AVIA Archives - Page 5 of 6

New survey shows Vietnam among highest in online piracy in Southeast Asia

A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Vietnamese consumers has found that 60% access streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The levels of piracy went as high as 65% within the 18-24 age demographic. The survey, commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association‘s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 59% of consumers who accessed piracy sites cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

The levels of piracy in Vietnam now dwarfs neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia, which have both seen substantial reductions in online piracy in the last 18 months. In Indonesia, a similar YouGov survey found a massive 55% reduction in Indonesian consumers accessing piracy services with 28% of consumers admitting to accessing piracy websites in 2020, compared to 63% in 2019. In Malaysia, a YouGov survey found a 64% decline in users accessing piracy sites in 2020 when compared to a similar YouGov survey in 2019. In both countries a key variable for the decline in online piracy levels was the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiative.

The recent YouGov survey suggests that a regulatory site blocking mechanism would be supported by the majority of Vietnamese consumers. When given choices of what they thought were effective measures of reducing piracy behaviour, 48% of Vietnamese agree that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

The damage that digital content theft does to the Vietnamese creative industries is without dispute. However, the damage done to Vietnamese consumers because of the nexus between online piracy and malware, also needs to be better understood and actioned by government and stakeholders. When asked by YouGov about the negative consequences of online piracy, Vietnamese consumers placed funding crime groups (58%) , malware risks (55%) and loss of jobs in the creative industry (49%) as their top three concerns. The malware risk was corroborated in a March 2021 study by UK-based White Bullet, which also found that 72% of popular piracy sites in Vietnam contain high risk advertising such as illegal gambling ads and fraud/malware ads. The study tracked advertising on over 800 popular piracy websites in Vietnam for a three-week period.

Of those Vietnamese consumers who admit to accessing streaming piracy websites or torrent sites, 35% said they would stop this behaviour should the government take deterrent action.

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, “The wide variety of legal services in Vietnam which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who are behind these illegal websites.

Thomas Jayet, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Digital Satellite Television Company LTD (K+) commented, “In addition to sport content, K+ invests a huge budget in local movies, latest TV series, and Vietnamese box office titles to broadcast on our platforms. Such premium content gives audiences a better choice of quality and safe entertainment at home, as well as contributing to the sustainability of the local economy especially during the current Covid pandemic.

In order to protect this content, K+ applies diverse countermeasures ranging from technical anti-piracy measures. A critical anti-piracy strategy that has proven to be successful in Indonesia, Malaysia and other APAC jurisdictions, is site blocking. Based on an analysis of Vietnamese law, ISPs would seem to have an obligation to block their users from accessing piracy websites, but only upon an order from the competent authorities. What is required is legal clarity and government mandated procedures for rights holders to refer site blocking requests to government.”

Phan Vu Tuan, Director of Phan Law Vietnam commented, “Piracy websites typically have a click-happy user base, and are being used more and more as clickbait to distribute malware. Unfortunately, the appetite for free content hides users from the very real risks of malware infection. The type of malware embedded within piracy websites can include particularly harmful malware such as remote access trojans which allows the hacker to activate and record from the device’s webcam without the victim being aware.”

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in March 2021. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Vietnam n=1,057

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

Contact AVIA
For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

India sees Huge Headroom for Growth Across TV and Digital

At the Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) recent Future of Video India conference, industry leaders remained upbeat on the potential for growth despite a painful 2020 which had seen a 25% drop in TV advertising revenue.

The conference opened with an overview of the Future of Video in India with Mihir Shah, VP, India, at Media Partners Asia (MPA). With learnings from the last year and economic resurgence picking up in certain sectors, MPA predicts that in the next 5 years, with every new incremental dollar in the region, India will have 35% share, almost evenly divided between television and online video. While cable in general is going through a structural decline, Pay TV subscriptions will grow both in value and volume and continue to offer scale for the traditional media players. And with more than 60 online video services in India, the total addressable market will continue to expand.

