c ntent 1-14 May 2017 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com
ContentAsia @ Top takeouts from APOS 2017 BCM in Korea Who said/thinks what & why in Bali this year... Follow us around this year’s Busan Contents Market (BCM) from 10-12 May. News, views, who’s there and what they’re up to...
Asia to top NBCUni non-linear biz in 2 years 10 SVOD destinations in Asia by end 2017
NBCUniversal will have signed 10 on- demand branded VOD destinations in Asia by the end of this year, doubling its profile in Asia’s emerging non-linear en- vironment. And that’s just the beginning. This year’s APOS (Asia Pacific Video Op- together. We have to work together and erators Summit) by Media Partners Asia educate people on online streaming. We You’ll find the whole story on page 5 (MPA) wrapped last Thursday with some believe the market will turn…. MG [for messages that were louder than others content] is not the right model”. and a clear sense that long-held truths Indonesian telco Telkomsel’s director/ are no longer true and that new rules are chief marketing officer, Alistair Johnston, being made up day by day... These are echoed the sentiment. Malaysia’s our top nine. “The traditional model of subscription Media Prima hits packages for content with a big MG, I MGs are Dead. Long Live really think this has to be revised,” John- the road Rev-share ston said, outlining the possibility of co- OTT platform tonton mingling products to allow subscribers ventures into Singapore in Talk of minimum guaran- to cherry-pick the content they want no tees for content is a total matter where it comes from, and at the first regional deal passion killer for telcos, same time managing data. most of who are not shy “Indonesian subscribers are not going about saying things like “never going to to have multiple subscriptions” to SVOD Malaysian OTT platform tonton is going 1 happen”, “think again if that’s your line”, services, he added. abroad for the first time in a deal with “let’s talk revenue share” and variations Telkomsel, which invests US$1.2 billion a Singapore telco Singtel. Media Prima of those. year in its network, offers monthly, weekly, head Datuk Kamal Khalid talks about The thread across the two-day event in daily, sachet and pay-per-use payment the media company’s new outward Bali kicked off with Globe Telecom (Phil- options. face. ippines) president and CEO, Ernest Cu. Johnston outlined a model “that maxi- “Everyone wants an MG,” he said, add- mises the value of premium content” You’ll find the whole story on page 3 ing: “We said maybe, but nowadays re- rather than one based on free content. member that we are all building a market More on page 7 TV ASIA FULLPAGE NUEVA MEDIDA.ai 1 12/04/2017 11:53:55 a.m.
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1-14 MAY 2017 page 2. (Press Release) ᾡᾐᾚᾤᶣᾖᾞᴾ A Rakugo Journey through Japan May 7 (Sun.) 08:10 – 08:38 (JST), etc.
TOKYO, April 26, 2017- As the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games get closer, over 20 million tourists per year are coming to Japan. With them in mind, NHK WORLD TV has started RAKU×GO, a new type of program to highlight some of the country’s attractionsc . ntentEnglish-speakingasia 1-14 May 2017 Page 3. performers of Rakugo, Japanese traditional comic storytelling, travel around the nation, meet people, and employ their comic storytelling talents to introduce the appeal of each area. Japan’s NHK debuts Media Prima’s tonton hits the road pre-Olympics travel show OTT platform signs 1st regional deal with Singtel
Host Kimie Oshima in RAKUxGO
Japanese public broadcaster NHK pre- mieres one-off travel show RAKUxGO Our storytellers this time are Kimie Oshima and Kaishi Katsura. Kimie is ona 7Rakugo May at 8.10pmperformer (Japan time) and on its international 24-hour English-language social linguist who studies the effects of laughter and humor in English-languageTV service, education NHK World TV.. Kaishi is From left: Anurag Dahiya, Singtel; Datuk Kamal Khalid, Media Prima; The 28-minute one-off is part of the Goh Seow Eng, Singtel; and Airin Zainul, Media Prima from the Kamigata School of Rakugo. He has performed in the United Statesnetwork’s and multi-year other content countries stategy. in Malaysia’s tonton has partnered with Sin- TV business. The premium subscription the run up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic/ gapore telco Singtel to launch the seven- service offers entertainment add-ons, Kimie travels to Ishikawa Prefecture; Kaishi goes to Saga. In their journeys,Paralympic they explore Games. lifestyles, year-old OTT platform on Singtel’s Cast such as original content and access to NHK has chosen the Japanese tradi- OTT video portal app in mid-May. programmes up to six months before the nature, industries, food, traditions, and ways of life. tional comic storytelling form, Rakugo, The deal gives tonton, owned by Ma- free-TV premiere. to frame this latest journey around laysia’s free-TV group Media Prima, its first Khalid said tonton’s shift to a subscrip- In the castle town of Kanazawa, Kimie looks in on the traditional sweet andJapan. cake industry, visits a exposure outside Malaysia. tion model in Malaysia was a major RAKUxGO may be turned into a series Media Prima Television Networks (MPTN) move. “Now we can do things that make depending on viewer feedback, NHK chief executive officer, Datuk Kamal Kha- perfect sense to an online audience that confectioner at home, and participates in a tea ceremony. Kaishi headssaid.to The Arita, series is ahosted community by Rakugo lid, said at the signing ceremony on the wouldn’t sit comfortably on free to air,” performer/social linguist, Kimie Oshima, sidelines of APOS in Bali that the aim was he said. steeped in the history and culture of ceramics. He watches master potters andat work international at their Rakugo kilns performer, and to increase access to Malaysian content Initiatives include a movie collaboration Kaishi Katsura. from outside of Malaysia. with two of Malaysia’s biggest YouTube discovers other attractions. After that, the performers present new comic narratives based on their The 33-year-old Media Prima, which stars. “This is a nice bridge between our IFA S’pore/China seal 4K launched tonton in 2010, has customised core business and an audience that might experiences, at a Rakugo theater in Yokohama. the content line-up and the user experi- not look at free-to-air as their primary ve- wildlife co-pro ence for Singapore. hicle,” he added. Travel guides can be found all around, but you’ll only come across this sort of introduction to Programming includes live events such Another recent innovation is the addi- Singapore production house IFA Media as Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Har- tion of linear channel HITS, “which is bring- Japan in one place: NHK WORLD TV. has tied with China’s CICC (China ian and dramas such as Menanti Febru- ing in a new audience... it has done fan- Intercontinental Communication Cen- ari and Raisha alongside other Malaysian tastically well for us,” Khalid said. ter), Xi’an Cloud Vision and Shenzhen dramas up to six months before TV broad- “Content is key,” he added. “We don’t Top Vision on 4K natural history series cast and more. have the multi billion dollars, so we have
