Tag: AVIA

The media industry remains extremely positive, despite piracy and challenges in advertising

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its first country focused seminar of the year with Thailand in View, a deep dive into the media and video industry in Thailand, and the pursuit of growth in the market across both traditional and online platforms.

Thailand’s media industry is undergoing seismic transformation driven by technological and commercial change. With the first commercial 5G networks becoming available to consumers as early as next year, there is no doubt the market will see continued acceleration in the consumption of content across multiple devices and platforms.

For Truevisions, Thailand’s leading cable and satellite tv operator, Ongard Prapakamol, Chief Media Officer of True Corporation commented, “This is a time where we need to reinvent our pay TV to see a new S-curve.” Prapakamol shared that their strategy is to have different platforms serving different consumer needs, offering multiple services as a “super-app”, across free-to-air, Pay TV as well as streaming via their digital service, TrueID. This has enabled True Corporation to move from 99% of their revenue coming from Pay TV subscription when Truevisions first launched in Thailand, to only 60% now, with 30% from advertising across TV and digital, and the remaining 10% coming from a growing events arm which also includes licensing of True’s original content.

This growth in multi-platform consumption has also led to a plethora of regional and international OTT services launching in the Thai market, with iQiyi, China’s largest streaming video service, launching earlier this year. Kelvin Yau, VP of International Business Department and GM Thailand, iQIYI International, discussed their strategy for growth in Thailand. “It’s AVOD plus SVOD plus more… for iQiyi, SVOD is more than just a streaming service,” commented Yau. iQiyi will continue to focus on content and the technology they have, “but there is still so much more we haven’t shown to… users about what the app can do.”

With the growth of OTT comes greater diversification of ad spend in video, and greater importance of the AVOD model. However, not all video is created equally, and there needs to be a better understanding of why OTT warrants the premium that is charged, when media planners look for the best platform that advertisers should invest in. “OTT is the perfect love child between TV and programmatic,” added Nigel Kwan, VP of Marketing, APAC, SpotX. “You’ve got the impact and quality of the TV ad… [with] all the measurement capabilities and data capabilities of programmatic.”

However, challenges still remain and there is much work to be done in the area of measurement. But Greg Armshaw, Head of Media, Brightcove, ended the day’s sessions on a positive note, “There’s definitely opportunities for growth… clearly we are not at the reach situation yet… but it is growing very quickly.”

And to sum it up in the words of AVIA’s Chief Policy Officer, John Medeiros, who, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, reversed the words of economist John Maynard Keynes, “In the long run there is a lot of life to live, but we must get there first.”

Thailand in View is graciously supported by Presenting Sponsor, True Visions and our sponsors, Akamai, Conviva, TV5MONDE and Vuulr.

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

Indonesia now market leader in IP protection in South East Asia boosting growth legitimate services

A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Indonesian consumers, has found a massive 55% reduction in consumers accessing piracy websites over the past ten months. The survey commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 28% of online consumers currently use piracy streaming websites or torrent sites to access pirated content, far less than the 63% from a similar survey conducted in September 2019. The recent survey also found an 80% reduction in the number of consumers who use an illicit streaming device (ISD) when compared to the September 2019 survey.

This significant reduction in content piracy levels identified by the YouGov survey is supported by analysis of Indonesian traffic data undertaken by AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), which saw overall reach to piracy streaming websites drop by 68% between August 2019 and June 2020.

When compared to similar CAP commissioned YouGov surveys undertaken in the region, Indonesia currently has the lowest levels of ISD usage when compared to Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Taiwan, and is second only to Singapore in currently having the lowest levels of consumers accessing piracy streaming websites or torrent sites.

What caused this dramatic downward trajectory of piracy traffic?

Since July 2019 the Indonesian regulator (KOMINFO), working alongside the Video Coalition of Indonesia (VCI), has blocked in excess of 2,300 piracy streaming sites and ISD applications averaging sixty (60) piracy sites being blocked every 10 days. Although later expanded to all piracy sites, the initial focus was on the Indonesian-based “indoXXi” crime group, whose flagship site was one of the most popular sites in Asia Pacific. The rampant piracy levels identified by YouGov in late 2019 were escalated to both the President’s and the Vice-President’s office, resulting in senior government officials vowing to identify and prosecute those operating the indoXXi network of sites unless they cease their operations. The strong rhetoric resulted in the indoXXi announcing that it would officially close down its operations as of January 1st. The announcement was made across their various social media accounts.