This local expansion is what Sunil Rayan, President and Head of Disney+ Hotstar, is eyeing, with their next stage for growth primed at developing their product for India, with pricing and content made for the local market. As India is a mobile first market which drives individual viewing, while OTT and TV is not a zero sum game, OTT content needs to be far more engaging for individual viewing. “Fundamentally, we don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach for India because there are multiple Indias within India, said Rayan.

The sentiment of diversity and positive co-existence between the platforms was echoed by Megha Tata, MD of South Asia for Discovery Communications India. “India lives in several centuries at the same time,” commented Tata, and this is not only the beauty and complexity of the market but also the opportunity to do more. While it is still a long way away before the demise of the TV, a differentiated content and product offering remains a key focus. “Content is the king… distribution is the god.., that play of god and king will continue but differentiation of content… will play a critical part in decision making,” added Tata.

This focus on local content is also what drives the content platforms. Monika Shergill, VP of Content for Netflix India, shared that premium storytelling was a new space in India, as Indian audiences were open to experimentation and yet gravitating towards highly local tastes. “Our job and our passion is to find the best stories… the biggest stories… the untold stories from India and to become the service of choice for Indians in India… and in different parts of the world,” added Shergill.

For Nimisha Pandey, Head of Hindi Originals, ZEE5, while the initial focus was on building volume, it has now shifted to adding to the diversity and scaling up the content offering. Pandey too saw the need to up the game on the regional market for the next set of growth. “There is… so much demand that… there is much hope for everyone… to grow their businesses,” said Pandey.

As the market where the next billion consumers of video will come from, Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer of ZEE5 Global summed it up best when she said, “It is the decade of video.”

Future of Video India is generously supported by Bitmovin, Brightcove, Kaltura, NETFLIX, Vindicia and Xandr.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

AVIA appoints Celeste Campbell-Pitt as its new Chief Policy Officer for the region

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) has appointed a new Chief Policy Officer to be based in its Singapore office, a first for the role.

Celeste Campbell-Pitt joins AVIA on Monday 3rd May, initially joining Chief Policy Officer John Medeiros, who will be retiring after a transition period. Medeiros, who is based in Hong Kong, and joined the Association then known as CASBAA, in 2005 as Vice President of Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs, has been Chief Policy Officer since 2013.

A key focus of AVIA is to represent the combined positions of its members and engage in constructive dialogue with governments so they may better understand the curated video industry and foster an environment of support for the growth of the industry. The Chief Policy Officer spearheads this goal, developing and executing policy initiatives relevant to the video industry, in consultation with and on behalf of AVIA member companies.

The role of the Chief Policy Officer has evolved over the years and has become a lot more critical as regulatory policies continue to develop alongside the sweeping changes the video industry has seen in recent years.

“This role is absolutely critical for AVIA and we have taken a long time to find the right person. While taking over from John who has made the role his own will be no easy task, I am delighted that we have found Celeste who has such a passion for the industry and a clear vision for how to build and develop the role,” said Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA.

Campbell-Pitt comes with over twenty years of business and legal experience in the media and entertainment industry across both Europe and Asia. Prior to joining AVIA, she was consulting with various global media and technology companies as well as private equity firms who were looking to expand into the Asia Pacific region. Campbell-Pitt was previously the Vice President and Head of Business Development and Advertising Sales at Discovery Networks Asia Pacific, after her stint at Endemol Shine Asia Group as the Director and Head of Commercial and Operations. She has also held Senior Legal Counsel positions in international media companies including Star, Turner and Channel Four in the UK.

About the Asia Video Industry Association
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

AVIA OTT Summit 2021 – The Future of Video Streaming is Here!

With the streaming wars well underway and more competition than ever, consumers are streaming more and spending more, with greater churn than we’ve ever seen before.

The Asia Video Industry Association’s (AVIA) OTT Summit – The Future of Video Streaming welcomed 900 delegates and featured over 80 industry experts and leaders across the four-day conference this year.

