Vivek Couto, Executive Director of Media Partners Asia (MPA), explains the rationale for the event:
“APOS is dedicated to the growth of pay television and related broadband and digital TV industries in Asia Pacific. The high calibre of the event as well as its intimacy and close association to MPA’s research and analysis of the industry ensures that operators and broadcasters don’t just talk about carriage renewal but also secure capital to fund long-term growth, hatch M&A deals, secure access to content pipelines and technical solutions, and collaborate on how to grow the industry pie. This is a watershed moment as the industry transitions and undergoes “digital Darwinism” with new players emerging and key markets undergoing consolidation and new growth drivers, ensuring that brands and platforms have to invest and remain nimble to stay relevant. ”
Couto lists the key issues discussed at the summit:
1. The growth of pay television in Southeast Asia and Greater China: Exploring key dynamics in investment, operations, competition to grow subscribers and sales in high potential markets and maturing markets.
2. The transformation of India’s pay-TV ecosystem within the next five years with digitalisation and new regulatory threats from new taxes and policies.
3. The impact of DTV transition, disruption and competition in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
4. Simplicity and innovation in content, packaging and pricing to drive the future of pay-TV in premium and mass segments.
5. The role of broadband and mobility – multi screen value and multiple digital avenues to growth.
6. Digital Darwinism – Winners and losers in pay-TV.
Hear from the key movers and shakers from the summit.
Ferdinand Kayser, Chief Commercial Officer, SES
Satellite operator SES’ Kayser was one of six speakers who spoke on how HDTV and digital media are changing the dynamics of the entire broadcast ecosystem. Below are some key points he addressed.
“The key trends we’re seeing in Asia include demand for DTH and HD. With regards to the uptake of 3D in Asia, we at SES do not feel that 3D works in its current technology form of wearing glasses while watching TV. However, we do see great opportunity in ultra HD which is in essence 3D without the glasses. We believe that the future of TV lies in a connected TV. New modes of media consumption further strengthen the role of the TV set as the center of the home experience.
HDTV comes at a cost. FTA is an opportunity to finance HDTV developments, allowing a quick go-to market and building a consumer base that can eventually benefit Pay-TV operators. Pay-TV can benefit from the FTA installed base, further acquiring customers on the basis of premium content.
One of the things that we find surprising in some Asian markets is the low level of multi-channel television pay or otherwise, like in the Philippines and Thailand. Currently the Pay-TV penetration rates for these countries are 10% and 6% respectively. We see a great opportunity for a Pay-TV model for these markets. The real challenge will be for DTH operators to offer a cost-competitive package for local income, as in the case for India. As exciting as the growth has been, the real future story of India remains ahead of it. We’ve heard about the regulatory and satellite taxation issues, so clearly there are challenges in every market, which India is currently undergoing. We see regulatory challenges as short term issues, which will be eventually resolved. India has a massive young population. SES got in early when there wasn’t much of market. There were challenges and we took risks and have taken bets on India. We will do the same for Indonesia and other markets in Asia.
The real unknown markets are in places like China. SES would like to participate in the China opportunity within the rules and the regulatory environment of the Chinese government. ”
Sunny Saha, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Entertainment Networks, Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc.
Saha was among the panelists on the closing session, “Value Creation in TV and Broadband Media.”
“APOS enables dialogue on how best to collaborate on the opportunities to drive pay-TV to the next level in Asia Pacific.
Consumers are becoming platform-agnostic in the way they consume content, increasing the prospects for consolidation within the media ecosystem. The key is providing a consistent and cumulative brand experience everywhere to increase value for consumers, stakeholders and our pay-TV partners. ”
Bruce Tuchman, President, AMC/Sundance Channel Global
Tuchman was part of a panel discussing strategies for success for new entrants to the Pay-TV market.
“What I have enjoyed about APOS in the past is that there are so many companies represented and at very high levels. This is the most important aspect because there are few distractions, wonderful surroundings and the ability to have substantive and lengthy conversations with all players relevant to our business.
We are really looking forward to this conference. While we have only been in Asia with our Sundance and WE tv brands for a short while, we see that we are gathering a lot of momentum. This is a real moment for us to thank our existing clients, but also to highlight to everyone the key attributes of our channels, which is propelling this growth. Specifically, we aim to highlight the unique, iconic value of our original series and independent films on Sundance, and the robust and entertaining women’s lifestyle and celebrity programming we bring to WE tv. ”
Joon Lee, Senior Vice President, Programming, Creative and Channel Operations, FOX International Channels in Asia
Joon Lee joined two other programming experts to discuss television as a brand; “The DNA of TV Brands.”
“It’s worthwhile for key decision makers and key players in the industry to have an opportunity to be in the same place and in a place of few distractions to really focus on getting things done – getting the renewals, launching new channels, or talking about upgrading services etc.
FIC’s focus (at the summit) is about localisation; major efforts to make all our brands more locally relevant and effective. We want to talk about our local channels that we’re creating, for example we made a local channel called Fox Filipino, with local dramas and entertainment shows, plus our newest premium brands, including Star Chinese Movies (SCM). ”