“Happy New Year 2020. As of today our site is no longer accessible, as is the case with the Indoxxi lite application. Thank you for being a loyal viewer of INDOXXI until now, always support the creative industry to be more advanced in the future. Greetings, INDOXXI”

The government’s ‘rolling’ site blocking continued into 2020 and according to this latest independent consumer survey has had a direct impact on consumer viewing habits, with 50% of consumers noticing piracy websites were being continually blocked and stating that they no longer accessed any piracy websites, and a further 34% stating that they now “only rarely” accessed piracy websites.

The continual site blocking has also had a significant impact on consumer behaviour who are now more likely to access legal content platforms. 16% of consumers who said they were aware of the government blocking piracy sites, have since subscribed to a paid streaming service; 23% say they now spend more time viewing free (AVOD) local streaming services; and 74% now predominantly watch free (AVOD) international streaming services.

Mr. Joko Anwar, one of Indonesia’s most successful film directors, stated, “The creative industry has always been a victim of online piracy. The Government’s efforts to eradicate this is both, commendable and encouraging. We have always tried to fight this individually and failed but with a joint effort by the whole industry has finally borne fruit.

I feel extremely motivated to take this issue another step forward and encourage others in the industry to join the Video Coalition of Indonesia to annihilate the issue altogether. Lastly, I would like to thank KOMINFO, the Coalition Against Piracy and the various entities in their efforts to battle this old sworn enemy of ours.”

Mr. Chand Parwez, Chairman of Asosiasi Perusahaan Film Indonesia (APFI) commented “We are heartened and inspired by the extensive attention KOMINFO has put to fighting piracy. Their efforts have prompted the shutdown of one of Indonesia’s most infamous piracy sites and we will continue to support KOMINFO in its efforts to protect Indonesians from exposure to illegal activities while also protecting the rights of content creators.”

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) said “We applaud KOMINFO for their sustained efforts in disrupting piracy website networks which are being monetised by crime syndicates. Consumers who access piracy streaming sites or buy ISDs are not only funding crime groups, but also wasting their time and money when the channels and websites stop working. Piracy services do not come with a ‘service guarantee’, no matter what the ISD seller or website operators may claim.”

Mr Hendy Lim, Vice President, Content Business EMTEK commented: “We appreciate the efforts by KOMINFO and related parties in supporting the industry in combating the piracy. It’s time for everyone in the content industry to step up and take firm action against online piracy. It has already cost the content industry in job losses and lost revenues as well as hurting everyone in tax losses which should be payable to government.”

The financial damage that online piracy does to Indonesia’s creative industries is without dispute. It is also encouraging that the damage done to Indonesian consumers themselves, because of the nexus between content piracy and malware, is also beginning to be understood and preventive measure being put in place. In the recent YouGov survey when asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, consumers placed funding crime groups, loss of jobs in the creative industry and malware risks as their top three concerns.

A January 2020 Media Partners Asia (MPA) piracy economic damage report, commissioned by AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), found that:
– Online piracy deprived the Indonesian TV, Online Video sectors of approximately US$1 billion in revenue in 2019
– Lost employment to the Indonesian TV, Online Video & Theatrical sectors as a result of online piracy, was valued at US$200 million in 2019 or equivalent to more than 16,000 new direct and indirect jobs that could have been created.

Members of the Video Coalition of Indonesia (VCI) include AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), APFI, APROFI, GPBSI, Emtek Group, MNC Group, Viva Group, Telkom Indonesia, Cinema 21 Group, CGV, Cinemaxx, Viu, GoPlay, Rewind, SuperSoccerTV and Catchplay.

About YouGov

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. Their core offering of opinion data is derived from their highly participative panel of over 7 million people worldwide. The YouGov Group is headquartered in London and has operations in the UK, North America, Europe, the Nordics, the Middle East and North Africa and Asia. With 35 offices in 22 countries and panel members in 42 markets, YouGov has one of the world’s largest research and data analytics networks. For further information visit https://hk.yougov.com

All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Indonesia n=,1017

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

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world, affecting lives and economies everywhere, members of the Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) have stepped up to help where they can.

The video industry plays a critical role in the health and vibrancy of Asian economies, from employing large and skilled work forces, investing in local talent and productions, to entertaining and informing the citizens of our countries during these difficult times. And there is no time more important than now for the industry to work together to further support these countries as its people suffer the brunt of what the pandemic is bringing in its wake.

Many initiatives across Asia Pacific have taken place in the past few months amongst AVIA’s members, from free access to its many channels and streaming platforms, to fundraising campaigns and the supply of much needed medical equipment to frontline workers.

In Hong Kong, in response to the shortage of anti-epidemic supplies, TVB launched a coronavirus donation campaign which resulted in the donation of more than 1 million pieces of epidemic prevention supplies, including masks and sanitisers. With the help of TVB artistes, these supplies were distributed to the needy via charitable organisations, hospitals and other non-profit organisations.

