Hong Kong – Taiwan’s current market structure is a ‘restrictive regulatory regime’ which limits business opportunities, and positive regulatory changes including the implementation of a consistent, technology- and content-neutral legal framework, are necessary to attract greater investments as well as drive territory-wide digitization in the next five years. That’s according to CASBAA’s ‘Taiwan’s Digital Gap – Regulation and Development of the Pay-TV Industry’ report, presented at a seminar organized by the association and the Cable Broadband Institute in Taiwan (CBIT) to raise awareness of obstacles impeding growth of Taiwan’s video services market. CBIT also presented its ‘Broadband Digital Convergence – The Role of Cable in Taiwan’ white paper to recommend changes to Taiwan’s pay-TV regulatory environment. The seminar saw representatives of Taiwan’s cable operators, broadband providers, content suppliers, regulators and political leaders exchange views on the current market structure, and provide a road map to liberalize the regulatory environment to meet consumer demand for digital pay-TV services. Participating companies included ChungHwa Telecom, Taiwan Broadband Communications (TBC), China Network Systems (CNS), Kbro, TFN Media, STAR Group and HBO Asia. Speakers were Ben Way, CEO, TBC; Shyue-Ching Lu, president, ChungHwa Telecom; Joseph Fan, CEO, Kbro; Laureen Ong, COO, STAR; Chuck McElroy, CEO, CNS; Jonathan Spink, CEO, HBO Asia; James Jeng, CEO, TFN Media; Justin Chou, legislator; Bobby Chen, chairman, CBIT; and Marcel Fenez, chairman, CASBAA and global managing partner, Entertainment & Media, PwC. Fenez said, “It is remarkable that while Taiwan is the largest producer of LCD TV panels in the world with one of the highest cable TV penetration markets anywhere, it has yet to undergo a digital transformation. The status quo restricts content choice and services that are already available to other consumers in the rest of Asia. This position needs urgent attention.”