in April 2017, providing readers with updated views, new data and additional metrics.

Subscription to the full 500-page November 2017 report is available from November 10 onwards.

For more details, please contact MPA client services vice president Lavina Bhojwani at lavina@media-partners-asia.com
About Media Partners Asia (MPA)
As a leading independent consulting and research provider focused on Asia media & telecoms, MPA offers a range of customized services to help drive business development, strategy & planning, M&A, new products & services and research. Based in Hong Kong, Singapore and India, MPA teams offer indepth research reports across key industry sectors, customized consulting services, industry events to
spread knowledge and unlock partnerships, and publications that provide insights into media & telecoms.

Key Contact:
Lavina Bhojwani
VP, Client Services & Operations
Media Partners Asia
E – lavina@media-partners-asia.com
T – +852 2815 8710