C NTENTASIA 5-18 May 2014 www.contentasia.tvhttps://www.facebook.com/contentasia?fref=ts l facebook.com/contentasia l @contentasia l TrueVisions picks up Thai Dr Oz Sony Pics format to air on True Explore & DTT from the horse's mouth Bundles, toast, dying (or not) and oth- er things industry leaders talked about during APOS in Bali this year... “The bundle is here to stay.” Haim Saban, Chairman & CEO, Saban Capital Group “I agree with Haim… the bundle is not dead. The bundle is very much alive.” Ben Pyne, President, Global Distribution, Disney Media Networks “There’s a place for bundling, un- bundling, subscription, pre-paid, free, adex...” Rohana Rozhan, CEO, Astro “If you don’t differentiate, it’s a matter Dr Ryan Thamrin, Dr Oz Indonesia, Trans TV of time before you die.” Rudy Tanoe- soedibjo, President Director, MNC Thai pay-TV platform TrueVisions has in a Saturday afternoon slot (3pm-4pm). SkyVision picked up Sony Pictures Television health The Indonesian version is hosted by magazine format, Dr Oz, for its True Ex- medical expert and guest lecturer, Dr “Throwing up a channel isn’t the thing plore 3 channel. Ryan Thamrin. Trans TV premiered sea- that gets you across the line.” Andy The locally produced Thai version of son one in April last year. Kaplan, President, Worldwide Networks, the show will also air later this year on TrueVisions will produce at least 60 epi- Sony Pictures Television TrueVisions’ new digital terrestrial (DTT) sodes of the one-hour series to air daily channel, True 4 U. in primetime on True Explore 3 and True “If you go past three clicks, you’re In a second Southeast Asia deal, SPT 4 U. toast.” Vince Roberts, EVP, Global has renewed Dr Oz Indonesia with Indo- Thailand is the third country in Asia af- Operations; CTO, Disney/ABC Televi- nesian free-TV broadcaster Trans TV. ter Indonesia and China to air a local sion Group Season two returned to Trans on 19 April version of Dr Oz. And a whole lot more inside... 3-5 September 2014 Grand Hyatt Singapore More info from CJ Yong at [email protected] 5-18 May page 2. contentasia 5 to 18 May 2014 Page 3. Lose China pay-TV faces critical years, Li Rui Gang says Yourself Govt looking for “smooth & gradual” solution To Find The next two to three years will be “criti- they tried to issue a few licenses to local cal” for pay TV in China as the govern- broadcasters to launch nationwide free- Yourself ment seeks a “safe way forward” and to-air channels,” Li said, adding that the companies balance existing revenue solution should include a pay-TV model generators with the need to embrace with high-end pay-TV content. over-the-top (OTT) models, China Media “But the government’s logic is that we Capital chairman, Li Rui Gang, told del- need to promote the sector and then we egates at the fourth annual Asia Pacific need to create the market and the way Pay TV Operators Summit (APOS) in Bali to do that is to build satellite channels at the end of April. and services”. “In some way, my left hand will fight with He also said that authorities had been my right hand and that’s a situation I need “very supportive” of Star China’s lo- to deal with,” Li said, speaking about the cal production efforts, including format challenges involved in maintaining reve- mega-success The Voice of China from nues at IPTV platform BesTV and embrac- Talpa and China’s Got Talent from Fre- We definitely have to move into over the top otherwise we will die.” Li Rui Gang, Chairman, China Media Capital ing and investing in an OTT model. “We mantleMedia. will definitely have to move into that area Li said Star China, which CMC now otherwise we will die,” he added. owns, had become a local production Li said the consensus was that the pay- house with an international brand and TV sector “has not been fully developed”. “this is the first of its kind”. In transform- He said most of the country’s cable op- ing Star China from a channel operator erators were utility operations and “the with limited landing rights into one of government still regards the whole me- the country’s most profitable production dia as a kind of publicity tool”. houses, Li said “we are not only bringing “China needs a systematic solution to foreign investment into the country but build up the sector,” he said, adding that also expertise and the whole system of film box office had been “quite impres- content creation”. 