ITV

Category: Casbaa

  • Casbaa welcomes Australia’s move against pay TV theft

    MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has welcomed a decision by the Australian government to criminalise the act of dishonestly accessing pay-TV services throughout Australia.

    Last month Attorney-General Philip Ruddock who represents the Australian government said, “Following a six month review by my Department, the Australian Government has decided that criminal penalties should be available against those who access Pay TV broadcasts without authorisation and payment of the subscription fee.”

    Under the new measures it will also be an offence for a pay TV subscriber to distribute a subscription broadcast to other premises or for a subscriber to use the broadcast for commercial purposes if the appropriate subscription fee has not been paid.

    Pay TV signal theft is a major concern for Australia’s pay television industry which estimates it costs the industry in excess of $50 million per year in lost revenue.

    Casbaa CEO Simon Twiston Davies says, “Australia has made a forward-looking decision on this important question. The pay-TV industry can only thrive if people who enjoy our content pay a fair price for it. This ensures that everyone across the value chain – from the cable-TV installer to the actors, athletes, musicians and news reporters who create our content – earns a fair return on their labours.”

    Casbaa says that it hopes that Australia’s decision will be replicated by other governments in the region which do not already treat pay-TV signal theft as a crime.

    Casbaa states that it believes the governance and protection of intellectual property rights will play an increasingly important role in encouraging economic growth across Asia and is already one of the criteria utilised by the international investment community to determine which markets receive foreign direct investment.

    The Association notes that while $37.5 million is estimated to be lost on an annual basis to pay-TV piracy in Australia, the figures for the rest of the region are even more startling. In Hong Kong it was $25 million in 2004; in Thailand it was a huge $141 million; in the Philippines it was $70; and in Taiwan it was $114 million.

  • CASBAA, MDA announce training programme for media professionals

    SINGAPORE: The Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) and the Media Development Authority of
    Singapore (MDA) on 17 November signed a Memorandum of Understanding to launch a new initiative by CASBAA called the CASBAA Media College early next year.

    The MOU was signed by CASBAA chairman Marcel Fenez and MDA chairman Dr Tan Chin Nam.
     
     
    According to an official release, media-specific training courses to be conducted by the CASBAA Media College will cater for young professionals employed within the broadcast media industry. It aims to groom and enhance the skills sets of existing sales and marketing executives and also to expose management executives from other functional areas to different aspects of the media industry. The programme is open to both CASBAA and non-CASBAA member organisations from Singapore and around the region. CASBAA has committed to permanently base the CASBAA Media College in Singapore.

    “Asia’s pay-TV industry is growing rapidly and with it the demand for skilled staff who understand the business. CASBAA has developed this new training programme to arm young executives with the skills and knowledge they need to become well-rounded media professionals,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO, CASBAA. “Singapore is an important media hub so it’s logical for us to base the CASBAA Media College here,” added Twiston Davies.

    “In addition to endorsing the programme, the MDA is throwing its weight behind the initiative by providing financial support to eligible participants or their sponsoring organisations under the MDA Capability Development Scheme,” said the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Lim Hock Chuan.

    “We are pleased that CASBAA has taken the initiative of implementing this training programme. The MDA is happy to support the programme as part of our drive to raise the standards and skills of media professionals here and grow
    Singapore into a vibrant global media city under the Media 21 blueprint. We intend to partner more industry players in such joint efforts to raise the standards of media practitioners and talents.”

    The CASBAA programme has been designed and will be conducted by training specialist Wayne Lotherington, the principal of Allsorts Creation, with individual modules provided by senior industry figures drawn from within the Association and directly related industries. Six media-specific modules will be covered in the programme, namely, Media Selling; Presentation; Media Negotiation; Media Leadership & Account
    Management; Strategic Thinking; and Creative Thinking. The first intake will commence in early 2004.

  • CASBAA introduces Pay-TV ad awards

    MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has launched CASBAA Pay-TV Advertising Awards to boost the pay-TV advertising market. The initiative is to honour creative excellence in multi-channel television.

    The first awards ceremony will take place on the first full day of the CASBAA Convention 2004 in Hong Kong, 26-29 October 2004.
     
     
    Awards will be given in the following categories with certificates awarded for the best in a particular sub-category:

    Creative category:

    1. Best TVC – AWARD
    Local – CERTIFICATE
    Regional – CERTIFICATE

    2. Most Creative use of Pay-TV – AWARD
    Best integrated marketing Campaign using Pay-TV CERTIFICATE
    Best Use of Sponsorship – CERTIFICATE
    Best Use of Product Placement – CERTIFICATE

    Planning category:

    3. Most effective Targeting
    Best Youth Campaign – AWARD
    Best Kids Campaign – AWARD
    Best Business/Corporate Campaign – AWARD
    Best Travel & Leisure Campaign – AWARD

    Overall:

    4. Best Campaign AWARD (best of the best) Sponsored by CNN

    5. The CASBAA Chairman’s Awards (as voted by CASBAA Membership)
     
     
    Speaking at the launch of the CASBAA Pay-TV Advertising Awards, CASBAA chairman Marcel Fenez is quoted in reports as saying, “This is a great time for our industry. We are seeing more invention, more flexibility and a greater awareness of the needs of clients, agencies and consumers than ever before. The CASBAA Pay-TV Advertising Awards will capture the moment and set new benchmarks for us all.”

    According to CASBAA Pay-TV Advertising Awards judges panel chairman Rob Sherlock, the playground of creativity is changing as fast as the media environment. “Great ideas have to permeate further and faster than ever before, finding new ways
    of exciting and igniting products and brands. Pay TV in Asia is a prime example of this change – so it’s great we can celebrate and reward its creativity and vitality,” he said.

    A distinguished panel of judges chaired by Rob Sherlock and selected from the advertising industry by Media Magazine will evaluate the applications. Entry details will be made available at www.casbaaconvention.com and www.media.com.hk.

  • Casbaa to sponsor Emmies’ regional voting

     HONG KONG: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (Casbaa) has announced it will be sponsoring the 2002 International Emmy Awards regional voting in Hong Kong for the Asian movies and mini-series category. This category, judged in Hong Kong, attracted 14 semi-finalists from across Asia and was reflected in similar voting in London, Paris and Miami.

    Hosted by Casbaa-member company Media Financial Services (MFS) and supported by Casbaa member Bloomberg Television, the International Emmys event is organised by the International Council of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The 2002 final Awards will be made in November at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, an official release says.

    “The objective of stimulating quality local programming is one of the highest priorities on the Casbaa agenda,” said Simon Twiston Davies, CEO, Casbaa. “This has been a great opportunity to work with a global body dedicated to promoting the highest standards for TV production. We are certainly proud that our organization has been invited to help select and supply judges for this prestigious event.”

    Among Casbaa member companies sitting on the judging panel were I-Cable, Star Group, TVBI, APV, Walt Disney International and Columbia Tristar Asia Pacific. Bloomberg Television in Hong Kong supplied the venue for the Hong Kong round of judging, while MFS acted as the official host.

    “This is a very important milestone for the development of television in Asia and we are delighted to be working with Casbaa on this project and hope to work them in future years,” said Michael Spiessbach, chairman of MFS.

    “We are very pleased to partner with CASBAA in what we hope is the first of many projects we initiate in Asia,” said MJ Sorenson, director of marketing and communications for the International Council. “CASBAA’s high level membership is important for us as we are seeking to grow an Asian base of broadcasters, producers and distributors.”