Opening the OTT Summit was the streaming analyst Matthew Ball, Managing Partner of Epyllion Industries, who presented a deep dive into the OTT industry in the United states, being the most mature, most competitive, and most valuable video market with the most consumptive media consumers in the world.

In his session he highlighted that new subscriptions continued to dramatically outpace churn and content was clearly the key differentiator. And while content was king when it came to subscriber acquisitions, as a market matures it exhibits an unmistakeable preference for local content, as seen across the likes of China, India, Russia and France. “The OTT video industry is ultimately about content and the ability to create hit content is not equal,” added Ball. Another key point was the fact that aggregation was already here with services such as Apple and Amazon TV.

This aggregation has led to a change in the way platforms operate today. For Euan Smith, Group COO and CEO, TV, Astro, their role as a platform was finding the best content and packaging it up into attractive bundles for the consumers in the most simplistic and attractive ways. Emily Wee, VP of Content & Operations at TM Net, also shared platforms were no longer the gatekeepers, as there were many ways for the consumers to subscribe now. “For the consumer… there has to be real value that we as the middleman put into the equation.”

Putting the consumer at the heart of everything remained a key theme throughout the Summit, especially when it came to content strategy. For Kranti Gada, COO of Shemaroo Entertainment, their strategy was two-fold, with differing content to acquire consumers, and to keep them on the platform, as content challenges to fulfil consumer needs remained. As Lynn Ng, VP and Head of Content, APAC at Discovery Inc. summed up, “Ultimately, it comes down to consumer love.”

However, addressing and monetizing these consumers remains the big question for premium video advertising. While OTT and Connected TV have grown exponentially both in volume and share, there is still a lot of education to be done as there is a lot more diverse ecosystem in TV now. Shared Anita Munro, Chief Investment Officer at Mindshare APAC, understanding consumption, understanding audiences and knowing where viewing is moving to is key to creating more seamless consumer journeys and more immersive content experiences.

Rounding up the Summit, the technology panels also shared customer experience as the next frontier for innovation. For Raul Aldrey, Chief Product Officer at MediaKind, live sports presented the opportunity for hyper personalized experiences where fans could dictate how they wanted to interact with the content. Pankaj Kedia, MD, Emerging Markets, Dolby Laboratories, also saw a lot of opportunity for both content creators and service providers to uplevel their game, for higher engagement, consumption and monetisation. As Sunita Kaur, SVP, APAC, Twitch concluded, “Customer experience… is what is going to drive our future.”

The OTT Summit is generously supported by Gold Sponsors Brightcove, Google, Irdeto, TV5MONDE, Xandr and Silver Sponsors Alibaba Cloud, Encoding.com, iWedia, Kaltura, Lionsgate, Mediacorp, MediaKind, NETFLIX, PubMatic, SmartLabs, Synamedia, Vindicia, WarnerMedia, Zixi.

About the Asia Video Industry Association
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

AVIA closes the year on a high note with its biggest turnout yet for the Asia Video Summit

This year’s summit was attended by over 1000 delegates globally and featured the industry’s first hybrid event with live gatherings in both Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual state of the industry event, the Asia Video Summit (the Summit), which was supported by Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the Lead Sponsor, on 10 to 12 November 2020 with resounding success as over 1000 delegates from the Asian video industry gathered for the Summit. With most sessions live and broadcast from the studio to a backdrop of Hong Kong or Singapore, the Summit was produced to a very high standard and caps what has been a successful series of virtual events and webinars for AVIA.

AVIA was honoured to have Mr. Edward Yau, GBS, JP, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region officiated at the Opening Session of the Summit by delivering a speech video-telephonically on the first day of the Summit.

The Summit opened with a macro-economic update from S&P Global Ratings’ Managing Director and Chief Economist, Shaun Roache, who remained upbeat about the economy and how the potential of an early vaccine for COVID-19 could bring recovery forward, with less permanent damage. The way people consume goods and services would also change fundamentally and would be the key thing to watch over the next 1 to 2 years. However, it would take time for economic activity to resurrect, “A dimmer switch rather than a flick of the switch”, commented Shaun.

This fundamental shift is also seen in consumer viewing habits, as the myriad of ways to access content and the development of technology has also revolutionized how consumers view TV and video today, shared Annette Kunst, Regional MD, Southeast Asia and New Zealand, Nielsen Media, during her session on The Fortunes of Free TV. As more broadcasters embrace change and adapt the models of streaming, the old adage of “Content is King” continues to ring true, as content is what drives people to platforms. With local content being the key connectors to audiences and driving viewership in SEA, collaboration too becomes key between content providers and producers. And in the pay TV world, this collaboration extends to streamers and partners as well. However, the tone of optimism remains across both free and pay TV, with our panel of industry leaders agreeing that both platforms still have a role to play despite an increasingly fragmented and diversified media landscape.

While content remains king, the title for queen is much contested, as our various panelists had differing views. With Parminder Singh, Chief Commercial and Digital Officer, Mediacorp, distribution is the queen, while according to Ivy Wong, CEO of VS Media “the community is the Queen”. Her
experience with local creators showed the importance of not only building content but also the community around it. This sentiment was also shared by Agnes Rozario, Director of Content, Astro, on her panel on Content Cravings. Agnes reiterated the need to produce content that is relevant and close to the hearts of their viewers through data mining and analytics, to inform decision making on the content piece and to put consumers first in order to engage them.

Data is also the big focus in the world of Premium Advertising. Mitch Waters, SVP of South-East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, The Trade Desk, shared the need to showcase the true scale of consumption, and to have transparent access to data and information, which requires a lot of trust, collaboration and partnership from both the buy and sell sides, to get to programmatic faster.

However, questions remain about Cross Media Measurement and if it will ever happen. Added Nick Burfitt, MD, Asia, Kantar Media, “Audience measurement is now a team sport”, with the issues being both technical and commercial. Anthony Dobson, VP, Media Partners Asia & MD, AMPD Research, commented on his panel, “We have found the holy grail but the goblet is broken, all the innovation and technology is available, it’s missing the will and investment to make it happen.”

Despite all the innovation, technology and data at hand though, Tom Keaveny, Chief Innovation & Information Officer, beIN Media Group, summed it up best at his closing panel, “It’s not old media or new media… it needs to be all media. Great content… will always find its value and the ones who can curate it, treat it, market it and price it the best, will be the ultimate winners.”

AVIA would like to thank the Asia Video Summit 2020’s Lead Sponsor Create Hong Kong of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region for the Community Outreach Programme which provided free passes for local SMEs in the video industry and tertiary students of relevant programmes to participate in the Summit and workshops; Gold Sponsors Baker McKenzie, Brightcove, DOCOMO Digital, Google, Magnite, Nielsen, SpotX, TV5MONDE, Viaccess-Orca, WarnerMedia; Silver Sponsors Alibaba Cloud, AsiaSat, Bounty Media, Digital Ocean, InMobi, InvestHK, INVIDI, Kaltura, MEASAT, MediaKind, Nagra, Netflix, PubMatic, SES, Vuulr, Xandr.

About the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA)
AVIA is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia-Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry to support a vibrant industry ecosystem.

About Create Hong Kong
Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia’s creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. Website: www.createhk.gov.hk

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, Create Hong Kong, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.

New Survey Shows Philippines Among Highest in Online Piracy in Southeast Asia

A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Filipino consumers has found that 49% access streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The levels of piracy went as high as 53% within the 25-34 age demographic. The survey commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association‘s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 47% of consumers who accessed piracy sites cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

The levels of piracy in the Philippines now dwarfs neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia which have both seen substantial reductions in online piracy over the last 12 months. In Indonesia a similar YouGov survey found a massive 55% reduction in Indonesians accessing piracy services with 28% of consumers admitting to accessing piracy websites compared to 63% in 2019. In Malaysia, a YouGov survey found a 64% decline in users accessing piracy sites when compared to a similar YouGov survey in 2019.

In both countries, a key variable for the decline in online piracy levels was the government’s proactive piracy site blocking initiative. In Malaysia more than half (55%) of online consumers noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Malaysian government, which subsequently influenced viewing habits with 49% stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40% saying that they now ‘rarely accessed’ piracy services as a result of the site blocking.

A Bill currently before the Philippine Senate (Bill #497) entitled the ‘Online Infringement Act’ proposes a regulatory site blocking mechanism which would empower the authorities to ensure that ISPs take “reasonable steps to disable access to sites whenever these sites are reported to be infringing copyright or facilitating copyright infringement.”

The recent YouGov survey suggests that a regulatory site blocking mechanism would be supported by the majority of Filipino consumers. When given choices of what they thought were effective measures of reducing piracy behaviour, 53% of Filipinos agree that a “government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites” would be the most effective.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said, “The ill effects of online piracy cannot be underestimated. We have been an advocate of content streaming through legal sites only through our #PlayItRight program. This advocacy educates people on the impacts of online piracy and on making the right choices when it comes to online consumption.”

For his part, Atty Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said, “The wide variety of legal services in the Philippines which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who are behind these illegal websites.”

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, “We are confident that Indonesia and Malaysia will rise to become market leaders in video IP protection in the region, as a result of their site-blocking strategies. We are also confident that other countries in Asia, such as the Philippines, will take note and follow suit, boosting the growth of legal consumption of Filipino and international content.”

When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, Filipino consumers placed funding crime groups (55%), loss of jobs in the creative industry (50%) and malware risks (49%) as their top three concerns.

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in September 2020. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Philippines n=1,098

About the Asia Video Industry Association

Contact AVIA
For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

AVIA’s Satellite Industry Forum highlights the resilience of the satellite industry and the key role it will continue to have in this age of connectivity

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, from 24 – 25 September, which allowed for truly global participation with delegates from around the world in attendance. The event also saw over 100 new companies register to be part of the two-day discussions on Video in the Satellite World.

The event opened with on a note of optimism from Louis Boswell, AVIA CEO. Despite unprecedented challenges and disruption for the industry in recent years, more video is being created, distributed and consumed than ever before, and satellite continues to play an indispensable role in delivering that video. “Satellite’s strength in multicasting across wide areas cannot be matched by any other technology,” commented Boswell.

Continuing with the tone of optimism was Yew Weng Soo VP, Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES, and Chairman of the Satellite Industry Committee. “The satellite industry is playing a key role in fighting the outbreak with a scale and reach in helping to inform, entertain and keep all connected,” added Soo. “Video and particularly satellite, will not just bounce back but use this time to transform itself to change consumer behaviour and thrive in the post Covid world.”

At the opening Asia Pacific Thought Leaders’ Panel, Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat, shared that the resilience of Intelsat’s business was having a diversified portfolio. Through crossing many verticals across the markets they served, a downturn in one business saw an upturn in another. Bleakley also added how important satellite has been for this pandemic, especially in remote environments and how essential satellite was for remote connectivity, creating further opportunity for consolidation and vertical integration.

Another opportunity that the satellite industry also identified was the role female leadership could play in fostering greater change for the sector. At this year’s Women in Satellite panel, discussions centered around the importance of diversity to be part of the policy dialogue for the Information and Communication Technology sector, to show that the industry was supporting gender equality and bridging the gender divide. Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES, shared that a 2020 Catalyst study showed very strong links between profitability of businesses and workplace diversity. Added Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, “Diversity is a smart business decision. Diversity not just to hit quotas or to tick a box but to bring alternative thoughts and ideas.” Bernie also commented that for an organisation to do better in the world of today, and to be better prepared for the future and the pace of rapid change, it needed a team that is representative of the world it lives in and the customers that it reaches and serves.

The topic of integration followed through to the closing panel of the conference, with industry leaders weighing in on what would drive global growth for the industry in the next decade. On the question posed on whether satellite should be an integrated component of the telecom value chain and ecosystem, Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat, opined that “satellite should not be integrated but we can integrate our services… there are multiple fronts that we can compete and succeed in [and] serve the customers with the best that we can do.” Optimism continued to prevail, with Tong sharing his view that video will continue to be the driving force for the satellite industry.

As part of SIF this year, AVIA in partnership with EMEA Satellite Operator’s Association (ESOA), also distributed a booklet on Satellite – An Integral Part of the 5G Ecosystem. This is now available at the Download Centre at www.avia.org

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

About the Asia Video Industry Association
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry. AVIA is also committed to its mission in working with and representing the interests of the satellite industry. AVIA evolved from Casbaa in 2018.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

If Content is King, then TV and Streaming continue to vie to be Queen

In India it’s not a question of linear television or streaming, it is both, and both continue to grow and prosper as monetisation models develop and learn to cope with the current pandemic.

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Future of Video India seminar amidst a time of great change in the region.

The media and video industry in India has undergone more change in the last 6 months than it has seen in the last 30 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India, with the surge in viewing as a result of the lockdown in India, television viewing peaked to 1.26 trillion viewing minutes during lockdown and continues to be greater than pre-COVID levels. More advertisers and brands are also returning to TV as the economic recovery speeds up.

While TV continues to play a big role in India, the move to digital has been dramatically hastened as digital consumption increased rapidly, with the next 18-24 months being significant for broadband penetration and digital video streaming on TV at home, commented Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5 India. The other major shift is how subscription video on demand (SVOD) has changed the game. “People have moved to watching premium content very significantly… The diversity of content that has come into this country… is now getting appreciated… and almost all SVOD users are becoming repeat and consistent users,” added Katial.

This love for content is what has driven the growth of the streaming platforms. “India has always been a land of storytellers… and that’s a great opportunity at Netflix… there is an opportunity to tell the story in the best form,” said Srishti Behl Arya, Director International Originals, Netflix India. Anvita Dutt, Director, Bulbbul, also shared that streaming had provided an opportunity and empowered more storytellers to tell their stories, regardless of their gender, and “there is no limit to what you can release on a streaming platform.”

However, with over 30 OTT platforms India, this also creates challenges on the technology front. With over 500 million internet users in the country, out of which at least 400 million are consuming video on various devices, “this is going to change the way content is consumed… produced… and offered to the consumers across the platforms,” added Manish Verma, Head of Technology, SonyLIV. And wrapping up with the view of who rules in India, Chiranjeev Singh, Head of Marketing, APAC, MediaKind, said, “At the end of the day, the consumer is the king… we still need to build quality content, and make sure it is delivered with the best experience to the consumer.”

Future of Video India is graciously sponsored by Applause, Broadpeak, Conviva, MEASAT, NETFLIX, Vuulr and ZEE5.

About the Asia Video Industry Association
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

AVIA Hosts the Satellite Industry Forum Focusing on Video in the Satellite World

This year’s virtual conference will also feature a panel session of women in satellite and what their predictions are for the industry.

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) will be hosting this year’s Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, taking place over two days, from 24-25 September, 930am-1130am (SGT).

As Asia’s leading satellite conference, the theme of Video in the Satellite World will look at the key conversations driving the industry today, with industry leaders sharing their thoughts on The State of the Satellite Industry with the Impact of COVID-19, a view on Asia with the outcomes from WRC-19, and weighing the Bear vs Bull Case for 5G. There will also be much conversations on the coming year, as we look at Satellite Financing and what to watch for in 2021, if it will truly become the landmark year for 4K UHD, and what will Drive Global Growth for the industry in the next decade.

Speaking at the Industry Leaders Talk will be Christophe Cazes, CEO of Eutelsat Asia. In this opening panel, Cazes will be sharing his perspectives and predictions on the satellite industry over the course of the coming year.

