23 January, 2014

News Views

Welcome to News Views, CASBAA’s news round-up culled from sources across the industry for the week ending Jan 23th. Curated by CASBAA, News Views keeps you in the loop. We always value your feedback, so tell us what you think!

Christopher Slaughter

Christopher Slaughter

CEO

In case you missed it, the trouble started when market research firm NPD Group issued a report endorsing the common wisdom that premium TV channels are losing subscribers, while SVOD operators are gaining them. Perhaps predictably, this didn’t go down too well, particularly with the channels mentioned by name in the report. After challenges from HBO, Showtime, and Starz, NPD issued a “data clarification” and pulled the report from its website. None of which stopped Netflix from indulging in the snark as it announced higher-than-expected earnings.
Jill Grinda

Jill Grinda

Executive Vice President

We all know that Australian pay TV platforms have ARPUs to die for… but can they get any bigger? According to research firm IBISWorld the industry has grown at an annual rate of 8.3% since 2009 due to rising subscription fees, new digital services, rising ad revenue, new subscribers and reduced churn. Despite increasing competition from online channels, the report forecasts that Australian pay-TV industry revenue will grow at an annualised 3% to $6.1 billion in 2018-19. Happy Australia Day!
Sara Madera

Sara Madera

Director, Member Relations & Marketing

Want your content to be bigger than Grumpy Cat? Check out The Six Things That Will Make Stories Go Viral. Turns out, not much has changed since Aristotle’s time: positivity, excitement, emotion (the more the better), social currency (didn’t you want to be one to discover Prancercise?), a memory inducing trigger (explains why lists are so popular)— and most importantly—the quality of the story (and the storytelling).
Christopher Slaughter

Christopher Slaughter

CEO

Branded content has been around for long time, but it’s been picking up momentum lately. Putting branded content deals together isn’t easy, though, which is why Viacom has announced a new specialist division for branded content. And in case you wondered whether embedding brands in TV shows actually works, a recent report in the Ivey Business review offers a compelling case study: Mad Men and Lucky Strike.
Jill Grinda

Jill Grinda

Executive Vice President

As we move into the year of the horse, the pay TV market gallops ahead according to data from ABI Research. The global pay-TV market reached 903.3 million subscribers in 2013, generating US$249.8 billion in service revenue. A major portion of that growth from IPTV operators with 18.5% YoY in 2013 to 92 million subscribers with a total of US$37.2 billion in revenue. Cable TV subscribers in Western Europe and North America declined around 1% and 1.5% respectively in 2013, however, cable TV markets in Asia-Pacific continued to contribute to global cable TV market growth, which is expected to reach a total of 634.5 million subscribers in 2019. Kung Hei Fat Choy!

Desmond Chung

Associate Director, PR & Communications

Who knew a 50-something, blonde, alternative-lifestyle, stand-up comedian from the US would resonate so well in China? Circumventing the difficulties of getting foreign programmes shown on Chinese TV, the Ellen DeGeneres Show is now available on China’s Sohu Video, making it the first U.S. daily talk show to be carried in the country.
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