Asia to top NBCUni’s non-linear biz in two years 10 SVOD destinations in Asia by end 2017, MacLellan says
NBCUniversal will have signed 10 on-de- mand branded VOD destinations in Asia by the end of this year, doubling its profile Being a direct-to-consumer in Asia’s emerging non-linear environ- player is much more ment. And that’s just the beginning. difficult than it seems.” “We are in the first inning of a nine- inning game,” said Kevin MacLellan, NBCUniversal’s chairman, global distribu- Kevin MacLellan tion and international, during Asia Pacific Chairman, Global Distribution and International, NBCUniversal Video Operators’ Summit (APOS) in Bali. In the next two years, MacLellan said, Asia would become NBCUniversal’s lead- ing non-linear market in the world. Our focus was the channels in which we TV penetration is much higher, affiliates Even at 10 digital deals, MacLellan de- can invest to go deeper with consumers are more focused on on-demand and scribed the Asia business as “sizeable”. on a digital or linear basis and [deciding are renewing their linear deals in order to The existing five SVOD deals are in Chi- which of] the channels we might have to secure those additional rights. na (E! Zone on Alibaba); Japan (mobile- sacrifice in order to pay for that,” he said, “In the U.S. and Europe, we are seeing first versions of E! Zone and Studio Uni- adding that money saved from shutting increases in affiliate fees in exchange for versal on Avex), Singapore (E! Zone on the two channel was “reinvested in the extra rights,” he said, adding that it was StarHub) and Malaysia (E! Zone on Astro). brands that the operators really want”. more cost effective to add SVOD rights to Details of the five new deals have not yet The big picture driving the branded linear than to acquire standalone SVOD been announced. SVOD was to develop communities rights. “It’s a smart move to defend their NBCUni also operates one-year-old around themes and content genres and linear business,” he says. platform, Hayu, in Australia (and the U.K./ interests, and “we’re well placed to do MacLellan also highlighted the tech- Ireland). The all-reality service combines that,” MacLellan said. nical challenges involved in rolling out content on demand with social media Internally, NBCUni has reworked teams VOD services. and video/clip sharing functionality. on the ground in Asia to include new skills “Being a direct-to-consumer player is MacLellan says Hayu – offered as an sets such as data analytics, and is integrat- much more difficult than it seems if you app either alone or in partnership with ing its learning from the streaming world are looking at it from the outside as a platforms – has turned out to be a lot into the company’s evolving structure. content player,” he said, describing Hayu more profitable than expected. And MacLellan said the pace of NBCUniver- as “a natural way for us to get smart”. then there’s the learning and the data sal’s VOD rollout in Asia was much faster The Hayu launch in three English-speak- experience. than in the rest of the world, where sig- ing markets – “with a potential global roll- “It’s the next generation and I think nificant legacy businesses made it much out” – was NBCUni “really just wanting to there’s a lot of opportunity for that in more difficult to migrate. learn and in an inexpensive way. Taking all Asia,” he says. Speaking on the sidelines of APOS, he of that and putting it onto one site was a Meanwhile, the strategy unveiled dur- said “the jump here seems like it’s quicker way to figure out how the consumer was ing APOS was three years in the making than in other regions”. going to respond, how were we going to and includes the closure of two linear MacLellan himself has undergone his behave as a video provider internation- channel brands – Universal and Syfy – own shift, moving away from early disap- ally... all those things that people don’t re- across the region by mid-2017. At the pointment at the size of the Asia market ally take into consideration,” he said. same time, the company is doubling for NBCUniversal. Not all the learning was painless. “The down on its two strongest brands – Diva “I don’t feel that way any more,” he hardest tech delivery is the launch of an and E!. says. “It’s very difficult today to protect OTT service across numerous platforms at MacLellan said the strategic decision those linear revenues and to convert…. the same time. It’s harder than any of the was the result of listening to operators, But it’s what the affiliates want”. linear launches. People will tell you it’s who “don’t want more, they want better... In other parts of the world, where pay- the same thing, but it’s not”. OUT NOW!
APOS SPECIAL EDITION/ISSUE TWO 2017 C NTENT
FOX+ Formats Q1 in Asia: PLUS 50+ Industry leaders on the #onething2017 making the most Gamechanger. For real. The Final Report difference to their businesses this year
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www.contentasia.tv @contentasia /contentasia contentasia.tv /company/contentasia c ntentasia 1-14 May 2017 Page 7.
From page 1: “Indonesia has 265 million people. Half of them have access to broadband de- MG is not the vices in their palm of their hands. The vast majority of them are not paying a penny right model.” for content today. They are watching either pirated content or not watching video at all and I think there is an oppor- Ernest Cu tunity to bring great content to the mar- President & Chief Executive Officer, Globe Telecom, Philippines ket,” Johnston said.
Our Blended Future
A blended future of no chan- The power has gone nels, no platforms, “just great to the consumer and content”, as MPA executive director and co-founder, it’s never coming back.” 2Vivek Couto, said in his opening. “Every- Brian Sullivan thing is dissolving,” Couto said. President, Chief Operating Officer, Digital Consumer Group Others have already stopped talk- FOX Networks Group ing about channels. “We see the world moving to apps,” said Andy Bird, Walt Disney International chairman, who has forbidden the use of the word ‘channels’. The Local Advantage What is not relevant are channels that “Channels of the future are playlists… cu- you sell to distributors that no one re- rated playlists,” he said. A major opportunity for ally wants to watch. It’s must have or no Another kind of blending is happening Asian content as focus have,” Zeiler said. elsewhere as platforms adopt more effi- shifts towards enhancing Some who have dabbled in local TV cient two-way delivery technologies. and balancing the offer- production in the past with varying de- In Indonesia, MNC Group is merging as ing on regional SVOD/ grees of success and more than a little much of its Indovision DTH and MNC Play streaming3 services, the rise of local lan- frustration are pivoting and trying again. broadband subscriber base as it can, guage online video platforms, and the Walt Disney International chairman, particularly in larger cities. MNC Group effort by international brands to com- Andy Bird, said the company’s decision founder/president commissioner, Hary pete for local audiences. to exit movie production in India last year Tanoesoedibjo, said he was building up Netflix’s global head of business devel- had been “misinterpreted”. Rather, he the group’s IPTV business, with plans to opment, Bill Holmes, told delegates that said, Disney saw a greater opportunity to pass two million broadband homes by “our goal over the next 10-20 years is take its story in a different direction. the end of 2018, up from today’s 1.2 mil- how we can get smarter about program- “The real story was the economics lion homes passed. ming tastes and how we can build the of the Indian cinema industry weren’t “Subscribers in big cities want pay-TV best product. What drives consumption catching up. I wanted to pivot the busi- and high-speed internet connections,” is great content. We are increasingly fo- ness slightly,” Bird said, outlining an ag- he said. cused on finding great local story tellers gressive positioning to ride the “explosion For all that though, free-to-air in Indo- in Asia”. of new opportunities”. nesia isn’t expected to give up its lead Even Turner’s die-hard Hollywood gen- 12 projects are currently in develop- for the next 10 years at least. “The market eral entertainment service, Warner TV, is ment by Disney’s India team. is still robust for free-to-air, and will be our going local. Has to be done, Turner Inter- Newbies to the world of Asian content main source of revenue for the next 10 national president, Gerhard Zeiler, said. are not saying anything local media years. But for pay TV, we need to com- Hollywood content is still important for companies haven’t known and/or prac- bine DTH with broadband,” Tanoesoedi- the region, but it’s more important to go tised for years. bjo added. into local content,” he told delegates. MNC Group’s Hary Tanoesoedibjo said Single brands, will still be important in production across MNC’s free-to-air and the future, “but they have to be relevant. pay-TV businesses was “almost 100%” lo- c ntentasia 1-14 May 2017 Page 8.
cal and in-house. This gives MNC a cross- platform rights/IP advantage. All of us from the curated Further out but not that far behind, are channels business have to telcos who didn’t necessarily envision life balance investment in direct- as a content creator but who realise the to-consumer businessess with our advantages of a more active role in the space. core legacy businesses..” “There’s no reason Telkomsel can’t be Gerhard Zeiler the one that’s out there producing the President, Turner International compelling TV shows and movies that customers want, so we think there’s an opportunity,” Alistair Johnston said, add- ing: “Our future and our core business is data but we are looking at a number of The rise of local-language adjacent categories where we can add online video platforms value”. has just commenced.” What’s Working... Vivek Couto & What’s Not Executive Director & Co-founder, Media Partners Asia (MPA)
Long-tail content seems to have had its day, although box-sets4 to back up the release of new returning series are still hot. “What drives repeat usage is the fresh- shiny new posterchild for focusing on its SVOD – An Unclear Path est content and the biggest stars,” strengths and assets in creating on-de- to Profitability Telkomsel’s Alistair Johnston said. mand destinations for platforms in Asia. “We see that in Viu, which does a great By the end of this year, NBCUniversal And talking about the job of bringing the latest Korean shows to will have launched on-demand products great new sexy stand- the platform on the same day that they with 10 partners in Asia, said NBCUniver- alone streamers of our air in Korea”. sal chairman, global distribution and in- time, another constant Original content also drives loyalty. ternational, Kevin MacLellan. refrain through APOS Pan-Asian content, on the other hand, We know about five of these, including was6 their unclear path to true profitability. doesn’t necessarily work in Indonesia. Japan and China, at the moment. Five Clearly not a problem for them right “There is a big opportunity for Indone- are yet to be announced. now, but, say others/rivals under pressure sian-language and Indonesian-based What none of the established entertain- not to decimate legacy businesses, the content, which is very underserved,” ment brands are talking about right now model is unsustainable and they’re so not Johnston said. – with the exception of Turner internation- going there. al president, Gerhard Zeiler – is breaking MPA executive director and co-founder, The Rise of On-demand free of existing subscription partner plat- Vivek Couto, talked about a “hard reset” Destinations forms. for SVOD players, with churn at 70% in year Zeiler believes strongly in building direct- two, dropping to 60% in year three. The emergence of a new to-consumer angles. Couto outlined three possible revenue generation of branded on- The direct-to-consumer future, he said, SVOD models: stand-alone, an integrat- demand5 destinations where consumers “will not only be for the big streaming ed ecosystem, and partnerships that know exactly what they’re getting and players. All of us who come from the cu- would mimic the pay-TV model. can get it easily whenever (or that’s the rated channels business... we have to bal- “Business and revenue models for on- idea, at least). ance investment in direct-to-consumer line video are evolving at a rapid pace, FOX+ is the new darling in this stream- businesses with our core legacy business. heightened levels of cash burn are a ing space, BBC Player remains commit- We will fail if in two to three years time we concern and the path to profitability re- ted to its journey, and NBCUniversal is the don’t have a B2C kids business”. mains unclear,” he said. c ntentasia 1-14 May 2017 Page 9.
Meanwhile, regional players iflix, Netflix, Viu, Amazon Prime Video and HOOQ, I’ve forbidden the use along with regional newbie tonton, have found a happy home at APOS on and off of the word ‘channel’... stage. And long may it last. the future is about curated playlists.” Hallyu Alive & Well, Despite This Year’s China Freeze Andy Bird Chairman, Walt Disney International Korean programming and 7production (and on the sidelines talk of Netflix spending a rumoured US$130 mil- lion on Korean content). The customer experience in Indo- Netflix wouldn’t confirm that, but there’s nesia is better if you view pirate little doubt anywhere that they’re deter- content... between the telcos, plat- mined to make Korean shows fly. forms & content operators, we have Four major Korean content trends led to figure out a way to create a more the discussion: Korean dramas for domes- compelling customer experience.” tic audiences on both free-TV and cable; Korean dramas that appeal to Western Alistair Johnston Director, Chief Marketing Officer, Telkomsel, Indonesia audiences but may not do that well in Korea, which is where Warner-owned DramaFever is flourishing; high-concept, potentially breakthrough dramas, such as Astory’s epic historical zombie thriller tion and learning. not easy. On the black market, however, Kingdom for Netflix; and remakes of Ko- “The power has gone to the consumer there are lots of other solutions. That’s a rean dramas in various parts of the world. and it’s never coming back,” he said. mistake we’ve all made. There are also expectations that China’s With the old model broken, the new “Between the telcos and the platforms hardline ban against all things Korean will ecosystem emerging involves digital (or and the content operators, we have to ease next year and at least some of the virtual) MVPDs which are “delivering a figure out a way to create a more com- mainland business will return. great digital experience live and on-de- pelling customer experience,” Johnston mand, usually mobile first, at great pric- added. Think Consumer First ing.... I don’t see them disappearing.” Even traditional pay-TV players are But, he stressed, getting the commer- angling for the simplest path possible Consumer-first thinking cial balance is critical or there won’t be between consumer and product. MNC (and, on the sidelines of any content… Group’s Hary Tanoesoedibjo said he had the main stage discus- Telkomsel’s Alistair Johnston said the slashed pay-TV platform Indovision’s ba- sions, how incredibly diffi- telco had been led in a direction it sic packages to four or five. “It was too cult that is to execute well didn’t necessarily anticipate going in confusing before... Now it’s much sim- 8on multiple levels). order to create a compelling customer pler,” Tanoesoedibjo said. FOX Networks Group’s president/COO, experience. “To some extent we feared digital consumer group, Brian Sullivan, the technical challenges [of offering an Welcome to the Giant Learn- talked about presenting an aggregat- integrated product]. It’s not straightfor- ing Curve ed content experience, and taking the ward. But ultimately we are led by the burden of finding content off the con- customer experience”. The giant learning curve in- sumer. “The customer experience is better 9 volved for everyone, big and “There’s never been more content but in Indonesia if you view pirate content small, across every sector and all rela- finding it is a nightmare,” Sullivan told than if you view official content because tionships. APOS delegates, predicting that many trying to find out which provider has the “We’ve been on a journey of learning of platforms we are seeing now “won’t movie or series you want to see, and and understanding and exploration,” be around in three to five years” but then trying to find out a way to subscribe Walt Disney International chairman, there’s a huge amount of experimenta- to that and manage the subscription is Andy Bird, said. c ntentasia #onething2017 1-14 May 2017 Page 10. The Big Influence is... ContentAsia asks industry bosses about the one thing they think will make the most difference to the content industry this year. In the new golden age of Emerging TV, there is an regional or increasing demand local productions for content that for VOD pushes the limits of platforms.” creativity.” Daphne Yang Mark Britt Chief Executive Officer Co-founder and Group CEO, iflix CATCHPLAY
As multi-platform It is not sim- content are grow- ply providing ing all over the thousands of world, we need to create hours of content in an such cross-platform con- on demand platform, but tent to specially accom- providing a unique expe- modate our viewers in rience to each and every this very region.” consumer.” Varavuth Jentanakul Francis Gerard R. Tupaz Chairman & CEO Assistant Vice President of Digital Zense Entertainment (Thailand) Media, SMLEI (Philippines) We expect more The emer- premium OTT on demand streaming gence of digi- options for con- tal channels bringing sumers as content provid- ers capitalise on changing new opportunities consumption patterns given and new platforms” higher smartphone adop- tion data commoditisation.” Avi Armoza Chief Executive Officer Jil Bausa-Go Armoza Formats VP for Content, Globe Telecom (Philippines)
Integrated Video In this tough and Platform (IVP) so- challenging year lutions will change for TV industry in Thai- the way we build sustainable land, my goal is still to video businesses. From pro- create the best premium duction to monetisation, IVP content. Because I surely solutions can better tackle the new demands placed on believe QUALITY sells.” content providers today.” Kitikorn Penrote CEO, Heliconia H Group (Thailand) Steve Davis General Manager of Asia-Pacific Ooyala c ntent onething www.contentasia.tv @contentasia /contentasia contentasia.tv /company/contentasia c ntentasia countryprofile 1-14 May 2017 Page 11.
China For all the billions going into China me- dia, local platforms reign breathtakingly supreme, foreign channel distribution remains choked, the original production goalposts have shifted to favour domes- tic IP ownership, and the syndication/ licensing business races forward and comes to a screeching halt in turns. And then there’s the hard-line stand against all things Korean in the wake of Korea’s deployment of the U.S.-backed THAAD missile defence system. Will this change in 2017? Unlikely, al- though anything could happen. What seems certain is that almost four months into his presidency, Donald Trump isn’t picking the kind of fights with China that he promised to do in his campaign. Less certain is China’s position on Ko- Lip Sync Battle China rean entertainment, but hopes in Korea are that the market (and its ability to pay As was the situation a year ago, pow- Horseman and Ultimate Beastmaster upwards of US$400,000 – some say up erful streaming platforms – including onto mainland Chinese platform iQiyi. to a million – for one episode of Korean Alibaba and its Tmall Box SVOD service, The broad-ranging licensing deal that drama) will open up in 2018. Youku Tudou, Tencent Video, Baidu/iQiyi, covers drama, animation, documentary Meanwhile, co-development efforts PPTV and Sohu, plus the Shanghai Media and reality titles. iQiyi says that new sea- between local Chinese entities and out- Group’s BesTV – continue to provide the sons of Black Mirror and Stranger Things side media brands are in full swing, and biggest opportunity for regional/interna- are expected to be released in China at formats rights owners continue trying to tional rights owners in China. the same time as on Netflix around the figure out how to operate in a market Through 2016 and the first quarter of world. New drama Mindhunter will also where rules dictate that the domestic 2017, China stood out as the only coun- release simultaneously, iQiyi said. partner owns all IP outright. try in Asia (other than North Korea) that There’s no indication at all that main- The prevailing sentiment on syndication U.S. streaming service Netflix chose not land media authorities are easing up on within China is take whatever money you to include in its global roll out. Why? Be- content requirements. On the contrary, can get today because who knows what cause, even as bold and bolshy as Netflix all things point to an ongoing determi- the environment will look like tomorrow. is, it didn’t dare go there without more nation to promote ‘healthy and orderly’ IHS Technology’s World TV Production streaming ducks in a row than it had. development. Report 2016 estimates China’s investment And, 16 months later, still has. Meanwhile, the crazy that character- in programming in 2015 at US$8.4 billion, In the absence of any other way in, ised China’s acquisitive spree in Holly- making it the second largest market in Netflix has chosen a licensing model wood has subsided, wracked by, among Asia Pacific behind Japan, which leads that will put originals such as Black Mir- other issues, regulatory scrutiny and tight at US$9.8 billion. ror, Mindhunter, Stranger Things, BoJack currency controls.
Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2017 c ntentasia countryprofile 1-14 May 2017 Page 12.
Who’s who in China... Broadcasters
Beijing Gehua CATV Network Beijing Gehua CATV Network, established in 1999, offers a triple-play service consisting of cable TV, broadband internet and tele- phone to more than 5.6 million registered cable TV/HD interactive digital TV users and 385,000 broadband subscribers.
Beijing TV Founded in 1979, Beijing TV (BTV) now owns 13 channels. with total reach of about 300 million audiences nationwide. BTV operates both cable free TV and pay TV services. The company also does content production of TV drama, animation, news, TV maga- zine, documentary, sports and training programmes. In total, BTV produces about 15,000 hours a year. The Brain China
China Central Television (CCTV) Founded in 1958, China Central Television (CCTV) is mainland China’s state-controlled ment channel. Hunan Satellite TV airs mostly lite Channel. JSBC is also involved in con- national TV broadcaster, offering over 50 local content, ranging from variety shows tent production, movie distribution, home channels (free-TV/digital pay-TV) and deliv- to movies, animation and game shows. Hu- shopping and online gaming. ering a total of about 529 TV programmes nan, a major buyer of international rights, or about 338,000 hours, to more than 1.1 bil- has produced legal local versions of The Shanghai Media Group (SMG) lion viewers across China (April 2017). CCTV X Factor, Your Face Sounds Familiar, The Shanghai Media Group (SMG) is one of channels and content offer a wide-ranging Winner Is, I’m A Singer, Strictly Come Danc- China’s largest media and entertainment mix of genres, including news, factual, dra- ing, Just the Two of Us and Saturday Night companies, boasting a portfolio spanning ma, reality, comedy and variety. Content is Takeaway, among others. Hunan’s vibrant traditional TV, radio, newspapers/maga- mostly local, interspersed with local versions original content slate includes shows like zines, TV/film production/distribution, OTT/ of international formats and foreign ac- Happy Camp, Day Day Up, Super Girl/Boy. IPTV, online/console gaming, digital ad- quisitions. CCTV is also involved in content The broadcaster claims a daily average vertising, TV shopping/e-commerce; live exchange/co-production projects with for- 100 million+ viewers. The network also oper- entertainment and tourism. SMG operates eign broadcasters such as India’s Doordar- ates Hunan IPTV, offering live TV broadcasts, 15 cable/satellite TV networks (including shan. In addition to its television businesses, playback and VOD services to households documentary channel Docu TV, kids chan- CCTV operates content distribution unit, in Hunan Province. Hunan TV’s online con- nel Toonmax and Dragon TV), 15 subscrip- China International Television Corporation tent includes Mango Internet TV and a fee- tion-based digital pay TV channels, 13 radio (CITVC), webcast service platform, China based value-add mobile app (extension frequencies, eight newspapers, magazines Network Television (CNTV) and online TV di- of Mango TV), which carries HBS content, and landmark properties, including the Ori- vision Future TV. animation, music and audio magazines, ental Pearl TV Tower. among others, via three telco operators – Guangdong Cable TV Network China Mobile, Telecom and China Unicom. Shenzhen Media Group Guangdong Cable TV Network (GDCATV), Shenzhen Media Group owns/operates 12 owned by the Guangdong provincial gov- Jiangsu Broadcasting Corp TV channels and four radio stations in China, ernment, is a cable TV and internet broad- Established in June 2001, Jiangsu Broad- including Shenzhen Satellite Television, which band network servicing more than 900,000 casting Corporation (JSBC) serves house- has bought the formats rights to Endemol subscribers in the Guangzhou province of holds in Jiangsu province. Jiangsu Broad- Shine’s real life thriller format Hunted in 2016. China. casting owns and operates 16 TV channels, including two satellite, seven terrestrial Sichuan Radio and Television Hunan Broadcasting System television, four digital pay-TV and mobile Sichuan government-owned network Sich- Established in 1970 as Golden Eagle Broad- TV channels. JSBC is also one of China’s uan Radio and Television (SRT) was estab- casting System, state-owned Hunan Broad- active international formats buyers hav- lished in May 1960 and started broadcasting casting System (HBS) operates various tele- ing aired The Brain China, I Can See Your nationwide in August 2003. The broadcaster vision channels in China, including Hunan Voice China, The Remix China and Still operates 11 satellite TV channels and eight Satellite TV, a 24-hour general entertain- Standing China in 2016/7 on Jiangsu Satel- radio stations.
Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2017 c ntentasia countryprofile 1-14 May 2017 Page 13.
Southern Media Corporation million active users (among which 67.5% are PPTV Southern Media Corporation (SMC) is a wholly aged under 24) and 100+ million daily video Launched in 2005, online TV service PPTV owned operating subsidiary of Guangdong views (November 2016). offers more than 300,000 hours of local/in- Television Station (GDTV). SMC’s primary ternational content, including drama, mov- businesses include cable network television, China Blue TV ies, sports, entertainment and news via live media operations, advertising, digital distri- Launched in July 2015, China Blue TV is the streaming and on-demand to 450+ million bution, new media, content marketing, ca- internet video platform of Zhejiang Radio users. The line-up also covers live events, in- ble network support, TV content production, & TV group. The platform offers original cluding talent show Super Girl and original digital magazine publication and related web series and select content from the online content, in cooperation with other activities. SMC is made up of Radio Guang- group’s free-TV channel Zhejiang TV, a sat- media groups and studios in China. PPTV is dong, Guangdong TV, Southern TV, Radio ellite broadcast station serving viewers in free with some pay options. and Television Technical Center of Guang- Hangzhou, Zhejiang. China Blue TV has up to dong Province, Guangdong Cable Radio 10 million subscribers (September 2016). Sohu Video and Television Network Inc, which consists of Online platform Sohu.com provides a net- 19 city-level TV stations and 76 county-level China Network Television (CNTV) work of web properties and community TV stations. SMC was established in Janu- China Network Television (CNTV) is a nation- based/web 2.0 products. Sohu’s content ary 2004 by the merger between GDTV and al web-based TV broadcaster launched in platform, Sohu Video (tv.sohu.com), of- Southern Television (TVS). December 2009 by China Central Television fers free access to most content, including (CCTV). CNTV’s online news portal, CCTV. local/international drama series, variety Zhejiang Radio & TV Group com, carries local and international news, shows, original productions, news, docu- China’s provincial broadcaster, Zhejiang live/on-demand video content and search- mentaries, animation, entertainment, live Radio and Television Group (ZRTG) was es- able archives in multiple languages, includ- TV and user-generated content. Premium tablished in November 2001 and billed itself ing French, Russian, Korean and Chinese content is mostly movies and educational. as the top three broadcaster operating in ethnic minority languages). Sohu Video is available on the go via mobile Zhejiang province. The network owns and video site and mobile video app. Premium operates 12 TV channels and seven radio iQiyi plans cost from RMB30/US$4.60 a month to stations, and produces original/localised Founded in April 2010, iQiyi is an online/ RMB360/US$55 for 12 months. Sohu was in- content and live events for both regional streaming platform offering local/interna- corporated in 1996 as Internet Technologies and national audiences. ZRTG is mostly tional/in-house titles, including movies and China and renamed Sohu.com in 1999. The known for its flagship reality talent show TV drama, via advertising-supported video OTT priorities for 2017 include shifting more Sing! China (the evolution of The Voice of on demand (AVOD), subscription video on resources to self-produced content. China after an ugly struggle over the for- demand (SVOD) and transactional video mat and the Chinese name/characters), on demand (TVOD), to over 120 million ac- Tmall Box Office (TBO) China Dream and Hurry up, Brother. ZRTG tive users (Feb 2017). iQiyi claimed over 20 Online/mobile commerce giant Alibaba owns a large-scale film/TV media centre million paid subs in June 2016. Subscriptions rolled out TBO, a subscription-based video- dedicated to traditional and new media cost RMB19.80/US$3 a month or RMB198/ streaming service in China, in September television/video production. US$30 a year. iQiyi has budgeted at least 2015. TBO is delivered via set-top box and RMB100 billion/US$14 billion for new con- smart TV devices, offering in-house and lo- tent, including original shows, in 2017. iQiyi is cal/foreign content, including a strong slate Online/OTT owned by Chinese web service, Baidu. of Hollywood titles and related entertain- ment content. The service costs RMB39/US$ BesTV LeEco/Le Sports 6 a month for unlimited viewing or RMB365 BesTV offers about 500,000 hours (including Founded in November 2004, LeEco offers /US$55 for 12 months. The Alibaba group 100,000 hours in HD) of local and interna- 100,000+ TV drama episodes; 5,000+ movie was founded in 1999 by 18 people led by tional shows to more than 26 million sub- titles; and sports properties UEFA Champions Jack Ma, a former English teacher based in scribers. Launched in 2005, BesTV is owned League and F1. LeVIP Premium costs RMB42/ Hangzhou, China. and operated by Shanghai Media Group’s US$6.45 a month or RMB490/US$75 a year. media entertainment subsidiary Shanghai LeVIP Lite costs RMB18/US$2.80 a month or Tencent Video Oriental Pearl Group. RMB198/US$30 a year. The group continues Tencent Video is part of a multi-faceted with its aim to become a media platform online business offering gaming, vid- Bilibili offering hardware, software and everything eo, e-commerce and social apps (QQ, Millennial-targeted digital platform Bil- in between, as well as electric cars. WeChat). Tencent Video delivers local/ libili (aka B Station) offers online streaming international content, including films, TV of UGC and acquired local/international Mango TV shows, formats, original productions, sports shows, including anime, music, drama series, Hunan Broadcasting System launched events and news. Premium content is be- games, entertainment, movies and factual OTT platform Mango TV in 2011, offering hind a subscription paywall. Subscription (travel, nature, food) content. Bilibili features about 92 SD and 12 HD channels, as well as costs RMB30/US$4.40 a month or RMB298/ real-time commentary subtitle system that 280,000+ VOD content (130,000+ hours) of US$44 a year for VIP membership. Tencent displays users’ comments while watching. films, movies, TV dramas, variety shows, doc- Video’s total activated terminals (includ- Monthly subscriptions cost RMB25/US$3.60. umentaries and animation for free to more ing TV and set-top box) is 90+ million. Aver- Launched in June 2009, Bilibili has over 100 than eight million subscribers in China. age daily active terminals is 10+ million. The
Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2017 c ntentasia countryprofile 1-14 May 2017 Page 14.
service’s highest daily viewership reaches duced, in-house, UGC/PGC (user/profes- in documentary production covering Chi- over 0.14 billion (Oct 2016, source: Ten- sionally generated content), live webcast nese nature, history and culture. Production cent). Tencent was founded in Shenzhen and VR (virtual reality). Youku also has partners include the Chinese state-owned in 1998 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock interests in gaming, smart hardware, mar- organisations, as well as more than 40 inter- Exchange in 2004. keting and merchandising, among others. national companies and broadcasters. Youku offers about 3,000 television drama Wasu titles, 7,000+ movies, 540+ variety shows, Ciwen Launched in 2003, Wasu is an online video as well as current events, music videos, Ciwen Media Group produces and distrib- platform offering live TV channels and lo- UGC and in-house/original productions. utes TV, film and animation in China. The cal/international VOD content to about 20+ International/regional content partners in- company’s kids and rights division is responsi- million subscribers. The VOD library includes clude Warner Bros, Twentieth Century Fox ble for original content creation, production, 30,000 drama episodes, 3,000 movies and Home Entertainment, m1905.com (online distribution, brand management, and licens- 25,000 episodes of animation and docu- movie site wholly owned by China Central ing and merchandising animated properties mentary series. VIP pack costs RMB40/US$6 Television), Hong Kong TVB, NBCUniversal and characters from around the globe. a month. Wasu is owned and managed by and Sony Pictures Television. Youku serves Wasu Digital TV Media Holdings, an invest- approximately 580 million monthly unique Endemol Shine China ment by the Hangzhou Culture, Radio and devices and an average of 1.1 billion daily Endemol Shine in China is engaged in de- Television Group and the Zhejiang Radio mobile views (April 2017). veloping and co-developing formats, pro- and Television Group. The Wasu group is viding production services, exploiting IP and China’s media powerhouse, with growing promoting Chinese content abroad. The scale across digital cable TV, OTT and inter- Production group has been active in China since 2005, net TV. It also owns 42% of national cable working with local partners including broad- company China Cable Network. Beijing Hualu Baina Film & TV casters and digital platforms. Established in 2002, Beijing Hualu Baina Film Wecast & TV (HBN) is an entertainment company Enlight TV Production Launched in 2010 in Beijing, Wecast (known specialising in film/TV planning, production, Enlight TV Production/Beijing Enlight Media as YOU On Demand until December 2016) distribution and licensing. specialises in the production of TV content is a multi-platform company delivering, in China, and is also involved in film distribu- among other entertainment, Hollywood Cenic Media tion. Production genres include TV drama, movie titles, to customers across China via Cenic Media specialises in the production, formats, news, variety and lifestyle. subscription and transactional streaming distribution and investment of content in services. Services are offered across mul- the China market. The aim is to become Fantawild Animation tiple platforms and devices such as Xiaomi an ideal partner of global drama/formats Fantawild Animation Inc (FAI) specialises in OTT set-top box, Huawei smartphone, OTT producers and media platforms. Cenic original animation design and production. Domy Box and Southern Media Corpora- Media’s production credits included the Globally, the company has distributed its tion’s 3GTV mobile video platform. Wecast, Chinese remake of Warner Bros’ American programmes to over 100 countries via TV with global expansion ambitions, is run out sitcom 2 Broke Girls. networks such as Disney and Sony as well of New York and Beijing. as Netflix. Known mostly for its TV animation China Huace Film & TV series Boonie Bears, Fantawild Animation is Xiangchao Kankan Established in 2005, China Huace Film & TV a part of the Fantawild Holding, a subsidiary Video streaming platform Xiangchao Kank- is a media group primarily focused on film/ of Cultural and Technology in China. an was known as Xunlei Kankan until August TV production and distribution, with an an- 2015 after it was acquired by Beijing Ne- nual output of over 1,000 episodes of TV FremantleMedia China sound International Media for RMB130 mil- drama, dozens of films and over ten vari- FremantleMedia in China creates, produc- lion/US$20 million from former owner Xunlei ety shows. In all, the group holds 10,000+ es and distributes content in the country Limited in mid 2015. Xiangchao Kankan hours of film/TV in its library (Dec 2016). The across traditional TV and digital platforms. carries local and international content from group also consists of over 20 subsidiaries 2016’s titles included dating show Date With over 200 partners. It has monthly users of 150 (including Croton Media) and has made Fate China (aired on iQiyi) and game shows million (12 million daily users) and average strategic alliances and investments into Don’t Stop Me Now China (CCTV1) and daily video views of 70 million. Subscription areas such as a film studio, cinema the- Let’s Get Gold China (CCTV3). costs RMB150/US$22 yearly. atres, advertising/artist agencies and on- line game developers. Huayi Brothers Media Youku Huayi Brothers Media Corporation is one China’s digital entertainment platform China Intercontinental of China’s dominant media and enter- Youku Business Division (Youku BD), which is Communication Center (CICC) tainment companies. Founded in 1994 by a part of Alibaba Digital Media & Entertain- China Intercontinental Communication the Wang brothers, the company began ment group, was formed by the merger of Center (CICC) is an international media with feature film production and distribu- Youku, Tudou and Alibaba home entertain- institution established in 1993 dedicated tion, and has since expanded into tele- ment business unit in October 2016. Youku’s to international cultural exchange through vision production, talent management, businesses span PC, TV and mobile. Con- co-production, promotion and publishing cinema, music, new media, gaming and tent offerings include copyrighted, co-pro- of film, TV and new media. CICC specialises theme parks.
Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2017 c ntentasia countryprofile 1-14 May 2017 Page 15.
IPCN (International Program China’s Q1 2017 formats by genre Content Network) Established in 2007, Shanghai-based Inter- Reality 4% national Program Content Network (IPCN) specialises in the acquisition and distribution of format rights to China/Asia-Pacific. The Talent show 7% company has brokered more than 35 deals or about 5,000 hours of international TV for the Chinese market in original and loca- lised versions. Production projects in 2016/7 Dance competition include Dragons’ Den China, China’s Next 7% Top Model S3, The Remix China and Super- nanny China S4. Drama Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment China Singing competition Drama 46% G a m e s h o w Sony Pictures Entertainment’s production 11% Singing competition outfit in China (formerly known as Huaso Dance competition Film and TV Digital Production) was co- Talent show founded by China Film Group Corporation Genre # of titles % Reality - Modelling and Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2004. Drama 13 46% In 2011, China Film Group shifted its shares Game show 11% Entertainment 4 14% to CCTV6 movie channel and the Beijing- Game show 3 11% based production house became a joint Singing comp. 3 11% venture company owned by CCTV6 and Sony Pictures. Entertainment 14% Dance comp. 2 7% Talent show 2 7% Star China International Media Reality 1 4% Star China International Media (Star China) Total 28 100% specialises in TV production (Canxing Pro- duction/Starry Production), broadcasting (Xing Kong China, Xing Kong International Source: ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook, Q1 2017 Channel and Channel [V] China), filmmak- ing, artist management and music/concert production. Production subsidiary, Canx- UYoung Culture & Media company is also involved in drama/live- ing/Starry, produces local adaptations Launched in 2000 and headquartered in action films, global distribution of content, of international formats, including Infinite Beijing, UYoung produces, distributes and publishing and licensing. Challenge China, The Remix China, So You licenses animated kids’ content across Think You Can Dance and The King of Mask all platforms. The company also creates Singer. Star China’s original formats include its own preschool consumer product lines Government/ native Chinese format Sing My Song and and runs strategic media operations across Regulator Sing! China, the evolution of The Voice of a number of Chinese kids’ channels. China after an ugly struggle over the format State Administration of Press, and the Chinese name/characters in 2016. Zhejiang Versatile Media Broadcast partners include CCTV, Dragon Hangzhou-based Zhejiang Versatile Media Publication, Radio, Film and TV, Zhejiang Satellite TV, Jiangsu Satellite TV launched in 1993 as Hangzhou Versatile Television of the People’s and Beijing Satellite TV. Star China was es- Advertising and is an integrated media Republic of China (SAPPRFT) tablished in August 2010 as a joint venture company involved in film/TV, animation, The State Administration of Press, Publica- between Chinese Media Capital (CMC) advertising, internet and mobile services. tion, Radio, Film and Television of the Peo- and 21st Century Fox. In January 2014, CMC ple’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT) oversees acquired 20th Century Fox’s 47% stake to Zhejiang Zhongnan Animation state-owned television, radio, film and pub- become sole owner. Established in 2003, Zhejiang Zhongnan An- lications enterprises. The body directly con- imation (Zoland Animation) specialises in trols state-owned media, including China Tangren Media original animation production. Titles – both Central Television (CCTV), China National Tangren Media specialises in the produc- original animation series and films, with an Radio, China Radio International. SAPPRFT tion of TV dramas, 3D animation and mov- aggregate length of approximately 80,000 is also responsible for policing China’s cen- ies, and is involved in distribution, publishing minutes – have been broadcast in about sorship rules. and talent management. The company 90 countries and regions, including the U.S., was incorporated in 2012. Europe, Japan and Africa (Dec 2016). The
Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2017
Be included! Please send your details to Malena at [email protected] or +65 6846 5982 c ntentasia what’sonwhere 1-14 May 2017 Page 16.
What’s on where... ContentAsia’s list of events for the rest of the year.
When Event Venue May 2017 10-12 Busan Contents Market, BCM Busan, South Korea 16-24 L.A. Screenings Los Angeles, U.S. 17-18 PromaxBDA India Mumbai, India 22 CASBAA Satellite Industry Forum Singapore 23-25 BroadcastAsia Singapore 23-25 CommunicAsia Singapore 23-25 MIP China Hangzhou Hangzhou, China June 2017 8-10 Vietnam Telefilm Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 28-30 Content Tokyo Tokyo, Japan August 2017 30 Aug-1-Sep BCWW Seoul, South Korea September 2017 6 ContentAsia Production Singapore 7-8 ContentAsia Summit Singapore October 2017 10-12 APSCC Tokyo, Japan 14-15 MIP Junior Cannes, France 16-19 MIPCOM Cannes, France 25 Oct-3 Nov TIFFCOM Tokyo, Japan November 2017 6-9 CASBAA Convention Macau 29 Nov-1 Dec Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) Singapore 29 Nov-1 Dec Asian Animation Summit Brisbane, Australia 30 Nov-1 Dec PromaxBDA Asia Singapore December 2017 12-14 CineAsia Hong Kong January 2018 11-12 vdontx asia Mumbai, India 16-18 NATPE U.S. April 2018 7-8 MIP Doc Cannes, France 7-8 MIP Formats Cannes, France 9-12 MIP TV Cannes, France
Updated as of 25 April 2017. For more event details, go to www.contentasia.tv/events-list c ntentasia 1-14 May 2017 Page 17.
Anime/manga dominates in Japan Netflix killing it in Japan, Parrot Analytics shows c ntent
Editorial Director Netflix dominates the top 10 list ofon- although The Walking Dead beats out Janine Stein line/SVOD originals in Japan, where most local productions by a long way. [email protected] global streaming giants Netflix and Am- The only series to come close to The Assistant Editor azon Prime Video are slugging it out for Walking Dead is Hajime Isayama’s post- Malena Amzah supremacy. apocalyptic fantasy series Attack on [email protected] The sole Amazon original title creat- Titan. Research Manager ing any kind of buzz on Parrot Analyt- Despite the buzz of the movie release CJ Yong ics’ digital originals list is The Grand Tour, date at the end of July this year and [email protected] which came in third behind two Marvel much speculation over the series ea- Editorial Research Aqilah Yunus titles – Marvel’s Iron Fist and Marvel’s gerly awaited return for a third season, [email protected] Luke Cage. fantasy series Tokyo Ghoul came in third, Design Domestic manga/anime titles domi- with less than half the demand expres- Rae Yong nate the overall list, with 60% of the titles, sions of The Walking Dead. Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, Top 10 Overall TV Shows International Business Development Rank Title Average Demand Leah Gordon Expressions™ [email protected] 1 The Walking Dead 20,803,665 Sales and Marketing (Asia) 2 Attack On Titan 17,401,391 Masliana Masron 3 Tokyo Ghoul 8,555,462 [email protected] 4 Prison Break 7,841,680 5 Game of Thrones 7,678,398 To receive your regular free copy 6 Doctor-x 7,220,235 of ContentAsia, please email 7 Sword Art Online 6,738,589 [email protected] 8 Homeland 6,117,326 9 Kamen Rider Ex-aid 5,911,877 Published fortnightly by: 10 Gintama 5,571,796 Pencil Media Pte Ltd 730A Geylang Road Singapore 389641 Top 10 Digital Originals Tel: +65 6846-5987 Rank Title Platform Average Demand www.contentasia.tv Expressions™ 1 Marvel’s Iron Fist Netflix 3,741,535 MCI (P) 091/11/2015 2 Marvel’s Luke Cage Netflix 2,740,563 3 The Grand Tour Amazon Video 2,639,514 Copyright 2017 Pencil Media Pte Ltd. 4 13 Reasons Why Netflix 2,393,725 All Rights Reserved. 5 House of Cards Netflix 2,286,097 6 Stranger Things Netflix 2,116,209 7 Marco Polo Netflix 1,572,873 8 The Last Kingdom Netflix 1,458,357 9 Travelers Netflix 1,266,353 10 The Mindy Project Hulu 1,251,387 c ntent Daily news with ContentAsia Insider Date range: 20-26 April 2017 email [email protected] Market: Japan for subscription details Demand Expressions™: Total audience demand being expressed for a ti- tle, within a country. [Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement and consumption of content, weighted by importance; so a stream/ download is a higher expression of demand than a ‘like’/comment.]