With film and TV productions shutting down since March, Netflix has committed to spending $150 million to help the industry through the crisis. This includes a $100 million fund to assist workers in the TV and film industry hurt by the crisis and a $30 million donation to third parties and non-profits to assist crew and cast in countries such as India, Japan and Thailand, where Netflix has a big production presence.

In Malaysia, with cinemas closed, Astro worked with local film producers to premiere their latest releases direct to homes on Astro First, bypassing theatrical releases. Astro has also collaborated with the government to help students continue their studies through Astro’s Tutor TV channels, benefitting all students especially those without internet access. They also allocated over 3,000 hours of airtime across Astro channels to disseminate important updates and discredit false news via public service announcements.

In Singapore, WarnerMedia and ViacomCBS are working to accelerate local content initiatives as part of the IMDA’s Capabilities Partnership Programme. Despite the many challenges facing content production now, each are committing to create original IP under this programme.

Meanwhile, The Walt Disney Company collaborated with the Singapore Government to bring the Hotstar streaming service to migrant workers during this period. Workers can live stream more than 85,000 hours of blockbuster movies, cricket matches, Star India TV shows and live news on their mobile phones. In India, Star and Disney+ Hotstar worked with Project Mumbai to donate over 200,000 PPE kits to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), over 1 million meals to homeward bound citizens leaving from Mumbai, and 200,000 cotton face masks for the Mumbai police force.

In the Philippines, Globe introduced a number of initiatives to support its employees, customers and other stakeholders specifically medical institutions, frontliners and local communities. Foremost was to ensure that the company’s workforce was safe and empowered. It also provided P270 million in financial aid for its vendor partners and retail store staff to ensure that no one is left behind. In partnership with the shareholders, Globe employees raised over P27.5 million to assist healthcare workers in 50 hospitals and to help build COVID-19 quarantine facilities. Globe also provided 1,000 preloaded mobile phones to support the connectivity needs of the police, military, naval forces and select hospitals. Rallying its customers to do safely donate their earned Globe Rewards points for a cause, Globe was able to raise P36M for frontliners in 11 COVID-19 public treatment centres.

“While the impact to our business has been quite significant, our agile mindset allowed us to pivot easily using various digital platforms from payments to back end operations so we can support our employees and customers immediately. We remain steadfast in our commitment to stand with our customers and stakeholders at this difficult time as we come up with new programmes and digital solutions to help the country recover from the impact of this pandemic,” said Ernest Cu, Globe President and CEO.

For Discovery Networks, it was important to lend support to the next generation, focusing efforts on children and education. In Taiwan, Discovery co-operated with the Education Department of the New Taipei City Government, to provide a free e-learning quiz-based platform, Animal Kentei, for all elementary school students. School-aged children in Japan also received free access to the Dplay streaming service during the national school closures. Under a local partnership agreement with Save the Children, Discovery Japan is also assisting with emergency support for after-school childcare during the COVID-19 crisis.

“As we look around the video industry in Asia, what is clear to me is that there is a huge amount of compassion and a real desire to try and help others. Things are not easy for our members, but we know that we have a duty to viewers and populations for whom our brands provide comfort, solace and entertainment. We are working as one to try and help us all get through these difficult times,” Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA.

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

Although many indoXXi and associated sites still up and running
The Video Coalition of Indonesia (VCI) calls for stronger action from the Indonesian government

The Indonesia based indoXXi group, which controls a large number of illegal piracy websites and applications, has claimed that it had officially closed its operations as of January 1st. The announcement was made via their various social media accounts.

“Happy New Year 2020. As of today our site is no longer accessible, as is the case with the Indoxxi lite application. Thank you for being a loyal viewer of INDOXXI until now, always support the creative industry to be more advanced in the future. Greetings, INDOXXI”

Some indoXXi streaming sites cannot currently be accessed and the URL links to a pop up which states: “Goodbye 2019, Goodbye indoXXi. Thank you.” However there are still a number of indoXXi sites which remain operational and provide access to pirated Indonesian and international content. The US based web traffic analysis company, Alexa, which measures website popularity, ranks indoXXi as the 721st most popular website in the world. IndoXXi is also ranked within the top 100 most popular websites in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan.

Following the December release of an AVIA commissioned YouGov survey which found that 63% of Indonesians access piracy streaming websites, the Indonesian government vowed to identify and prosecute those operating the indoXXi piracy websites unless they cease their operations.

