It’s that time of the year when we make resolutions and try to stick to them for the next 365 days. Staying on this theme, TVAPlus asked television professionals from different markets and sectors of the industry that if they had three wishes for TV in the coming year, what would they be? James Ross, Regional Director, ITV Studios Global Entertainment 1. For me personally and for ITV in Asia we’re looking to expand in three different areas. First, being our syndication business. I’m hoping the market will remain positive, continuing to want various types of content and in different ways. Also more demand from platforms that want VOD, carrying new channels and expand bringing in even more various types of programmes that play at different times. In the production and formats side, I particularly want to see the rollout of Come Dine With Me, which is now our biggest international format – we’ve made 25 versions around the world and I really want to see that debut in Asia. We’re currently in quite deep conversations with three different territories about doing it in 2011. On the channel side, ITV Granada has new systems and platforms to launch around the region. Whether that will come about this year, I’m not sure, but here’s wishing it will. 2. Sitting on the board at CASBAA, I do look across the industry and see things from an industry perspective and not only do we have a serious problem with piracy in Asia, but we’ve also got a deeper endemic problem of people not understanding the value of good content, whether it be foreign or local, and also how much it costs to make such content. Prices paid for content in China are still at bargain basement prices. There has to come a time when people realize that to get good content, there needs to be a significant amount of money involved. Only that powers good content and I wish more will understand this issue. 3.Allied with wish two is how can we attract more money into the content business here. How do we get more commercial support from sponsors, from advertisers, and from people who have the ability to put the money into television? Again, this is an industry wide thing that we all have to work together to make this happen. The CASBAA ATAC initiative is key to that and we need to develop that further, and while we are all competitors we need to build our slice of the pie as a whole. ————————– Paul Robinson, Managing Director, KidsCo 1. That the current challenging world economic climate finally ends and that globally, especially in Asia, we enjoy sustained growth. I think it is fundamental that confidence returns not least because full employment and prosperity are essential to underpin human living standards and also happiness but also because it will help drive a successful pay TV industry across Asia. Whilst some territories such as Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong have good pay TV penetration, others such as Indonesia still have huge potential but rely on fundamental affordability by their citizens when measured against other life essentials. A strong pay TV industry brings choice to consumers and stimulates indigenous creative industries. 2. My favourite movie this year was Toy Story 3, but outside of children’s and family content the best re-imagining of a well established franchise was JJ Abrams’ Star Trek. So my second wish is that the cast and director of this movie don’t merely confine their talents to a second movie, but a new TV series. I admit to being a hard core trekkie [Ed. I prefer a galaxy far, far away], and this latest Star Trek movie was both a triumph because it totally brought the franchise up to date, but also retained the DNA that true fans expect. More like this please. 3. My third wish is probably the most unlikely, but it’s for a Time Turner, which you may recall is JK Rowlings’ invention in Harry Potter, which makes it possible for Hermione to attend more than one lesson simultaneously. Imagine what this could do for your work/life balance! I love my job as CEO of KidsCo, but with more than 140 affiliates (platforms) in over 90 countries I am frequently expected to be in two (at least) places at once. With a Time Turner this is not a problem, here’s wishing. ————————– Tom Keaveny, EVP and Managing Director, Discovery Networks, Asia-Pacific 1. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific has had a very successful 2010. We launched new channels and feeds in various markets across the region including TLC, one of the fastest growing lifestyle channels in the US, and achieved a 30% increase in reach across Asia Pacific just a month after its launch on September 1. Overall, we grew our audiences by 27%. But we always aspire to take our brands and business even further, so for 2011, I wish for all of this and more. 2. Industry-wise, I wish for continued ad sales growth. The numbers for this year are encouraging, with nine out of the ten most optimistic markets in the world in Asia Pacific. Internationally, we’ve had a great year as well with 37% growth, so we are very excited about this year. 3. And lastly I wish that some people stop talking about the death of linear TV. In spite of all the competition for viewers’ time and the proliferation of media, more and more people are watching our networks. If that isn’t an endorsement, I don’t know what is. ————————– Joyce Yeung, Senior Vice President and GM Sales and Distribution Asia, BBC Worldwide 1. More key BBC brands in the market is something we’re very focused on in this more positive year ahead. Along with Dancing With The Stars, other top brands include Top Gear, BBC Earth – which is very important to us – and also Walking With Dinosaurs. We definitely want to push all of these out to the market. I hope that 2011 will be the year where these brands really shine in Asia. 2. I want to see a bigger digital playground in the market for the industry and also for BBC. When people look at Asia, the one thing that does spread out is that it’s very technologically advanced and there are so many different screens available. So for this year I wish we find a bigger and better way to monetize all these media initiatives that actually matches the expectation about Asia’s growth. We’re busy trying to do it but I think there is a gap between what content providers wish for in terms of revenue coming from the digital side, to the actual development of the market. 