100% first run, fresh sive” in the past few years “but that the He said SMG, which focuses heavily and exclusive original situation is that the whole system has not on premium content, was the first media programming been ready”. company to explore the separation of Li told delegates that mainland China’s broadcasting and production. In the past, government was “trying to find a safe thousands of television stations across way to move forward and to control the China – “from the top all the way down” – pace” of media development and was were producing content in-house. looking for a “smooth and gradual solu- Li said he believed that new devices, tion to change”. internet TV and mobile TV would drive The government’s growth and media pay-TV in the future. “This is a new era,” development strategies included docu- he said, adding that he had less confi- mentary filmmaking and national docu- dence that the current traditional cable mentary channels. “The way the govern- sector would be able to transform itself www.multichannelsasia.com ment tried to promote this sector is that into a real pay-TV model. Outdoor_Vertical_2C.indd 2 26/2/14 10:07:47 5-18 May page 4. contentasia 5-18 May 2014 Page 5. Who said what @ APOS Astro’s eye on “watch, listen, read” 2014 “It’s going to get tougher from here,” Rozhan says Chernin tips targeted Malaysian media company, Astro, is verticals, calls entering a new era of collaboration as it middle content focuses on transitioning into the “watch, space “dangerous” listen, read” space and, among other things, builds content scale in various Subscription video-on-demand (VOD) genres. The company also has its sights set offered a “huge opportunity” for target- on becoming Malaysia’s top local digital ed verticals, which were a “fertile area proposition by year-end. to play in,” The Chernin Group chairman “It has been a tough couple of years and chief executive, Peter Chernin, said but it’s going to get tougher from here,” during APOS. Astro chief executive Rohana Rozhan said Chernin also told delegates at this during APOS this year. year’s event that today’s “voracious With platform issues resolved and a Vivek Couto, MPA; Rohana Rozhan, Astro appetite” for content made it “a better powerful linear product, Rozhan said Astro While news and sports were viewership time than ever to be a marginal player”. now had to “build and complement with drivers “and very important”, “they are “On the surface, it’s glory days for U.S. the right content and IP and the right not the IP type content that has a shelf life. television,” Chernin said, adding that economics to get from 56% to hopefully That is going to be one of the things that “the more complex issues are where 100% of Malaysia’s households.” we are going to focus on,” she added. these things are going and where we Challenges include transitioning into the Astro’s content strengths include Malay are going as content creators”. “watch, listen, read” space. “Within that, and Hokkien programming and religious Chernin said the “economics of the content is key,” she said. Islamic content. Malay content gives Astro middle” – the content creation space Rozhan added that other production op- a strong foothold in neighbouring markets, between big hits and low-cost production portunities were being explored following and Hokkien content has surpassed other – were being squeezed. This middle was the April tie-up with Mexico’s TV Azteca to Chinese dialects on Astro, she said. where “the base and sometimes inappro- produce 120 hours of drama a year. Astro is also the largest sports producer in priate profits were being made,” he said. In addition to expanding into mass the region at about 4,000 hours a year, and “In the next years, you had better be markets, “one of the very important produced feature film The Journey, which doing stuff that’s really extraordinary things for operators like us, as we surpass has broken Malaysia’s box office records. and stand out in the market place or 50% penetration, is to move up the value In the VOD space, Malay titles have you better be doing cheap stuff that’s chain and be relevant to the top 30% of become “the new premium” at RM15.95/ volume... in the US$5,000 to US$7,000 our existing customers,” she said. US$4.90 a title for a two-week window. range” he added. Astro will produce 10,000 hours of con- “45% of the titles are Malay but 65% of the Chernin also said that “it’s worth tent this year, about 10% more than last revenues are Malay,” Rozhan said. playing on both sides of the spectrum” year. “The bulk of those hours are the type and that “the dangerous place to be of cash-burn hours – news and sports – The full interview will appear in ContentAsia’s next print issue, published in June for is spending a lot of money on content Who andshrunk not necessarily myWho ones Big that shrunkList? add to a myCommunicAsia/BroadcastAsia Big List? & regional that’s not great”.