programming • schedules • C NTENTASIA data • buyers • www.contentasia.tv Issue 101: July 19-August 29, 2010 HAPPY SUMMER! what’s inside ContentAsia is taking a Summer vacation... the next regular is- sue will be on 30 August. If anything magnificent happens, such What Hong Kong’s 3 new as last summer’s News Corp mammoth re-org in Asia, we will let you know in a special issue. We will, of course, continue to publish free-TV wannabes want... ContentAsia Insider, our subscription news service. Plus we will be i-Cable, PCCW and CTI have on Facebook and Twitter throughout with all the industry births, applied for free-TV licenses in atiger’seyes deaths and behind-the-scenes stuff people are saying and doing. Hong Kong. They’re promising Happy Summer! What’s really going on anything from one to 30 new channels and a mass of every out there... kind of new locally produced Singapore: Wrong problem, wrong solution? Over the next two and acquired content. “No clear indications of market failure,” report says months, Singapore’s me- page 8 dia policy makers expect Singapore’s four-month-old cross- of market failure,” the report to announce their preliminary carriage regulations may lead to stresses, adding that “Singapore decision on implementing Interview higher pay-TV prices, consumer is not sufficiently well established controversial regulations that Louis Boswell, AETN confusion, reduced investment to warrant policy intervention”. force the cross-carriage of All Asia Networks’ and limited product innovation In addition, the report says, exclusive channels/content general manager, and differentiation, a new report the high degree of content ex- on the country’s pay-TV talks about influences, small from Media Partners Asia and clusivity that policymakers seem platforms. This follows months teams, listening (or not) to China Charles River Associates says. determined to stamp out, “is of consultations with a wide and the great Thai opportunity. Describing the “untested” likely to be transitory” anyway. range of stakeholders. page 10 cross-carriage regulations as “Exclusivity is a relatively common We’re dying to hear how it’s a “risky public policy proposi- feature of markets in a rapid state all going to work (and, among tion” and one that may cause of flux,” the report says. a million other things, how the “irreversible harm”, the report In standing by the new rules, difference between an “ex- says the framework may be a policymakers may be forced to clusive channel” and a “non- History War-related content is “disproportionate response” to implement additional “interven- exclusive one that simply hasn’t big news on History. For the week Singapore’s pay-TV situation. tionist measures, which have the been acquired by the other of 19 July, 26% of the channel’s The new rules, implemented potential for a destabilising ef- side” is going to be explained standard-definition schedule – or in March this year, force Singa- fect on the entire pay-TV industry to consumers).... 44 hours – is filled with war-related pore’s two pay-TV platforms, value chain”. Singapore’s pay-TV Meanwhile, our guess is content. StarHub and SingTel, to make industry is worth US$290m. that policy makers will, on the www.asiacontentwatch.com available to each other all chan- The report adds that “alter- whole (and with lots of concilia- page 13 nels and on-demand content native, less intrusive policy ap- tory and diplomatic language), acquired on an exclusive basis. proaches may not have been stick with the regulations as an- The carefully worded paper fully explored”, and suggests “a nounced, with a commitment Mohd Puzi Mo- points out “potential flaws” in more prudent approach would to ongoing review in case some hamed, channel policymakers’ “diagnosis and be to revisit the ... market to de- of the forecasts of doom actu- director of Singapore’s Sensasi prescription” of Singapore’s termine whether the expected ally pan out. Malay channel and managing pay-TV situation, and says the decline in content fragmenta- Why? For one, the regula- director of local content distribu- country’s content fragmentation tion is materialising”. tions are four-and-three- tor company Content Network “is more properly viewed... as a The report also suggests an an- quarters minutes old and they Asia, talks about what he likes, sign that competition is operat- nual regulatory review “to gauge haven’t been given a chance loves and buys. ing effectively”. whether the predicted course of to work (or not to). Right now, page 12 There are “no clear indications market evolution takes hold”. More on page 3 ContentAsia’s digital issues are now optimised for iPhone/iPad & Android. www.bit.ly/issuetwo201www.bit.ly/issuetwo20100 Be included. For details, contact: Leah Gordon (Americas, Europe) Masliana Masron (Asia) www.contentasia.twww.contentasia.tv v on [email protected]@contentasia.tv on [email protected]@contentasia.tvv www.asiacontentwatch.com essential information only or +1 310 926-6761 or +65 6846-5988 www.asiacontentwatch.com C NTENTASIA 01 b~rÍzr zz Ív zÍrvr~v j\b_bzsvt~zÍ jwlzvr} [uyvz uv Ívr vv v rz~v z}}svr }z~z vu z~rÍzr z [ jw lzvr} tr z~rÍzv ryvvruz tr r|vvvyvv b~rÍzv`vr v t rt v{Ë|ÉvÉ {rs{vs|z v}x uq{qxq A Division of NBC Universal ContentAsia Issue 101: July 19-August 29, 2010 02 July 19-August 29, 2010 Politics sweeps Academy Fantasia Thailand Kung demo’s TM multi-play thetweetlife 17-year-old Academy Fan- Telekom Malaysia’s new IPTV Malaysia’s pay-TV platform tasia contestant Witthawat platform, HyppTV, is trawling cites content codes for nixing Thaokhamlue says he will quit Hollywood, Bollywood and Kol- local yoga show. Fatwa says the talent show after an outcry lywood to ramp up what it sees Malay Muslims not allowed over political comments he as its biggest early attraction – onscreen doing yoga. posted on Facebook. Wittha- video on demand. 7:45 PM Jul 14th via web wat’s Facebook post said pro- At a briefing in Kuala Lumpur testers may not have been so mid July, Jeremy Kung, TM’s We’ve opened a book for destructive if the Thai prime min- executive vice president (con- good luck & best wishes for ister had dissolved parliament sumer), also said the telco had Jeremy Kung, TM’s executive vice new AsiaSat head, Bill Wade, and called for fresh elections. its eye on regional Asian content president (consumer) who takes over 1 August. He has already apologised to and titles from the Middle East. titles a month. This could increase http://fb.me/xQUpwg5P prime minister Abhisit Vej- HyppTV currently offers 22 chan- to 30 channels by year end. 12:48 PM Jul 14th via Facebook jajiva, and admits thinking like nels (including eight domestic free- TM’s broadband network a teenager and without good TV channels) and about 20 VOD passes 375,000 homes. common sense. His comment, StarHub/SingTel lovefest however, drew strong support doesn’t extend to the same From page 1: A Tiger’s Eyes which Singapore’s media-hub from audiences who said he World Cup finals party. it’s all just prediction, expecta- status was built 10+ years ago. had a right to express his opin- StarHub’s at Marina Bay. Sing- tion, forecasts, opposing agen- But we would never count out ion. Others criticised his use of Tel@ Resorts World. das. Plus pressure from the left, the immense power of SingTel, harsh language and his support 5:38 PM Jul 9th via web the right, above, below... which has exclusive access to for anti-government forces. Other than admitting that they the Barclays Premier League Good news for int’l content might have been too hasty), and wants to build a more robust distributors - if Hong Kong’s UAE bans Lamhaa what, exactly, would the regu- linear TV offering around that. Award-winning Indian film direc- i-Cable gets a free TV license. lator achieve by scrapping or So, is there going to be a i-Cable has promised a... tor Rahul Dholakia’s Lamhaa significantly changing regula- gigantic change of heart? No. has been banned in Gulf states http://fb.me/CJnWDaIn tions so soon after their birth. Is Will the regulator decide that it’s 3:01 PM Jul 9th via Facebook after being deemed highly this likely to happen? What do worth setting aside the frame- objectionable by UAE censor- you think? work in favour of a wait-and-see Today’s D-Day for industry ship authorities. The film, starring Plus, there’s enough local pres- approach? Probably not. Has Sanjay Dutt as an intelligence comment on Singapore’s sure and support (including from the claim by multichannel body new cross-carriage rules... officer and glamour girl Bipa- local academics and others who Casbaa about breaching global sha Basu as a Kashmiri activist, results expected by month think that the only people getting copyright commitments sent the end (maybe). Book is open opened worldwide on Friday (16 rich are the international chan- regulator scurrying for its eraser July). Lamhaa, passed eventu- on outcome nels) for authorities to stick with for fear of global ire and broad 12:10 PM Jul 9th via web ally by India’s censors despite its their declared path – for now. trade sanctions? No. Will there controversial subject matter, will We think there will be some be a commitment to a review Hearing that Casbaa has a not be screened in Kuwait, Qa- effort made to placate deeply down the line? Yes. tar, UAE, Bahrain and Oman. hot doc ready to hand to unhappy pay-TV channels, upon Stay tuned.