The rampant piracy levels in Indonesia has recently been escalated to both the President’s and the Vice-President’s office. In a recent media address the Minister of Communications and Information (KOMINFO), Mr. Johnny Plate, commented, “Pirated films generate a negative impact on Indonesia. The government is building its investment climate, which includes the protection of intellectual property rights.”

Public Relations Commissioner Mr. Asep Adi Saputra, Head of Public Relations Division of the National Police, notified the media that “the police fully supports what is being done by KOMINFO. We will be coordinating further whether there are further violations of the law, especially as it relates to intellectual property rights.”

The Director General of Aptika Kominfo, Mr. Semuel Abrijani, informed the media, “We are working with video and film associations to eradicate pirated websites…. It’s like cat and mouse game. But, together with the VCI we will continue to pursue them.” He went on to warn consumers of the risks associated with piracy websites. “These sites are dangerous. Besides harming IPR owners, we have found malware on some of the sites that were blocked.”

Members of the Video Coalition of Indonesia (VCI) will continue to work closely with KOMINFO to assist in the identification of illegal sites and we call for all related government departments to work together and undertake stronger enforcement action against illegal piracy site owners.

Mr. Joko Anwar, one of Indonesia’s most successful film directors, stated, “Piracy is not a victimless crime. It hurts the whole of the film industry, dampening its growth which in turn lessens the opportunities for more people to work in the field and threatens the liveilhoods of those already working in our industry.”

Prominent Indonesian actor, Mr. Reza Rahadian, commented, “My appreciation to the government and all respective parties in their efforts to combat the rampant piracy in Indonesia. Piracy, in any form, has a negative impact on the growth of the film industry and specifically the Indonesian film industry. Our collaborative endeavors and achievements will come to nothing should piracy websites not be stopped through a rigid and sustainable enforcement system. I do hope that what Kominfo has achieved to combat piracy, will not only result in the growth of the Indonesian film industry, but also provide increased awareness of how consumers can and should access legal services to watch movies and TV shows.”

Mr. Chand Parwez, Chairman of Asosiasi Perusahaan Film Indonesia (APFI) stated, “indoXXI may have claimed to have voluntarily shut down their illicit services, what’s important is that APFI, the Video Coalition of Indonesia, and KOMINFO continue to pro-actively fight piracy. Considering the innumerable costs of copyright infringement, we must keep up our guard and continue to do all that we can to combat piracy websites that not only steal content but also use their platforms to actively promote illigal activities including gambling. One battle does not win a war and APFI will continue to fight.”

Mr. Edy Sulistyo, CEO of GoPlay, commented: “Established by Indonesian creative minds, we at GoPlay deeply appreciate the recent actions taken by the government in combating film piracy in Indonesia. Copyright piracy is detrimental to the Indonesian film industry. For this reason, the protection of intellectual property is a key concern at GoPlay as it impacts our ability to provide a platform for our national filmmakers and content creators to introduce their works to a wider international market.

We also welcome the Government’s efforts in supporting the content industry and advancing the opportunities of national filmmakers. Gojek has the same mission as the government to ensure Indonesian film lovers are able to access unique and quality content, wherever and whenever they want to. With the ongoing technological advancements in the country, we invite the whole community, including filmmakers, media partners and the government, to support the availability of quality content through the many legal services in order to support the growth of our national film industry”.

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, “Piracy on such a scale is organised crime, pure and simple, with crime groups such as indoXXi, making substantial illicit revenues from the provision of stolen content. From a consumer standpoint accessing pirated content is also fraught with risks. Piracy websites have a click-happy user base, and are being used more and more as clickbait to distribute malware. The type of malware embedded within the piracy ecosystem 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.”

To fight back against the country’s rampant and damaging online piracy, the VCI has been working closely with KOMINFO to identify and block domains associated with piracy websites. Since July last year over 1,000 piracy websites and illegal application domains have been blocked by KOMINFO.

Members of the VCI include AVIA’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP), APFI, APROFI, GPBSI , Emtek Group, MNC Group, Viva Group, Telkom Indonesia, Cinema 21 Group, CGV, Cinemaxx, HOOQ, iflix, Viu, GoPlay, Rewind, SuperSoccerTV and Catchplay.

The Indonesia based ‘indoXXi group’ control a number of illegal piracy websites and applications which are accessed globally but particularly popular throughout SE Asia. The indoXXi group was listed on the US Government’s 2019 USTR Notorious Markets List, which identifies the most egregious websites outside the United States that engage in and facilitate substantial copyright piracy or trademark counterfeiting. The US based web traffic analysis company, Alexa, which measures website popularity, ranks indoXXi as the 721st most popular website in the world. It is also ranked within the top 100 most popular websites in Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Philippines and Taiwan.

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 as 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@asiavia.org
Website: https://asiavia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA