TV AsiaPac MIPCOM 2015 by World Screen

ASIA_1015_COVER_KID_409_COVER 9/15/15 12:11 PM Page 2

TVASIAPAC

WWW.TVASIAPAC.WS

OCTOBER 2015

MIPCOM & CASBAA EDITION

OTT Platforms / Nippon TV’s Yoshio Okubo / ABS-CBN’s Charo Santos-Concio

SPREAD TEMPLATE copy_Layout 1 9/15/15 9:12 AM Page 1

SPREAD TEMPLATE copy_Layout 1 9/15/15 9:12 AM Page 2

SPREAD TEMPLATE_Layout 1 9/4/15 10:41 AM Page 1

SPREAD TEMPLATE_Layout 1 9/4/15 10:41 AM Page 2

AP_1015_TOC_ASP_1206_MANSHA COLUMN 9/15/15 3:50 PM Page 1

TV ASIAPAC

CONTENTS FEATURE

Center of Gravity

16 CLOSING IN

A look at how OTT platforms are reshaping the Asian media landscape, creating opportunities for digital platforms, pay-TV giants and content-distribution companies.

In the last month, Japan has become the first international battleground involving three of the biggest names in internet streaming: Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Joanna Padovano Sara Alessi Associate Editors Joel Marino Assistant Editor Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Alberto Rodriguez Sales & Marketing Managers Terry Acunzo Business Affairs Manager

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV AsiaPac © 2015 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvasiapac.ws

This development makes Japan an intriguing new example of how quickly the OTT business is ramping up across Asia. The China story is well known—Youku Tudou, iQIYI, Tencent and others are making headline-generating content buys and reaping in plenty of ad dollars thanks to their billions in video views. The activity in Japan has stepped up much more recently. Nippon TV acquired Hulu’s Japanese business last year and has built up the subs base to more than 1 million. Netflix arrived last month and at about the same time, Amazon launched its Prime Instant Video service. All eyes will be on how each of these platforms define themselves in a market that is still overwhelmingly dominated by local programming on free-to-air, linear television. The news coming from Japan is explored in a report in this edition on Asia’s streaming landscape. The feature also looks at other OTT hot spots—including the HOOQ and iflix battle in Southeast Asia—and finds out about how new digital platforms are changing the game for both distributors and existing pay-TV channel brands. This edition also features an in-depth interview with Yoshio Okubo, the president of Japan’s top-rated broadcaster, Nippon TV. He spoke to TV AsiaPac about the strength of Nippon’s free-TV business, the importance of acquiring Hulu and his hopes for the company’s international contentdistribution and pay-TV channel businesses. Driving international growth is also core to Charo Santos-Concio’s plans at ABS-CBN Corporation. President, CEO and chief content officer at the Filipino broadcaster, Santos-Concio talked to TV AsiaPac about ABS-CBN’s programming ethos. Both Nippon TV and ABS-CBN have invested heavily in being ahead of the curve in their home markets. They recognize that new competitors are arriving every day, be they global OTT giants like Netflix or local upstarts like iflix. With all the money being thrown around in the digital space right now, you can’t help but be reminded of the Wild West feel of the early days of pay TV: lots of headlines, no clear sense of what the take-up will be, or how much money needs to be spent on marketing, content and technology to reach critical mass. As the early stakeholders in Asian pay TV know, the pot of gold exists—there are now just a lot more people chasing after it. —Mansha Daswani

INTERVIEWS

Nippon TV’s Yoshio Okubo

ABS-CBN’s Charo SantosConcio

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/10/15 1:17 PM Page 1

AP_1015_UPFRONT_Layout 1 9/15/15 12:13 PM Page 1

TV ASIAPAC

ABC Commercial Beneath New Zealand / 72 Cutest Animals / Life in Ruins The latest installment in ABC Commercial’s successful 72 franchise is 72 Cutest Animals. “Visually stunning and packed with scientific facts, this is a countdown and investigation into the cutest animals in the world,” says Sharon Ramsay-Luck, the head of sales and business development for ABC Commercial. Beneath New Zealand investigates the country’s early formation. “Renowned for its breathtaking scenery, New Zealand is also steeped in Māori mythology, and throughout the series there are detours into fascinating legends about the land,” says Ramsay-Luck. Hosted by international interior designer and stylist Sibella Court, Life in Ruins follows seven groups of people over two years, committed to the daunting task of restoring Australian heritage ruins into livable homes.

“Our catalogue represents distinctive, high-quality content, and our new offerings at MIPCOM are no exception.” —Sharon Ramsay-Luck Life in Ruins

ABS-CBN International Distribution The Promise / Bridges of Love / On the Wings of Love There is a new iteration of the Filipino drama The Promise on offer from ABS-CBN International Distribution. “The enduring story of undying love and the inspiring life journeys of its main characters are given a contemporary twist, and we are confident it will resonate with a new generation of international viewers,” says Evelyn “Leng” Raymundo, the company’s VP of integrated program acquisitions and international distribution. In Bridges of Love, there is a romantic triangle between two brothers and the woman they both love. It stars Jericho Rosales, who was also the lead in the original The Promise. The romantic drama On the Wings of Love features two young people who engage in an arranged marriage to live their American dream.

“Our dramas are anchored in traditional family values, even in a modern setting, and they are always infused with romance, which global audiences look for and identify with.” —Evelyn “Leng” Raymundo On the Wings of Love

Asia TV Forum & Market December 1-4, Marina Bay Sands, Singapore A team from Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) will be at MIPCOM to answer questions about the upcoming Singapore-based event, which is being held December 1 to 4 at the Marina Bay Sands. “The intricacy of Asian television is quite unique, given the diversity of cultures and people within the region,” says Hui Leng Yeow, the senior project director of ATF and ScreenSingapore at Reed Exhibitions. “With a wide variety of content that appeals to different groups of people, producers will have to look for that winning element that will excite viewers and audiences from around the region. This can be challenging, but with ATF, the business opportunities and sharing of knowledge through networking events, conferences and market will undoubtedly give participants an edge.”

