ContentAsia December 2017 by ContentAsia

ISSUE SEVEN 2017

NTENT

Cignal TV’s Jane Jimenez-Basas on bold moves & brave content

Online marketplaces & rights trading: the Asia position

PLUS: Sean Carey, Mark Francis, Melvin Ang, Izham Omar & others

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editor’snote

#metoo #whatnow Harvey Weinstein. John Lasseter. Kevin Spacey. Charlie Rose. Andrew

We need a culture of respect to make sure people can go about their

Kreisberg. Louis C.K. Jeffrey Tambor. Ed Westwick. Brett Ratner. Andy Dick.

daily business without fear of being harassed in any way by skeevy any-

Ken Baker. Mark Halperin. James Toback. Chris Savino. Roy Price. If tomor-

one.

row is like yesterday and last week, there will be others. And then there

We need networks that support women, so that no one, whoever she is

are the politicians and other public figures who have followed Harvey

and wherever she is, needs to feel she can’t tell. Or that she won’t be be-

Weinstein down scumbag alley in the full glare of the global media.

lieved. Or that she needs to accept that that’s just the way things work.

There is no similar public list or outcry in Asia.

We need to figure out a way to embed the message that certain be-

Is this behaviour happening in our part of the world? Hell yes.

haviours are not okay – until, like the right to vote, mindsets are changed,

Are we in Asia anywhere close to the kind of uprising that has swept

new ways are accepted, and these things are no longer questioned or

through Hollywood? I don’t believe we are, but I live in hope. Does the difference mean this kind of stuff isn’t happening here? No. It’s happening.

debated. Then it will be okay. Until then, it won’t. For all the inequality I’m still angry about and others that I’m trying to figure out, here’s one I’ve settled.

Will the ignominious end to illustrious careers of those exposed in other

Am I ever going to allow anyone, ever again, in

parts of the world be enough to scare off offenders in Asia? Hopefully,

this industry or anywhere else (as they did a very

but probably not while they think they can get away with it. And cer-

very long time ago when the world was a differ-

tainly not while they think grabbing and groping is their right and that

ent place) tell me that he and his scumbag col-

they’re doing nothing wrong by, for instance, getting drunk and ordering

leagues from CNBC Asia or Casbaa think i need

young staffers to undress.

a “good f@*#K” because I dared call them out

Will it be enough, at least, to change behaviour? Maybe, particularly among global brands racing to put in place hard-and-fast rules of en-

about something or other they didn’t want to address. Come try. I dare you.

gagement designed to stop anything that could be considered inappropriate. Will that make a difference? It’s a start. As tempting as it is to want to pull a Phoolan Devi, change-making conversations with lasting results can’t begin by chopping men’s heads off and they aren’t about fixating on who did what and how disgusting that was (even if it was). The way forward doesn’t end with compiling office sex pest lists, although it’s always useful to know who to stay away from. As much as I like the trend, the strength in numbers that hashtag campaigns generate needs to be harnessed and put to positive use. In addition to those, we should be looking way forward, putting in place new rules for a environment that, as far as we’ve come, should be a longer way away from Mad Men than it is.

Editorial Director Janine Stein Assistant Editor Malena Amzah malena@contentasia.tv Research & Production CJ Yong cj@contentasia.tv Editorial Aqilah Yunus aqilah@contentasia.tv Design Rae Yong

INTERNATIONAL Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, International Business Development Leah Gordon leah@contentasia.tv ASIA Sales and Marketing Manager Masliana Masron mas@contentasia.tv

What is ContentAsia?

ContentAsia is an Asia-based information resource that refines today’s info-deluge into usable, digestible, and reliable intelligence about entertainment content creation, funding, financing, licensing, distribution, design and branding and technology across the Asia-Pacific region. ContentAsia’s range of products include electronic, print and online publications.

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contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Dare to Dream RISE NBC Universal Together Today Tomorrow

contents...

what’s inside... Inﬁnite Challenge

What’s going on in...

Leading broadcaster TVB is clash-

Korea’s media strikes may be all

ing yet again with the territory’s

but over – for now. But is the ﬁght

regulators, demanding (again)

over-over? No, and it won’t be

that they ditch outdated require-

while the possibility of political

A+E Networks spent the whole year this year working on its shiny new Korea vision, including two wholly and totally local channels. Now it’s pushing into 2018 with wings unfurled on the most signiﬁcant initiative in its longrunning Korea business.

Hong Kong

ments and, essentially, get with the digital programme.

Japan has a totally different story telling style. It’s more consistent with Turkey.” Fatih Aksoy CEO, Medyapim

page 18

Korea

manipulation of news exists.

Korea

Mother, Nippon TV

Scripted formats

Nippon TV’s Mother and Woman have opened a new world of scripted formats in Turkey for Japanese drama producers.

TAP turns 10 Public broadcasters in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore pooled resources over the past decade to create The Asian Pitch. This is how they’re celebrating the milestone 10th an-

The Gaia People’s The Death Feast

Consider a base of over 60 million subscribers actively purchasing data load daily. If I can penetrate 2% of the 60 million, I can generate US$500,000 to US$1.5 million per title. Expand this to 20-50 titles over a period of a year... ” Jane Jimenez-Basas President and CEO, Cignal TV

page 24 6

niversary....

Interview ContentAsia’s Asia Media Woman of the Year, Jane Jimenez-Basas, talks about driving an agenda that shifts and transforms everything about the Philippines’ Cignal TV. Tabi Po, Cignal TV

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

American Idol BACK 2018 ABC FremantleMedia International

contents...

what’s inside...

On the eve of mm2’s 10th birthday, founder Melvin Ang speaks about stories that work for Chinese markets, those that don’t but which he’s proud of anyway, and about being humbled by decisions that have made him a guardian of local ﬁlm legacy.

Malaysia’s PrimeWorks Studios

Melvin Ang

Izham Omar is expanding its horizons, with projects that stretch the studio’s capabilities beyond anywhere it has gone and anything it has

page 36

Omar talks about why.

Many local broadcasters are unable to buy Streaming: Data content at the Asia isn’t short of a streaming rate that they need it because of platform or two. We have 135 limited access and active platforms on our radar budgets...” and counting. Here’s the break-

Rightstech has been slow to catch on in Asia for reasons that range from broadband constraints to entrenched practises that buyers & sellers quite like even if they recognise the inefﬁciencies. Will change come? Of course, although the kind of thriving online marketplaces envisaged might take a while.

Nelia Sutrisno Founder, GroupGallery

down...

page 38

42 Streaming:

Who’s who...

Asia is in full streaming mode, with global, regional and local services battling for hearts, eyes and dollars of Asia’s increasingly mobile audiences. ContentAsia looks at who’s who in six markets – Cambodia, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Vietnam. You Are Tender When It Rains, Hulu Japan

60 POPS QUIZ POPS Worldwide founder & CEO, Esther Nguyen, on going from zero to Vietnam’s top digital network

64 Cast track Singtel’s content head, Anurag Dahiya, talks about building out mobile streaming platform Cast

66 Adventures of tonton Media Prima’s tonton boss, Airin Zainul, on venturing beyond Malaysia’s borders for the ﬁrst time and what she’s hoping for

Good Graces

Making the world a better place & entertainment can live happily ever after, says IndieFlix founder Scilla Andreen

Matthew Frank Co-founder and CEO, TRX

done in the past. CEO Izham

34 Fair trade

One of the biggest misconceptions is that we are a threat to sales people.”

50 Content: iflix iflix’s new originals slate is part of bigger content creation, curation and presentation changes ushered in at the emerging markets streaming platform this year. Chief content officer, Sean Carey, and global director of originals programming, Mark Francis, discuss the what and the why.

56 Third time luckier Toggle’s latest incarnation is looking more and more like third time luckier for Singapore broadcast behemoth Mediacorp.

82 Who

Singapore has put the brakes on

ContentAsia’s comparison of

digital migration plans, push-

streaming platform rates in ﬁve

ing back analogue D-day by

Asia markets – China, Hong

12 months. On the other end of

Kong, India, Indonesia and

Country proﬁle: Singapore

the scale, the country’s Android box trade looks like it’s thriving.

charges what...

Korea.

There’s also lots happening in the middle.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Crime Super Series Season Four Senora Acero La Coyote Telemundo NBCUniversal Together Today Tomorrow

Peppa Pig Into the badlands Disgnated Survivor The Walking Dead Burden of Truth Create the future with us Entertainment for everyone International.eOnetv.com

what’sgoingonin...

hong kong

While it’s fighting the fierce fight for full control of its airwaves, TVB’s red carpets have been burning up, mostly for the broadcaster’s 50th anniversary celebrations, but also for the 25th anniversary of its partnership with Singapore pay-TV platform StarHub. TVB chairman, Charles Chan, said during the Golden Jubilee dinner for 1,000 people in Hong Kong in November that the broadcaster would continue to “uphold its fine tradition in continuing its quest for new development and business opportunities”. Chan outlined milestones in TVB’s transformation, including streaming platform myTV SUPER and TVB Anywhere in overseas markets, as well as investing heavily in movie and TV production both at home and abroad. The Golden Jubilee was celebrated only a few weeks after StarHub played host to TVB stars, led by Wayne Lai and Nancy Sit, who were conferred the StarHub TVB Awards’ Most Popular TVB Drama Male and Female Character for their timeless portrayals of iconic TV characters.

Hong Kong’s leading broadcaster, Television Broadcasts Ltd (TVB), is

in clear terms: the decision to preempt the RTHK programme without ap-

clashing yet again with the territory’s regulators, demanding (again) that

proval breaches the rules. Simple. The CA points out that it has approved

they ditch outdated requirements and, essentially, get with the digital

similar applications from TVB in the past, and has been careful to empha-

programme. The Communications Authority (CA) is having none of it,

sise that it respects TVB’s editorial independence. To support its line, the

insisting that the rules are clear and easy to follow, and that TVB simply

CA says it received 406 complaints over this speciﬁc incident.

cannot do as it pleases when it pleases.

At the same time, the authority isn’t levying any penalty for the breach

If the vehicle was a small infringement for which it was sanctioned in a

other than “strongly” advising TVB to observe licence directions – a large-

minor way, TVB’s ultimate target is what it calls an “outdated” must-carry

ly meaningless judgement that on a less incendiary issue would have

rule that forces it (and rival ATV when it was alive) to air programmes from

been swatted off by TVB as noise.

government-funded broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK). Al-

Penalty or not, TVB grabbed the opportunity, using the CA’s decision

though adjusted from time to time, the requirement dates back to the

to call for an end to the must-carry rule it has long railed against. “This

days when Hong Kong was under British rule and RTHK didn’t have its own

outdated requirement should cease as soon as possible”, TVB said in a

TV channels. As part of their licence conditions, commercial broadcast-

strongly worded statement, adding that the CA’s decision shows “com-

ers had to give TV airtime to RTHK.

plete disregard for the circumstances under which the RTHK programme

The ﬂash point re-ﬂared at the end of October/early November over pre-

was rescheduled”.

recorded footage of Chinese President Xi Jinping. TVB aired the footage

The bigger picture is that TVB wants to be able to control and fully mon-

on ﬂagship Jade channel on 30 June this year, in place of scheduled RTHK

etise prime time, and, although it has some discretion over which RTHK

show Headliner. The visit during the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong

shows to choose, it can’t under the current conditions. The latest CA direc-

Special Administrative Region was Xi’s ﬁrst to Hong Kong in his capacity as

tive, implemented on 1 April 2017, forces TVB Jade to air 2.5 hours of RTHK

Chinese president. TVB’s position is that Xi – pre-recorded or not – trumps

programmes a week. “Mandatory carriage of RTHK programmes adverse-

RTHK’s non-news programme Headliner, which was originally scheduled to

ly affects TVB’s programming and rescheduling ﬂexibility,” the broadcaster

air at 6pm. Headliner eventually aired later that evening.

says, adding that RTHK, which now has three digital terrestrial TV channels

Sidestepping the political argument that TVB had muted Headliner be-

and two analogue TV channels, “has no reason to continue to occupy

cause of a tone that wasn’t China friendly, the CA laid out its argument

TVB’s precious high-rating time slots”. And there you have it, the argument in a nutshell. Don’t expect it to go away anytime soon.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Starring Mark Strong Kingsman Joe Dempsie Game of Throne Karima McAdams Fearless Alistair Petrie The Night Manager Anastasia Griffith Damages Lyne Renee Madam Secretary Deep State Fast. Fiction. Truth. An 8x60 Espionate Thriller ATF Stand C18 Fngcontentdistribution.com FOX Networks Group Content Distribution

what’sgoingonin...

korea

Korea’s media strikes are over – for now. But is the ﬁght over-over? No, and it won’t be while the possibility of political manipulation of news exists. That’s the good news, along with the return of Asian favourite Inﬁnite Challenge, cameras rolling on new K-drama, and – a hallelujah moment – a very likely end in 2018 to the China freeze. So Korea’s crippling broadcast strikes are wind-

big-picture support from Moon Jae-In’s cur-

ing down, MBC union members got enough of

rent progressive government to the details of

Unions at KBS and MBC have long called for

what they wanted to go back to work, produc-

which board members of MBC’s largest share-

independent news coverage in a system his-

tion damage from more than two months of all-

holder, the Foundation for Broadcast Culture

torically stacked against anything of the sort

out-knock-down labour action is being repaired,

(FBC), turned up to vote to axe Kim Jang-

in an environment wracked with allegations of

and the lid has been put on a long-running and

kyeom.

bias. And that, whatever else happens, looks

simmering issue that is very likely to bubble up again when political winds change.

Local new agency Yonhap quoted Kim, as

of power during his term from 2008 to 2013.

unlikely to change.

he was being ousted, saying he hoped he was

The mid-November back-to-work call by

the last victim of the government’s “control of

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC)

public broadcasters and oppression of journal-

union members followed the formal dismissal

ism”. Kim also apologised for “failing to keep

of the network’s president, Kim Jang-kyeom,

MBC’s independence from those in power”.

accused of meddling with news coverage

Allegations against Kim and Ko are by no

to favour ousted conservative president Park

means the end of the attempt to hunt down

Geun-hye’s government.

others seen to have attempted to manipu-

Fellow strikers at public broadcaster Korean

late news one way or another. Among other

Broadcasting System (KBS) called for the exit

actions, prosecutors have raided homes and

of KBS president, Ko Dae Young, for engaging

ofﬁces of senior ofﬁcials accused of colluding

in similar activities. Ko is also accused of taking

with the intelligence services to silence crit-

a KRW2 million/US$1,800 bribe from Korea’s

ics of former President Lee Myung-bak. The

National Intelligence Service (NIS) in 2009 to

three named in local media are former MBC

squash reports about the NIS. Ko has denied

CEO/president Kim Jae-chul, current VP Baik

the allegations.

Jong-moon and the head of an MBC afﬁliate

The whole issue, including the vote to sack

Jun Young-bae. Allegations include sidelining

Kim, was nothing if not highly politicised, from

liberal journalists and banning celebrities who opposed Lee’s right-wing government. Lee is currently being

investigated for abuse

Meanwhile.... The China freeze that ruined business for Korean producers/rights holders through 2017 looks like it could, maybe, be over. Korean producers say green lights are ﬂashing all over the place across all kinds of projects. But, having looked in shock and horror at big fat zeros where millions of dollars of revenue used to be, they’re being cautious about leaping right in again. “We have to see what happens... Some people are anticipating, but most of our industry are now very careful. No one can predict that country,” one Korean producer told us. The suspicion also lingers that China’s move against Korean entertainment was driven by more than the former Korean government’s adoption of the U.S.-backed THAAD missile defence programme. Korean drama, they say, was just too popular and Chinese producers needed a chance to catch up.

Inﬁnite Challenge

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

The Distribution Revolution Fast Efficient Deal Making All Online

TRX Making your deals easier TRX.TV/Sign-Up Visit us at ATF Stand J09

what’sgoingonin...

korea

Lifetime

Korea

originals

kick off with an adaptation of the webtoon, The Best Moment to Quit My Job, a

A+E Networks spent the whole year this year working on its shiny new Korea vision, including two wholly and totally local channels unveiled in October. “If we do this right, the two channels will not feel like imported channels that happen to have some local content,” says international boss Edward Sabin.

six-hour

co-production

with SK Broadband’s Oksusu streaming platform scheduled to premiere in late November; and competitive reality show, Idol Moms, inspired by A+E’s Dance Edward Sabin

Moms, with production house SM C&C. It’s an ambitious slate for a ﬂedgling opera-

tion, and has happened faster than anticipated. “We had thought that we would need more time to settle in to the ecosystem,” says A+E

A+E Networks pushes into 2018 with wings unfurled on the most signiﬁcant initiative in its long-running Korea business.

Networks International’s executive managing director, Edward Sabin. “What has been very encouraging has been the willingness of the

The network ofﬁcially re-launched its two wholly owned local channels

production community to ideate with us and execute quickly,” he

in October 2017 and unveiled a slate of originals that are part of its

adds. The aim is two wholly local channels indistiguishable from quality

US$15-million investment in local production house iHQ. The company

Korean services. “If we do this right, the two channels will not feel like im-

is also positioning its Korean operation as a source of content for re-

ported channels that happen to have some local content,” Sabin says.

gional and global distribution.

The new brands goes live with digital and ofﬂine campaigns such as

The mixed-genre slate of Korean originals coming out of the Seoul-

“Try 100 Times”, a project designed to foster “an attitude to enjoy the

based operation will premiere on the two 100%-owned channels – re-

challenge itself without worrying about the results”. The second cam-

branded History (“knowledge is fun”) and Lifetime (“ﬁnd yourself in

paign is “Relay Interviews with 100 Korean Women Worthy of Praise”.

lifetime”) – until March 2018. Local production kicks off with reality and talk shows, although the slate will eventually include scripted drama and factual. As expected, A+E and iHQ are collaborating on local content crea-

A+E Networks’ president of international and digital media, Sean Cohan, says Korea’s digital maturity “allows us great opportunities to have a direct dialogue with consumers in different formats, platforms and technologies”.

tion, most likely beginning with Korean versions of cooking show Man

The Korean investment was A+E Networks’ biggest initiative in Asia

vs. Child and survival property Alone. Production dates have not been

and one of the biggest internationally last year. The acquisition of a

conﬁrmed, but could be by the end of this year. The two companies are

stake of about 5% in iHQ for US$15 million was announced in Decem-

also working on co-developing new formats for global distribution.

ber 2016. The deal went through in March this year. At the same time,

The ﬁrst original title to premiere on History Korea is History in a Bottle

A+E bought 100% ownership of the two South Korean channels – Food-

(Malsul Club), a 12-hour talk show about traditional Korean alcoholic

TV and TVIS. The two have distribution in approx 18 million of Korea’s

drinks featuring local celebrities and a regular last. A second show is

20 million homes. The move gave the U.S.-based network its biggest

short-form proﬁle series, The Reader, focusing on 10 Korean hip-hop

presence in Korea to date, including transforming A+E’s History from a

artists, including Nucksal, Tiger JK and Cheetah.

simple retransmission channel into a fully local service.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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interviewphilippines

Mother load

Mother, Nippon TV Japan/Anne, Medyapim for Star TV Turkey

Nippon TV’s Mother has opened a new world of scripted formats in Turkey for Japanese drama producers. Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV is leading a new scripted drama

from 11 episodes

charge into Turkey, beginning with Mother, continuing with Woman, My

Life For My Children, which premiered in October, and with a third title al-

original to the 35-40

ready in discussion, and the possibility of a further two acquisitions. For us,

episodes required to

says production house Medyapim’s chief executive, Fatih Aksoy, Japan

even be considered

“is a new source of stories”.

for a drama slot in Turkey.

Mother is the story of an abused and abandoned child brought up by

the

Japanese

“The ﬁrst thing we asked for

her elementary school teacher, an aloof woman who responds to the

was more episodes,” Aksoy

girl’s silent cries for help. Nippon TV, which has since sold the format to

says. Writer Yuji Sakamoto declined,

Korea’s CJ E&M, describes the drama as probing into “the meaning of

saying he couldn’t pick up a story he had laid to rest 10 years ago.

motherhood in modern society”. “The story is so touching,” says Medyapim’s Aksoy, adding that the Japanese series is “more like an art movie. It’s more than a TV series”.

“So we took the story we had and told it to our audience anyway,” Aksoy says. The original 11 were adapted to make the ﬁrst eight for Turkey, with another 25 created by, for one, making the girl’s birth mother a lead

The Turkish version of Mother, which aired on Star TV Turkey as Anne, won

character. Aksoy acknowledges that it was risky move, given that in epi-

the Special Award for MF Yapim/Medyapim at the Tokyo Drama Awards

sode one the woman throws her daughter into the garbage. “It makes

in October 2017. The award is for dramas produced outside of Japan that

it difﬁcult for people to empathise,” Aksoy says. But it worked and she

foster cultural understanding and business partnerships.

became a popular character. Her boyfriend – “not a good guy,” Aksoy

Reversioning the drama for Turkey wasn’t without its challenges, not least

says – was also developed into an important character. And so the story

because the series was too short, key themes like sexual abuse couldn’t be

was enlarged. And then there’s the matter of the ending, which was a

mentioned, and the ﬁerce competition between Turkey’s six stations that

happy one for Turkish viewers.

air drama every night, Aksoy said shortly after accepting the award. “The Turkish market is not like Japan where you ﬁnish 11 episodes and then air the series. We start production and the show goes to air when the second episode is done. If it’s successful, it continues to the end of the season. If not, it’s cancelled,” he says. To recreate Mother/Anne for Turkey, Medyapim hired multiple writers, two directors and two crews. The task included stretching the story line

Production budgets were on the high side at approx US$400,000 excluding talent, a cost that cannot be recouped from the domestic market alone. MF Yapim is distributing the Turkish version globally. In some ways, adapting Mother for Turkey was easier than making local version of U.S. series, which have “action all the time... and we have to create feelings between the action,” Aksoy says, adding: “Japan has a totally different story telling style. It’s more consistent with Turkey”.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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interviewphilippines

TAPturns10 The Gaia People’s The Death Feast

Public broadcasters in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore pooled resources 10 years ago to create The Asian Pitch. This is how they’re celebrating the milestone anniversary.... Asian commissioning alliance, The Asian Pitch (TAP), turns 10 this year, cel-

ny, Looking Glass International, joining a multi-genre catalogue of history,

ebrating with a major change in global distribution arrangements and

natural history, science, travel and adventure, lifestyle, arts and culture.

ﬁnancial backing as well as guaranteed airtime in Japan, Korea and Tai-

Chau takes over the catalogue at a changing and challenging time

wan for the milestone anniversary’s three winners – Ziad Zafar’s The Rise

for factual producers, who on the whole have way less funding than pro-

and Fall of Bhutto, which includes never-seen-before footage of the Paki-

ducers in North America and Europe. She reckons local factual ﬁlmmakers

stani leader; Taiwanese director Kuang-chong Yu’s The Boss, which tracks

have only 25% of the budgets they really need to level the playing ﬁeld.

an unscrupulous businessman across China chasing riches at any and all

At the same time, the appetite for premium content has never been

costs; and Indian journalist Mandakini Gahlot’s Buyers Club, which ex-

higher, and Asian titles are being picked up by, among others, global

plores India’s solution to big pharma issues.

players like Netﬂix and Amazon’s documentary platform Xive TV.

The three programmes will be ready by September 2018, and will air

This runs alongside a contraction of former sources of funding, particu-

on Japanese public broadcaster NHK, Korean public broadcaster Korea

larly from traditional broadcasters, most of whom are under pressure and

Broadcasting System (KBS) and Taiwan’s Public Television Service (PTS) to-

are seeing their share of the viewership and advertising pies shrink.

wards the end of next year. Global rights will become available at the same time, with part of the distribution revenue going back to the ﬁlmmakers. TAP, launched in 2007 to support the production of quality factual production in Asia, enters its second decade with the support of NHK, KBS and PTS. Singapore’s Mediacorp was among TAP’s founders but exited in 2016 because of a change in programming strategy. This year’s winners bring the total number of programmes in the TAP

With broadcasters forced to deal with digital disruption and increased competition, “it has become more difﬁcult to get projects off the ground with just a couple of broadcast partners as local commissioning budgets are not the same as they once were,” Chau says. On the global stage, this can’t be an excuse. Producers in Asia “are expected to produce to the level of their peers elsewhere, punch above their weight both visually and narratively,” Chau says.

catalogue to 37 titles, across a vast array of topics ranging from funeral

“It’s quite challenging to achieve this on such small budgets and few

rites that drive families in Toraja to extremes (Agung Mulya Setiawan’s

mentors available to them. However, I believe there are the little gems

The Mummy Thief) and street teachers in Thailand (Pitchapuk Malone’s

that we discover, because as a result of lack of resources, local produc-

Street Teachers) to India’s surrogacy industry (Ishani’s K Dutta’s Womb

ers have had to be resourceful and work around what they have.”

on Rent) and the plight of North Korean defectors in South Korea (Lee Kil Do’s On the Edge of Heaven). Distribution rights for the TAP catalogue shifts this year from Singapore’s Mediacorp to Nha-Uyen Chau’s boutique TV and ﬁlm distribution compa-

Which is why she took on the TAP catalogue, persuaded too by being able to support ﬁlmmakers in their quest to tell unique stories. “Asia,” she says, “is a dynamic region and a jewel for unearthing some of the most fascinating stories that have universal appeal”.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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interviewphilippines

Cignal alert Tukhang

ContentAsia’s Asia Media Woman of the Year, Jane Jimenez-Basas, talks about driving an agenda that shifts and transforms everything about the Philippines’ Cignal TV.

Cignal TV in the Philippines enters 2018 with a brand new stand-alone

those and is growing. “There is room to grow outside of cannibalising our

original production unit and a slew of high-proﬁle creative partnerships,

competitors,” Jimenez-Basas says.

ambitions to create everything from TV series and mobile-ﬁrst shorts to

Jimenez-Basas, clearly, is a ﬁrm believer in television, which is, she says,

full-length theatrical features, and a determination to be creatively bold-

“the glue that binds the family for shared appreciation of local pop cul-

er and braver.

ture, news and sports”.

Plus there’s the new windowing ecosystem designed for visibility on all

“It’s easy to dismiss this as being backward and antiquated, specially

platforms, including OTT/streaming and digital terrestrial, and a determi-

in the sophisticated digital world we have nowadays. This, however, is the

nation to repeat 20% growth in subscribers and viewership.

market we have in the Philippines,” she says. Unlike other territories, she

Not quite two years into her role as president and chief executive ofﬁcer of the subscription television platform, Jane Jimenez-Basas is tak-

adds, the Philippines isn’t suffering from decreases in total pay-TV usage on the back of cord cutters and the growing group of cord-nevers.

ing Cignal into a space inspired on all levels by regional giants, global

“For a lot of people, especially our colleagues from far more economi-

streamers, and the conﬁdence that Cignal can be part of the push to-

cally advanced nations and city states, pay TV has become an after-

wards 35% subscription-video penetration in the Philippines in the next

thought in an industry enamoured with OTTs, TVODs, SVODs, and what-

three to ﬁve years from today’s 18%.

ever the darling acronym of the moment is. In the Philippines, however,

“Our ambition is to shift what we are about... we want to go beyond being a pay-TV company that acquires and aggregates content. We

the story is far, far different,” she told delegates from across the region at this year’s ContentAsia Summit.

like to see ourselves beyond that, to actually producing relevant and

At the same time, Jimenez-Basas is not unaware of what’s down the

fresh and intelligent content that we can deliver across all pipes, includ-

road, including free digital terrestrial services, which she says the com-

ing TV,” she says.

pany is looking at closely. The PLDT’s free-TV network, TV5, is legally re-

For Jimenez-Basas, premium video in the Philippines looks nothing like

quired to shift to digital. Access to three frequencies potentially allow the

a costly retreat for elites, nowhere near that go-to place for expensive

company to put up 21 channels. She’s not ready to talk details but says

content few in the country can afford. “We are driven by democratisa-

the conversations are happening. “By 2018 I will have something in place

tion of premium content for everyone,” she says. “We are breaking down

to offer to the market,” she promises.

the perception that pay TV is only for the elite... That’s one of our secrets to success.” Is it working? Yes. Of the Philippines’ 20 million households, most of which have a single TV set shared by a family of ﬁve or six people, 3.5 million subscribe to pay-TV services. Cignal accounts for almost 60% of

The challenge for Cignal is to “deliver what the market currently consumes while preparing for a shift to the OTT (and other) services it will consume more and more heavily in the future,” she says. “We need continued innovation to grow the market and increase penetration,” she says.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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interviewphilippines

Future innovation builds upon the tech upgrades that supports picture

at a monthly ARPU of around Ps100/US$1.97 for traditional telco services

and sound quality, including the insistence that HD services, which Cig-

and even more significant if you consider a base of over 60 million subs

nal pioneered in the Philippines, were available across all Cignal price

actively purchasing data load daily. If I can penetrate 2% of the 60 mil-

plans. Distribution innovation included tapping the infrastructure and

lion subs, I can generate US$500,000 to US$1.5 million per title. Expand this

brick-and-mortar networks of parent and sister companies, Philippines

to 20-50 titles over a period of a year…” The incentive to create quality

Long Distance Telephone company (PLDT) and telco Smart.

content is clear.

Jimenez-Basas says the Philippines consumer has become more so-

But content that can make its way to 60 million people is not that sim-

phisticated. “From being satisfied with access and transmission quality...

ple. Quality has to be deserving and stories compelling, she says. Which

the palate for content has become more discerning not only for breadth

takes her to her next vision – Cignal Entertainment. She calls the produc-

of choice but for relevance of material,” she says.

tion unit, set up in July this year, a “logical next step that allows us to

“The industry is now shifting from a delivery game to a creation game. The Filipino consumer is not just content to watch shows, they want to be told stories and finding the way to tell them relevant stories is the value that Cignal wants to start giving its customers”. Affordability is a key issue. “Sometimes what you want you just can’t afford,” she says. “That’s the reality of the market right now”. Not many in the Philippines can, for instance, pay a US$5-US$10 monthly subscription upfront for SVOD content. “They will download it for free but as soon as you start charging, the usage stops,” she says.

cater to the consumer’s ‘moreifying’ tastes for content and to prepare us for the eventual shift to video OTTs and other digital platforms”. Original production, she says, “allows the company a way to differentiate ourselves from the rest of the pay-TV operators and to future proof the business as the industry evolves. While it is easy to compete from a premium channel acquisition standpoint, this is simply not a sustainable method; ultimately, when every notable channel partner has been signed up by all players, this results in a price war.” Which is why she is so insistent that Cignal start telling its own stories.

“Drawing on our experience in the telco space, we know they will be

“New stories. Stories that are different, with characters that are flawed

hard pressed to buy in bulk. But we also know they will buy in smaller

yet inspiring, and even stories that others are afraid to tell... Stories that

amounts and consume in smaller packets. Given that it is a predomi-

need to be heard regardless of political stance,” she says.

nantly a pre-paid market (Cignal alone has 75% of its

Cignal Entertainment’s ambition is to create stories that are intelligent

base paying via pre paid), we have to give

and relevant with high production values and address the taste of domestic audiences as well as the 10 million Fillipinos around the

the consumer what he wants, for what he

world. “We are going to tell the stories that are not of the usual

can afford, in a way that makes it easy

flavour”.

for him to pay.”

The first series is four-part crime drama, Tukhang, with

The answer, she says, is “sachet

local production house Masque Valley Productions; the

content”, episodes that are broken down into bite-sized 10minute data-subsidised capsules that can be bought

using regular airtime load. “This is possible by taking the best of both worlds. Cignal with its natural affinity and network of content creators and PLDT Smart with its distribution network and built in wallet and payment platforms,” she says. a

telco

perspective,

“From

this

can potentially increase

ARPU

Ps2/US$0.04 to Ps5/

Jane Jimenez-Basas President and CEO, Cignal TV

US$0.10 per 10-minute episode, which is significant when you are looking

Jane JimenezBasas

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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interviewphilippines

Our ambition is to shift what we are about... we want to go beyond being a pay-TV company that acquires and aggregates content. We like to see ourselves beyond that, to actually producing relevant and fresh and intelligent content that we can deliver across all pipes, including TV.” Jane Jimenez-Basas President, CEO, Cignal TV

Tabi Po

show premiered in July on both Sari Sari – a joint venture between Cignal

about 100 hours a year of entertainment content, including tele-movies

and Vic Del Rosario’s Viva Communications – and Colours.

and miniseries. Basas would like to scale that up to 300 hours.

Tukhang tackles – some say bravely given the political environment –

Cignal Entertainment is also working with Unitel Productions, Content

the Philippines’ violent war on drugs. The series, starring James Blanco as

Cows Company, The IdeaFirst Company and Masque Valley Productions.

a tormented police officer and Karen Marquez as a journalist, was writ-

Jimenez-Basas is wide open to co-production – from anywhere, and

ten by Jose Javier Reyes and directed by Lawrence Fajardo and Derick

there doesn’t have to be a Philippines angle. The first feature co-pro is

Cabrido.

the full-length horror thriller, Maledicto, with the Manila-based Philippines’

Another title on the early slate is Tabi Po, based on Mervin Malonzo’s

HQ of FOX Networks Group. “I would like my people to learn how to write

graphic novel about flesh-eating creatures known in local folklore as “as-

scripts for the international market,” she says, adding: “This is a whole

wangs”. The six-parter, directed by Paul Alexei Basinillo and starring AJ

new opportunity for story tellers”.

Muhlach as aswang Elias torn between love and his true nature, pre-

Jimenez-Basas wants Cignal Entertainment to be “bigger than vid-

miered on 27 October in a prime time 8pm slot as part of Sari Sari’s Hal-

eo content”. The ambition is to build three content pillars – video, live

loween schedule.

content/entertainment and home shopping/e-commerce with a mo-

Cignal’s venture into production is a deliberately collaborative effort.

bile/digital component. “Our core as a multi channel network lays the

“We have access to great partners, some of the biggest names in the

groundwork of partnerships to serve different target markets, reaching

industry”, such as production icon Vic Del Rosario, with whom Cignal

out to creators who have different expertise and strengths. That makes

started producing last year. The two-year-old Sari Sari Network produces

sense to us.”

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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productionmm2

making money too

Melvin Ang, Founder and Executive Chairman, mm2 Asia

When it came to naming his company nine years ago, Melvin Ang put his mission in the moniker and went for Making Money Too. And mm2 was born. On the eve of mm2’s 10th anniversary, Ang speaks about stories that work for Chinese markets, those that don’t but which he’s proud of anyway, and about being humbled by decisions that have made him a guardian of local ﬁlm legacy. There was a time in Singapore when rock music was banned, men with

1935 and owned by the same family ever since.

long hair were considered gangsters and drugs, well, that wasn’t going

Of course there’s a strategic business angle, but Ang is not unaware

to end well. Except it did, in a sense, for one of Singapore’s most famous

of the place Cathay holds in Singapore hearts. “mm2 is proud to be en-

sons, Dick Lee, who went on to musical heights and whose life story is the

trusted with the Cathay legacy... I’m deeply humbled that [owner] Ms

basis of 2017 made-in-Malaysia Singapore movie, Wonderboy. And for

Choo has chosen mm2 to be the one that continues the story of Cathay

Melvin Ang, founder and executive chairman of Singapore-listed mm2

Cinemas,” he said during the announcement.