“Satellite industry in Asia has been undergoing a big transformation with the emergence of new players and the launch or investment in satellites of new generation. The COVID-19 situation will either be a catalyst or a disruptor of these trends,” said Cazes.

This year, the conference will also be taking a look at Women in Satellite, a predominantly male industry, for a conversation on their perspectives, challenges and ideas for putting together best practices to strengthen gender equality both in the sector and within our organisations, as well as their perspectives on what the industry might look like in the coming year. This panel will bring together Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES Networks, Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), and Tina Ghataore, President, Mynaric USA.

“I’ve seen a small shift in women being invited to speak at satellite forums – and not just on topics related to diversity in the industry – but clearly more needs to be done. I look forward to the day when I’m invited to speak and I see around me panelists reflecting both gender and cultural diversity,” commented Ghataore.

Other key speakers joining the Satellite Industry Forum this year include:
– Marc Halbfinger, CEO, PCCW Global
– Yew Weng Soo, VP Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES
– Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat
– Shakunt Malhotra, MD, Asia, Globecast
– Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat
– Lon Levin, President & CEO, GEOshare
– Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys
– Paul Estey, EVP, Customer Relations and Advisor to CEO, Maxar Technologies
– Mark Dankberg, CEO, ViaSat

The Satellite Industry Forum aims to deliver as close an experience as possible to a physical event. All delegates will be able to enjoy a full event platform which will include access to the live conference sessions, virtual networking opportunities as well as meeting rooms to connect and engage with industry peers during the conference. All sessions will also be available for catch-up viewing on demand after the live event.

For full event details and registration, visit https://www.aviasif.com/

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

Huge Decrease in Levels of Streaming Piracy Seen in Malaysia Over the Last 12 Months

MDTCA’s site blocking efforts contribute towards consumers migrating to legal services

A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Malaysian consumers has found a massive 64% decrease in consumers accessing piracy websites over the past 12 months. The survey, commissioned by AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 22% of online consumers currently use piracy streaming websites or torrent sites to view pirated content, substantially less than the 61% from a similar survey conducted in August 2019. The YouGov survey also found a 61% reduction in the number of consumers who use an illicit streaming device (ISD) when compared to the August 2019 survey.

More than half (55%) of online consumers had noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA). This would appear to have had an impact on consumer attitudes towards piracy, with 49% stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40% stating that they now rarely accessed piracy services as a result of not being able to access blocked piracy sites. 11% of consumers said it made no difference to their viewing habits.

Desmond Chan, General Manager of TVB International commented: “We are encouraged by the efforts of MDTCA in fighting online piracy with their site blocking campaign. Malaysia is an important market to our content distribution business. TVB’s programmes are popular in Malaysia and have always been the targets for piracy. The swift anti-piracy measures provided by MDTCA will foster a business environment in which we will continue investing.”

Melcior Soler, Global Audiovisual Director at LaLiga commented: “This substantial reduction in online piracy in Malaysia is a sign of the success of the actions undertaken by the MDTCA. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who operate the websites and illicit applications and harms society as a whole, especially those who work every day to generate content and entertainment for everyone. LaLiga will continue to fight against the problem of online piracy.”

The continual site blocking has had an impact on consumers viewing habits who are now more likely to access legal content services. 20% of consumers who said they were aware of the government blocking piracy websites and illicit application domains, have since subscribed to a paid streaming service; 15% said they now spend more time viewing free (AVOD) local streaming services; and 65% now predominantly watch free (AVOD) international streaming services.

Neil Gane, General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) said: “We applaud the MDTCA for disrupting piracy website networks which are being monetised by crime syndicates. Consumers who subscribe to illicit IPTV services or access piracy streaming sites are wasting their time and money when the channels and websites stop working. Piracy services do not come with a ‘service guarantee’, no matter what their ‘sales pitch’ may claim.”

When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, consumers placed funding crime groups (57%), loss of jobs in the creative industry (52%) and malware risks (42%) as their top three concerns.

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information, visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in September 2020. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Malaysia n=1,123

About the Asia Video Industry Association:
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA