13-27 January C NTENT 2020 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com Whitehead exits in ViacomCBS reorg Asia rolls into Europe, ME, Africa under Raffaele Annecchino May the gods of Health, Wealth & Happiness smile on you always. Happy Year of the Rat! Mark Whitehead Thailand, China Veteran Asia pay-TV head, Mark White- Australia and New Zealand. head, is exiting ViacomCBS’ Singapore- Kyriacou joins the newly expanded strengthen ties in based regional networks operation at division on 3 February as president, Vi- the end of this month in a wide-ranging acomCBS Networks U.K. and Australia, BEC, Tencent deal re-org announced out of New York and which includes responsibility for Ireland, Ch3 originals on WeTV, London today. New Zealand and Israel. ViacomCBS Networks International’s Her role includes oversight of Viaco- Ch3+, Tencent Video Asia footprint will be managed by Raf- mCBS’s free-to-air broadcast networks, faele Annecchino, currently president of Channel 5 in the U.K. and Network 10 in Thailand’s BEC World and Chinese the division’s operations across Southern Australia, streamer, Tencent-owned WeTV, have and Western Europe, the Middle East Network 10 CEO, Paul Anderson, ad- tied up to distribute Thai drama in Thai- and Africa. Annecchino’s new remit also ditionally becomes EVP, ViacomCBS land and on Tencent Video in China. includes Northern/Eastern Europe. Networks Australia and New Zealand with The new deal is part of WeTV’s aggres- His new title is president, ViacomCBS immediate effect, reporting to Kyriacou. sive growth ambitions and follows strong Networks Europe, Middle East, Africa and No announcements have been made take up of BEC’s dramas across the Asia (EMEAA). on India, a joint venture which will be region in 2019. Maria Kyriacou, most recently ITV Stu- managed by the U.S. corporate office. The full story is on page 3 dios’ international president, will lead The rest of the story is on page 5 the C NTENT 26-27 August 2020, BANGKOK SERIES 2 COMING SOON award-winning original content from HOOQ SERIES 2 SEX talks COMING with DR. HOLMES SOON @all3media_int all3mediainternational.com 13-27 January 2020 page 2. C NTENTASIA 13-27 January 2020 Page 3. BEC World, Tencent Video strengthen content ties BEC/Ch3 original drama to stream on WeTV Thailand, Ch3+ and Tencent Video Thai media outfit BEC World and main- land Chinese streaming platform, Tencent-owned WeTV, have tied up to distribute long-form Thai drama in Thai- land and on Tencent Video in China in 2020. The new deal is part of WeTV’s ag- gressive audience-growth ambitions in Thailand for this year and follows strong take up of BEC World’s dramas across the region in 2019. WeTV Thailand country manager, Ka- nokporn Prachayaset, said the target was a 400% increase in consumption for Thai drama on the platform in Thailand by the end of the year. The Tencent Video/WeTV agreement, announced in Bangkok on Monday (13 Feb), involves an undisclosed number of Ariya Banomyong, President, BEC World; Jeff Han, SVP, Tencent Penguin Pictures titles commissioned/produced by BEC World’s terrestrial broadcast station, Thai agnostic to reach our full audience po- has not been confirmed. TV Ch3. tential,” he says. The new alliance also includes rights to Financial terms of the deal have not He adds that WeTV’s base is growing in Ch3 drama for WeTV territories in other been disclosed. Thailand, and that the streamer is an “im- parts of Asia. Details are not immediately Ch3’s 2020 drama line-up will be avail- portant OTT partner to achieve this goal”. available. able on WeTV Thailand from this month, WeTV launched in Thailand in 2019 with BEC World’s expanded China footprint two hours after the terrestrial broadcast. a slate from Tencent Penguin Pictures, comes on top of the best year in memory The shows will also stream on BEC World’s including The Untamed, and about 200 for Thai content licensing around the newly rebranded Ch3+ streaming app. Chinese series. region. The list of exclusive titles for Tencent WeTV Thailand’s country manager, Ka- Deals brokered by licensing partner, Video – including series that will simul- nokporn Prachayaset, says the expansion JKN Global Media, include the first Thai cast in Thailand and China – is still being beyond Chinese content in Thailand has drama to air on free-to-air terrestrial tel- finalised. only just started. evision in Malaysia, as well as the first Thai Company bosses said the new alliance “We will continue to introduce local dramas licensed for free-TV in Indonesia is their response “to strong demand from content from our leading local partners in a deal with Rajawali TV (RTV). online audiences across both Thailand to fulfil our users’ needs,” she says. In another deal sealed by JKN late last and China for Ch3 drama content”. BEC World drama has already chalked year, Korean channels operator TRA Me- BECi’s managing director, Warut up audience successes in China. dia picked up rights to eight Thai drama Leeruangsakul, says the company’s own The debut simulcast – The Crown titles for its two cable channels – Smile streaming service, Ch3+, will continue to Princess – on Tencent Video, has been Plus (entertainment) and TVA Plus (Asian air Ch3 drama. viewed more than 280 million times and drama channel). The agreement marked But, he adds, “as the leader in Thai ranks in the top five list of most-viewed BEC World’s debut in the Korean market. drama content, we must be where our Thai content on the platform, according JKN Global Media reported a 127% audiences are at”. to BEC’s chief commercial officer, Ron increase in revenue from international “While Ch3+ will continue to serve as Kamnuanthip. sales of programme rights for the first nine our own platform to engage our core Tencent Video has about 550 million months of 2019, driven largely by its BEC user base, we should also be platform monthly active users. WeTV engagement World licensing arrangement. contentasia C NTENTASIA 13-27 January 2020 Page 4. Asia-Pac pay-TV Close encounters revenue at $66b Asia’s pay-TV industry takes cover, braces for tough 2020 by 2024 Asia’s pay-TV industry is bracing for an- exit of Syfy and Universal Channel in June Grim forecast for growth other tough year. 2017, leaving the network with Dream- outside of China and India Even the brighter spots like India are Works for kids and biz network CNBC. blighted by the uncertain impact of re- At about the same time, CBS and RTL Asia-Pac pay-TV revenue could hit US$66 cent regulations, and uncertainty hangs pulled the plug on their four-year-old billion by 2024, according to Media dark and low as international giants adjust channels JV, offloading two regional Partners Asia’s (MPA) latest report, pub- their commitment to their linear services networks – RTL CBS Entertainment and lished on Monday (13 January). in favour of shiny new direct-to-consumer Extreme – to Canada’s Blue Ant Media. Asia Pacific Pay-TV Distribution 2020 options. As part of an industry-wide shift away shows China at US$27 billion of the 2024 Our prediction is more tough conversa- from large bundles towards a focus on total, logging growth of 3% (CAGR) over tions as traditional platform partners and higher-performing channels and key the five years. programmers work out a way forward – or brands, Turner (pre-WarnerMedia) also India will lead the region’s growth until not – juggling costs, content rights and took an axe to its linear bundle, shutter- 2024, at 6% (CAGR), to take US$15 billion relationships in a gyrating landscape. ing Turner Classic Movies (TCM) and truTV of the total. South Korea is third at SU$8.3 So far, there’s no confirmation of HD across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong billion followed by Japan at US$7 billion. region-wide rollouts of Disney+ or HBO from January 2019. US$15 billion goes to India, with Korea Max or Peacock or even Disney’s India Discovery has also axed channels in fa- at US$8.3 billion (3% growth) and Japan platform Hotstar. So those are among vour of a tighter focus on fewer services. at US$7 billion (1% growth) for a total of the unknowns at the dawn of the Year In the past few years, Discovery Kids linear US$57 billion for these four markets. of the Rat. has gone, along with Setanta sports net- MPA puts India in the growth lead with Meanwhile, we’re counting the fallout work and Eve, the network’s short-lived 6% growth a year (CAGR) between of changed priorities in the region, and effort to target female audiences. 2019 and 2020. India will also contribute watching out for the next wave of stream- As 2020 moves into week three, the almost half of net subscriber additions in lining. This will wash over an industry that industry remains on high alert for more Asia Pacific over the next five years. has been in attempted-reinvention mode changes at Fox Networks Group (FNG) Total Asia-Pacific pay-TV industry reve- for the past two years. under Disney. So far, FNG has pulled the nue (subscription fees, local/regional ad In the latest change, Sony Pictures Tel- plug on three on-demand play channels sales), grew 6% to US$57 billion in 2019. evision has offloaded its Asia networks – Fox Sports Asia, Star Chinese Movies Play Excluding China and India, total Asia- (excluding the lucrative India biz), sell- and Fox Movies Play.