ContentAsia's Issue Six 2019

ISSUE SIX 2019

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NTENT

Tech buyers in Asia tell us what they wish vendors would offer

Credential sharing: friend or foe?

INquotes: Industry bosses speak

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editor’snotecontents

Share & share alike... or not By the sounds of it, casual credential sharing (that moment when you give your relatives, partners, friends, friends of friends your user name and password) isn’t that much of a known or acknowledged problem in Asia.

But there’s also no reason to believe that what’s happening on a grand scale in the rest of the world isn’t happening here or won’t happen in our part of the world, especially as subscription-based streaming services attempt to make a fair dollar off deep investments.

Casual sharing stats are pretty astonishing. Depending on who you listen to, between 27% and 55% of paying subscribers in the U.S. and other parts of the world share their log-in details. Most of the sharing is among people who know each other.

The biggest hole caused by sharing is lost revenue.

Then there is the strain on infrastructure, particularly for live events. Plus there’s the security risk for consumers, many of whom use the same passwords across multiple services.

The thing is, about half of sharers would be willing to pay if their access was cut off. Research company Cartesian says 42% of respondents in its survey say they will pay for the services they currently share.

If opinion is divided on how to label and define the issue (is it really piracy?), the general consensus is that this is not the time or place to go in with guns blazing. The charm offensive revolves around a mix of tech and marketing smarts. It’s all possible. Whether or not it’s do-able is up to the companies and how

what’s in this issue...

Fair share

Sharp objects

Casual credential sharing is often seen as a “grey” area, “soft fraud” if there is such a thing. Is it piracy? Or marketing?

Or both? In the battle to harness every last subscription dollar, the label seems less important than the opportunity it presents.

8K opens up a wonderland of definition, extraordinary detail that takes directors along unexplored creative paths.

Japanese director Kazutaka Watanabe talks about his experience at the helm of NHK’s first 8K drama, An Artist of the Floating World.

4

Talking tech

Platforms & programmers talk about their tech pain points and wish lists. Here’s what they said…

• Elaine Uy-Casipit ABS-CBN Corporation, Philippines • Kazuo Nomura Fuji Television Network, Japan • Desmond Chan TVBI Company Limited, Hong Kong • Lam Kwai Hing myTV Super Limited, Hong Kong • Rex Ching TVB New Media, Hong Kong • Dennis “Dingdong” L. Caharian GMA New Media Inc, Philippines • Abhijit Bhide Vuclip, India • Emmanuel Frenehard iflix • Siddhartha Roy Hungama Digital Media, India • Lokesh Chauhan Eros Now, India • Sunil Nair ALTBalaji, India

9

Motokare Mania, Fuji TV On Demand

© Fuji Television Network, inc. All rights reserved.

much they care about losing out.

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

6

INquotes Industry bosses speak about everything from audience measurement and decision making to China, Malaysia and local production ecosystems.

28

INTERNATIONAL Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, International Business Development Leah Gordon leah@contentasia.tv

What is ContentAsia?

ASIA Sales and Marketing Manager Masliana Masron mas@contentasia.tv

To receive your regular free copy of ContentAsia, please email i_want@contentasia.tv

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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Published by: Pencil Media Pte Ltd l 730A Geylang Road, Singapore 389641 l T: +65 6846 5987 l W: www.contentasia.tv

contentasia issue six, november 2019

3

what’sgoingonin...

tech

fair share Casual credential sharing between relatives, friends and friends of friends is often seen as a “grey” area, “soft fraud” if there is such a thing.

Is it really piracy? Or marketing? Maybe both? In the battle to harness every last subscription dollar, the label seems less important than the opportunity it presents.

How’s this for an astonishing number: about 55% of people watching

ods – to be avoided if at all possible – include bullying users into paying

popular video services could be using someone else’s username and

“or else”.

password, according to tech company Synamedia. Millennial audi-

The market has changed, Ben Simon says. “The whole perception of

ences seem to be the worst offenders; research company Magid said

[casual] sharing has shifted. It’s a regular thing. No one sees it as illegal.”

in a study last year that 35% of millennials shared their passwords, almost

Industry attitudes have also shifted. “The market never spoke about this

double the 19% of Gen-X subs and nearly three times the 13% recorded

three years ago. It wasn’t a problem. People used sharing as a promo-

among baby boomers. In another study at the end of last year, analysts

tion,” he adds.

Cartesian found 27% of respondents in the U.S. accessed video services

The dawning realisation of how prevalent sharing is – between 2017

with someone else’s password, and 28% shared their own credentials

and 2021, loss of revenue due to credential sharing increased three fold

with someone outside their households.

– is changing minds.

The extent of casual password sharing activities between friends and

Ben Simon is a firm supporter of using the opportunity to turn sharers into

relatives in Asia is not as carefully measured or managed (or maybe it

paying subscribers, mixing artificial intelligence, digital wizardry and good

is, but the results are not widely publicised). But there’s no reason to be-

old-fashioned human marketing smarts. He insists that the persuasion pro-

lieve that a similar trend is not found throughout Asia, says Neil Gane, the

cess is easier than it has even been with, for instance, tech that offers un-

general manager of Asian industry association AVIA’s Coalition Against

precedented micro-targetting. This allows platforms to sweeten the offer

Piracy (CAP).

for services sharers are already using, with price points they find fair and

“Indeed, if credential/password sharing followed the same trends as traditional piracy, we would expect to see some countries in Asia have a more significant problem than the U.S,” Gane told ContentAsia.

Except, it seems, the phenomenon hasn’t surfaced as a pressing problem that needs to be solved. At least not this minute, most likely because

that override the inconveniences of using someone else’s credentials.

“You already have all the insights and access to their devices, you know who they are and what and where they consume. You can really fine tune and have a good opportunity to get them into your system,” he says.

Ben Simon supports his marketing angle with case studies. One of

subscription (or wannabe subscription) streaming platforms are dealing

Synamedia’s clients in the U.S. has five million active subscribers, includ-

with more pressing market issues in a developing space.

ing 850,000 (about 17% ) who share credentials with an average of two

Singapore platform StarHub, which lost 64,000 pay-TV subscribers in the 12 months to June 2019, says mobile platform StarHub Go allows five devices to be registered and limits concurrent streams to two. StarHub isn’t

others each. That’s millions of potential customers who, given the right offer based on usage data, may switch to paying instead of sharing.

The devil, of course, is in the details. At this point, teams charged with

saying whether credential sharing is a problem or not, but says that “to

adopting new processes might pale at the challenge of transforming

lower the risk of unauthorised access and the misuse of credentials, we

available data into usable intelligence and effective campaigns, with

urge customers to secure their passwords and not share it with others”.

the headache of splitting databases, gathering info, creating scripts

For Malaysia’s Astro, credential sharing isn’t an issue.

and pieces of software... Ben Simon relegates these known hurdles to

Generally, password sharing between relatives, lovers, ex-lovers, friends and friends of friends has in the past been viewed – and still is by many – as a grey area, more of a marketing opportunity than a copyright infringement. And absolutely not ever a cause for legal action.

Absolutely right, says Synamedia’s global head of pre-sales services, Avi Ben Simon, who ranks the opportunity presented by a widespread phenomenon way above any other approach. The not-so-nice meth-

4

the past, saying technology is emerging that allows service providers to integrate advanced capabilities into their existing systems.

Above all, though, is the fact that sharers are already using the service. “It’s way easier to persuade people to pay for a product they are already using and familiar with,” Ben Simon says. All providers need to do is nudge them to a point where they say, “why not buy?”

“People,” he adds, “don’t actually want to break the law.”

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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interviewindia

Ken Watanabe in Kazutaka Watanabe’s 8K drama, An Artist of the Floating World for NHK

Kazutaka Watanabe, Director, An Artist of the Floating World

Sharp objects 8K opens up a wonderland of definition, fires that audiences can almost smell, a wealth of blacks, extraordinary detail that allows directors to use a single strand of a spider’s web to symbolic effect. Japanese director Kazutaka Watanabe talks to ContentAsia about his experience at the helm of NHK’s first 8K TV drama, An Artist of the Floating World.

Japanese director Kazutaka Watanabe discovered a new world of

the filmmaking conversation around the movie as well as a much-talked-

blacks through drama An Artist of the Floating World, an 8K-HDR TV mov-

about experience in the learning about shooting drama in 8K.

ie based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1986 novel about an elderly artist in post-

What happened was this: A spider’s web was inadvertently captured

World War II Japan who looks back on his life and work, including his role

in a scene where Ono was confused about his past. The tech crew re-

as a painter of propaganda and supporter of pre-War Imperial Japan.

shot. In the end, Watanabe went with the footage that had accidentally

“8K reveals so many shades of black,” Watanabe says, talking about some of what he learned shooting drama in 8K for the first time.

Traditionally associated with natural history programming, the format,

captured the web. “The web is symbolic of a person struggling, a confused state. It was just one strand of the web. That was when I realised the power of 8K,” he says.

like HD and 4K before it, has become a standard rallying cry for Japanese

Shooting in 8K takes a lot more time, Watanabe adds. The 8K-HDR for-

public broadcaster NHK. An Artist of the Floating World aired on NHK in

mat also requires much more attention to detail. “Everything is clearly

March this year and is now part of the programmer’s global catalogue.

visible,” he says. “You have to create detail because people can see it”.

Although a new-found wonder in shades of black is a consequence of

Asked what he would tell directors beginning (or thinking about) their

the project, it wasn’t colour that drew Watanabe to An Artist of the Float-

8K journey, Watanabe seems a reluctant advisor. “They should do what-

ing World in the first place.

ever they feel is best,” he says. “I heard actors talking about being filmed

Rather, the attraction was the “smell of burning – a core symbol of the

in 8K. They say they are throwing everything in front of the camera. They

story and the “bright flame”, Watanabe says. Both are brilliant in 8K. “It

cannot tell a lie. I would say the same thing to creators. You cannot pre-

makes you feel as though you are there,” he adds.

tend. You have to be authentic. Go back to basics. The most important

Lead actor Ken Watanabe, who plays the ageing artist Masuji Ono, has the perfect face and acting skills for 8K, the director adds. “Every tiny movement of a facial muscle can be captured in 8K”.

As can a single strand of a spider’s web. This strand has become part of

6

thing is the storytelling”.

Will he shoot drama in 8K again. Absolutely, Watanabe says. For one, having delved into the mystery of blacks with An Artist of the Floating World, there’s a whole brilliant world of white awaiting.

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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Reach: 11,000+ executives in print and online The Who’s Who of broadcasting in Asia. Directory positions include double- and singlepage listings with company profiles, contact details, and channel and programme details. Full page display options available. Published in January 2020.

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contentasia

Talking tech Tech bosses talk to Malena Amzah about challenges, the things making major differences to their businesses in Asia, and what they wish vendors would do (or not).

A sliver of insight was handed out to us a few years ago by the interna-

Along with talking about the tech that is making the biggest differenc-

tional head of a U.S.-based entertainment giant: Never underestimate

es to businesses in Asia (cloud, access to data, languaging capabilities,

how hard it is to roll out “digital” services.

customised solutions), we asked buyers about their tech wish lists.

And it’s not just because viewers are picky or because the culture of

The answers ranged from what buyers everywhere, no matter what

free has taken root. Consumers don’t care (and they shouldn’t) about

industry, might say or do, like over-promise and under-deliver, to better

platforms’ pain, so there’s zero tolerance for crappy UIs, clunky multi-step

compression, seamless integration and more flexible solutions.

sign-ons and the buffering wheel of evil.

Topping tech wish lists for 2019/2020 is better video compression tech-

Some wondrous progress has been made. But there’s also still a whole

nology; simplicity and personalisation; machine-learning engines for op-

lot going on backstage of the current streaming/online boom in Asia that

eration, monitoring and editorial automation; better availability of stable

is frustrating and not half as pretty as it could be.

4G/internet speeds across the globe; voice-activated content discov-

Against this backdrop, we asked platforms/programmers to talk about

ery in multiple languages; machine learning/artificial intelligence to en-

their tech pain points and wish lists. Unsurprisingly, one of the bigger tech

hance recommendation; transforming our platform to providing highest

challenges cannot be solved by any one outfit alone. Too many ecosys-

operational efficiency and end user experience.

tems still don’t have the broadband capacity and speed to deal with

So, there you have it. In a nutshell. but you get the idea.

the demands of a digital era. Of the things they can do something about

Who said what follows, kicking off ContentAsia’s deeper dive into the

by themselves, platforms face issues like security, scale, integration, dis-

people and technology behind the business in 2020. Ideas and sugges-

coverability and personalisation, among others.

tions welcome. We look forward to hearing what you think.

contentasia issue six, november 2019

9

techq&a

I wish tech vendors would offer...

Technology that would allow us to adapt to all devices with a single tech build.”

Elaine Uy-Casipit Head, OTT (iWant) & Officer in Charge – Head Digital Media Division ABS-CBN Corporation (Philippines) What’s the biggest technology challenge you face in adding (or

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

boosting) your online and/or streaming video elements?

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

“Quality of internet in the Philippines is generally slower and more

“Technology that would allow us to adapt to all devices (mobile and

expensive than in other countries and it becomes a barrier for our

TV devices like smart TVs/Roku/set-top boxes) with a single technol-

consumers where they would have to pay for data before being able

ogy build. This would allow us to be more agile in adapting to where

to consume content in the platform. This also plays a factor to the

consumers would want to consume their content.”

quality of content that users are able to stream since a slower internet connection will give out a lower quality video.”

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

“Compression for video delivery. This would help a lot with the con-

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

sumers as this would allow lower data needs for streaming content

difference to the way you operate?

while maintaining a good video quality delivery in all platforms.”

“With the recent relaunch of our OTT platform (iWant), we’ve seen the value of cloud technology and how it really helped out the agility of digital platforms in terms of scaling for traffic/processing needs.

This technology helped us out when there were spikes in major content programming.”

10

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

Kazuo Nomura Manager, Content Production Office, General Business Department Company, Fuji Television Network (Japan) What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

your online and/or streaming video elements?

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

“Distributed transcoding, in high speed. This will enable us to procure

“Firstly, 4-channel audio encoding. Current technology is capable of

large amounts of content plus immediate online distribution of post-

2-channel audio encoding so it becomes an effort to include SAP (sup-

broadcast material.”

plementary audio programming). Secondly, subtitle-supported player.

In Japan, standards for subtitles between broadcast and digital video

What is the one particular technology that has made a radical

distribution differ so the two currently cannot be easily diverted.”

difference to the way you operate?

“Upgrade in speed of mobile network, thanks to LTE. The introduction

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

and spread of LTE technology offered 800 Kbps downstream, allowing

“One, expansion of live streaming. And two, to ensure compatibility be-

clear and sustainable image quality for online content distribution via

tween ad replacement (for a more thorough targeted advertisement)

smartphones. This allows us to offer OTT service in multi-device environ-

through SSAI (Server Side Ad Insertion) and rewind function.”

ment such as TV, laptops, smartphones and other mobile gadgets.”

Is Fuji TV doing anything new for the Fuji TV On Demand (FOD) services?

“An AR [augmented reality] function was added to FOD VR, the smartphone app, in mid-October 2019. This is Fuji TV’s first attempt to integrate AR content with terrestrial TV dramas. Users download the app and the AR content to their smartphones beforehand, so that they can enjoy AR experience for free while watching a drama. Fuji TV will expand more media-mix projects in order to make terrestrial broadcasting more fun.”

I wish tech vendors would offer...

4-channel audio encoding and subtitle-supported player.”

12

contentasia issue six, november 2019

Embrace the age of Infinite Entertainment.

Embrace the age of Infinite Entertainment.

We’re Synamedia.

We’re helping operators, service providers and media companies around the globe to deliver, protect, and monetize compelling video content. We do that by delivering the world’s most complete, secure and advanced end-to-end open video delivery solution.

We’re looking forward to discussing how to embrace this exciting age of Infinite Entertainment. www.synamedia.com © 2019 Synamedia and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

We’re Synamedia.

We’re helping operators, service providers and media companies around the globe to deliver, protect, and monetize compelling video content. We do that by delivering the world’s most complete, secure and advanced end-to-end open video delivery solution.

We’re looking forward to discussing how to embrace this exciting age of Infinite Entertainment. www.synamedia.com

© 2019 Synamedia and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

techq&a

Desmond Chan, General Manager, TVBI Lam Kwai Hing, Chief Operating Officer, myTV Super Rex Ching, Head of Technical Engineering, TVB New Media (Hong Kong)

I wish tech vendors would offer...

A standardised stream video measurement for rating, reporting and monitoring.”

Desmond Chan, General Manager, TVBI

What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

your online and/or streaming video elements?

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

“In 2016, TVB launched its OTT services, myTV Super and TVB Anywhere,

“Both myTV Super and TVB Anywhere offer a wide array of programmes

in Hong Kong and overseas. myTV Super offers more than 55 channels

subtitled and dubbed in local languages. Automatic subtitling and dub-

and 68,000 hours of video-on-demand programmes via set-top box,

bing for different languages are essential to us.”

mobile phone, tablet and computer. The service has succeeded in garnering over 7.7 million users (June 2019), making it the largest and

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

leading OTT platform in Hong Kong. TVB Anywhere, the only legitimate

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

OTT platform showing TVB programmes overseas, provides live channels

“We hope there will be a standardised stream video measurement for

and content-rich on-demand services in more than 200 countries and

rating, reporting and monitoring.”

regions, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, U.K. and Europe.

The biggest technology challenge is how to generate personalised

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

manual or auto editorials. Without such technology, end users will not

“Machine learning engines for operation, monitoring and editorials

be able to discover effectively their desired content.”

automation that bring continuous improvement.”

Note: TVB New Media Group Limited is a fully-owned subsidiary of TVB responsible for supporting all the technology and engineering of myTV Super and Big Big Channel

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contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

My top tech objective for 2019/20 is...

To diversify our technology portfolio beyond new media.”

Dennis “Dingdong” L. Caharian President and Chief Operating Officer, GMA New Media (Philippines) What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

They are the great enablers for database storage and management,

your online and/or streaming video elements?

analytics, and content delivery, just to name some. It would take an

“Establishing a GMA-branded over-the-top (OTT) platform was a chal-

enormous amount of resources for a content creator to make all of

lenge given the high cost of doing so relative to the potential returns.

those possible. The efficiencies that cloud services provide allow con-

We found a way to work around it by partnering with OTT/VOD plat-

tent providers to focus on strategy and content development so that

forms for the online streaming of GMA’s video assets. Of the strategic

we can be more agile in responding to the ever-changing needs of our

partnership that GMA-NMI (New Media Inc) has forged, the one with

target audiences. Worth mentioning, too, is how the communication and

YouTube, specifically for the latter’s Player for Publishers (PfP) pro-

information technology landscape has significantly changed with the

gramme, was a masterstroke. YouTube PfP enabled GMA to deepen

introduction of the smartphone and its built-in features that make it such

and revitalise its content archive by making full episodes of popular

an indispensable tool today. For content creators, making access more

GMA programmes available to users aside from the usual offerings of

mass-based is vital. Years ago, the cost of overseas communications was

show recaps, highlights and behind-the-scenes videos, among others.

prohibitive and inefficient. But with messaging platforms and VoIP now so

Our YouTube initiatives were crucial to propelling GMA to reach the

ubiquitously available and way more affordable than ever before, this

10-million subscriber mark: from only 1.6 million subscribers at the start

development has been empowering the entire content creation and

of the YouTube PfP agreement in June 2017, this soared past 10 million

consumption ecosystem in ways that were not previously possible.”

in May 2019. As of December 2018, the GMA Network YouTube channel’s rank improved from being in the Top 200 in 2017 to being among

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

the Top 50 worldwide. The efforts have made GMA one of the fastest

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now? “We have none.”

growing channels in Asia.”

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

“It’s more an objective than a wish: to diversify our technology portfolio

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

beyond new media. The challenge for anyone is to be ready to ride the

“Cloud services have been a major boon to content creators like GMA.

wave when it comes, so knowing how to be attuned to the consumers’ preferences through time is important.”

16

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

I wish tech vendors would offer...

Modular and flexible solutions (which are not always bundled).”

Abhijit Bhide, SVP Engineering, Vuclip What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say,

your online and/or streaming video elements?

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

“There are multiple challenges, ranging from reliable infrastructure in

“Modular and flexible solutions (which are not always bundled). We

different region and, different secure streaming standards for different

came across many tech solutions bundled as one product. This may be

device types to unavailability of technical solutions for next-gen ad

suitable for companies that totally rely on tech partners. But for compa-

features on the majority of video players.”

nies like us, which also make investments to develop differentiator tech solutions, the entire bundle may not be suitable, but a part of the offering

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

may be. Also, we wish that tech partners can pay attention to different

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

type of business models adopted by OTT service providers before making

“Being a technology driven company, Vuclip has invested in develop-

commercial offers on the same but unrelated parameters. For example,

ing multiple tools and functions, which have been core to business

the number of users (in a free OTT service) doesn’t really mean number

and operations of this company. However, with changing times, Vuclip

of subscribed users; so if a solution cost is based around how many total

being a content company has realised that management of content

number of users are engaged with a service, then it may not be fair to

rights and files has become more important today than ever before,

free service providers (unless it is a revenue share type of arrangement).”

especially when awareness and compliance towards IP-related rights requirements of content has really matured. At the same time, the

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

industry has moved from USB-based direct ingestions to OTT system

“We are focusing on technically transforming our platform to provide the

to sophisticated and controlled ingestion and management systems.

highest operational efficiency and end-user experience. With this in mind,

Vuclip has been no exception to this change. We are in the process of

we are adopting robust metadata operations tools and processes, inte-

adopting this change where more complex rights can now be handled

gration of unified video player for all of our target devices with all possible

by the click of a few buttons; and the entire process from ingesting a

next-gen ad features, implementation of modern encoding systems, imple-

piece of content, transcoding it and making it available for delivery

mentation of all required security standards on our platforms, and last but

has become automated with operational simplicity like a BPM (business

not least, real adaptation of AI/ML (artificial intelligence/machine learning)

process management) tool. These are our next gen CMS (content man-

in our operational process and also in providing higher video quality with

agement systems) and RMS (rights managements systems).”

reduced data consumption (hence driving more engagement).”

18

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

My top tech objective for 2019/20 is...

Simplicity and personalisation.”

Emmanuel Frenehard Chief Technology Officer, iflix What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

rather than relying on partners since we frequently change direction

your online and/or streaming video elements?

and have a deep need to retain flexibility and agility. We do work with

“As we continue to add millions of viewers to our platform, scaling to

a few key strategic partners such as Akamai, AWS, CSG International,

support the demands of all these users is probably our biggest chal-

Intertrust and Vimond, with whom we’ve had a long established rela-

lenge.”

tionship. What we have built with them is a deep relationship of trust and transparency, which is critical to joint success. Too often, vendors

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

promise capabilities that they just don’t have or are not market ready

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

and when they get hit with the iflix volumes and sophistication, they

“We radically re-designed the way we collect data from our apps and

crumble and fail to deliver.”

the way we use that data to make decisions on a day-to-day basis. This includes content decisions, app functionality, marketing, messaging

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

and many more domains. Our real-time data pipeline combined with

“Simplicity and personalisation. We are still at the beginning of our

the empowerment of all our employees to access the data means we

amazing journey to deliver video to tens of millions of people across

are now able to make higher quality decisions on a daily basis.”

Southeast Asia and to do this in a way that works without technology friction and at the same time fully personalised to the users. Top of our

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

list is to make video delivery simpler for our users and do it in a way that

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

recognises the individualistic nature of content preferences.”

“As a company, we tend to prefer to build our technology platform

20

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

I wish tech vendors would offer...

A streaming service with better visibility into its current streaming performance.”

Siddhartha Roy Chief Operating Officer, Hungama Digital Media (India) What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (say or

your online and/or streaming video elements?

offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

“Data and network consistency is extremely important for a streaming

“It is important for a streaming service to have better visibility into its cur-

service. There exist pockets within the country that have patchy net-

rent streaming performance.”

work. Most of us have tried to circumvent this issue by allowing users to download content and watch it in offline mode.”

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

“Machine learning and artificial intelligence are changing the way

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

consumers look for and sample content. Enhancing recommendation

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

accuracy by leveraging machine learning and AI will be a priority for

“The advent of 4G and inexpensive data plans were a game changer.

the industry and us as well.”

The data price war in India has ensured the availability of affordable 4G data plans and led to a dramatic increase in consumption of digital entertainment, proving to be beneficial for streaming services.”

22

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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techq&a

Sunil Nair Chief Operating Officer, ALTBalaji What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

restricted to a mobile phone, but also across a wide variety of connect-

your online and/or streaming video elements?

ed TVs and STBs. These audiences are now able to watch 4K content

“I wouldn’t say it is a technological limitation, but more of a challenge

on their connected devices and can abandon a service that cannot

when we speak about CDN cloud providers. It takes a little time for any

do so in an easy manner. At the lower end of the consumer pyramid,

new content to be readily available in the cache across the globe. Due

even though there has been tremendous progress in streaming technol-

to this, we see consumers face certain amounts of latency for that dura-

ogy, hurdles like bandwidth limitation, latency and the mix of low-end

tion. In our bid to overcome this, we are collaborating with the likes of

phones continues to prevent consumers from a seamless video stream-

Amazon and some of the industry’s best CDNs to solve this challenge ef-

ing experience. Such is the nature of the OTT industry, that one general-

ficiently, thereby providing content that is readily available all the time.”

ly finds multiple vendors working on various components and platforms,

I wish tech vendors would offer...

Voice-activated, multi-language content discovery.”

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

which then needs to be integrated to deliver a smooth experience for

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

the end-user. The challenge for us now, is to ensure that the quality of

“The basic fundamental component for any OTT platform is to operate

the product remains gold standard, as well as adhere to the top-end

in its full capacity of its content ingestion pipeline. This particular techno-

practices when it comes to providing the best solutions and services.”

logical piece includes multiple smaller components such as content transcoding, content encrypting and packaging which is now available

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

out of the box. This has made it easy for many OTT platforms to go-live

“First and foremost, I’d like to see content discovery using one’s voice

within minutes. At ALTBalaji, we use Xstream Mediamaker – a Denmark-

as an input being enabled and implemented successfully. Offering rec-

based VOD solution provider – and have built components around this

ommendations and personalising the user experience goes a long way

core product to ensure that our audience globally get seamless access

towards catering to the profiles and tastes of the viewers and winning

to our shows. Our CDN provider is Amazon Web Services and we have

their loyalty. Increasingly, with content being consumed in multiple lan-

been experimenting a lot around the Simple Serverless Video-On-De-

guages across India, as much as double the size of the English-speaking

mand service using AWS Lambda.”

population, it is the need of the hour for an Indic language interface to be built. Using a hyper-local CDN will actually solve the last mile content

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

delivery challenges for tier two and three cities in the country. Lastly,

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

with customer support forming a crucial part of relations between the

“Due to the rapid advancements in technology that are now avail-

service provider and consumers, moving parts of customer support to

able to Indian consumers at affordable prices, OTT streaming isn’t just

AI-led chatbots will prove immensely helpful in the long run.”

24

contentasia issue six, november 2019

Ejen Ali the movie Primeworks Studios For more info: nuraziemah@primeworks.com.my

techq&a

I wish tech vendors would offer...

Better compression technology.”

Lokesh Chauhan Chief Technology Officer, Eros Now What is the biggest tech challenge you face in adding (or boosting)

What do you wish broadcast/streaming tech vendors would do (or say

your online and/or streaming video elements?

or offer) for you that they aren’t doing now?

“A large section of users today consume content on the go. Bandwidth

“Pushing the boundary on video delivery mechanisms by coming up

availability at phones is dependent on network signals, which has its

with better compression strategy. Content packaged with better sound

limitations. For example, underground stations and highways have

profiles and higher video quality enhances user experience and will

spotty network. Tier two and three towns see much smaller consump-

always drive engagement. HEVC 265 solves this to an extent but there is

tion as compared to large cities specifically because of low bandwidth

still a lot left to be desired.”

availability.”

What’s at the top of your tech wish list for 2019/2020?

Is there any one particular technology that has made a radical

“Better availability of stable 4G/internet speeds across the globe. The

difference to the way you operate? What is it?

only thing holding OTT back is buffering due to unstable network. The

“Recommendation personalisation. Effort in relevant content discovery

sooner that happens, the better. TV/cable isn’t personalised and once

causes the biggest drop-offs from the platform. Consumption behav-

this roadblock goes away it won’t be competitive against OTT.”

iour-based recommendation drives higher engagement and affinity to the platform. Video consumption rates increases multi-fold with discovery of relevant content upfront. A caveat: Introducing a healthy mix of non-associative content also enables enriching user profile. A show like Stranger Things would not have been discoverable if only personalisation was applied.”

26

contentasia issue six, november 2019

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inquotes

Seen and heard at the ContentAsia Summit in Singapore this year... with a whole lot more at www.contentasia.tv

We are really trying to make Hotstar the canvas for India’s biggest storytellers and some of the really big passion projects that they have. And... tell these across the length and breadth of this country, take some of them global and really invest in making them big.”

Gaurav Banerjee, President, Hindi Entertainment, Star India

“Miss S is smart, brilliant, beautiful and brave. These are the characteristics that women should learn still in China. That’s why I decided to choose this TV show.”

Rebecca Wu Xiao, Vice GM, Shanghai 99 Visual Company, on new Chinese drama, Miss S, based on Australian series, Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, distributed by all3media International

TV ratings need to change. The tech is there but the commercial agreements it [are not]. TV broadcasters need to push together to make this happen. The survival of the industry is at stake.”

Ariya Banomyong, President & Director, BEC World Plc Thailand

The film industry in Malaysia needs a full overhaul and turnaround in every possible manner... we have a chance right now to change the environment to protect the industry 100%.”

Hans Isaac, Chairman, Finas Malaysia

“To drive ratings in Thailand, you need to transform programmes into Thai, not just with languaging, but in making connections with the audience.”

I tell our partners in China there are three go’s – go in, go out and go deeper.”

William Tan, MD, Endemol Shine China

”We should shed the tyranny of the programming grid... We should be very focused on what our consumers want. We’re lucky that we have TV, audio, online... Rather than thinking of each one of the platforms individually, we should be (and are) looking at how consumers interact and engage with us on a daily basis. And how we optimise that.”

We spend a lot of time thinking about building a production ecosystem. Our perspective is our unique needs as a company as opposed to skill sets unique to each market. For us, it’s about management of a larger scale international production...

It’s not that there aren’t experienced people in Asia. It’s just that sometimes our needs are a little more unique than what has been in each market.”

Loke Kheng Tham, Chief Executive, Mediacorp

Gavin Barclay, Director of Post Production, APAC, Netflix

We’re not afraid of making hard decisions because we need to move forward.”

28

Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, CEO, JKN Global Media plc

“The first set of shows was planting a flag. Now we have proof of concept and we are creating the content buckets and narrowing down the genres we want to build.”

Mark Francis, Global Director of Original Programming, iflix contentasia issue six, november 2019

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Mezzo Live HD Museum Pekin Express M6 International Fix Snip Stingray Insight TV Canal+ Myanmar SVOD Offer by Studiocanal Heritage 4K heritage TV Meet us at AVIA, Singapore November 4-6 2019 Alexandre Bac: alexandre@thematv.com www.thematv.com