“With this year’s edition poised to attract more than 4,800 attendees from across 60 countries, ATF will serve its purpose as a dynamic marketplace and knowledge- and skillstransfer hub for all things related to Asian television.” —Hui Leng Yeow Marina Bay Sands in Singapore 578 World Screen 10/15

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/8/15 12:33 PM Page 1

AP_1015_UPFRONT_Layout 1 9/15/15 12:13 PM Page 2

TV ASIAPAC

CJ E&M Corporation Second 20s / Oh My Ghost / Mnet Asian Music Awards Choi Ji-woo (Winter Sonata) stars as a married woman struggling to adapt to college life in Second 20s, one of the titles that CJ E&M Corporation is highlighting at this year’s MIPCOM. The company is also presenting Oh My Ghost, which sees a lusty spirit possess a timid girl, sparking a romance between her and her crush, who does not believe in ghosts. Don Kang, CJ E&M’s senior sales manager, describes Oh My Ghost as a “quirky mixture of a supernatural theme with romantic comedy.” Also on the company’s slate is the Mnet Asian Music Awards (MAMA). “The biggest annual K-pop music awards show returns to Mnet, and Kpop fans surely will not [want to] miss this grand event,” says Kang.

“We are still seeing steady growth [in AsiaPac] with many new exciting opportunities: emerging OTT platforms, formats and co-productions.” —Don Kang Second 20s

English Club TV Keep Fit / Language of Business / Crafty Hands English Club TV has been airing since 2008, with a mission to provide an educational service for viewers who are learning the English language. All programs airing on the network have been developed by experienced methodologists and have an educational aspect. “The main focus of the programming department is to create an interesting and exciting schedule that is not only useful in terms of showcasing teaching materials but also attractive and dynamic,” says Andrew Semchenko, the CEO of English Club TV. He highlights the programs Keep Fit, which helps people learn English while exercising; Language of Business, a show that features business-related vocabulary lessons; and Crafty Hands, a craft show for kids.

“The main aim of the English Club TV channel is to provide effective television content for people who are learning English to help them develop their language skills.” —Andrew Semchenko Crafty Hands on English Club TV

FOX International Channels Asia FOX Sports / FOX Sports Play The FOX International Channels portfolio of sports networks in Asia includes FOX Sports and FOX Sports 2, which deliver live premium properties such as Formula 1, tennis grand slams, the Bundesliga, MotoGP and more. The portfolio also includes FOX Sports 3, which targets fans of adrenaline-pumping sports action, and FOX Sports News, the first 24/7 news channels dedicated to Asian sports fans. FOX Sports Play—the digital offering with live, on-demand and exclusive content and features— extends the viewing experience of sports fans to their laptops, mobile phones and tablets. Rohit D’Silva, the executive VP of commercial and sports for the Asia Pacific and the Middle East at FOX International Channels, highlights how the company’s sports offering has embraced a TV Everywhere strategy.

“On the sports side, our product is TV Everywhere-ready.” —Rohit D’Silva MotoGP on FOX Sports 580 World Screen 10/15

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/11/15 10:33 AM Page 1

AP_1015_UPFRONT_Layout 1 9/15/15 4:09 PM Page 3

TV ASIAPAC

FremantleMedia International Simply Nigella / Soundbreaking / Celebrity Family Feud Simply Nigella stands apart from other cooking shows by telling the stories behind each dish. FremantleMedia International is showcasing the program this MIPCOM, along with Soundbreaking, a docuseries focused on the history of music recording. “This series explores a different aspect of the recording process each week to show how some of the most iconic songs of the last century were produced,” says Ganesh Rajaram, the company’s executive VP of sales and distribution for Asia. There is also Celebrity Family Feud, which sees famous families compete in the popular game show. “Family is the cornerstone of most Asian societies and there’s a general resurgence of celebrating the family unit, so this will be a great brand for the region,” says Rajaram.

“Our sales and distribution business in Asia is continuing apace, with lots of interest from broadcasters in the shows we brought to MIPTV in April as well as our long-running formats.” —Ganesh Rajaram Celebrity Family Feud

HBO Asia HBO / Cinemax The HBO GO online service has made its way to Asia, where it is available as a standalone service without a pay-TV subscription in Hong Kong and was recently launched as HBO GO on StarHub Go in Singapore. This service provides access to more than 1,000 hours of HBO, Cinemax and HBO Asia originals on multiple devices anywhere, anytime. “To reach out to a wider audience in Asia, including non-subscribers, HBO Asia has boosted its sampling initiative by offering the first episode of more HBO and Cinemax original programs for free via the internet on the HBO Asia website and our YouTube platform,” says Magdalene Ew, the head of marketing, creative and content at HBO Asia. The channel is also set to premiere Vinyl, the new HBO original drama from Martin Scorsese, in 2016.

“HBO Asia continues to provide viewers with greater access to HBO and Cinemax original content over multiple screens via the internet.” —Magdalene Ew Vinyl on HBO Asia

Muse Distribution International Tut / Mystery movies / Romantic comedies Muse Distribution International’s diverse catalogue includes more than 400 hours of event miniseries, mystery-movie wheels, romantic comedies, drama and youth series, as well as documentaries. Key highlights include Tut, a TV event starring Sir Ben Kingsley. “Premiering to historic and genderbalanced ratings in the U.S., as well as solid ratings in the U.K., Tut has been licensed in more than 60 countries, with opportunities yet to explore in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Shawn Rosengarten, the company’s VP of sales and distribution. Highlights from the mystery-movies slate include The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries and The Gourmet Detective Mysteries. Among the romantic comedies on offer is A Wish Come True.

“Muse Distribution International’s focus for MIPCOM is to continue to expand Tut ’s linear footprint while exploring all platforms for our mystery-movie wheels and romantic comedies.” —Shawn Rosengarten The Aurora Teagarden Mysteries 582 World Screen 10/15

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/9/15 11:43 AM Page 1

AP_1015_UPFRONT_Layout 1 9/15/15 12:13 PM Page 4

TV ASIAPAC

RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network RTL CBS Entertainment HD / RTL CBS Extreme HD RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, which operates RTL CBS Entertainment HD and RTL CBS Extreme HD, has expanded its footprint to 18 territories in just 18 months. “Territories like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are obvious growth markets with great potential as the populations are huge, while the pay-TV penetration is still low, relatively speaking,” says Jonas Engwall, the CEO of RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network. “We are present in these territories and they continue to be very important growth markets for us.” Engwall says that the focus now is to look into other markets where the service does not yet have a presence, including Laos and Myanmar. “We’ll also continue to expand in territories where we are already present but with new platform partners.”

“With our fantastically strong and advertiserfriendly content, we have more and more brands wanting to affiliate their products with our shows and we believe this trend will strengthen even further and we look forward to utilizing this opportunity.” —Jonas Engwall The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on RTL CBS Entertainment HD

Televisa Internacional I Dare You to Leave / Anything but Plain / Shadows of the Past I Dare You to Leave, a telenovela distributed by Televisa Internacional, is a story in which power, envy, selfishness and desire for ownership will tragically mark the deep passion two lovers feel for each other. It joins a slate of new novelas Televisa is hoping will find an audience in the Asia Pacific. Among that lineup is Anything but Plain, about an assistant struggling with love and life in one of Latin America’s most important publicity agencies. Mario Castro, Televisa Internacional’s director of sales for Asia, Africa and the Middle East, adds that the novela Shadows of the Past will also be debuting at MIPCOM. Those productions will be joined by entertainment formats such as Stand Up for Your Country, a talent competition series that has already been sold worldwide.

“Televisa’s telenovelas are reaching both pay-TV and digital platforms as finished products.” —Mario Castro I Dare You to Leave

TV5MONDE Asia-Pacific TV5MONDE Style HD / TV5MONDE+ Asie / TV5MONDE+ Pacifique TV5MONDE has brought a new channel into the AsiaPacific region: TV5MONDE Style HD. The network is available with subtitles in English as well as traditional and Simplified Chinese. “TV5MONDE Style HD gives French enthusiasts the chance to explore the world-renowned abundance of the French art of living, from fashion to luxury goods, hotel establishments, jewelry, food and drink, wine, design, the art of gardens, architecture, and cultural and historical heritage,” says Alexandre Muller, the managing director of TV5MONDE Asia-Pacific. TV5MONDE has also launched the TV Everywhere offerings TV5MONDE+ Asie and TV5MONDE+ Pacifique, which allow viewers to access up to four live TV5MONDE channels on any device.

“TV5MONDE is already available throughout the Asia-Pacific region in most countries, but progress can still be made in markets such as Australia and Korea.” —Alexandre Muller Chefs on TV5MONDE 584 World Screen 10/15

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/4/15 10:33 AM Page 1

AP_1015_OTT_WSN_1207_IN THE NEWS 9/15/15 12:15 PM Page 1

TV ASIAPAC

CJ E&M’s New Journey to the West.

CLOSING IN OTT platforms are making lots of noise in Asia. Mansha Daswani explores how they’re reshaping the landscape. ay television arrived in Asia in the mid-’90s and, in the two decades since then, has extended its reach to about 500 million subscribers across the region. Over-the-top (OTT) platforms have been in operation for just a few years and, according to one estimate, had 594 million active customers last year. That figure, from Media Partners Asia (MPA), is expected to rise to almost 1 billion OTT customers across the Asia Pacific by 2020. The Hong Kong- and Singapore-based consultancy released that data in its Asia Pacific Online Video Distribution 2015 report in January, and the industry’s developments since then have been rapid and significant. Of note, Netflix arrived in Australia and Japan, then announced 2016 launches for Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea. Two pan-regional platforms—HOOQ and iflix—were unveiled and are now up and running. Pay-TV channel behemoth FOX International Channels (FIC) announced a slew of deals with OTT platforms. A stand-alone HBO GO went live in Hong Kong. In India, hotstar is seeing unprecedented usage. And OTT video views in China continue to surge, despite the implementation of new content restrictions. China is the overriding OTT story in Asia today, with staggering numbers. At present, the nation accounts for 85 percent of the region’s overall OTT base, MPA reports; in five years’ time it will still have a commanding lead of 80 percent.

586 World Screen 10/15

“In China, you’ve had this traditional television ecosystem that had been highly regulated,” says Vivek Couto, MPA’s executive director. “And then you have this pay-TV ecosystem that has also been regulated and hasn’t really developed in terms of a subscription model. While those industries were having their issues, you had this parallel [OTT] ecosystem that developed.” Couto values China’s OTT industry at about $2.5 billion. There are a lot of platforms, and they’re all making aggressive content plays. “One of the best deals we’ve done is our multiyear volume agreement with Youku in China,” says Ganesh Rajaram, executive VP for sales and distribution in Asia at FremantleMedia International. “Youku is very aggressive in the OTT space in China, and they value the genre of product we bring to the market. We’re seeing really good numbers in terms of traffic coming in to watch the programs.” Rajaram says the partnership with Youku has been “very symbiotic. It will hopefully be the model that other standalone OTT platforms across the region will try to emulate.” Youku and sister platform Tudou are not only major buyers of finished content, they are also investing heavily in originals, including locally developed IP and Chinese versions of imported formats, among them Big Brother and The Voice Kids. Earlier this year, Youku Tudou announced the creation

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/12/15 11:02 AM Page 1

AP_1015_OTT_WSN_1207_IN THE NEWS 9/15/15 12:15 PM Page 2

TV ASIAPAC

Halfworlds is the newest original production from HBO Asia, which has launched HBO GO as a stand-alone service in Hong Kong.

of a new business unit solely dedicated to original dramas and web-native content. “We’re well poised to rapidly ramp up our content creation, accelerate our revenue growth and diversification, and fully capitalize on the opportunities that the converging online and offline worlds bring us,” Youku Tudou’s chairman and CEO, Victor Koo, said in announcing the new division.

PLETHORA OF PLATFORMS Youku Tudou, of course, is not the only game in town in China’s crowded OTT space. Tencent has been licensing a host of content from across the globe, recently inking a deal with South Korea’s CJ E&M to stream New Journey to the West simultaneously with its original run in its home market. Tencent also has an exclusive partnership for HBO content and a deal with FIC for programming from the FOX and National Geographic brands. Most recently, it sealed a landmark deal with Disney for the exclusive TVOD and SVOD rights to all six Star Wars movies. The platform iQIYI, owned by search-engine giant Baidu, set aside a 50 million RMB ($8.1 million) production budget for originals in 2015. Even smaller platforms such as Sohu are making headlines; this March it said it was preparing a local edition of Saturday Night Live. So where is the money to support these content initiatives coming from? It is almost entirely advertiser-driven. “Advertising is a sizable market,” Youku Tudou’s Koo told TV AsiaPac earlier this year. However, “on the consumer side, the subscription business has been growing very strongly. Partly it’s because of the anti-piracy initiatives by the government. There were always two problems in trying to build a Netflix-type model in China: one was the payment issue and one was the piracy issue. What we’re

588 World Screen 10/15

seeing is that payments via mobile have improved considerably. Piracy was quite a problem. It’s not gone away, but I think there are efforts to address that now.” In June, iQIYI said it had reached the 5-million-subscriber mark, thanks in large part to its slate of premium movies. In 2014, the platform had the rights to more than 60 percent of movies theatrically released in China and 80 percent of titles that topped 100 million RMB ($16 million) at the box office. “Most of iQIYI’s users were born after the 1980s and understand the value of content,” Xianghua Yang, the senior VP of iQIYI, said at the time. “With 5 million paid members, iQIYI is the industry leader in terms of paid subscribers. However, this is still a small portion of our over 500 million users, and we expect that the future conversion rate to paid members could be substantial.” The biggest complication for China OTT in 2015 was the implementation of new regulations by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television (SAPPRFT). As of this year, imported content must be limited to 30 percent of the total volume of hours on a platform. And SAPPRFT screens said imported content. The first foreign series approved by the regulator was the Korean romantic comedy Hyde, Jekyll, Me, which began streaming on Youku in July. Asked about the new rules, Koo told TV AsiaPac, “Like all companies, you have to abide by the local government regulations. It is a part of doing business in China. Since the very beginning, as we started as a video-sharing platform, we’ve had a lot of content monitoring and systems and procedures in place, whether through technology or by a team of people. It’s an area that makes us partner- and advertiser-friendly as well. We see it as an important part of our business.” The effect these new regulations will have on all those programming deals done between Chinese platforms and international content providers remains to be seen.

GLOBAL PLAYERS Netflix is also in the watch-this-space category in China. In January of this year, the streaming platform announced it aims to complete its global rollout to 200 markets by 2017. Netflix is looking to tie up with a local Chinese partner to enter this already crowded and notoriously impenetrable country as part of its global ambitions. Up until this year, the streaming platform had been quiet about Asia, focusing its expansion efforts in Latin America and Europe. Its first Asia-Pacific move came with the March launches in New Zealand and Australia, where it has quickly taken on incumbents Stan and Presto.

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/9/15 11:40 AM Page 1

AP_1015_OTT_WSN_1207_IN THE NEWS 9/15/15 12:15 PM Page 3

TV ASIAPAC

Zee TV makes its shows, including Dance India Dance, available on SVOD service DittoTV.

Next up for Netflix was Japan, where it rolled out in September. Its arrival there makes for an interesting case study for OTT’s prospects in the region—and the role international companies will play in this space.

BIG IN JAPAN For its Japanese debut, Netflix aligned with local conglomerate SoftBank. As part of the deal, SoftBank customers will be able to sign up for Netflix at SoftBank stores, as well as through the company’s website and call centers. The Netflix fee will then be added to the customer’s regular SoftBank bill. Netflix arrives in the market after Hulu; the joint venture of 21st Century Fox, Disney and NBCUniversal had a considerable head start, rolling out its subscription offering in Japan in 2011. Three years later, Hulu sold its local operation to Nippon TV. Benefiting from the free-TV reach of its parent company, Hulu Japan reached 1 million subscribers earlier this year. “What is unique about the Japanese market is that terrestrial is still very strong,” says Kazufumi Nagasawa, chief content officer at HJ Holdings, the Nippon TV subsidiary that runs Hulu in Japan. “Nippon TV is the number one network and still gaining in the ratings. We are 100-percent owned by Nippon TV. We are in a good position to differentiate ourselves, as only we can cross-promote between terrestrial and SVOD.” In a market as insular as Japan is on the programming front, local content is a key element for Hulu. Upon reaching its million-subscriber milestone, the platform knew “it was time for us to start original programming,” Nagasawa says. To that end, Hulu Japan ordered its first

590 World Screen 10/15

drama series, adapting the German hit The Last Cop. Netflix, too, is stocking its service with Japanese content. Ahead of its launch, it announced a partnership with Fuji Television Network for two productions: a new season of Terrace House and the drama serial Atelier. Both shows will air first on Netflix and will then be available on Fuji TV On Demand and broadcast TV. Separately, it is also adapting the novel Hibana by Naoki Matayoshi. “We feel that Japanese content is paramount in order for all of Japan to enjoy our service,” said Greg Peters, the president of Netflix Japan, at a press conference announcing the Fuji alliance. The other major market where OTT is developing at a rapid clip is India, with two primary platforms backed by the largest pay-TV companies in the country: STAR and Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Each has taken a very different approach. STAR opted for the adsupported route for its ondemand service, hotstar. Its numbers have been significant; streaming the ICC Cricket World Cup this summer, hotstar logged 340 million views. Zee charges a subscription fee for its DittoTV platform. As of this year, it has a reported 1.8 million customers. Netflix is said to be readying a 2016 rollout in India, where other key players include Eros Now, backed by film studio Eros, and HOOQ, a platform owned by Singtel, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures Television that is gearing up for an Indian launch. “India is critical for us,” says HOOQ CEO Peter Bithos. “It’s unbelievable how fast that market is evolving. We believe our mix of local and Hollywood content is truly differentiated. We think we have a fantastic opportunity to get into the Indian market quickly with a value proposition that appeals to people who love movies and quality stories. We’re not going to be the mass-market premium model with a cricket offering. But with 1.1 billion people, there are a lot of movie lovers out there!”

REGIONAL REACH HOOQ is one of two platforms battling it out in the Southeast-Asian arena. It began operations in the Philippines earlier this year. Other primary markets for HOOQ include Indonesia and Thailand, a similar footprint to that being targeted by iflix, which has been busy licensing a host of imported content, doing deals with the likes of Twentieth Century Fox, BBC Worldwide, Warner Bros., Disney and Starz, as well as providers in Korea and Malaysia. “The big opportunity is to really be a first mover in Southeast Asia and emerging markets worldwide,” says Azran Osman-Rani, CEO of iflix Malaysia and COO of the iflix Group, about the new platform’s aspirations.

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/15/15 5:54 PM Page 1

AP_1015_OTT_WSN_1207_IN THE NEWS 9/15/15 12:15 PM Page 4

TV ASIAPAC

Youku in China has an output deal with FremantleMedia International that covers, among other shows, Asia’s Got Talent.

“While the business model is already established in developed markets, especially in the U.S., the challenges of emerging markets are unique and require an adaptation of that business model,” Osman-Rani says. “First of all, Southeast Asia specifically and emerging markets generally tend to be much more mobile-centric. In developed markets, people have super-high-speed broadband connections, they’re watching ultra HD on big-screen sets at home. In Asia, for most consumers, the small [mobile] screen is their primary, in many cases only, screen. That becomes the primary way of consuming content. Bandwidth—while it is rapidly growing and certainly gives us the confidence that the time is right to [launch iflix] now—is also quite variable in quality across the region. Even within a particular network it varies. So we’ve got to come up with technologies like adaptive bit-rate streaming that can optimize the resolution quality to suit the bandwidth speeds that go up and down.” The other complication for OTT platforms in emerging markets is payment methods, Osman-Rani says. “In developed markets, people are very comfortable with credit cards and [using them online]. That’s not the case here. Even in Malaysia, where there might be 30-percent credit-card

592 World Screen 10/15

penetration, barely half of those users are comfortable using credit cards online. In markets like the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, it’s even less in percentage terms. So you have to think about billing and payment in a way that is more suited to these markets.” Taking those issues into account, iflix has launched in Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Aligning with key telco partners in those markets has been central to the iflix strategy. “Going forward, in terms of which markets we go in, it’ll be those where we can get the fastest alignment with the local telco operator.”

THE PRICE FACTOR Pricing has also been an important consideration, OsmanRani adds. “Pricing in emerging markets is very sensitive. The difference between a $2.50 proposition and a $20 proposition is massive in terms of the number of people who can afford that price point. To make the economics work at a $2.50 to $3 price point, you need scale. You cannot make this work within one market. For us to deliver economic sustainability for our investors, we’ve got to be able to say we can get to more than 20 million subscribers over

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/9/15 11:50 AM Page 1

AP_1015_OTT_WSN_1207_IN THE NEWS 9/15/15 4:35 PM Page 5

TV ASIAPAC

FIC’s FOX Sports Play delivers multiplatform access to a range of sports coverage.

20 different markets across the emerging market landscape. That includes Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, etc.” MPA data estimates that HOOQ and iflix have some 150,000 subscribers at present.

PAY TV STRIKES BACK HOOQ and iflix are primarily targeting those customers outside of the existing pay-TV ecosystem; they are not yet luring subscribers away from pricier packages on traditional platforms. But that doesn’t mean that Asia’s cable, satellite and IPTV incumbents are resting on their laurels. Malaysia’s Astro is enhancing its popular TV Everywhere service, Astro on the Go. PCCW Media, owner of the nowTV platform in Hong Kong, has acquired a majority stake in the mobile on-demand video platform Vuclip, which is active in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as the United Arab Emirates. “Vuclip and PCCW Media will develop a best-of-breed OTT platform that provides immediate access to PCCW Media’s premium Asian content set (including Korean, Japanese and Chinese-language titles) across a much-expanded audience base in the Asian continent and other regions,” Janice Lee, managing director of PCCW Media, said of the acquisition. Channels, too, are looking at opportunities in the OTT space. Following the successful launch of HBO NOW in the U.S., HBO Asia expanded HBO GO in Hong Kong, allowing non-pay-TV customers to access the premium channel for the first time. A+E Networks launched HISTORY Plus on the 4ME OTT platform in the Philippines. Also in the Philippines, FIC has built on an existing partnership with MediaScape, owner of the Cignal DTH platform. “When the MediaScape group wanted to get into the OTT space, we were able to launch a bouquet of branded SVOD services [with them], as well as our sports channel,” says Rohit D’Silva, FIC’s executive VP for commercial and sports in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East. “One of the things that helps us move a little faster is that there’s an opportunity in the OTT space to work with existing affiliates, as well as new ones,” D’Silva continues. “We are doing something with Samsung in the Philippines, we are working with Avex in Japan and Tencent in China. Avex is streaming our FOX channel in Japan and [offers] all the

594 World Screen 10/15

catch-up we have associated with that channel. We don’t look at an opportunity with a one-size-fits-all approach. There could be places where there’s real value in approaching it in the way we’ve done with Avex. There could be certain market dynamics where the provider is only offering a TVOD service and we have the ability to sell them some content on a syndication basis. We need to be flexible and collaborative, and at the same time, we have to keep the core elements of what we want to do with our brands.”

RIGHTS MATTER The size of its portfolio and its slate of owned content have also been beneficial to FIC in its OTT strategy. “If you are only in one or two genres, the challenges are greater,” D’Silva says. “We have a significant amount of SVOD product for National Geographic, we have our FIC original productions, and we’ve cleared a lot of rights over and above that so we can offer SVOD. In Southeast Asia, we have TVOD rights to a lot of Chinese movies, and we have the SVOD rights.” As the battle for rights intensifies, companies like FremantleMedia International are finding plenty of new opportunities to place a varied slate of products. “The whole OTT explosion has been a boon for us,” Rajaram says. In addition to the volume agreement with Youku, the company has made package deals with the likes of Toggle in Singapore and TonTon in Malaysia, as well as with telco companies in Korea that have launched OTT services. He says deals with pan-regional players are possible but present a different set of considerations, especially when it comes to exclusive versus non-exclusive rights. “When you have a reality program with a winner, its shelf life is very short,” Rajaram says. “We have shows where non-exclusivity is the norm, as it is with most digital VOD deals, but there are certain premium shows we have where people pay a little more for exclusivity. So there’s always this debate over which platform is going to be best for the show. It’s not one rule for everyone.” Rajaram says that 30 to 40 percent of his revenues in Asia now come from digital platforms. “We’re doing a lot more deals now,” he says. “It’s not necessarily a lot more money, but the point is that you’re getting so many more viewers. Content we represent will be seen by so many more eyeballs now than it was five or six years ago.”

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/14/15 12:50 PM Page 1

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/14/15 12:59 PM Page 1

AP_1015_OKUBO_ALT_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/15 4:41 PM Page 2

TV ASIAPAC 27

YOSHIO OKUBO

NIPPON TV Japan’s oldest commercial channel, Nippon Television Network reached a ratings milestone last year as the country’s top broadcaster across all key dayparts. The group is looking to maintain its lead in the dominant terrestrial landscape with its mix of entertainment, variety and drama. It is also angling for a leading position in the Japanese on-demand market, having acquired the local Hulu business in 2014. As Yoshio Okubo, the president of Nippon TV, tells TV AsiaPac, building Hulu’s business and driving growth in the company’s international operations—including pay-TV channels, formats and finished program sales and co-productions—are key growth opportunities in the years ahead.

TV ASIAPAC: What is driving the success of your programming strategy? OKUBO: One of the key mottos that drives us at Nippon TV is “viewers come first.” We always keep in mind our viewers’ needs whenever we produce content. I believe this approach has allowed every one of our programs to continue to evolve, which in turn has led to the outstanding results that Nippon TV has been achieving. Let’s take The Quest as an example. This is our extremely successful entertainment program that airs on Sundays at 8 p.m. Last fiscal year, The Quest beat all the other entertainment shows in Japan to capture the highest viewer ratings. With no signs of slowing down, it continues to capture the hearts of a primarily young female fan base and score stellar ratings in the

area of 20 percent every week. To put it roughly, one out of five people in Japan watches this program, which features celebrity guests who travel all over the world to take on extreme challenges. The show brilliantly addresses the needs of today’s viewers by enabling them to feel the drama, excitement and humor that arise from the challenges. It is a high-quality entertainment program that quickly became successful throughout the world. Our core programming strategy is to produce regular shows that viewers can count on and enjoy every week. I believe this strategy has made it easier for a large audience base to develop a habit of watching Nippon TV and made it an indispensable part of their daily lives. TV ASIAPAC: Japan is unique in that it is one of the world’s mature TV markets where terrestrial still commands a majority of TV viewing. Why do you think this is? OKUBO: Nippon TV and all the other terrestrial broadcasters employ a general programming strategy that targets young and old, male and female. Nippon TV hit the airwaves in 1953 as the first commercial broadcaster and others followed suit. The country was in the midst of rebuilding from the war when television entered people’s living rooms. Since then, TV has become a source of wholesome entertainment and a trusted source of news and information. It has also become a major contributor to the Japanese economy. I believe that because we share such

10/15 World Screen 597

By Mansha Daswani

AP_1015_OKUBO_ALT_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/15 4:44 PM Page 3

TV ASIAPAC

Based on a hit manga series, Death Note airs in more than 120 markets across the globe shortly after its Nippon TV broadcast.

a long history together, we continue to be welcome in the homes of the general population. TV ASIAPAC: What prospects do you see for the growth of nonterrestrial viewing? OKUBO: If you look at the subscriber trends for the existing pay-TV channels, you get the impression that [the number of] people who see the benefit of paying to watch content is still limited. That said, the younger generations are increasingly watching content on various devices. With the advent of smart TVs and on-demand streaming services, I believe the competition to capture people’s disposable time will get even tougher. To win this battle, it is crucial that we deliver content that meets viewer expectations. TV ASIAPAC:Why was it important for Nippon TV to acquire Hulu? OKUBO: We knew that it was only a matter of time before a foreign player with a lot of capital would enter the Japanese videoon-demand business. It was clear to us that we needed to quickly obtain control of the domestic video-streaming market by mobilizing our capital to establish a platform. Just when we were thinking about this strategy, the opportunity to acquire the Japan business of Hulu presented itself last year. Hulu is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Nippon TV. Due to the reinvigorated content lineup and aggressive promotions, we were able to grow the subscriber base from 600,000 at the time of acquisition to over 1 million a year later. Moreover, even our terrestrial TV rivals NHK (the public broadcaster) and the other major commercial broadcasters are sharing their content with Hulu. It has indeed become an all-Japan platform, which we hope to continue growing with the help of all parties involved. TV ASIAPAC: What strengths does Hulu gain from being aligned with Nippon TV? OKUBO: One of the strengths that Hulu acquired was Nippon TV’s strong content production capability. As a subsidiary, Hulu is given top priority in streaming Nippon TV’s popular programs. We are also using Hulu to stream full episodes of upcoming shows before they air on Nippon TV. Hulu also now has access to Nippon TV’s powerful and vast reach as a media company. In Japan, terrestrial TV has a strong influence on society. As the most-watched broadcaster in the country, Nippon TV is capable of creating a significant buzz for Hulu’s popular content through its various programs. The Last Cop, an original drama

598 World Screen 10/15

that was co-produced by Nippon TV and Hulu in June, leveraged these benefits. The first episode was aired nationwide on Nippon TV’s terrestrial platform. The subsequent episodes were made available each week via Hulu. This strategy had a positive impact on viewer ratings and Hulu’s subscriber base. As for Nippon TV, we gained a fourth major platform to add to our terrestrial, broadcasting satellite and communications satellite businesses and are looking forward to growing our expertise in producing content and programming strategies that are appropriate for each. This fall, Netflix [arrived in] Japan. This is good news because it will stimulate the local VOD market. With over 1 million subscribers on Hulu, we already hold the top position in this business, but this is not a time to rest on our laurels. Our goal is to make Hulu an indispensable part of every Japanese household and have 5 million subscribers in five years. We also plan to aggressively acquire high-quality content from all over the world. TV ASIAPAC: How has the TV advertising market been? OKUBO: Although badly affected by the 2008 financial crisis, the Japanese TV ad market stabilized in 2010 and has been [flat] since then. Nippon TV’s ad sales have been gradually increasing since 2010. We attribute this to the general increase in our ratings and our ability to capture the viewership of the younger generations, which is an important target for our clients. Last fiscal year, Nippon TV beat all the other commercial broadcasters to generate the highest advertising revenues. TV ASIAPAC: What are some of the other revenue streams you are exploring, outside of advertising? OKUBO: We are aggressive about increasing our nonadvertising revenue streams. The video-streaming business, of which Hulu is a part, is a crucial arm that we will strengthen further in the coming years. Our international business also continues to grow, with many exciting developments on the horizon. Last year, we acquired TIPNESS, Japan’s most prominent chain of fitness clubs, which became the core component of our lifestyle and health-related business. Going forward, we are looking to strengthen our real estate business. TV ASIAPAC: Outside of Hulu, how are you bringing the Nippon TV brand to digital devices and platforms?

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/14/15 1:05 PM Page 1

AP_1015_OKUBO_ALT_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/15 12:17 PM Page 4

TV ASIAPAC

Matsuko-Roid is a new entertainment TV show featuring Japan’s most famous cross-dressing commentator, Matsuko Deluxe, and his life-size android.

OKUBO: We believe it is important to provide services designed for smartphones and other mobile devices, particularly to make Nippon TV even more appealing to the younger age groups. As such, we are actively taking our terrestrial TV content and making it available for internet streaming. Our past terrestrial TV programs were already available through our paid streaming service. Last year, we started a free streaming service that includes advertisements. Weekly programs are streamed shortly after the terrestrial broadcast and are available until the airing of the next episode. This service enables those who missed the terrestrial broadcast to enjoy the program later, even on their smartphone. While our goal is to stay ahead of the changing viewing habits and develop a wide array of platforms on which our content can be watched, we also remain hopeful about terrestrial TV viewership regaining traction. TV ASIAPAC: How important is the international market to your business? OKUBO: Establishing a solid presence abroad has been a crucial component of our medium-term management plan since 2012. For many years now, Nippon TV has been licensing content and formats to overseas clients. The BBC’s Dragons’ Den and ABC’s Shark Tank are [based on] a Nippon TV format. Since first airing on the BBC in 2005, the format has been remade and aired in over 25 countries and regions. What we discovered, however, is that licensing to overseas partners alone does not lead to the international recognition of the Nippon TV brand. We decided to target the Asian market first and establish our brand there. We formed a joint venture with Sony to launch GEM Asia, a channel focused on our dramas and entertainment shows for audiences in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. It is scheduled to launch in the fall of 2015 and deliver Nippon TV shows during prime time, in addition to hit programs from other Asian countries. This is a great opportunity to capture the attention of people who previously had no exposure to Japanese programs and create new fans. We plan to take full advantage of the channel’s launch and actively market the Nippon TV brand. TV ASIAPAC: Are you pursuing co-productions? OKUBO: We have a successful track record of co-productions with partners around the world, especially in Asia and Europe. For example, in 2013, we partnered with Media Prima in Malaysia to co-produce the drama The Files of Young

600 World Screen 10/15

Kindaichi: Jungle School Murder Mystery. In Thailand, we partnered with Kantalucks and MCOT to co-produce the popular entertainment show Pharaoh! In 2014, we partnered with the Media Prima Group company Primeworks to co-produce Welcome to the Railworld Japan, which was broadcast on 8TV in Malaysia. In the U.K., creators from both Sony Pictures Television and Nippon TV developed program proposals from scratch and successfully co-produced three entertainment shows titled Out of Sight, #Love and We Know What You Ate Last Night, all of which Sony is currently selling globally as formats. In Israel, we co-developed AHA! Experience with Dori Media, which went on to sell the format in places such as Vietnam. We will continue to pursue joint projects with partners from all over the world in an effort to solidify our presence and brand as a global media powerhouse. Our experience proves that co-productions are a wonderful opportunity for Nippon TV to learn the values of other countries, see their unique ways of producing content and understand their interaction with their viewers. It would be an honor for us to have more learning experiences from partners throughout the world. In Japan, Nippon TV’s content production expertise and media influence continue to be unrivaled. We look forward to more opportunities to share our strengths abroad. TV ASIAPAC: Heading into 2016 and beyond, what are the major challenges facing Nippon TV? OKUBO: With persistent low birth rates and an aging population, it is difficult to expect economic growth from Japan in the mid to long term. Meanwhile, advertising methods are becoming more diverse. We are faced with the challenge of maintaining the dominant position of TV advertising. We believe, however, that Nippon TV is in a better position than our competitors to overcome any obstacles. As the oldest commercial broadcaster in Japan with over 60 years of experience, Nippon TV’s reach and content production expertise have proven to be unparalleled. When it comes to new ventures and exploring unchartered territories, we are the boldest and most dynamic. The entire Nippon TV group boasts a culture of “convergence” that enables us to come together for new initiatives and synergize our strengths. I am confident that these qualities will allow us to thrive in the international scene as well. To stay relevant and strong, it is important to feel the pulse of the changing times and evolve accordingly, and we at Nippon TV have the skills and mindset to do just that.

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/14/15 1:01 PM Page 1

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/8/15 12:34 PM Page 1

AP_1015_CONCIO_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/15 4:59 PM Page 2

TV ASIAPAC 33

CHARO SANTOS-CONCIO ABS-CBN The Philippines is frequently cited as one of Asia’s most dynamic and fast-growing economies these days. The country’s oldest and largest media group, ABS-CBN Corporation, is positioned to take advantage of these gains with assets spread across free and pay TV, content production, radio, new-media platforms and more. At the helm of the organization as president, CEO and chief content officer is Charo Santos-Concio. She tells TV AsiaPac about her priorities for the Filipino media company, both at home and abroad. TV ASIAPAC: The Philippines is a key growth market in Asia. How is the advertising market for ABS-CBN? SANTOS-CONCIO: The advertising market for free TV is expected to grow between 5 percent and 7 percent [this year]. Our business also includes DTT, radio, regional channels, print, cable, cinema, international channels, live events, theme parks, mobile communications and our online platforms. Each of these has an advertising component with varying growth rates, with the online space showing a very promising level of growth. The ability to provide an advertising solution across all platforms is attractive to advertisers. TV ASIAPAC: You produce so much of your own content. How are you driving creativity within your studio entertainment division? SANTOS-CONCIO: We make sure that our content creators are exposed to [real-life stories] so that they capture and reflect the needs of the audiences. While creative independence is encouraged, with new ideas and new experiences shared, the key is creative collaboration between our producers and creative teams. We don’t limit ourselves to content creators for broadcast only. Our doors are open to various content creators for our other platforms. A morsel of creative genius can come from anywhere these days. TV ASIAPAC: What role does foreign content play on your freeTV assets, and how important are formats in the mix?

SANTOS-CONCIO: In a predominantly single-TV household [market] like the Philippines, offering a complete programming experience that can target the whole family is very important. The selection of foreign content is very deliberate and should be complementary to the strong local programs on ABS-CBN. Our successful local adaptations of big franchises like The Voice, Big Brother and Your Face Sounds Familiar strengthened our nationwide ratings as they offer new experiences for the whole family. They are considered event programming in our weekend prime-time grid. TV ASIAPAC: How is your pay-TV segment performing? SANTOS-CONCIO: ABS-CBN is present in the pay segment from both the content and access sides of the business. We’ve been fortunate that most of our cable channels are number one in their respective genres. Cinema One, our local movie channel, is the number one cable channel in the Philippines. Pay TV has multiple revenue streams—advertising, subscriptions and some promising early experiments with pay per view, VOD and SVOD. We are showing growth across all three streams. ABS-CBN owns the largest digital cable TV operator in the country, SkyCable. Sky is about to launch Sky Direct, a direct-to-home service which expands our nationwide coverage. Through our recently launched OTT service, Sky On Demand, bundled with SKYmobi, a wireless broadband service, subscribers can now access their cable channels onthe-go and whenever they want them. TV ASIAPAC: How are you reaching local audiences outside of the traditional TV screen? SANTOS-CONCIO: Things are definitely changing. Ubiquity is important in a fragmented landscape. We’re busy rolling out our free DTT service, while a DTH service will be launched soon. Through our online and mobile platforms, iWantv! and ABS-CBNmobile, respectively, there is now an increased awareness of video-on-demand viewing. ABS-CBN is

10/15 World Screen 603

By Mansha Daswani

AP_1015_CONCIO_DOC_0407_NIGHT 9/15/15 5:07 PM Page 3

TV ASIAPAC

ABS-CBN is boosting its business outside of the Philippines by exporting its original dramas, among them The Promise.

gaining audiences online and among smartphone users because of these two platforms. ABS-CBNmobile is now offering a groundbreaking project—an exclusive mobile movie series under the banner StarFlix. The first movie [features] well-loved stars and is helmed by a blockbuster director. We are also developing our paid OTT offerings, which we hope to launch soon. TV ASIAPAC: What is the state of the DTT transition in the Philippines? SANTOS-CONCIO: ABS-CBN has been getting ready for this digital shift for years, with our first DTT trials conducted as far back as 2005. ABS-CBN was the first to launch a DTT service in the country—TVplus launched in February 2015. Prior to the launch, only 8 out of 10 households had access to free TV. Due to limitations in analog transmission, only a little more than half of these homes receive the leading channels in clear quality. With TVplus, Filipino viewers are finally able to experience dramatically clearer images and sounds. Additionally, the TVplus DTT service offers Filipino families a further six DTTonly channels from ABS-CBN, together with access to the government’s emergency broadcast system. TV ASIAPAC: How is your international channels business performing, and what are your goals for this segment? SANTOS-CONCIO: Our global business is performing very well, with about 3 million viewers out of the 8.6 million overseas Filipinos subscribing to our service—36 percent market penetration. The bulk of our international growth will be coming from our digital platforms. Our ultimate goal is to penetrate 100 percent of the overseas Filipino market, wherein all members of this segment would use at least one ABS-CBN product or service on a regular basis. We’ve also begun expanding our audience by introducing English subtitles to our service, which is now attracting a growing non-Tagalog-speaking audience across various regions. TV ASIAPAC: And your program-sales segment? What are some of the key markets for Filipino content? SANTOS-CONCIO: Asia and Africa have remained the biggest buyers of our scripted and non-scripted content over the past

604 World Screen 10/15

ten years. Central Asia, specifically Kazakhstan, is our newest export market. We are looking to break into the Latin American market soon. TV ASIAPAC: Why do you think ABS-CBN shows resonate with audiences from other markets? SANTOS-CONCIO: Our cultures and beliefs may be diverse but the fundamentals that global audiences look for remain the same—strong love stories, family values and inspirational characters. Our dramas highlight characters that inspire and empower, and in them, people from any part of the world can see their aspirational selves. The themes of courage, perseverance, fortitude, strength of character and the ability to rise above crises and tragedy— without compromising values—are universal. TV ASIAPAC: Are you looking at format sales of your shows? SANTOS-CONCIO: The Promise was adapted by Cambodia in 2014, and we see more and more Asian countries expressing interest in format buys for our content. We have begun talks with a Latin American partner for some of our dramas, and this is especially significant for ABS-CBN, since the Philippines has been an avid consumer of Latin telenovelas for decades. TV ASIAPAC: What are your key priorities for ABS-CBN in the next 12 to 18 months? SANTOS-CONCIO: Staying relevant in a fast-changing landscape requires a lot of investment in innovation and experimentation. To that end, we’ve focused on growing the digital side of our business: digital terrestrial television, our direct-to-home platform, our mobile business as well as our online and over-thetop products, which include various apps. We are also very focused on the growth of our new multichannel network play. We are investing heavily in identifying new content creators and skills and ultimately creating new content for all these platforms—rather than just re-purposing. Understanding the changing audience also requires investment in audience research, analytics and infrastructure (both front and back of house). But while the landscape and audience may change, we are also committed to remaining true to our mission—to be of service to the Filipino.

asia_Layout 1 9/15/15 3:29 PM Page 1

Want to reach Asian buyers? &

at ATF

Contact: Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or 212-924-7620.

AP_1015__Layout 1 9/15/15 9:52 AM Page 1