3. Co-productions are my third wish. We’ve already done our big project Wild China, and we’re definitely looking at our next big co-production this year. I wish to see more projects on the travel side plus factual entertainment. We’re working on something like this right now, but my lips are sealed, for now. ————————– Graham Kill, CEO , Irdeto 1. At CASBAA this year Irdeto demonstrated an iPad application of Skysports Deutschland streaming live pay per view soccer; I was so impressed that I went out and bought an iPad and haven’t stopped being amazed. In a way I thwarted Santa by buying my own present, and with the availability of the Beatles back catalogue on iTunes I got to drink his eggnog too. I can imagine many consumers around Asia will be wanting a feast of content on portable devices this year. It is what we call Media 3.0. And it’s more than just gift wrapping, it is the pleasure of having control over our entertainment experience and as we see in the New Year, my first wish is for greater connectivity, richer content and of course proper protection of the whole value chain. 2. As more users flock to enjoy these freedoms, our industry is facing great growth and equally great challenges. The growth is coming from the rapid spread of mobile devices and the realization by the last hold outs in entertainment, that digitization is the only commercial reality facing us all. As a businessman and as a parent, however, I want better security to make sure that the right content is being seen by the right people at the right time. We have to overcome technical obstacles presented by new formats and the threat of illegal piracy, which cost some US$2bn in Asia in 2010. 3. My third wish for 2011 is that we continue to work together and unwrap the exciting potential of Media 3.0 and ensure the trimmings are for all to enjoy. ————————– Bernice Low, Writer/Director 1. In 2011, in terms of the projects that I’m working on, my wish (since the wish genie is all about specifics), is to see my passion projects move to a next level. Specifically with House of Loo, the animated series I’m trying to produce, it would be great to see some of the meetings that took place during this year’s ATF move towards something more concrete. 2. For the Asian television industry as a whole, my second wish is for a greater sense of creative daring-do and a more pro-Asian content stance amongst broadcasters. ASEAN broadcasters are traditionally conservative and need to be a little more committed to the ideal of local content. It all begins with someone being willing to take a risk. Sure, being different costs money, but with smart and moderately flexible producers working together with innovative broadcasters, I’d like to believe there can be a win-win solution for everyone. 3. For my last wish, genie, I would just like for writers and writer-producers to become more important and significant in the grand scheme of things in so far as the Asian broadcast industry goes. I’d like to see Asiancentric films pay more attention to script and to have a greater respect for the writing process, and for writers to be seen as important in their own right, as opposed to just ‘servicing’ the vision of the director. ————————– Fumio Narashima, Head of Program Development Center, NHK 1. I wish that our “grand-scale” international co-production projects receive even wider attention and success. Discover Science, a co-production by NHK, NHK Educational and Al Jazeera Children’s Channel is receiving positive reactions from the international market. I wish its second season will be realized, hopefully with more co-production partners. Also for Giant Squid: Last Mystery of the Deep, a big project now in progress with NHK Enterprises and Science Channel. If the programme succeeds to film the squid, it will be the world’s first to capture it in its natural habitat. 2. In the process of full digitalization in Japan, which will complete by July 2011, NHK is going to restructure its satellite channels. From the start of fiscal year of 2011(April), the current three satellite channels – one HD and two SD channels – will make a fresh start as two HD channels. This consolidation is very important for NHK to differentiate and characterize our channels. Once the switch over is complete in July, all terrestrial and satellite TV in Japan will become HD. 3. I wish for the continued success in Asian content and The Asian Pitch. Seeing how our dramas and natural history programmes are selling, I feel there is great interest in Asian content and I hope Asian Pitch attracts even more interesting stories and talented independent producers, in its fifth year. ————————– Jackson Yeoh 3D Character Animator, The Clone Wars, Lucasfilm, Singapore 1. Since I’m from the animation industry, the first wish is pretty easy – more original English animation TV series from Asia. A lot of the English animation series are mostly derived from Europe or North America. It would be really cool to see more original animation series that appeal to local people of that particular Asian country, have local English idiosyncrasies/identity, but still remain fresh, funny and vibrant, and marketable to the overseas market. It will keep our English language media culturally intact and localized. 2. I wish that Asian TV media in general will explore internet broadcasting more. Today’s younger generation is internet savvy, spending more time online than offline, and much less time in front of the TV. To effectively cater to them, the media industry needs to take proactive steps in broadcasting through the internet. MediaCorp does that quite well with xinmsn.com, but not many broadcasters follow suit yet! I would love to be able to watch my favourite show on TV while still surf/ work on the computer at home. 3. And finally, I am still waiting for Asia’s very own big successful animated feature. By this, I mean a feature that is written and produced here in Asia. TMNT produced by Imagi Animation in Hong Kong came close to that, but the story was not written by somebody from Asia. Or maybe there’s already one in the works, who knows? Here’s hoping.