Asia, whose entertainment division produced the ﬁlm.

mm2’s expansion initiatives come against a landscape that, for all its

Was Wonderboy a commercial success? Maybe not so much at the

opportunity, Ang describes as “very challenging”. Content players are in

domestic box ofﬁce, where ticket sales amounted to about S$100,000/

a good position though. “It’s really exciting because almost every mar-

US$74,000. But the ﬁlm was heavily sponsored and supported, with back-

ket needs content and is trying to ﬁnd ways to generate new ideas that

ing too from Turner Asia. Put it this way; mm2 didn’t lose money. Ang is

are both commercially viable and help platforms gain market share,”

sanguine, saying even though the ﬁlm was one of his lowest box ofﬁce

he says. He would much rather be in the business as a content creator

performers, it was, to him, “a success from every angle” and he’s particu-

today, he adds, than a decade ago “when free-to-air was king and you

larly proud of the project.

had to wait in line to see them”.

“It’s not only about Dick Lee,” he says. “The story itself is very encour-

Although best-known for ﬁlms such as the Ah Boys to Men franchise,

aging and motivating.” His expectations were moderate, fully aware as

which he describes as a poor man’s answer to Chinese blockbuster

he was going in of the challenges, including genre and language. Won-

Wolf Warrior, TV projects are part of the mix. The highest-proﬁle TV show

derboy is in English, which is a big ask for Singapore audiences watching

on mm2’s slate so far is the cross-border Mandarin version of singing

local ﬁlms, he says.

contest The Voice Malaysia/Singapore with Singapore’s StarHub and

Perhaps unintended, Ang’s mm2 looks like it’s becoming the repository of Singapore movie lore, a guardian of local legacy. In November, about

Astro’s Malaysia – the ﬁrst time the format has been produced across two markets.

three months after the Wonderboy premiere, mm2 acquired the family-

Ang’s logic for picking and choosing between formats and countries

owned Cathay Cineplexes’ cinema operations and brand, founded in

is simple. Singapore and Malaysia are two small Chinese markets, and

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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productionmm2

If you cut content costs, you will go down faster.” Melvin Ang, Founder/Executive Chairman, mm2Asia

The Voice Malaysia/Singapore

it made sense to share costs. “We needed to manage the costs and

Earlier this year, Ang unveiled a S$18-million/US$13 million investment

wanted the quality. It had to be affordable and commercially viable,”

in nine Asian features from Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Tai-

he says.

wan. Titles included Hsieh Chun Yi’s romantic drama, Take Me To the

“We always try to balance the two C’s – content and commercial

Moon. The film, produced by mm2 Entertainment’s Taiwan team, stars

viability. Those are the left and right sides of the brain. Whatever con-

Taiwanese actress Vivian Sung (Our Times) and Jasper Liu. Take Me To

tent we are creating we think of how our partners benefit from it,” Ang

the Moon releases across Asia in December this year.

adds.

“One of mm2’s competencies is that we have no in-house directors

Co-production is a big theme for him. Perhaps not with mainland Chi-

and writers,” Ang says. Instead, the company goes “to the market and

na because “they are big enough as a market”. But between smaller

aggregates good talent and resources”. This combines with mm2’s cul-

markets able to produce Chinese content. “The Chinese market is very

ture of being “a bit more risk taking” and working with new talent. Ang

fortunate in some ways, because you can create content that can

says mm2 has found happy talent hunting ground on digital platforms

travel across the market... If we are producing just Singapore content,

and the boom in short-form content creation.

that’s pretty tough because it’s such a small market,” he says.

mm2’s new slate is also being driven by a milestone US$25-million

Ang says optimising common tastes across Chinese-speaking markets is

three-year deal between mm2 Entertainment and China’s New Culture

the only way forward. There is, he says, a “huge opportunity with co-pro-

Media (a subsidiary of Shanghai New Culture Media Group) and 9i Film

duction to let everyone enjoy their individual market returns and the con-

& Television Media. The companies plan to co-produce five features

tent can be semi localised.” Co-production is the one area most people

and multiple online films. The new collaboration underscores mm2’s

are looking at to maintain quality, he adds. “There’s just no choice,” he

commitment to producing content with appeal to audiences in both

insists. “If you cut costs in content, you will go down faster.”

China and Southeast Asia, mm2 says.

As an example of successful co-operation, he points to Tan Seng Ki-

Meanwhile, Ang is looking at a broad entertainment business – includ-

at’s award-winning social drama, Shuttle Life, a Taiwan/Malaysia pro-

ing theatre exhibition and concert promotion – that delivered a 130%

duction about a young man (played by Jack Tan) living in the big city

increase in net profit (S$4.6 million/US$3.4 million) in the quarter to end

and struggling to take care of his mentally unstable mother (played by

September this year. Revenue was up 45% to S$31.4 million/US$23 mil-

Taiwanese actress Sylvia Chang) and his five-year-old sister. The film,

lion. First half profit was 58% up to S$10.9 million/US$8 million on revenue

made for less than US$500,000, won awards for best film, best cinema-

of S$56 million/US$41.4 million. Shortly after the results were announced,

tography and best actor at this year’s Shanghai Film Festival. Sales are

CIMB titled its company note on mm2Asia “Home run, finally”. A nice

going well. “We are getting very good traction,” Ang says.

10th birthday accolade.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

DW Transtel Made for minds. Lifestyle europe Lifestyle Europe is broadcast six times a week, bringing engaging insights into European culture and lifestyles See u to at boo s a global audience. th See us at booth E 20 E 2|0Ms. Lifestyle Deutsche europe Welle | Asia Representative Lifestyle Europe is broadcast six times a week, bringing engaging Mee Fung Lee insights into European culture and lifestyles to a global audience. T +60(3).2093-0866 | meefung.lee@pikfilm. com.my dw.com ATF Content Asia fullpage 245 x 335 + 10mm. indd 1 02.11.17 10:07

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q&aizhamomar

Prime property Malaysia’s Primeworks Studios is expanding its horizons, with projects that stretch the domestic studios’ capabilities beyond anywhere it has gone and anything it has done in the past. CEO Izham Omar talks about not getting fat and lazy, changing perceptions, and about doubling up on the effort to find titles that will work outside Malaysia while, at the same time, not losing the connections with its key mass-market audience at home. The learning curve has been steep, he says. “But it filters back and increases our expertise and understanding of production on an international level”. Along with companywide upgrades in the name of a more sophisticated production ecosystem, Omar says the biggest challenge is “creating content that is universal”.

Asian stories for the world. That is our goal.” “Primeworks produced 10 of the top 20 shows in Malaysia last year and all of the top three. These numbers are not meant to impress. They’re meant to show that we’re busy making Malaysian stuff and I think it is time that we need to change.” We have to fight against the perception that we are a local broadcaster with local quality... that we are too traditional and maybe a bit too big, that

“We produce about 6,000 hours a year and four to six films a year. Right now we have more than 100,000 hours in our archives.” A few years ago, we looked at our challenges. Number one is to get new clients. The reason why this is a challenge is because our book order internally is very healthy to the point that we probably got complacent because money was going to come in from our sister company anyway and our guys could get fat and lazy, including me.”

we move slowly. We felt that if we look closer, we have big

Pulang (Homecoming), released

competitive advantages.

this year, was our biggest risk and

Number one is that we’ve been making hits locally for the longest time and we know that most regional platforms actually need localisation. All the regional platforms have said they want to go into a country and they want to launch

our biggest investment at the time. We received a grant from the Malaysian government, which was great because the government has never given Media Prima a grant before.” Following Pulang, based on the true story of a

with a localised hit/hit maker.” [Another of our advantages is that] We have a huge platform to promote and launch stuff, whether it’s on the biggest TV

man who sails off promising to return and takes 61 years to do it, Primeworks broke its own record on movie co-pro with Zainir Aminullah’s investment/ development fund, Ideate Media. The film

station on the land, or OTT

is set in Indonesia and is about a woman

through tonton. And we

assassin who boards a moving train

have games and app

in Borneo and starts killing everyone.

departments, radio,

Media Prima has also co-produced

outdoor and print. We

drama with Singapore’s Mediacorp,

actually use our book

documentaries with Japan’s Fuji TV,

order to fund innovations,

and factual/travel shows with Japan’s

which other small

Nippon TV, and has tried its hand at

producers cannot do

developing formats.

because they have

We have something we called efficiency in budgets, meaning that we know how to make something really cheap. I’m shooting myself in the foot here, but we do... So we can also be partners in local incentives. And you combine that with the Malaysian government being very, very generous with incentives for productions being shot in Malaysia, we could be a partner for that.”

to rely on the next big client to come in. So we use our revenue to be as innovative as much as we can. The skills that we don’t have, we partner with the smaller specialised production outfits.” 32 Izham Omar, Chief Executive Officer, Primeworks Studios

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

distributiononline

Fair trade Rightstech has been slow to catch on in Asia for reasons that range from broadband constraints to entrenched practises that buyers & sellers quite like even if they recognise the inefficiencies. Will change come? Of course, although the kind of thriving online marketplaces envisaged might take a while. For all the stuff we buy online, e-commerce has been slow to make its

Singapore and Mongolia.

way into the video/IP rights trading business. 1,001 reasons, ranging from

“We believe this is due to a combination of actors such as the emer-

content/IP security concerns to buyers being reluctant to give up the

gence of OTT platforms in the region, early technology adoption, huge

Champagne and sunshine backdrops to many of the physical markets.

internal demand that doesn’t require international distribution to turn

Plus, there’s always the human fear of being replaced with machines. It’s

projects profitable and limited access to physical markets all year round,”

still early days, but the online trading marketplace phenomenon is start-

Otero says. The most popular genres in Asia are action, thriller, horror and

ing to happen in Asia.

sci-fi. Selling Asian content, both online or off, is a bit more of a challenge.

U.K.-based The RightsXchange (TRX), which launched its full com-

“Beyond certain genres, such as action and thriller films, a large portion

mercial platform in early October this year, has just set up a permanent

of Asian film and TV titles are not always easy to position in international

Singapore base, giving it a head start and an edge in this space. Ian

markets,” he adds.

McKee, founder of start-up Vuulr, is putting the finishing touches to his

Of the players with offices in Asia, TRX is furthest along. Set up in 2014

presentation for funding to back the platform out of Singapore. And Ne-

by industry veteran, Matthew Frank and co-founder/executive chairman

lia Sutrisno, founder and chief executive officer of GroupGallery, has a

David Frank, the platform

beta platform up and running to serve swathes of indie producers and

does what any self-

rights holders, first across Asia and then the rest of the world.

respecting online trading

platform

RightsTrade, which report vibrant activity in Asia but has no feet on the

should:

enables

ground. Film-focused player, BidSlate, also based in the U.S., went live

programme

at the end of last year and has growth in Asia on its radar;

ers to search for

BidSlate’s largest deal so far is the eight-episode

and find content,

Others in the space include three-year-old U.S.-based global platform

Unlocked: The World of Video Games,

buy-

get instant rights

Revealed, which Discovery acquired

availability and

for Pacific Rim territories.

make

offers

Buyers elsewhere in Asia meanwhile,

online. Quick.

are willing to be persuaded if not fully,

Simple. Easy.

wholly and absolutely on board yet. Reasons include an experience

The platform

went

that’s not as compelling as they might like. At the same time, RightsTrade

manag-

ing director, Jaime Otero, says even though Asian buyers make up less than 15% of the total registered community of 18,000, their activity on the platform is 50% higher than the average buyer. Otero says some of the platform’s most active buyers are based in Japan, India, China, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam,

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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e, .

distributiononline

year, and is planning the commercial launch for the first quarter of 2018. The platform is privately funded. GroupGallery’s biggest differentiator is its human network on the ground in Asia, which fills the gaps in this sector’s digital capability. Local teams guide buyers and sellers through the online process and, if necessary, take the whole transaction offline. The dual-approach is deliberately designed to bridge the still-yawning digital divide in Asia. “There is going to be a transition period... we think we will have to do this for about two years, or whatever it takes towards getting our users comfortable with the system,” she says. Sutrisno is driven by the “sorry state of distribution” in the media industry. “There is an all-time high demand for quality content for multiple channels... which the production industry is able to address as technology is making high-quality content cheaper and faster to produce,” she says. “However, the process of delivering content, from producer to broadcaster, is still heavily restricted to the few big industry players locked up in lengthy personal negotiations until the final sale is concluded”. “On one end, there are smaller indie filmmakers who do a limited number of films and have no access to major distribution outlets. And on the other hand, many local broadcasters are unable to buy content at the rate that they need it because of limited access and budgets. These two under-served sectors is what Group Gallery is all about. To allow filmmakers and producers to access broadcasters who need their content but Matthew Frank, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, TRX

also have constraints,” she says. Out of Singapore, entrepreneur Ian McKee is building a trading platform called Vuulr, with pretty much the same aim as everyone else – giv-

One of the biggest misconceptions is that we are a threat to sales people.” Matthew Frank Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, TRX

ing buyers and sellers an efficient place to meet, search, review, screen, negotiate, close, pay and deliver. McKee too is focused on the largest catalogue possible in a system that is capable of uniquely identifying products so that what buyers buy, they actually get, with all the metadata required to make the process as painless as possible. McKee is about a year into development, backed by a seed round and initial coin offering (ICO). “Our vision is to be able to go from discovery, to deal, to payment to delivery inside 24 hours,” he says.

live on 9 October with 15,000 hours of content, 500 registered buyers

HEADING OFF COMMON FEARS Everyone involved in the space is quick

around the world, 75 distributors and major deals with big-brand partners

to head off common fears. “One of the biggest misconceptions is that

Sky Vision (the production and distribution arm of Sky in Europe) and BBC

we are a threat to sales people,” Frank says.

Worldwide. Both are uploading their entire catalogues onto the platform.

He describes TRX as a sales tool to facilitate more deals. “Sales people

By the end of this year, TRX will have about 60,000 hours of content. The

are in total control of what they do on TRX. They decide what shows and

goal is to grow with rights to movies, live events, sports and short-form

rights to list and continue to negotiate their deals. TRX is not a robot that

content, says CEO Matthew Frank.

replaces sales people. It’s a sales tool that makes sales people much

TRX’s deals with the BBC and Sky Vision and other high-value cata-

more efficient and allows them more time to do more deals,” he says.

logues change the online acquisitions game for the three-year-old com-

Sky Vision managing director, Jane Millichip, is also eager to assure

pany, not least because there is strength in numbers. Frank describes the

buyers that they aren’t being forced to buy anything online if they don’t

decisions to make entire catalogues available on TRX as a “huge draw

want to. “Whilst buyers are not required to use TRX in order to trade with

for buyers”.

Sky Vision, we strongly encourage them to try it. We believe TRX will trans-

Based between the U.S. and Asia, Nelia Sutrisno has a similar vision, only

form the transaction process for buyers and sellers; and like most success-

her platform – GroupGallery – focuses on indie producers and, for now,

ful innovations, it will bolster, rather than reduce, human interaction and

smaller broadcasters. GroupGallery has been in beta testing with about

negotiation,” she said during the announcement in October this year

250 hours of content in Indonesia and the Philippines since August this

that Sky Vision was putting its entire catalogue on TRX.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

MegaMan™ A Brand New Series 52x11’ dhx media See us at ATF - Stand H31 sales@dhxmedia.com CAPCOM dentsu

distributiononline

Many local broadcasters are unable to buy content at the rate that they need it because of limited access and budgets..” WHO GETS PAID HOW Payment mechanisms vary widely in this evolving space. TRX’s choice right now is to take the deal from discovery through to signature, and then leave the seller/rights holder to issue invoices and to collect payment. TRX invoices sellers based on the agreed transaction price. The fee is typically between 3% and 9%, depending on how much content they have on the platform and the volume of trade. “The more they use it the cheaper it gets,” Frank says. He adds that TRX’s choice of where to hand the transaction over to buyer/seller to take forward was on the request of sellers. “They have good credit control systems in place and didn’t want a third party collecting money on their behalf,” he says. Indie movie trading platform BidSlate uses an escrow solution provided by Payoneer. GroupGallery, meanwhile, offers a range of payment methods, including credit cards and PayPal; “Some of the amounts are not large,” says GroupGallery’s Sutrisno. Registered buyers are able to screen trailers or full episodes/ﬁlms for a fee of US$10. If they buy the title, the fee is deNelia Sutrisno, Founder, GroupGallery

ducted from the ﬁnal price. The distribution agreement is simple, and GroupGallery takes a straight commission from the content owner.

The easier-quicker-more-efﬁcient philosophy for buyers and sellers was

“Our principle is simple. If you are willing to pay US$1,000 for an episode

built into the Franks’ original research, and has become a rallying cry for

we believe you have a legitimate reason for buying. You can be an ad

everyone in the business.

agency or a theatre owner in the countryside and you need content for

“When we embarked on the TRX project we spoke to many buyers and

your movie house. Those are the kinds of people who might be interested.

sellers about if they would like to ﬁnd a way to improve the efﬁciency of the

A lot of the producers and ﬁlmmakers just want their work to be seen and

deal making process. Almost all of them said ‘yes’ and indicated that the

distributed. The problem we have in our industry is that there are too many

slowness of the current market was a real issue for them,” he says.

ﬁlters and a lot of stakeholders are not adequately served,” she says.

Today, the selling point is that TRX takes the grunt work out of the pro-

Start-up founder/chief executive, Ian McKee, is putting his money on

cess. “Undoubtedly buyers and sellers will still meet and share a glass of

cryptocurrencies. “We are reimagining the broadcast economy... less

wine over dinner at the markets and cement their relationships face to

money will be wasted on the process of doing business and more value

face, but it’s once they leave the markets that TRX delivers fast efﬁcient

will be released for the content,” McKee says. The block chain-based

deal making,” he says.

payment management service means payment will be able to be made

Not for everything though. Frank says TRX is able to handle 90% of the

on the spot in a day without the bank fees. Digital/ﬁntech makes this

deals in the secondary sales market, but co-productions and formats will

possible in an industry that has, for all the progress that has already been

ofﬂine for now. He’s working on it. “Even these are deals that over time

made, deep roots in analogue processes.

we’d like to ﬁnd a way to bring into the TRX world,” he says. The digital environment is likely to change the game in other ways, enabling insights and analysis not possible in an analogue world, no mat-

OLD HABITS DIE HARD Whatever the differences in market approach, all face the same challenge of changing long-held habits.

ter how much Champagne is poured. Even with all the conﬁdentiality

Having spend more than two decades in syndication/distribution, with

and privacy safeguards in place, the potential or replacing current best-

RDF and Zodiak Rights, Frank is well versed with traditional ways. “When

guesses with hard aggregated data are mouthwatering.

an industry has traded in one way for the last 30-40 years, getting people

“For the ﬁrst time we will be able to provide hard data on average

to change their habits is a challenge,” he says. But things are changing.

pricing and trends in the market. The data will also be an incredible sales

TRX’s traction has increased signiﬁcantly since the October commercial

forecasting tool when looking at the value of particular types of content

launch. “As with all new technologies,” he says, “it takes a bit of time to

in the secondary market,” Frank says.

get the ball rolling but the signs are really encouraging.”

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

datastreaming

Stream states Asia is in full streaming mode, with 135 active platforms on our radar and counting.

9+:8-;+2/./#/

0,2?,A8+./#/

<8=;2+3./$/

9B8A8CC82=-./%/

I=?8,2+A./"!/

E82?+C,4=./&/

D278+./"!/ @,4=+./(/

H+C+2./)%/ 5B82+./)%/

*+,-./!/

D27,2=-8+./$/

F+8G+2./)!/

0+A+1-8+/./'/

FB+8A+27./)!/

Source: ContentAsia Streaming Directory/The Big List 2018 Note: Country-speciﬁc counts include domestic platforms only and not regional players

5+36,78+./ "/

>,2?/@,2?./#/

01+23+4./!/

By mid-November, we had 135 active streaming services in 17 countries

content, and a month price tag of about US$3. The country’s streaming

in Asia on our radar. These include big brand players we’ve known and

frenzy, underpinned by forecasts of a market worth upwards of US$270

loved from the traditional TV world as well as the region’s newest player

million, is further fuelled by Amazon, which in Asia has prioritised India

– Thailand’s Loox TV, which launched on 14 November 2017 as part of

and Japan with everything from a stand-up comedy slate with India’s

satellite operator Thaicom’s effort to stir up life outside of traditional sat-

OML (Only Much Louder) to Alankrita Shrivastava’s feminist drama Lip-

ellite services. Our count included 115 country-speciﬁc platforms and

stick Under My Burkha, and by Netﬂix, which is also hoovering up ideas

20 platforms that serve multiple markets around the region.

and people to make them happen. On a smaller scale, regional plat-

The countries included are Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam. Roll-out strategies vary from the Netﬂix-style global switch-on in January 2016 with both direct-to-consumer and partnership options, to the

form Viu has also ramped up Indian originals. Everywhere, streaming platforms are venturing into original production, from Vietnam, where BHD is making a local version of Glee for its streaming platform Danet, to Singapore, where Toggle is planning 30+ originals next year.

big-brand country-by-country launches in partnership with telcos and

Outside of North Korea, the only countries with no home-grown stream-

traditional pay-TV providers chosen by FOX Networks Group for FOX+

ing platforms are Laos and Myanmar. In Myanmar, the frontrunner is iﬂix,

and HBO Asia for HBO Go.

which has an ofﬁce in Yangon and rolled out in March this year as the

Many of the global/regional platforms layer customisation in both line-up and language for their priority markets. India tops our list, with 20 platforms, the biggest of them from domestic operators driven by local titles, premium slates of international

country’s ﬁrst SVOD platform with a monthly rate of MMK3,000/US$2. ContentAsia’s full list of streaming platforms appears in The Big List directory, published in January 2018. Edited listings from Cambodia, Japan, Mongolia and Pakistan are on pages 42-48.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

By the hit creators of Reply Trilogy Prison Playbook Life goes on in prison ATF Stand H20 Drama | 16 x 70’ CJ E&M

who’swhostreaming...

Who’s who... Asia is in full streaming mode, with global, regional and local services battling for hearts, eyes and dollars of Asia’s increasingly mobile audiences. ContentAsia looks at who’s who in five markets – Cambodia, Japan, Mongolia, Myanmar and Pakistan.

Japan

Cambodia

Both Amazon and Netflix are heavily focused on Japan, with a stream of originals made with local partners and some lively content experimentation. Amazon is perhaps bravest, with, among other titles, a local version of The Bachelor, a format commonly thought to be way too bold for conservative local audiences. The reality show is but one of a steady stream of Japanese originals covering a wide range of genres from cybercrime to variety. Amazon is also experimenting with short-form, kicking off in 2018 with Shiro to Kiiro – Hawaii to Watshi no Pankeeki Monogatari, inspired by the true story of the young woman who kicked off Japan’s pancake craze. Netflix’s Japanese slate outside of Japan runs from anime (including 2014 series Haikyu!!, eight seasons/167 episodes of Bleach, and 2015 show Is It Wrong To Try to Pick up Girls from a Dungeon, among others) to drama (Million Yen Women, a 2017 Netflix Original about five women who move Cambodia, home to 16 million people, has two home-grown streaming

in with unsuccessful novelist Shin). Netflix originals in the space also include

platforms, only one of which has a commercial angle. Big-brand players

an alliance with free-TV broadcaster Fuji TV, which returns unscripted series

such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, have included the country in

Terrace House to SVOD screens globally on 19 December. The new series,

their global footprints, but are not thought to have made much head-

Terrace House: Opening New Doors is set in the resort town of Karuizawa,

way, firstly because of their global pricing and payment models in one

bringing the reality show back to Japan after a season in Hawaii. The

of the world’s poorest countries, and because there’s no local content.

original Terrace House aired on Fuji TV from 2012 to 2014.

About 50% of Cambodia’s population is estimated to be below 22 years

Japan’s online video activity goes back more than a decade, although

old, which makes the country a prime target for digital services – even-

Japanese audiences have still not rushed full-scale into the subscription

tually. Internet penetration is about 25% – one of the lowest in Asia.

streaming universe. Many point out that Japan remains a market that enjoys a lively trade in DVDs.

KhmerLive.tv

Komsan.TV/Digi

About An online portal providing

About Online TV service

live Cambodian TV and radio sta-

Owned by DTV Star

tions to people living in and out of

Launched 2013

Cambodia

What’s on 5,000+ titles (TV shows,

Owned by KhmerLive TV

movies, anime, sports, kids) & live TV

What’s on Live streaming content

How much Offered free to DTV’s

from four Cambodian TV stations

Digi broadband subscribers in

(Bayon TV, Bayon TV News, TVK and

Phnom Penh. Bundled as part of

TV3) and 18 radio stations, as well

Digi’s Digi World pack, which also

as catch-up content

includes online shopping and online games/news services

The Bachelor Japan, Amazon Prime

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Crow’s Blood Intrigo Sea of blood Visit us at ATF, Stand F.27 MIRAMAX® A beIN Media Group Company worldwidesales@miramax.com 2450 Colorado Ave, Suite 100 East, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA | Tel: +1 310 409 4321 1-4 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8HH, UK | Tel: +44 203 056 1630 Ground Floor, 111 Flinders Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia | Tel: +61 2 8302 5536 miramax.com “MIRAMAX®” and the “MIRAMAX” Logo are the registered trademarks, trademarks and service Visit marks us atofATF, Stand F.27 Miramax, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For sales only. Credits not contractual worldwidesales@miramax.com 2450 Colorado Ave, Suite 100 East, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA | Tel: +1 310 409 4321 1-4 King Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 8HH, UK | Tel: +44 203 056 1630 Ground Floor, 111 Flinders Street, Surry Hills, Sydney, NSW 2010, Australia | Tel: +61 2 8302 5536 miramax.com “MIRAMAX®” and the “MIRAMAX” Logo are the registered trademarks, trademarks and service marks of Miramax, LLC. All Rights Reserved. For sales only. Credits not contractual

who’swhostreaming...

commercial terrestrial networks

Fuji Television Network, Inc

(Nippon TV, TBS, Fuji Television, TV

What’s on Videos, live channels

Asahi, TV Tokyo) and four advertis-

and e-books for users in Japan

ing agencies (Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Asatsu – DK,

GyaO!

Tokyu Agency)

About A free, ad-supported video

Launched Dec 2006

streaming service

What’s on Drama, animation, vari-

Owner Yahoo! Japan, operated by

ety, sports events, news content

subsidiary GyaO Corporation

How much Free and premium,

Launched Oct 2008

monthly subscriptions from ¥324/

What’s on 80,000+ titles (drama,

US$2.85

animation, music, movies and comedy clips) from more than 300

dTV You Are Tender When It Rains, Hulu Japan

content partners

About Online video streaming, geoblocked for Japan

Hulu Japan

Operated by Avex Broadcasting

About SVOD service

acTVila

Content partners CBS Studios Inter-

and Communications, a JV be-

Owned by Nippon TV, operated by

About 10-year-old VOD service,

national, NBCUniversal, TBS TV, TV

tween Avex Group Holdings and

Nippon’s fully owned subsidiary HJ

acTVila, launched on 1 Feb 2007.

Asahi, TV Tokyo, Viacom Interna-

NTT Docomo

Holdings

The platform is geo-blocked for

tional Media Networks and. Amazon

Launched Nov 2011 as

Launched in Japan Sept 2011 by

Japan.

Studios has a robust multi-genre

d-Video/BeeTV

Hulu U.S. and acquired by Japa-

Owner Actvila Corporation, a JV

original production slate

No. of subs 5.12 million (Mar 2017)

nese broadcaster Nippon TV in

formed in July 2006 by appliance

How much Included in Prime sub-

What’s on About 120,000 local/inter-

April 2014

scription for ¥3,900/US$37.50 a year

national titles from 30+ channels

No. of subs 1.55 million (Sept 2017)

How much ¥540/US$4.80 a month

Content boss Kazufumi Naga-

manufacturing companies: Panasonic, Sony Corp, Sony Network Communications, Sharp, Toshiba

DAZN

and Hitachi Consumer Marketing.

About Live sports streaming/on-

In Feb 2017, WOWOW became a

demand service

major shareholder by acquiring

for unlimited viewing

sawa, chief content officer What’s on Con-

Owned by Global sports media

Fuji TV On Demand (FOD)

75.71% of acTVila’s shares.

group Perform

About Multimedia entertainment

varies from

What’s on 82,000+ titles. Also

Launched Aug 2016

service of Japan’s commercial

launched its first 4K video service

What’s on About 8,000 live events

broadcaster Fuji TV

in Aug 2016 for the Rio de Janeiro

a year (including matches from

Owned by Fuji Television Network

Olympic Games 2016

MLB, NBA, NFL and the PGA Tour)

Launched April 2008

shows, including TV series, anima-

How much Offers free and premium

via most connected devices, in-

No. of subs About 800,000 paying

tion, documentaries and reality

subscriptions from ¥756/US$6.65 to

cluding Smart TVs, smartphones

subscribers, five million monthly us-

shows

¥2,160/US$19 a month

and tablets

ers (Oct 2017)

How much ¥933/US$8.20 a month Who’s in charge

How much Monthly subscription

Amazon Prime Video (Japan)

tent catalogue global-hit feature films to international and local

for unlimited access

Kazuo Nomura,

(without contract) is ¥1,750/US$15

director, digital

Netflix (regional)

Dogatch TV

media service

Launched in Japan Sep 2015

What’s on Local/foreign movies, TV

About Online TV portal, geo-

content creation

What’s on 125 million hours of TV

shows, anime series, music concerts,

blocked for Japan

Launched in Japan Sept 2015

variety shows, Amazon originals

and distribution, general business

Owner Presentcast, a joint venture established in April 2006 by five

department,

shows and movies across various genres (Oct 2017) How much From US$7.99 a month

Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List directory. The next edition will be published in January 2018.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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who’swhostreaming...

NHK on Demand (NOD)

ranging from Japanese drama to

About Fee-based, VOD service of-

Korean drama/movies and anime

fering catch-up NHK programming

series

Mongolia has three home-grown streaming platforms, all operated by

and other content

How much Basic pack is ¥302/

domestic telco/pay-TV/IPTV operators as part of their triple-play services.

Owned by NHK

US$2.65 a month. A la carte starts

Programming is heavily linear and mostly local, with some on-demand.

Launched Dec 2008

from ¥108/US$0.95 a title (72 hours)

The country has about 1.5 million internet users, or penetration of just over

What’s on Mostly NHK shows, avail-

Mongolia

49% (Internet World Stats, 2017). Mongolian homes also have access to

able after two weeks the original

Tsutaya TV

free-to-air broadcast. NHK’s library

Owned by T-Media Holdings, a

titles are also available on the

subsidiary of Japan’s Culture Con-

LookTV

What’s on Local/international live

platform

venience Club (CCC)

About VOD/live streaming service

channels and VOD content

How much ¥972/US$8.60 a month.

Launched Aug 2008

of IPTV platform Univision

Pricing MNT6,900/US$3 a month

A la carte from ¥108/US$0.95 a title

What’s on About 72,000 (of which

Owner Unitel, a triple-play operator

50,000 are HD) local, regional and

What’s on VOD content, live

Univision Anywhere

Niconico

international titles, consisting of

streaming of local/foreign channels

About The mobile TV extension of

About A video sharing website, the

movies, drama, animation and

Pricing MNT3,900/US$1.60 a month

IPTV platform Univision

Japanese equivalent of YouTube.

adult series

For merly known as Nico nico

How much ¥933/US$9 a month

Douca or Nico-do

global platforms – Amazon Prime Video, iTunes and Netflix.

Owner Unitel, a triple-play operator

SkyMedia GO

What’s on 17 local TV channels

About OTT extension of IPTV service

Pricing From MNT152/US$0.06 a day

SkyMedia

to MNT41,900/US$17 a year

Owned by Dwango

Tver

Launched Dec 2006

About A free catch-up service

No. of paying subs About 400,000

Operated by Presentcast, a joint

What’s on UGC, interactive live

venture between five Tokyo-based

streaming content, VOD (drama,

commercial TV stations (Nippon

movies, anime, docus and sports

TV, TV Asahi, TBS, TV Tokyo and Fuji

programming, among others)

TV) and four ad agencies. Present-

Emerging markets platform iflix was first into Myanmar with a cust-

How much Free/premium subscrip-

cast also manages OTT service

omised line up that is, increasingly, featuring local content. The platform

tion (¥540/US$4.75 a month)

Dogatch TV

launched in Myanmar in March 2017, saying that the country had the

Launched Oct 2015

fourth fastest-growing mobile market in the world and “it is our aim to

Premium Platform Japan

What’s on Offers select titles, includ-

redefine how consumers in Myanmar enjoy entertainment”. Myanmar is

About SVOD service

ing drama and variety series, from

home to about 55 million people, about 10% of whom live in the capi-

Owned by TBS and six media com-

the five networks and their affiliate

tal, Rangoon/Yangon. Internet penetration is about 25%, with about 14

panies

companies. Each network supplies

million users.

Launch scheduled to go live in

about 10-15 programmes a week.

April 2018

Shows are available for a week

What’s on Will offer a range of

Owner SkyMedia Corporation

Myanmar

iflix

China, the Middle East and Africa.

About SVOD streaming platform

Produced 26,000 hours of subtitles

with download/watch offline func-

in nine languages

genres, including drama and

U-Next

news, and will produce/co-pro-

Owned by U-Next

tion, accessible on multi devices

Content boss Sean Carey, group

duce original content

Launched Feb 2009

Owned by Catcha Group and

chief content officer

What’s on 120,000+ titles (movies,

Evolution Media Capital

Rakuten ShowTime

Pricing MMK3,000/US$2.20 a month

drama, animation, kids, variety,

Launched in Myanmar March 2017

Content partners 220+ distributors

Owned by Rakuten, a Japanese

karaoke clips and documentary

Distribution Ooredoo Myanmar

including The Walt Disney Com-

electronic commerce and internet

series) from local, regional/intl’

What’s on 20,000+ hours of mov-

pany SEA, 20th Century Fox TV Dis-

company based in Tokyo

studios

ies and TV content from the U.K.,

tribution, CBS, Warner Bros, MGM,

Launched 2002

How much ¥1,990/US$17.50 a

Korea, Japan, the Philippines,

Paramount Pictures, NBCUniversal

What’s on 180,000+ video titles,

month for unlimited viewing

Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia,

International Distribution

Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List directory. The next edition will be published in January 2018.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Where will you be when everything erupts? Eruption LA Visit us during ATF MBS Expo and Convention Center Stand J21 2 hour feature Visit our website www.marvista.net Contact Jennifer kim: jkim@marvista.net MARVISTA Entertainment

who’swhostreaming...

Vietnam

Pakistan icflix

DANET

Dubai-based streaming/VOD plat-

Operated by media company BHD

form offering Jazwood (Arabic),

Launched 2016 Costs VND50,000/

Bollywood/Hollywood movies and

US$2.20 a month; movies VND12,000/

TV series

US$0.53 to VND25,000/US$1.10 each.

Owned by icflix Media FZ LLC

Content local/int’l Distribution Viettel,

Launched Feb 2017

VTVCab, MyTV, FPT/FPT Play, Next TV,

Distribution PTCL (via PTCL Smart TV)

MobiFone, Vinaphone

Pricing PKR149/US$1.40 a month Content boss Abdellah Merzouk,

FPT Play

content specialist

Mobile extension of FPT’s IPTV platform. Launched 2013 Owned by FPT

Pepsi Battle of the Bands, iflix Pakistan

Pakistan – a country with a population of almost 197 milllion – has three home-grown streaming platforms, and a local version of emerging markets service iflix. Pakistan has a gross national income of US$1,510, according to World Bank stats, and clearly trails on the priority lists of international programmers looking for revenue out of Asia. iflix has seen the gap and, in the spirit of its emerging markets agenda, is driving an aggressive local strategy. iflix set up in Pakistan in early 2016 and launched dedicated platform, iflix Pakistan, in January this year In September 2017, local artist Ali Zafar joined iflix’s Pakistani operation under general manager Farees Shah as partner and ambassdador, guiding the platform towards its goal of “huge local content tent poles focusing on first-run local movies direct from cinema and a bold slate of original programming”. Details have not been announced. Homes in Pakistan also have access to four global platforms, including Amazon Prime Video and Netflix. None are specifically customised for local audiences in either line up or price, although like others, they might benefit from the overall popularity of Indian programming in Pakistan and across South Asia. Mobile broadband is a significant driver of online service usage in Pakistan, which has more than 140 million mobile subscriptions (72% penetration) and 31 million active social media users, according to the Pakistan Advertisers Society. Overall, Pakistan’s internet penetration is 22.7%, which puts it in the same band as Cambodia (25.6%), Laos (21.9%), Myanmar (25.1%), Nepal (21.9%) and Timor-Leste (27.5%). Asia’s internet penetration is 46.7% . The global average is 51.7%. (Source: Internet World Stats, 30 June 2017)

iflix

Telecom What’s on Live channels, lo-

Launched in Pakistan Jan 2017

cal/int’l TV/movies on demand Costs

What’s on Local/intl’content, includ-

Free for FPT subs Content partners

ing local movie Kya Dilli Kya Lahore,

Danet, HTV, VTV, VTC and Viettel

about two soldiers from opposite sides of the India-Pakistan conflict;

iflix

drama series Sammi, about a young

Launched Feb 2017 What’s on Mixed

girl sold as part of a blood-money

local/int’l Costs VND59,000/US$2.60

settlement; and Jaanum, about a couple who unwittingly invite de-

myK+

struction into their home.

Extension of DTH service K+, free for

Pricing PKR300/US$2.85 a month for

K+ subs Owned by Vietnam Satel-

up to five devices

lite Digital Television Co

PTCL

POPS Worldwide

Mobile TV extension of IPTV service

Multi platform network with 2 bil-

PTCL Smart TV

lion+ monthly views (June 2017)

Owned by Pakistan Telecommuni-

Launched 2011 Owned by POPS

cation Co Ltd (PTCL)

Wo r l d w i d e W h a t ’ s o n A b o u t

What’s on Live channels, VOD of

290,000 of original/local/int’l con-

movies and TV content

tent from 1,700+ content partners

Pricing PKR99/US$0.90 a month

Who’s in charge Esther Nguyen, founder and CEO

VOD VOD service of pay-TV platform

VTV Go

Nayatel for users in Islamabad and

Free-TV broadcaster Vietnam Tele-

Rawalpindi areas

vision’s (VTV) streaming app Oper-

What’s on Movies, TV series

ated by VTV subsidiary VTV Digital

How much PKR150/US$1.30 a month

What’s on Live channels, catch-up

for three concurrent connections.

TV up to three months and selct on

Free for Nayatel’s HDBox subs

demand titles

Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List directory. The next edition will be published in January 2018.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Bad Maids Las Malcriadas What happens when you discovery that the most important thing in your life, your birth, has been a lie? Super Serie 90x60 tvaztecainternacional.com Follow us: AZ_Contenidos AZContenidos az_contenidos AZ Contenidos Download the app “AZ Content” Available on the App Store Get it on Google Play tv azteca international Booth: F-26

contentiﬂix

The ﬁrst laugh Comedian Papi Zak, Haniff Hamzah, Keren Bala Devan and Joanne Kam in Oi! Jaga Mulut

iflix’s new originals slate is part of bigger content creation, curation and presentation changes ushered in at the emerging markets streaming platform this year. Chief content officer, Sean Carey, and global director of originals programming, Mark Francis, discuss the what and the why. Oi! Jaga Mulut host Haniff Hamzah makes one promise in the first few

“How much money do you really have?” I ask, amid rumours (uncon-

seconds of iﬂix’s Oi! Jaga Mulut: the show, he says, is where “comedians

ﬁrmed) that he has US$20 million, maybe US$30 million, to spend. “I have in

have been told not to give a shit about what people say about them,

the millions for year one,” he says, emphasising that this is “more than I’ve

let loose, say what you want to say, hehe, I love this show”. Sure he does.

ever had in my career of working with regional networks in the past”.

Luckily, so does Mark Francis, the guy who let him run with the first Asian original out of iflix’s fledgling original production division. Francis, as global director of original programming, says he was confi-

There are other ways he’s leaving the past well behind, starting with not engaging in price-per-hour discussions; “If I told you US$100,000 per episode, what does that even mean?”.

dent the stand-up comedy format was the right way to go. But he didn’t

“I’m so tired of having conversations with producers who come up with

think it would rise to number two in Malaysia in its ﬁrst week, second only

great ideas, and I ask, ‘what does it cost to execute this treatment?’,

to Korean drama The Bride of Habaek. “If you would have told me that

and they say ‘what do you have to make it with and I’ll do it’. That’s not

would happen, I would have said ‘get out of here’,” Francis says. He

the way I want to work,” he says. “I would rather have real conversations

couldn’t kick modesty out of the way fast enough, ditching the original

about money”. Put it this way: “I have the money to make the creative

plan to stream one episode a week and scrambling to upload every-

differentiation and impact that I want”.

thing immediately.

So how might a discussion with a producer go, bearing in mind that

The ability to pivot on a dime, to change direction mid-stream, is a

a big part of the job is to be ﬁnancially responsible? In addition to the

proud iﬂix characteristic. “We call it being agile,” CEO Mark Britt told me

commercial imperative to challenge the status quo, “I’m looking at what

when I asked him once whether he often upended set plans.

things cost versus your vision for the show”.

Turns out, much as he embraced the Oi! Jaga Mulut release pivot, the

He’s running, of course, with what’s working. Versions of Oi! Jaga Mulut

‘dime’ part of the idiom occupies a more signiﬁcant part of Francis’ days

have been made for Indonesia (Oi! Jaga Lamba, which premieres in De-

and nights at iﬂix.

cember 2017 or January 2018) and the Philippines (Hoy! Bibig Mo, which

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contentiflix

premieres on 1 December). An Englishlanguage one-hour comedy special is being planned for January 2018. Francis hopes to use this special as “a modest charity drive, with the long-term ambition of building our own ‘comic relief’.” The comedy shows are part of an original production slate that embraces local producers and production houses in emerging markets and starts testing the waters for a new category of programming – hyper-local, carefully thought through, nicely produced on budgets appropriate for emerging markets that may – but doesn’t have to – find audiences in other emerging markets. When he joined iflix in May 2016 to drive original production, Francis’

One of the things I’ve learned is to put the consumer first and let that drive how you think about interfaces and content.” Sean Carey Chief Content Officer, iflix

first decision was to create “cutting edge stuff that we hope will travel but we aren’t going to try to contrive it for a pan-regional position”.

“But I didn’t want to go too far off the reservation,” he says. “I think that

Francis entered a market with a quality gulf between tentpole inde-

difference needs to be calibrated and we need time for the audience

pendent local movies versus the “large volume of frankly pretty shit sau-

to follow... I needed to find that sweet spot that is clearly differentiated in

sage factory local TV drama”. He didn’t want to do anything like that.

some shape or form but not so alien from a content marketing perspec-

“And we didn’t have to, because we’re not a channel. I don’t have to

tive that I can’t get very far introducing that new idea.”

strip and I don’t have to win Sunday nights,” he says. The decision to go for impact over volume was made early. “I wasn’t out there to commission 60 or 120 episodes of a drama or use the processes that seem to be endemic in local TV drama and are, in my opinion, pretty bad habits, like writing scripts on Monday and shooting on Wednesday”.

“Ultimately the ambition is to fundamentally lift the bar in production value”, beginning with originals for iflix’s big three markets in Southeast Asia – Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. The slate so far includes a feature film starring Philippines’ actress Kris Aquino scheduled for release in the first half of 2018, and an eight-part In-

He also didn’t come to the table with too little money (as we’ve al-

donesian drama series, Magic Hour, which was announced in April 2017.

ready determined even if we don’t know how much) to do things dif-

Created by one of Indonesia’s Screenplay Films, Magic Hour the series is

ferently. “There’s almost no genre in local drama in Southeast Asia. And

a spin-off of the 2015 teen romance movie, which was Indonesia’s fifth

that’s because you only have enough budget to sit in a room and shoot

highest grossing film that year. The movies two leads – Dimas Anggara

people, to have a dialogue indoors. Well, guess what, when you do that

and Michelle Zudin – return for the series.

you get soap opera or some version of it,” he says.

There’s also KL Gangster: Underworld, a hard-hitting six-party crime

“I was far more interested in what’s going on in the movie space, in

drama based on Malaysia’s iconic movie The Gangster, scheduled for

talking to people with authentic voices and creators with a vision who

release in mid-2018. KL Gangster: Underworld is co-directed by Syafiq

are making movies under really challenging circumstances and doing

Yusof (Abang Long Fadil 2) and Faisal Ishak (Juvana). Other dramas are

them fairly well.

in development.

“My view is that if I can get some of the movie guys to look at spin-offs,

iflix is also boosting its factual footprint, commissioning six-part news

reboots or sequels of some of the films, or fresh ideas, and do them in six

and culture magazine show, Coconuts TV on iflix, from Byron Perry’s Co-

or eight parts at a budget level that allows us to do action, horror, thriller,

conuts Media. The series is currently in post-production.

fantasy, then why the hell not?”

The originals are part of widespread change and broad expansion at

The originals’ strategy has multiple layers, including publicity/market-

the two-year-old streaming platform in the past year, and slot into an

ing value. “There is a limit to what we can do when we acquire content,

interface and user experience that is very different from the platform iflix

whether big Korean or American. We are hardly going to get the cast in

debuted in 2015.

market very often. The originals enable us to create more touch points for

iflix also spent this year raising more than US$220 million in new funding,

consumers... allow us to be much more connected to the community of

connecting with traditional rights holders, rolling out its new interface,

viewers and followers,” Francis says.

seeing off key execs and welcoming replacements and launching in

Differentiation is a big deal, and frankly, he says, “it’s not that hard be-

five new territories – Pakistan (January), Vietnam (February), Myanmar

cause there’s so much that simply hasn’t been done in the local space”.

(March), Cambodia (August) and Nepal (October). This brings distribu-

But he isn’t into raging departures from what went before. He calls it the

tion to a total of 24 markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

“same same but different” strategy. iflix content is a bit more edgy, per-

Chief content officer Sean Carey describes the new interface,

haps challenges censorship boundaries a bit more than people are used

launched in September this year, as a radical departure from rows and

to, or focuses on under-developed formats, cast or directors.

rows of box art. The new order, Carey adds, is “channels re-imagined

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

bubu and the little owls Addison Cyberchase remastered in HD! Cyberchase is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. © THIRTEEN Productions LLC. All rights reserved. The PBS KIDS logo is a registered mark of PBS and is used with permission. PORTFOLIO Entertainment For more information: sales@portfolio-ent.com Small town big mayor The Gig Guys Cyberchase is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET. © THIRTEEN Productions LLC. All rights reserved. The PBS KIDS logo is a registered mark of PBS and is used with permission.

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contentiflix

Mark Francis, Global Director of Original Programming, iflix

around genres, brands and people”.

On the contrary. Talking about experimenting with non-English-language

The shift into channels is iflix’s nod to the branded destination space

acquisitions, Carey says a characteristic of the iflix footprint is that rights

that television audiences are familiar with, but layered with the choices

are often not valued the same way across Africa and the Middle East.

enabled by digital technology. Some of iflix’s channels, such as Oh!K and

“Adding African rights to Asian content is fairly inexpensive and easy to

tvn Movies, exist in the linear/traditional environment as linear services.

do and we believe we will find an audience for that content and vice

Others – ABC on demand, Pixar and Marvel – have been curated for iflix.

versa,” he says.

The reasoning is not complicated. Carey says the new platform en-

Along with the experimentation are regular reminders of where local

ables the discovery of content that wasn’t being surfaced properly or

audiences’ hearts are. When iflix launched in Myanmar in March, “we

sufficiently before.

were excited to bring international content to the territory for the first

“One of the things I have learned is to put the consumer first and let

time in any meaningful degree,” Carey says. Local audiences didn’t turn

that drive how you think about interfaces and content. What we discov-

out to be quite as excited. “The substantial majority of viewing is on local

ered is that people weren’t going deep down into the user experience

content. It’s interesting to see how deeply that consumer behaviour is

to discover a lot of the great content that we had,” he says. That goes for

ingrained across our footprint.”

Western, regional and local content. “Presenting all that with brands that

He adds that the triggers for the dawning golden age of television

consumers recognise front and centre enabled us to surface the content

in emerging markets are very likely going to be the same as in the U.S.

in a much deeper way,” Carey says.

– free/basic/premium television channels and online services investing

For all its focus on emerging markets, iflix is doing more than a little

heavily in differentiating themselves with, primarily, scripted television.

emerging of its own, mostly away from the perception that it’s a low-

“I don’t think it’s far fetched to see a scenario playing out in emerging

cost version of Netflix for people who can’t afford a global platform with

markets, where pay platforms will invest in original content, free-to-air broad-

global pricing.

casters up their game to continue to maintain audience, and then the real

iflix is the “flip side of the coin” from Netflix, Carey, who worked for Netflix from 2011 to 2016, says. Emerging markets, he adds, have a “radically dif-

flash point will be online services like iflix, which will invest deeply to try to build audience in a hyper-local way,” Carey says. It’s already happening.

ferent consumer” from those being addressed by Netflix and Amazon. Not

What’s next? At the moment, discussion and testing with, among other

only is sachet pricing built into the way they look at the world, they are also

genres such as kids and factual, sports. We have started testing our way

mobile first. “In many cases they have disposable income for the first time

into this, with, for instance, sports like the McGregor Mayweather fight,

and have a device in their hands and not in their living rooms,” Carey says.

which iflix streamed live in Indonesia. Or the alternative news show com-

The emerging focus on hyper-local originals lives alongside the ongo-

missioned from Coconuts TV. “I think the platform that we have created

ing commitment to licensed content across multiple genres, including

enables us to have those kinds of discussions and potentially take the

kids’ titles such as Malaysia’s Upin & Ipin, Barney and Friends, Ben 10 and

service in those directions.”

Disney’s Frozen, The Little Mermaid and Big Hero 6, and the first six instalments of Star Wars. “Licensed content will always play an important role. We aren’t going to be 100% original any time soon. That isn’t the goal,” Carey says.

He’s not saying yes – or no – to linear streaming on iflix in the same way as, for instance, tonton in Malaysia. “For certain types of content linear plays a role. As a general statement though, most consumers will watch most content on demand”.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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distributionchannels

Third time luckier

Anil Nihalani

Toggle’s latest incarnation is looking more and more like third time luckier for Singapore broadcast behemoth Mediacorp

Home-grown Singapore streaming platform, Toggle, is looking at 30+ originals next year, trebling the 11 titles it commissioned last year, and upping the count signiﬁcantly from this year’s 22. “It’s a big focus area for us,” says Anil Nihalani, who leads the four-year-old Toggle as head of connected media for the country’s free-to-air broadcast behemoth, Mediacorp. Toggle’s latest incarnation is looking more and more like third time luckier. The platform debuted a little over four years ago as a subscription service, with a bouquet of in-house and acquired channels, a sprinkling of

Consolidating the entire experience in a single place across a number of platforms and devices made all the difference.” Anil Nihalani, Head of Connected Media, Mediacorp

other content, tech that wasn’t quite there yet, and a pricing structure

predictably, went wild. Toggle ran four linear channels live for the entire

Nihalani describes as “fairly complex”. It was, he says, “pay TV over OTT

duration of the Olympics. “In those two weeks alone we had more trafﬁc

and it didn’t work”.

than we typically get in a month,” Nihalani says. This year’s Southeast Asia

The pivot out of that was also pay, focusing more on Mediacorp video.

(SEA) Games were also delivered live and free on Toggle, as were Singa-

At the time, news and other content streamed on online platform XinMSN,

pore’s general elections in 2015, where Toggle at one point was streaming

a joint venture with Microsoft that launched in 2010. The next step up the

live from 14 locations on 14 separate channels. “Live works. Catch-up by

learning curve, taken in early 2015, came with the end of the Microsoft JV

itself is only going to take us so far,” he adds.

and the decision to consolidate all content under one roof.

