Singapore – “Online video channels have become the new DVR,” said Mr Benjamin Grubbs, YouTube’s APAC Head of Partner Marketing, in discussing how Sony Entertainment Television of Sony Pictures Television in India uploads full episodes of its dramas online, as fast as 30 minutes after the linear broadcast. He added that in countries such as Singapore, Japan and Korea, close to 50% of content is being consumed on-the-go, and that this means that producers have to be in more than one place at once.

Grubbs also noted that genres that have a “ready audience” are dance, education, beauty, technology, fitness and D-I-Y.

Adding to this conversation were representatives from Media Prima Berhad, Irdeto, Grass Valley, Ooyala and BesTV. Ooyala CEO Jay Fulcher stressed the importance of convergence across video, social and mobile platforms, and BesTV’s Ian Chin added that traditional broadcasters have to go online to bring viewers back to the big screen.

While Irdeto CEO Graham Kill noted that broadcasting to a region as diverse as Asia Pacific can be a challenge, he added that using an internet platform can be beneficial. While broadcasters look for perfection, the internet allows for experimentation, he said.