The decision to go live and linear on sports was part of a broad philosophy

Ultimately, Nihalani says, the platform’s view was that consumers didn’t

that looks at audiences rather than distribution platforms/screen sizes. “It’s

want to hunt around among different platforms for entertainment. The de-

a case of video delivered across any number of devices that users want to

cision was made to pool Mediacorp’s content, including celebrity news,

consume on,” Nihalani says. Including, obviously, linear. But he’s not getting

catch-up and originals, and to focus very clearly on local content target-

drawn into a linear vs on-demand/which-is-better conversation.

ing younger audiences. “Just consolidating that entire experience in a sin-

“The most important consideration here is that it’s not about linear or

gle place across a number of different platforms and devices made all the

VOD. It’s really around video and curating the right collection of content

difference,” he adds.

for every audience type. And that lends itself to a lot of different formats.

Sports, too, had a signiﬁcant impact on Toggle’s fortunes, not least be-

In the case of sports, it has to be linear. We’ve had a lot of experience with

cause it was the only platform where Singapore could watch swimmer Jo-

the SEA games and the Olympics and it works very well. So we will con-

seph Schooling win the country’s ﬁrst Olympics gold last year. The crowd,

tinue to do more of that.”

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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distributionchannels

ugust 2017

2589 Days Apart, Toggle Originals

edia Advisory The push into Toggle Originals across genres and languages, which

MUTV and Chelsea TV.

kicked off in a big way last year, has a clear focus on younger audiences,

The entertainment tier, Toggle Prime, covers Toggle-It-First, which gives

a demographic that free-to-air broadcasters are struggling to hang onto.

subscribers access to programmes a week before they air on Mediacorp

“This was a way for us to ﬁll the gap and reach that audience,” he says.

channels. Nihalani says viewers, once they’re hooked on a show, don’t

The Toggle Originals initiative involves both in-house production resourc-

want to wait for the weekly or daily release. “They would much rather

oggle launches Toggle Original ifeSpam”, starring Xiaxue, Narelle heng, Jonathan Cheok, and more opular online personalities. es and third-party commissions, such as LifeSpam from Disney’s Singapore-

watch in advance”.

based production unit. The origin, though, is way less important than the

Toggle Prime also includes Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s Miao Mi live

impact. “It goes back to reaching audiences with content that they like

channel and on-demand content and some crime documentaries from

and relate to,” Nihalani says.

A&E Networks. Other third-party acquisitions are a work in progress. Multi-

Toggle Originals so far include dramedy The Breakup List (Luke and Joe

year licensing deals with Lionsgate and Disney for ABC Studios on Demand

learn how to survive singlehood after being dumped) and horror drama

were allowed to lapse earlier this year. Toggle’s acquisitions team is now in

Silo (four siblings raised in a safe hideout are forced to navigate a world of

negotiation with distributors to build out a premium entertainment tier with

monsters after their mother is critically injured), along with one of Toggle’s

more traction.

early efforts, 2014’s 13-episode comedy What Do Men Want? (two young

Whether something goes behind Toggle’s paywall is a function of the

men attempt to clean up their lives, beginning with cleaning house and

nature of the content, how much it costs, and how it ﬁts with Mediacorp’s

ditching their girlfriends).

structure, which is oriented around audiences rather than platforms.

Short-form content is high on Toggle’s priority list. “People have different

A large slice of Mediacorp’s revenue overall is advertising based. “Cli-

attention spans at different times of the day and we want to be available

ents very clearly are not looking at buying media on platforms. They

for them at every one of those consumption stages in the course of the

want to buy audiences. The entire focus is on how to make ourselves

24-hour cycle. We will continue to do a little bit of everything with speciﬁc

relevant in that space,” Nihalani says, adding that Toggle brings younger

audiences in mind,” Nihalani says.

audiences into that mix. “That’s the key driver and what drives the largest

Toggle’s current three subscription tiers for entertainment and sports are simple. S$9.90/US$7.30 a month (no contract) each for entertainment,

focus of the business.” What does – or doesn’t – go behind the paywall is driven by “what makes the most sense both from a consumer looking in as well as how we can make that package available for clients,” Nihalani says. “We have two customers. The audience as well as our brands and we need to get the right mix for both of them”. Mediacorp may, eventually, follow regional neighbours such as Media Prima’s tonton in moving outside of its home base. Nihalani says Toggle may look further than Singapore, eventually. But there’s a more important task for now. “A lot of the focus today is very local. We need to get it right. And to make sure we have the right engagement in that space”.

58 LifeSpam

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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q&aesthernguyen

POPS quiz Esther Nguyen talks about taking POPS Worldwide from zero to the top digital network in Vietnam, with 2.5 billion views a month and growing, 200% growth year-on-year for the past five years, a range of content relationships with big-brand programmers from across the region, a close eye on kids with in-house production, and an ambitious music agenda.

Two factors contribute to growth in Vietnam: accessibility and diverse content programming.” “We see that the role market has still yet to be tapped. 4G hasn’t launched yet and soon will be so we see that there is going to be a growth in terms of accessibility just on the OTT side.” “I actually didn’t go into Vietnam thinking I was going to launch an MCN. It was actually the Spotify of Vietnam 10 years ago back in 2007 before Spotify existed. I just saw that the market was really passionate about music and i wanted to connect people through that passion.”[on why she decided to launch an MCN in Vietnam] Cleaning up the music industry was really important to me. Educating the industry was very important – educating on licensing not just from an artist standpoint but also from a user standpoint.” How do you connect brands and creators?

“Back in 2012 brands eyes would glaze over when we went to them. There has been a lot of movement and traction since then, working with brands to create 360 messaging on digital... we’ve made very good progress.”

Vietnam is a unique market with only 50 million internet users but there is free wifi everywhere, everyone is watching content on 3G, their mobile devices or on their smart TVs, which has surpassed PC accessibility for video consumption.” What about the online monetisation process would you like to change?

There are two major digital platforms: Facebook and YouTube. Both are great. What I would like to change on YouTube is the distribution of monetisation – less to the platform, more towards the rights holders, to the creators, as it’s only because of the creators’ content that sits on the platform that makes it so wildly successful. So I think a change in the monetisation distribution needs to happen there... Facebook hasn’t moved into the monetisation process [for content in Southeast Asia] yet. Maybe they will sometime in the future, but until then all of our content is on these platforms and none of us are getting paid for it, so I think that needs to change quickly.”

Esther Nguyen Founder & CEO, POPS Worldwide

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

The ASIAN TAP PITCH Unearthing Asia’s Talents and Incredible Stories

Unearthing Asia’s Talents and Incredible Stories

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q&aesthernguyen

How do you marry commercial considerations with creative authenticity? Do you share data with your content partners?

With over 2.5 billion views a month, we have a lot of information; which demographic, what they’re watching, what they’re not watching, how long they’re watching for, which device they’re on... using those analytics, that data and we then work with the brands and hope they understand that these creators have a fan base for a reason...

... so we let them be authentic, let them be creative on their own, let them say their message in their own voice. Of course, we can’t have them going off and just saying anything, so it’s important we guide them.” On building out the kids space and working with international kids brands...

From the beginning when we first started until today, we’ve seen over 200% growth in our kids network, with millions of subscribers. We’ve been able to really build up the Boomerang brand and are looking to continue to do so online, offline working with brands.” International content works. However, we believe that it needs to be localised, so, for instance, Scooby Doo needs to sound like Scooby Doo in Vietnamese.

We believe in dubbing, we believe in localising the content...not all content will work but it is a great platform to try and see what sticks.”

Absolutely. We share data with all of our content partners allowing them to see what works what doesn’t work and leading into some co-production opportunities. That’s been very important for us.” Is there an opportunity for long-form content on POPS?

Absolutely. In Vietnam as well as Thailand. Not everything will work, but a lot does and it’s surprising what does work. It’s about testing, taking a few titles, testing what works and what doesn’t work. We dub, we push, we have 2.5 billion views that we can cross promote on.” “We believe in organic views as opposed to paid media just to see what the market really enjoys or consumes.”

“For us it’s all about which characters can we really push and have them understand what’s behind those characters. I think that’s the most important part.” 62

We are not censored like TV broadcasters, it’s a lot more relaxed in that sense. We do abide by the YouTube policies, we do abide by the government policies and ensure that the content is safe.” What about going directly to your fan base?

“YouTube is a great platform but we also want that direct relationship with the consumer... we have a two-pronged approach, with a mobile app and an app pre-loaded onto Samsung Smart TVs.” Are you planning to go pay?

“We are, but not in the very near future. I’m a firm believer in Southeast Asia of AVOD plus SVOD. AVOD because in Southeast Asia, I don’t think viewers and consumers are willing to pay and so getting the consumers onto your platform, getting them engaged on your platform, is really important and then offering something that’s quite unique that they can’t get anywhere else. Finding content that’s premium enough encourages them to pay but right now what we’re moving into is just AVOD plus telco bundle deals.”

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streamingsingapore

Cast track Singtel is building out a mobile streaming platform under the Cast banner with a mix of in-house/ packaged channels and third-party services such as FOX+, Viu, tonton and Tribe, channel brands such as WB TV, SonyONE, Oh!K, Nickelodeon, CNN and others, and genre packs created for an-demand universe. Anurag Dahiya talks about curating and aggregating this streaming experience for a hyperserved community.

“[The biggest learning in rolling out Cast is that] It is not TV.” What are the questions you are asked most often?

Why do you have HOOQ and Cast? When you launch HOOQ will Cast go away? No is the answer because they are two totally different things. HOOQ is one of the content providers on the platform. The platform will be available, is available, and will continue to be available to as many different thirdparty partners as we can bring in.”

“If we were starting in the TV business today, we like to say this loud and clear, if we were doing it today we wouldn’t do it as an IPTV service, we would do it as an OTT service. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t have linear in it. It’s just that the technology platform will evolve, and some of the features will evolve.”

Will Cast replace Singtel TV?

Singtel TV still has future. We have a great loyal consumer base that loves the product, but we equally see a segment of the market saying very loudly to us that they do not want a TV subscription, at least not in the way we are used to selling it. We see Cast coming in and fulfilling that need. Does it replace it eventually? Hard for me to say yet. Will Singtel TV evolve? For sure it will.”

The challenge for us is to keep adding consumer-friendly features, which keep the value proposition right up there. In the foreseeable future we will see both products [Cast and Singtel TV].” Would you consider replacing your existing box with something like the Roku box?

“We are in the midst of evaluating our next generation platform. There will be space for an OTT box and devices in that platform for sure.” What else have your learned rolling out Cast?

“We went into Cast thinking that there were learnings from pay Anurag Dahiya Will Netflix be on Cast? Head of Content and Ad Sales, Singtel TV that we could apply in this We’re like Changi [airport] space... about providing con– open sky. We are an open platform. For all sumers easy choice, not overwhelming partners who are willing to come in and intechoice, in the form of easily digestible packgrate with Cast we welcome them with open ages. Giving them one stop for all their needs arms. We work with Netflix, in fact our partnerwhen it comes to streaming video. Giving ship with Netflix predates Cast. There is already them a phone number to call if things don’t a billing-on-behalf relationship there and work and so on. And those things have incould it transition to Cast? Possibly yes.” deed worked.”

Do you differentiate between the content and branded spaces you aggregate/curate yourselves and third-party platforms on Cast?

“We don't consciously do that. For the simple reason that consumers don’t care. They just want to find the content that they like. So one of the things we're working on with all our partners is to have a unified search within Cast.” 64

A lot of the learnings, the assumptions we made as a pay-TV operator certainly don’t work here. There is typically no concept of a free trial in pay TV. Those are the kind of things we’ve been learning as we go. What we have become acutely aware of is that it is a constant sales job. It’s not a one-time sales or a two-year contract.”

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

NEWEN DISTRIBUTION DRAMA FILTHY RICH Power.money.family welcome to the good life tvnz 2 34x45’ Dirty Laundry Someone has to do it NZonAir 13x45’ Meet us at ATF - Stand E10 - F10 www.newendistribution.com

q&aairinzainul

Adventures of tonton Media Prima Television Networks’ seven-year-old home-grown streaming platform, tonton, ventured out of Malaysia and into the region for the ﬁrst time in April this year, entering a new chapter in its life as an SVOD streamer. The platform, which has 7.3 million users in Malaysia, is also experimenting at home, growing its linear channels offering and testing on-demand viewing windows. Tonton director, Airin Zainul, talks about some of the initiatives that are the hallmark of tonton’s next generation. What’s your challenge in shifting to a subscription model?

“It is really hard to get users to start paying when they were used to it being free, so I think it’s converting the same user into a paying subscriber and also getting new subscribers onto our service.” What made you decide to expand beyond Malaysia?

“We think there is demand for our content in speciﬁc markets. So far, we’ve launched in Singapore and Brunei.” In Malaysia, some Media Prima content streams on tonton six months before its free-TV window. How does this work?

For the ﬁrst ﬁve years tonton was a pure AVOD catch-up service to complement our four TV stations. Last year we changed the business rules, adding a hybrid element, with AVOD and SVOD.” Can you take whatever you want from Media Prima’s library?

“We’ve been very, very fortunate to be able to piggyback [on the library]. We have 3,000 hours of content, ranging all the way back to when TV3 started 30 years ago. We’ve leveraged that, and it worked for us. We now have a new strategy where all the content that TV3 or the other channels commission comes to tonton ﬁrst.”

The six-month window is quite unique, usually you can get it a week before or you can get What are your original content plans? one episode before broadcast. We’ve moved “We are experimenting with light entertainfrom that... it’s really to encourage ment, 10- or 15-minute subscription. That’s really a chalcapsules using bloggers lenge for us. The Media Prima conThere has been a shift and celebrities. We also tent that comes to us six months in viewing patterns over the have an original movie, By before free-TV is original content years from traditional TV... My Side, written and prothat people can binge-watch on tonton is there to defend duced by Malaytonton prior to TV. It hasn’t cansian YouTuber Media Prima’s share nibalised TV viewing. The shows JinnyboyTV. and positioning.” that go on tonton ﬁrst are someWe’re hoptimes the highest-watched shows ing that Have you made on TV3 or the other channels, and travels any headway in this drives viewers back to tonton, because combating piracy? where it does even better... It’s a YouTube “It’s a battle nice ecosystem.” commuwe have every nities are day. Every time You’ve started experimenting with third-party borderlinear streaming. Are you going to expand that? we upload titles less.” to binge, I hear “That has been a very interesting exscreams from periment for us. We stream our own the traditional four channels, and those do really well. We’ve also taken on HITS, Outdoor TV guys... but it’s Channel and NHK. We are experimentnot only about ing with different channel players, just tonton. We have trying to ﬁnd the right mix... We also our own licensing have a dedicated live channel for loand merchandiscal football that does extremely well both on traditional TV as well as on the ing as well, so it’s really OTT platform and also one-off event about protecting our IP and programming... We’re experimenting brands in general.” and trying to see what’s attracting people.” 66 Airin Zainul Director of tonton, Licensing & Merchandising, Media Prima

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

asia celebrates great TV. bb bomanbridge. Gamerz Linear & Digital Format Claude 50x11’ + 11x2’ Kids & Animation Extraordinary Animals 4x60’ Nature & Wildlife Delicacy Hunter: On the Silk Road 6x30’ Lifestyle bomanbridge. Oddbods S2 + Christmas Special 60x7’ + 1x22’ Find us at ATF 2017 Booth E08-03 info@bomanbridge.tv www.bomanbridge.tv

streamingindieﬂix

Good graces IndieFlix has gathered all the filmmakers it can find who have stories with the power to make the world a better place. But first & foremost, says founder Scilla Andreen, they have to be entertaining. Courtesy Angst documentary and Ali Mohsenian

Global online SVOD platform IndieFlix had an eye on anxiety in Hong Kong in November as part of a global mission to use the power of film to inspire people to change the world. The activity centred around new film Angst: Breaking the Stigma Around Anxiety, produced by Scilla Andreen and Karin Gornick. The documentary, released for community screenings on 25 September, shares first-hand stories of kids and teens and focuses on solutions and hope around a common condition. “So many people struggle with anxiety and have trouble talking about it. We want to change that,” Andreen says. “We felt it was important to make a movie that could raise awareness, to open up the conversation and provide hope,” she adds. Andreen, a producer/director and Emmy-nominated costume designer, hopes to reach more than three million people around the world at 25,000 community/school screenings, venues with built in communities she Olympic athlete Michael Phelps in Angst: Breaking the Stigma Around Anxiety.

I use ﬁlm because it’s the most powerful medium on the planet.” Scilla Andreen, CEO, IndieFlix

championing the project committed suicide. “That stopped me in my tracks... I pride myself on being empathetic and being able to read people... I missed that completely”. And it changed her mind. Once the decision was made, Andreen says she “couldn’t get the movie out fast enough”. From not knowing where to begin, she found a smooth path in, a determination to “normalise the conversation”, and an entertaining, safe way to tell

calls “microcinemas”. The community angle is critical. “These ﬁlms need to be seen in a group... You don’t change the world one VOD title at a time,” Andreen says. Andreen, in Asia for this year’s Hong Kong Mental Health Conference, is the poster producer for socially conscious content that is, ﬁrst and foremost, entertaining.

the story. “I firmly believe we will be saving lives,” she says. All IndieFlix titles are curated around making a positive difference to the world. The proposition for filmmakers is equally clear. Andreen says she wants “filmmakers to say, ‘Yeah I’m on IndieFlix’ and it means they care about people, creating conversations and inspiring action,” she says. Her path to IndieFlix, which she set up with 36 titles in October 2005, was

Through the non-proﬁt IndieFlix Foundation, the platform has backed

via Hollywood backlots (including costume design for Party of Five), years

projects such as Finding Kind (girl-against-girl bullying/exploring universal

on the festival circuit, and a system she found left producers with little ﬁ-

truths about the pressures of being a girl), award-winning Screenagers

nancial reward for their efforts. “99% of the time ﬁlmmakers don’t make

(empowering kids to navigate the digital/social media world) and The

money but they feel lucky to be out there,” she says. IndieFlix created a

Empowerment Project (female empowerment). “I use ﬁlm because it’s

system that shares revenue with producers based on minutes watched.

the most powerful medium on the planet,” Andreen says. The Hong Kong conference session, “Anxiety isn’t Cool but Talking about it is”, mirrors the soul of Angst: Breaking the Stigma Around Anxiety. Like the Asian families she begged without success to participate in

The privately funded global platform, which started out as a DVD ondemand service, migrated to its current subscription/membership model in 2015, with 5,000 indie shorts, features, docs and series from about 85 countries. Monthly membership is US$4.99 (US$39.99 a year).

Angst, Andreen, who is part Chinese (her grandmother was from Guang-

October 2017 was a tech turning point, Andreen says. Twelve years in,

dong), was dragged into the topic. “At ﬁrst I said no way, I’m not touch-

she decided to outsource the tech platform and prioritise original IndieF-

ing it,” she says. Her family agreed. “They wanted to know why people

lix content. “Original socially conscious content is our sweet spot, content

would talk about such things,” she says. And then the friend who was

that can change the world in a good way”.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Global Content Hub by ZEE Dramas Formats Scripts Lifestyle Movies Factual 171 Countries & 1 Billion + Viewers 240,000 hours of riveting content World’s largest film library with 4200 movies Celebrating 25 years of entertainment Presenting our brand new shows Drama Destined love The story follows the life of a mother who runs a marriage hall and lives with the hope of seeing her two daughters happily married some day. yoga girls Lifestyle The hottest yoga instructors are in constant competition to attract clients and gain recognition as they build their respective brands. Woh Apna Sa Drama Feels like love Lives of three people intertwined by love and the sanctity of marriage that redefine the status of ‘Woh’ (extramarital lover). Lala’s Ladiez Sitcom Indo-british interracial family from Southall, London wherein the protagonist always finds himself in a pickle because of his five crazy daughters/. Meet us at ATF, F - 20 www.globalcontenthub.net Contact: response@atl.esselgroup.com +971 559337686

countryprofilesingapore

Singapore: into 2018 Singapore has put the brakes on digital migration plans, pushing back analogue D-day by 12 months. Turns out that not all local homes are as quick to shift as they might be. On the other end of the scale, the country’s Android box trade looks like its thriving. There’s also lots happening in the middle. Singapore closes 2017 with a one-year reprieve for analogue TV. The funeral bells will – finally – toll at midnight on 31 December 2018, and the country enters its all-digital environment from 1 January 2019. Right now, 75% of the country’s homes are digital ready, according to the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), which has been running a nationwide digital assistance scheme for low-income homes. The decision to give the other 25% time to migrate was announced in early November, along with the guarantee that monopoly broadcaster Mediacorp would carry on simulcasting its free-TV channels in both digital and analogue right until the switch-off. Mediacorp has been simulcasting all seven channels since December 2013. A second promise is that authorities, not keen to cut full reach of public service broadcasting, are working on enhancements to the switch-over scheme, initially introduced in 2014. Announcements on the nature of the sweeteners are expected early in the new year. Currently, the scheme offers free digital set-top boxes, indoor antenna and installation. About 160,000

The Voice Singapore/Malaysia by mm2 Entertainment for StarHub (Singapore) and Astro (Malaysia)

households qualify as low income. Notification letters have been sent out to about 139,000. As of 17 October 2017, the take up rate was about 46%. The one year delay is justified on another level. “The end-2018 date will also be more aligned to our neighbours’ (i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia) plans

bers started dipped below the 500,000 mark towards the end of 2016, closing last year at 498,000. Pay-TV ARPU is flat at S$51/US$38 (Q3 2017).

for analogue TV switch-off. This is relevant because the full benefits of free-

Singtel, meanwhile, is experimenting with aggregator app Cast, a mo-

ing up spectrum from analogue TV switch-off can be reaped only when the

bile platform that offers everything from PCCW’s Korean-focused streaming

region moves on this at the same time,” Minister for Communications and

service viu, FOX Networks Group’s FOX+, Singtel/Sony/Warner joint venture

Information, Yaacob Ibrahim, told Parliament in November. Spectrum freed

HOOQ, Malaysian services tonton (Media Prime) and Tribe (Astro), on vari-

up will be used to provide better quality/higher speed mobile broadband.

ous contract/no-contract terms.

Will the thousands of Singaporeans who have eagerly embraced the world

Although it has not said anything yet, signs are that the telco might be

of Android boxes care about digital pictures and sound from Mediacorp?

considering some sort of merger between Cast and its other mobile prod-

Who knows. There’s a lot of griping in the industry about the negative impact

uct, Singtel TV Go (hint: traditional channel thumbnails, including HITS, War-

of the lively trade in Android boxes, but no one seems to be doing much

ner TV, Sony GEM, Sony ONE, Turner’s Oh!K, Celestial Tiger Entertainment’s

that’s having an impact. We hear there’s activity behind the scenes that may

cHK, National Geographic and others were on the Cast app in November).

result in action. For now, at the tail end of 2017, what is glaringly obvious is that

What is clear that the telco is starting to back away from its insistence on a

the Android-box trade is out and proud in malls all over the city-state, offer-

12-month contract lock in. Cast is offering no-contract monthly options for,

ing access to movies, drama, TV series, sports, news, documentary and kids

among other packs, a skinny variety bundle of 26 linear streaming channels

content for a one-time fee of S$200/US$148. So that’s happening.

for S$14.90/US$11 a month. This puts the channels pack 36% higher than

Elsewhere in Singapore, the industry moves into the new year wondering who’s going to take the reigns of telco/pay-TV platform StarHub when chief

Netflix’s S$10.98/US$8. The 16-channel Asian pack, also offered with a nocontract option, is similarly priced.

executive Tan Tong Hai exits at the end of April 2018 after nine years. The

Whatever they’re doing, right or wrong, something seems to be working

company, which announced Tan’s departure in the middle of November,

for Singtel, which says sign-ups to the two apps – Cast and Singtel TV GO – in-

said a global hunt had been launched. Whoever takes over will have to

creased by 19,000 in the three months to end September. The two apps now

deal with a pay-TV base that shed over 30,000 subscribers in the first nine

have 86,000 customers. Usage details have not been disclosed. StarHub has

months of 2017, entering the last quarter of the year with 467,000 pay-TV

its own everywhere platform, StarHub Go, which is mostly linked to tradi-

subs (10,000 less than end June, when it reported 477,000 and 20,000 fewer

tional pay-TV subscriptions but also offers standalone mobile only products.

than at the end of March, when the figure reported was 487,000). Subs num-

It’s this space that we’ll be watching most closely in 2018.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

LA LUNA SANGRE When love becomes the life of you and the death of you. Genre: Fantasy|Drama TRT: 40 episodes (approx.) x 45 minutes Wildflower Revenge has never been this wild. Genre: SUspense|Drama TRT: Season 1: 67 episodes x 45 minutes The Good Son What they didn’t know will hurt them now. Genre: Family|Drama TRT: 40 episodes (approx.) x 45 minutes The Promise of Forever A man has all the time in the world. But the clock ticks for his last chance of happiness. Genre: Fantasy|Romance TRT: 40 episodes (approx.) x 45 minutes Lost Hearts (Pusong Ligaw) How far will you go to chase your dreams? Genre: Family|Drama TRT: 100 episodes (approx.) x 45 minutes Seven Sundays A dying widower creates a plan to be with his four children despite their busy life Genre: Family|drama TRT: 123 minutes ABS-CBN Direct line: (632) 411-1670 Website: http://internationalsales.abs-cbn.com Email: internationalsales@abs-cbn.com Visit us at ATF J18

countryprofilesingapore

Streaming/OTT

Free TV Mediacorp

Singapore has the full range of

Who’s who... Tham Loke Kheng CEO;

global/regional streaming services,

Doreen Neo Chief Content Officer;

including customised versions of

Parminder Singh Chief Commercial/Digital

PCCW’s Viu and FOX Networks’

Officer;

Anil Nihalani Head,

Group’s

FOX+.

There are also the regional/global

Connected Media Singapore’s mo-

platforms that are

nopoly

not

free-TV

customised

broadcaster

specifically

for

operates

Singapore,

such

seven

as India’s ALTBalaji

TV channels and online

(launched in April

platform

2017), Spuul (launched

Toggle. The biggest change going into 2018

Tham Loke Kheng

in 2012) and Yupp TV (launched in 2006), all of

is newly appointed CEO, Tham Loke Kheng, who took over

which offer direct-to-consumer in-

in September 2017 after years in the

terfaces. Apple’s iTunes (launched

subscription-video side of the busi-

in Singapore in 2012) offers music

ness. Like most in the space (with

and movies to buy/rent, but no tele-

the added complexity of having

vision titles. Netflix, which set up its

to serve both the country’s gov-

regional office in Singapore, and

ernment-driven public broadcast

Amazon Prime Video are also avail-

needs as well as mass-market com-

able in Singapore. Despite

mercial

programmers’

demands),

Mediacorp’s

Singapore – annoy-

role and find relevance in a digital

ingly – also has a

world. The company is structured by

healthy and visible

audience demographics rather than

trade in Android

media platforms, which enables the

boxes along with

delivery of target audiences (rather

a vibrant VPN sub-

than products) to advertisers. Media-

scription market that

corp is also an active regional player

opens up access to

through co-productions in TV dramas

everything

heavily

every-

Goh

Seow

ment funding. Among

ing Director,

the most recent com-

Home, sumer

ordered

for

of the titles are funded by the

Singa-

pore Anurag Da-

kids/

sports channel, Okto. Twelve

Con-

Anurag Dahiya

hiya Head of Content and Advertising

government part of its public service

Sales, Singtel TV

broadcasting scheme and will air

Singtel launched video portal app

over 24 months from March 2018.

Cast in July 2016, offering on-de-

D’Oliveiro

in January 2015 by

start from S$4.90/

Singtel, Sony Pictures

US$4. Singtel had

Television and War-

86,000 subscrib-

ner Bros, HOOQ

ers to its two mo-

lauched in Singa-

bile products at

pore in Nov 2016

the end of Sept

offering Hollywood/

2017.

Bollywood/regional blockbusters

CatchPlay on Demand (regional)

Michael D’Oliveiro

and

series via streaming and download.

Who’s who...Daphne Yang CEO

Subscriptions

start from S$12.90/US$9.50 a month.

Shao-Yi Chen Associate Director Taiwan-owned Catchplay launched

KyLinTV (regional)

on StarHub in June 2016 and as a

KyLinTV Asia Pacific Pte Ltd

standalone platform in Aug 2016.

Who’s who…Jianbing Duan CEO

VOD titles cost S$3.50/US$2.50 each.

Launched in Singapore in Oct 2010,

Content includes Hollywood, indie

U.S.-owned IPTV service KyLinTV offers

and Asian movies.

about 70 SD/HD Mandarin and Cantonese channels and about 30,000

FOX+ (regional) Who’s

hours of VOD content from China,

who...

Prakash

Hong Kong and Taiwan accessible

SVP,

via smart TV, computers and Android-

SVOD Digital, FOX

based smartphone/tablets as well as

Networks Group

regular TV with the KylinTV set-top box.

stream-

Monthly subscriptions are US$9.99 for

platform

20+ channels and US$12.99 for 25+

FOX+ launched

channels. Add-on VOD starts from

US$4.99 a month of unlimited access

Singapore May

2017,

to 30,000+ hours of content.

10,000+

hours across multiple

Netflix (regional)

genres, including U.S. se-

Who’s who... Erika North Head of In-

ries, first-run Hollywood movies, Chi-

ternational Originals and Con-

nese and Asian content, who...

Michael

A joint venture established

tonton. Monthly rates

Prakash Ramchandani

Who’s

who...

Country Manager, Singapore

Malaysia’s Media Prima

offering

Eng Manag-

slate

HOOQ, FOX+, Viu Premium and

supported by govern-

missions are a 13-title

platforms

ing

Cast

produces a wide range

streaming

Video

where.

home, the broadcaster content,

Who’s

regional

Ramchandani

neighbouring Malaysia. At

HOOQ (regional)

efforts,

biggest challenge is to redefine its

and movies, particularly with

mand and linear channels as well

National

tent – Asia

Geographic

Netflix

titles as well as three live nels.

sports

chan-

launched Singapore

January 2016 as

Subscriptions

part of the U.S.

start from S$12.90/

streaming plat-

US$9.50 a month

form’s

for existing Singtel subscribers. subscribers

Noncan

vice

buy

FOX+ through Singtel for S$19.90/US$15 a month.

global

rollout. The seris

offered

stand-alone for beErika North

tween S$10.98/US$7.99 and S$16.98/US$11.99

or through Singapore’s two major

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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contentasia issue seven, december 2017

Doozers,

countryproﬁlesingapore

broadband/pay-TV service provid-

over a real-time interactive platform

hours of free/paid on-demand titles

or via Singtel’s Cast (S$6.98/US$5 a

ers – StarHub and Singtel. Take up

streaming local news/trends, enter-

and channels, including live stream-

month with no contract or S$4.98/

numbers have not been disclosed,

tainment, lifestyle and sports.

ing/archives/sports content, original

US$3.70 a month on a 12-month con-

content and acquired TV series/

tract). Viu Premium offers unlimited

movies. Toggle Prime (unlimited ac-

downloads.

but best guesses are that Netﬂix had fewer than 20,000 paying subscrib-

Spuul (regional)

ers in the third quarter of this year. In

Who’s who… Subin Subaiah

Co-

cess to all content, including pre-

April this year, Netﬂix became part

Founder, Global CEO S Mohan Co-

mium linear/VOD and free-TV pre-

YuppTV (Singapore)

of an alliance of providers created

Founder, CTO

views) costs S$9.90/US$7 a month.

YuppTV is an U.S.-based entity,

to counter Amazon Prime’s mem-

Founded in 2010 and launched in

Toggle Sports is S$9.90/US$7 a month

backed by Asian investment com-

bership plan (no word yet on when

April 2012, Singapore-based Spuul is

or S$99.90/US$73 a year.

pany Emerald Media, which bought

the full Amazon Prime service will

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launch in Singapore). The Netﬂix/

vice targeting South Asia and the

tonton (regional)

Uber/Uber Eats/Lazada LiveUp plan

South Asian diaspora. The service

Who’s who... Airin Zainul

for S$28.80/US$21 a year (intro offer

offers full-length movies in Hindi,

Director of tonton, Li-

for year one with a 60-day free trial,

Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Pun-

censing & Merchan-

S$49.90/US$37 a year from year two)

jabi, among other Indian regional

dising, Media Prima

services rolled

includes six months free subscription

languages. The premium plan costs

Ben Jern Loh GM,

out from 2015.

to Netﬂix.

US$4.99 a month.

tonton

In Singapore,

Malaysia’s free-TV

Yu p p T V c o s t s

Singtel TV Go

StarHub GO

Who’s who...Goh Seow sumer

The OTT platform launched globally in 2006, targetting the Indian diaspora. Asia-specific

group Media Prima,

Who’s who… Justin Ang

Eng MD, Home, Con-

a US$50-million stake in Oct 2016.

Head of Product

S$9.99/US$7.30 a

launched tonton in

month.

Singapore in May 2017

Pay TV

Singapore

Launched in August

via Singtel’s Cast. tonton,

Dahiya

2015, StarHub GO

which debuted in 2010

Head of Content

is a stand-alone

in Malaysia, offers 23,000+ hours of

Singtel TV

Anurag and

Advertising

Sales, Singtel TV

streaming service

Malay entertainment, including pro-

Who’s

offering a selec-

grammes from TV networks TV3 and

CEO, Group Digital Life Yuen Kuan

who...

Samba

Natarajan

tion of StarHub TV

TV9 as well as tonton originals. The

Moon CEO, Consumer Singapore

content across mul-

promise is Malaysian dramas up to

Goh Seow Eng

Singtel TV Go is a companion app

Airin Zainul

MD, Home, Con-

tiple devices. StarHub

six months ahead of the TV broad-

sumer Singapore Anurag Dahiya

GO pricing ranges from

cast in Malaysia. tonton in Singapore

Head of Content and Advertising

fered to Singtel TV subscribers only.

S$5.35/US$3.90 to S$24.90/US$18 for

is bundled in Cast’s Aneka Plus pack

Sales, Singtel TV

The mobile platform launched in

GO Sports. StarHub ﬁrst ventured into

for S$7.90/US$5.80 a month.

Singapore telco Singtel launched

July 2013, revamped in Jan 2015,

OTT in June 2012.

to Singtel TV’s pay-TV set-top box and is of-

Justin Ang

digital pay-TV platform Singtel TV

and the slate was upgraded in Jan

Toggle

Viu (regional)

(formerly Mio TV) in July 2007. The

Who’s Who

IPTV service offers more than 150

who…Anil

Viu is Hong Kong telco PCCW’s re-

channels

Nihalani Head,

gional mobile streaming play. The

subscribers (Sept 2017) along with

Connected

free Viu app launched in Singa-

on-demand, mobile and stream-

Media

pore in Jan 2016, and has a distri-

ing options. These include in-house

Singapore’s

bution partnership with telco Sing-

platforms Singtel TV GO and Cast,

SPH Razor/RazorTV

f r e e - T V

tel. Viu’s biggest selling point is an

as well as U.S. streaming service,

Who’s who... Julian Tan

broadcast-

enviable library of mobile rights for

Netﬂix, which Singtel is bundling

2016. The on-the-go service carries

Who’s

live and catch-up channels. Singtel had 86,000 OTT subscribers (including Cast) at the end of Sept 2017.

EVP, SPH Digital Launched in August 2008 by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) and managed by SPH Digital, SPH Razor (RazorTV) is

Anil Nihalani

404,000

residential

Media-

Korean drama, some of which will

with broadband plans and offering

corp debuted

be offered within four hours of their

to subscribers at no extra cost for up

its online stream-

domestic debut, along with titles

to nine months depending on the

ing service Toggle

from Japan, mainland China and

subscription plan/re-contract. Sing-

in Feb 2013. Tog-

Taiwan. Viu is also increasing its fo-

tel also offers FOX+, Viu and region-

a free access, interactive webcast

gle relaunched in April 2015 after

cus on original programming. Viu’s

al HOOQ (on Cast). Singtel’s chan-

service offering live streaming of stu-

its alliance with Microsoft ended in

premium subscription tier is offered

nels cost from S$18.90/US$13.90 to

dio content and on-demand videos

March 2015. Toggle offers 18,000+

directly (S$5.98/US$4.43 a month)

S$77.90/US$57.

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

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contentasia.tv

/company/contentasia 75

countryproﬁlesingapore

StarHub

Synergy88 and DreamWorks Ani-

of programming (70% factual, 10%

Who’s who... Tan Tong Hai CEO (until

mation. The production unit is part

reality, 20% kids content, Sept 2017).

30 April 2018) Howie Lau CMO Justin

of August Media Holdings, which

Projects include photography format

Ang Head of Product Lee Soo Hui

creates and manages intellectual

Photo Face Off for A+E Networks Asia

Head of Content Business Unit

property targeting kids/youth.

and Machine Impossible for National Geographic Channel. BHP operates

Launched in 2000, StarHub TV offers more than 200 channels, in-

BananaMana Films

four divisions – Beach House Pictures,

cluding a bouquet of in-house

Who’s who...

Beach House Kids, Beach House En-

channels: Chinese entertainment

Christian Lee Executive Producer

tertainment and Beach House Stu-

channels (Hub E City, Hub Drama

Established in 2012, BananaMana

dios. BHP became a subsidiary of Blue

First, Hub VV Drama, Hub Ruyi VOD,

Films specialises in creating aspiration-

Ant Media in May 2017.

Hub Cantonese VOD); ﬁve sports

al Asian content in English for global

channels (Hub Sports 1, Hub Sports

distribution.

2, Hub Sports 3, Hub Sports 4, Hub

Marco Bresciani

Eye Creative Who’s who... Marco Bresciani Found-

Bomanbridge Media

ing Partner and Creative Director

prominent drama, Perfect Girl, won

Who’s who…Sonia Fleck Founder/

Established in Hong Kong in 2015,

Sports Arena); and two Malay en-

seven awards and 17 nominations

CEO

the Eye Creative Group set up in

tertainment channel (Hub Sensasi,

internationally and achieved global

Bomanbridge Media is

Hub Dunia Sinema On Demand)

distribution in 2016 when it was picked

a Singapore-based

as well as one Tamil channel (Hub

up by Netﬂix and Korea’s NAVER TV-

regional content

Varnam VOD). StarHub also offers

cast. BananaMana Films world pre-

distribution and

digital services, including catch-

miered feature ﬁlm Jimami Tofu (a Sin-

production

branded videos for

up, on demand, mobile (StarHub

gapore/Okinawa, Japan co-produc-

company,

digital platforms. En-

GO) and streaming services Netﬂix

tion) at the 37th Hawaii International

holding

and Taiwan’s CatchPlay. StarHub

Film Festival in Nov 2017.

BananaMana’s

most

thousands hours

has 467,000 pay-TV households,

ing of formats, life-

tomers (Sept 2017).

With ofﬁces in Singapore, Manila

style, factual, drama,

and Bangkok, BDA Creative pro-

kids and educational content.

brands,

laborates

Coconuts TV Who’s who... Byron Perry Founder &

with

CEO short videos explor-

dent/MD activeTV

sign and pro-

ing

Asia,

mos for chan-

and

in 2006,

established

nels

produces

tion credits include two

for

other media. BDA

content across genres, including reality. Produc-

and

Paula Mason

tainment series Celebrity Car Wars

the

Indie production house offering a full suite

weird

from

distributes

duction. Broadcast

online,

clients include BBC,

ed in 2003.

earning

CNBC,

millions

videos,

Interactive.

span-

1/2 for History Asia and infotainment

Who’s who… Jocelyn Little MD Don-

ning news, food, travel,

series Food Detectives for Media-

ovan Chan Creative Director Jim

and documentary, are

corp’s Channel 5.

Ribbans

Mediacorp

and Scripps Networks

of views a month. New

services

Asia

stories and

aging Partner, Director

pre- to post-pro-

them

Beach House Pictures

Conde

Freeﬂow Productions

wondrous

Creative was found-

seasons of automative reality enter-

include

Who’s who... Roslee Yusof Man-

branding,

de-

Clients

Nast, Puma, Thai Tourism

col-

chael McKay Presi-

Mi-

for FOX Networks Group. Sonia Fleck

long/short-form

Coconuts TV produces

who…

Top Model season ﬁve

Board, PTT and Manulife.

broadcasters,

Who’s

tent for Asia’s Next

pro-

Who’s who… Paula Mason MD

for

and

tertainment projects

466,000 residential broadband cus-

activeTV Asia

and produces original

include digital con-

gramming consist-

content, crafts stories

conceptualises

over

BDA Creative

Production

pany

entertainment

2.256 million mobile customers and

duces

Singapore in 2016. The com-

Byron Perry

IFA Media

published every week and licensed

Who’s who... Joe Phua MD Frank

Development

to broadcast TV channels in the U.S.,

Smith Head, Business Development

Established in 2005, Beach House

Europe and Asia. Coconuts TV is the

Established in 2003, IFA Media spe-

Pictures (BHP) has over the past few

video production division of Coco-

cialises in drama and factual enter-

Founder/CEO

years expanded its factual expertise

nuts Media, an online news network

tainment for international markets.

August Media co-produces with

to include kids, reality, animation and

reaching up to 26 million people a

Production credits include Bardo, a

partners such as Philippines-based

apps. BHP has produced 670 hours

month.

Netﬂix Original series from Taiwan.

August Media Who’s

who…

Jyortirmoy

Saha

Head,

Business/Content

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

9-12 April 2018 Cannes France

Meet us at ATF Booth J05

Creativity Glamour Business All new content to screen this April. The stars align at MIPTV. 4 days / 10,500 participants / 1,632 exhibiting companies / 100 countries / 3,800 acquisition executives. www.miptv.com

countryproﬁlesingapore

IFA Media was also behind HBO

mm2 Entertainment

Oak3 Films

through the most seemingly ordinary

Asia’s ﬁrst Mandarin Original series,

Who’s who…Melvin Ang Executive

Who’s who… Zaihirat Banu Codelli

situations. Oddbods was nominated

The Teenage Psychic, an award-

Chairman Chang Long Jong Group

CEO Lim Suat Yen COO Jason Lai

for an International Emmy for Kids

Director of Content

Animation (October 2017, winners

Oak3 Films was established in 1996

will be announced on . Broadcast

and produces across a range of

partners include Disney Channel,

with

genres, including factual, drama,

Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and

interactive and transmedia enter-

Discovery Kids as well as streaming

tainment.

platform Netﬂix.

Ochre Pictures

Reﬁnery Media

winning co-production be-

CEO Ng Say Yong Chief

tween HBO Asia and

Content Ofﬁcer

Taiwan’s Public Tele-

Headquartered

vision Service (PTS).

Singapore

IFA Media is head-

quartered in Sin-

Malaysia,

gapore with four

Kong, Taiwan and

ofﬁces across the

China, mm2 Enter-

region

(Bangkok,

presence

Hong

tainment produces

Who’s who... Pedro Tan

MD Jean

Who’s who…Karen Seah MD/Found-

Yeo Creative Director

er Tan Sian Ju Executive Director

content, including the

Since its inception in 2000, TV/ﬁlm

Reﬁnery Media was best known for

Mandarin-language lo-

production company Ochre Pic-

its original, multi-platform modelling

cal version of singing talent show The

tures has produced 500+ hours of

format SupermodelMe, which ran on

Voice for Singapore and Malaysia.

TV content, including documenta-

various channels from 2009 to 2015.

EVP, Content and Production

mm2 has co-produced and/or distrib-

ry, drama series, teleﬁlm, entertain-

The indie production house also pro-

Established in April 2011, Imagine

uted more than 100 ﬁlms across Asia

ment and lifestyle series for local

duced Asia’s Next Top Model S5 for

Group produces brand-backed real-

since 2008, including the Ah Boys to

and international clients. Broadcast

FOX Networks Group Asia.

ity series for regional broadcasters.

Men franchise and Vampire Cleanup

partners include Mediacorp, Na-

Department.

Entertainment

tional Geographic Channel, Dis-

Sitting In Pictures

Inﬁnite Studios

is the production arm of mm2 Asia,

covery Channel and Disney Chan-

Who’s who… Chang Soh Kiak Execu-

Who’s who... Mike Wiluan CEO Fred-

which was listed in Singapore in 2014.

nel/Disney Playhouse.

tive Producer Tan Chih Chong Exec-

Beijing and Taipei).

ﬁlms and TV/online Melvin Ang

Imagine Group Who’s who… Riaz Mehta President/Founder

David

Gunson

mm2

die Yeo COO Mo Shuyi President,

utive Producer

Business Development Lindsey Mar-

The Moving Visuals Co

One Animation

tin VP, Content Development

Who’s who… Galen Yeo CEO/Cre-

Who’s who…

Inﬁnite Studios is an integrated me-

ative Director Khim Loh MD/Executive

Sashim Parmanand

dia entertainment and creative

Producer Chien Chiu Ming Head, TV

CEO

services company. Services include

Productions Benson Yap Production

One Animation is a

and

content for lo-

Sitting In Pictures, formed in

2000,

produces

documentaries, lifestyle,

drama

children’s

back-lot facilities, post-production

Manager

CG Animation stu-

and visual effects. Established in

Established in 1998, The Moving Visuals

dio known mostly

cal and international

1997, Inﬁnite Studios also operates

Co is an independent content com-

for its dialogue-free

a production facility on Indonesia’s

pany creating across multiple genres

comedy series Odd-

Batam Island.

and formats in English, Chinese and Malay for, among others,

The

bods, which follows the adventures of seven characters as they

Discovery

laugh,

AXN

fool,

trip their way

company

has produced more

Mediacorp, and

markets.

and

Sashim Parmanand

than 300 hours of factual

lifestyle,

travel

and adventure, science and history content as well as children’s drama and game shows, for partners such

Oddbods

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

countryprofilesingapore

as Discovery Channel and FremantleMedia U.K. Production credits include A Route Awakening (S4, 2017) for National Geographic Channel.

Who’s who... KC Wong CEO Established in 2006, Sparky Animation specialises in co-productions/ work-for-hire

ven-

tures and original content creation. Besides being a full-fledged animation company, Sparky Animation also has a dedicated gaming/games development division. The company is headquartered in Singapore, with offices in Malaysia and India.

er Ng Hwee Hoon Founder 2001,

Threesixzero

Productions specialises in factual programming ranging from social documentaries to travelogues to arts/cultural

documentaries

MyRepublic Who’s who… Malcolm Rodrigues Group CEO Greg Mittman

COO

Cedric Gouliardon CTO Founded in 2011 and launched commercially in Feb 2012, MyRepublic is a high-speed broadband service provider using Singapore’s next-gen broadband network. The company has a customer base of subscriptions range from S$49.99/

Who’s who... Han Kwang Wei Foundin

band providers – M1, MyRepublic,

about 50,000 (June 2017). Monthly

Threesixzero Productions

Established

Singapore has five fixed fibre broadSingtel, StarHub and ViewQuest.

Sparky Animation

co-investments,

Broadband

and

food programmes. The company produces on average 80 hours of TV programmes a year for networks and channels such as National Geographic and Discovery.

Tiny Island Productions Who’s who... David Kwok CEO Founded in 2002, Tiny Island Productions is an independent production house/consultancy offering a one-stop solution for 3D animation productions. In Oct 2017, the Singapore production company and Thailand’s Shellhut Entertainment announced a co-pro MOU with WingsMedia, a subsidiary of China’s second-largest media group, Shanghai Media Group. The JV

US$36.70

(S$59.99/US$44

without

contract) for 1Gbps fibre broadband to S$69.99/US$51.40 for the Gamer 1Gbps bundle. All subscriptions include the Teleport service, which bypasses content geo-filters. MyRepublic lost its bid at end 2016 to become Singapore’s fourth telco when the new licence went to Australia’s TPG Telecom.

ViewQwest Fibernet Who’s who… Vignesa Moorthy CEO ViewQwest was established in 2001. Monthly subscriptions for ViewQwest 24-month fibre broadband bundles cost from S$49.90/US$36.65 for a 1 Gbps internet connection to S$69.90/ US$51.35 for 2 Gbps. The two bundles include ViewQwest Freedom DNS, a home entertainment service that allows access to geo-restricted streaming sites; and ViewQwest TV-5, an Android-based media player preloaded with apps such as Netflix,

years, with the first one expected to be released in 2020.

bile and fixed services to about two

Secretary

million customers. Services consist of

The Ministry of Communications and

nationwide 4G services, ultra-high-

Information (MCI) oversees the de-

speed fixed broadband and fixed

velopment of the infocomm tech-

voice. The telco used to operate IPTV

nology, media and design sectors;

MiBox on the Next Generation Na-

the national and public libraries; as

tionwide Broadband Network (NGN-

well as the government’s informa-

NBN) but ceased the service in early

tion and public communication

2016. M1 is listed on the Singapore Ex-

policies.

change. Major shareholders are Axiata Investments (Singapore), Keppel Telecoms and SPH Multimedia.

Telcos M1 Tan Chief Innovation Officer

Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Who’s who... Tan Kiat How CCEO Le-

Singtel Who’s

ong Keng Thai Deputy CEO, InternaKoong

tional & Corporate Christopher Ng

CEO, Singtel Group Bill Chang CEO,

who...Chua

Sock

Deputy CEO, Media Regulation &

Group Enterprise/Country Chief Of-

Cyber Security Aileen Chia Deputy

ficer, Singapore

CEO, Policy, Regulations & Competi-

Singtel offers broadband internet,

tion Development Angeline Poh As-

IPTV, mobile and fixed line tele-

sistant CEO Industry Development

phony services. 4G/Wifi plans start

The Infocomm Media Development

at S$27.90/US$20.50. Bundled TV/

Authority (IMDA) replaced the Me-

comms packages start at S$49.90/

dia Development Authority (MDA)

US$36.65 a month (500Mb). Singtel

from October 2016 in a major re-

has 505,000 triple/quad play residen-

structure designed to support digital

tial households, 4.098 million mobile

progress. The new IMDA is tasked to

subscribers (2.7 million are 4G cus-

develop and regulate the converg-

tomers), 617,000 fixed broadband

ing info-comm and media sectors in

subscribers (of which 580,000 are fi-

a holistic way, and will implement

bre broadband subscribers).

Singapore’s Infocomm Media 2025 plan. The IMDA aims to also deep-

StarHub

en regulatory capabilities for a con-

Who’s who... Tan Tong Hai CEO (Un-

verged infocomm media sector. A

til 30 April 2018) Justin Ang Head of

statutory board under the Ministry of

Product

Communications and Information, the IMDA was formed on 1 January

TPG Telecom

2003.

Singapore’s fourth and newest telthe middle of 2018. The Australian

Government Technology Agency (GovTech)

company’s winning bid was S$105

Who’s who... Jacqueline Poh CEO,

million/US$77 million.

GovTech

co is expected to launch services in

The Government Technology Agen-

Regulator

Who’s who... Karen Kooi CEO Alex

formation Gabriel Lim Permanent

Hulu, Crunchyroll and DramaFever.

aims to create 10 feature films to be rolled out every year for the next 12

Established in 1997, M1 provides mo-

cy (GovTech) is charged with leacing digital transformation efforts in the public sector, including support-

Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)

ing the country’s “smart nation” vi-

Who’s who... Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

and cybersecurity needs of Singa-

Minister for Communications & In-

pore’s government infrastructure.

sion, as well as ensuring the resiliency

contentasia issue seven, december 2017

NTENTASIA

www.contentasia.tv

@contentasia

/contentasia

contentasia.tv

/company/contentasia

News+analysis 1,300+ stories a year

Daily news distributed by email with online access. Plus eNewsletters every two weeks and eShow Dailies with Asia-focused news from major trade shows around the world.

Print+digital

8 print+digital magazines in 2018

ContentAsia’s print+digital magazines include updates, interviews and indepth features. Distributed in print at major international events, mailed across Asia. Digital link to full issue emailed globally. Also available online.

Formats

Formats in Asia – rolling updates

A who’s who of formats in Asia, including channels, slots and airdates. Updates @ ATF (Nov/Dec 2017), Mip TV (Apr 2018), ContentAsia Summit (Aug 2018), Mipcom (2018) & ATF (2018).

Online+social

www.contentasia.tv

ContentAsia Online offers unique features and analysis plus a searchable online database of all content published in print, eNewslet@contentasia ters and Insider subscription news. Social features at /contentasia contentasia.tv and /company/ contentasia