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  • India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    India to be APAC’s fourth largest online video subscription opportunity by 2023: MPA

    MUMBAI: The latest report by Media Partners Asia (MPA) predicts that by 2023, India will be Asia Pacific’s fourth-largest online video subscription opportunity after China, Australia and Japan.

    The Asia Pacific Online Video & Broadband Distribution report goes on to say that Asia Pacific’s online video revenue, comprising net ad spend and subscription fees, is expected to grow at 18 per cent CAGR, up from $21 billion in 2018 to $48 billion by 2023.

    The growth of online video subscription has been impressive in China, with fees rising from less than $850 million in 2015 to a projected $5 billion in 2018. The growth of online video subscription fees has also been strong and increasingly scalable in Australia and Japan, while meaningful opportunities are opening up in India, driven by the growth of payment infrastructure as well as investment in sports rights, local movies and series. Online video sub fees in Southeast Asia (including Hong Kong) are relatively low, at a projected $267 million in 2018. This could grow to $724 mil by 2023, driven by greater momentum in Hong Kong, Indonesia and the Philippines.

    China will account for the lion’s share of industry value, with more than 60 per cent of Asia Pacific online video revenue and more than 75 per cent of direct-to-consumer SVOD subs by 2023. After China, the largest markets by revenue in 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India, Korea and Taiwan. 

    MPA executive director Vivek Couto said,“Online video monetisation is starting to scale, supported by rising investment in premium entertainment and sports as well as the growth of broadband and digital payments. Strong digital ecosystems are emerging, especially in China while telcos are also becoming important aggregators of video services in markets such as Australia, India and Southeast Asia. Advertising is a major revenue stream for online video across the region, while subscription is also key, especially in Australia, China and Japan, and growing from a low base in India, Southeast Asia, Korea and Taiwan. Different payment models are emerging across China, India and Southeast Asia incorporating, including TVOD and shorter time commitments, freemium tiers, bundles and loyalty programs tied to a broader mix of digital services.”

    Net online video ad spend in Asia Pacific will grow from $13 billion in 2018 to $30 billion by 2023. Ex-China, this opportunity equates to more than $11 billion by 2023, versus $5 billion in 2018. YouTube and to some extent Facebook will remain dominant, with 73 per cent of online video ad spend ex-China by 2023, versus 78 per cent in 2018. The biggest online video ad markets after China by 2023 will be Japan, Australia, India and Korea. Local players will gain share with India leading the way, although Southeast Asia will lag behind.

    Online video content costs across Asia Pacific grew by 27 per cent in 2017 to reach $13 billion, with China contributing 85 per cent. Asia Pacific online video content costs will grow from $16.6 billion in 2018 to $31.5 billion by 2023, a 14 per cent CAGR, according to MPA. Ex-China, OTT video content costs will grow from $2.7 billion to $5.9 billion over 2018-23, a 16.5 per cent CAGR, with Australia, India and Japan driving momentum, followed by Korea.

    Advances in broadband will provide a significant boost to online video consumption, reach and monetisation. Mobile broadband will continue to grow, including the first flowering of 5G in North Asia and Australia post-2020, alongside a slow but steady transition to next-generation fixed broadband. Mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific ex-China will reach 80 per cent per capita by 2023 versus 57 per cent in 2018, with some of the biggest growth coming from India, Indonesia and Thailand. With China included, average mobile broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 74 per cent to 94 per cent per capita over the 2018-23 period. Average fixed broadband penetration in Asia Pacific will grow steadily from 50 per cent to 54 per cent of households over 2018-23, with the focus increasingly on upgrading networks using fibre and next-generation cable technologies.

    High level of online piracy leads the list of barriers to the growth. Apart from China, many local players are also struggling to scale in fragmented marketplaces. The top three SVOD players in a market typically have 50 per cent or more of online video subscription revenues, according to MPA analysis, leaving scope for future consolidation.

    Couto added: “We are in the early innings of an industry evolution which will require high levels of investment and strong balance sheets. For standalone players, there is no clear path to significant free cash generation in any market over the medium term, while integrated digital giants and large-scale TV players are subsidising losses for their online video services, although operational breakeven is likely in the near-to-medium term for local platforms in Australia, China, India and Japan.”

  • Tax evasion investigations drag Chinese entertainment shares down

    Tax evasion investigations drag Chinese entertainment shares down

    HANGZHOU, CHINA: The television industry in China – which is regulated by the State Administration of Radio Film & Television (Sarft) – is going through its own turmoil, regulatory restrictions aside.

    Monday saw stock of many media companies involved in production drop between six and 10 per cent. Huayi Brothers Media, Zheijan g Talent Television & Film Co,   Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication, Huawei Culture Co, Ciwen Media Co – all saw market capitalizations vanish even as the media index fell 1.3 per cent. This is a near four year low.

    The reason: the Chinese tax authorities are investigating whether the country’s media and entertainment firms are finding innovative ways to evade taxes, especially as far as payment to top talent is concerned (sounds familiar to us Indians right?)

    It all started last week when a former TV host Cui YongYuan posted  screenshots of several employment contracts (with names blacked out) on networking site Sino Weibo. He accused actors of signing dual or ying yang contracts with production studios.  Cui attacked Chinese star Fan Bingbing claiming she was given 10 million yuan (US$1.5 million) according to the contract which was shown to the tax authorities while she had signed another personal agreement wherein she was paid 50 million yuan for the same work.  Fan is based in Wuxi, Jiangsu province province of China and with the social media abuzz, the local tax authorities swing into action, pronouncing that they would investigate the tax evasion charge thoroughly.

    Local activists and researchers lauded the move as China has tried to regulate the alleged tax evasion abuse by top actors and talent in the past but has failed. The China Alliance for Radio, Film & Television had issued a circular in 2017 ordering producers to limit actors’ remuneration to no more than 40 per cent of the production costs, and that leading actors compensation should not exceed 70 per cent of total actors’ payments.

    The hue and cry around Cui and Fan, lead to a broader call for the Chinese tax authorities to investigate all  media and entertainment firms. Hence, the slump in share prices.

    Observers see good  in the tax evasion investigation. “Chinese media shares will be negatively influenced in the short term, but it’s a piece of good news in the medium to long term that film and TV stars will be more compliant about paying taxes and good film and TV producers will stand out,” said a representative of one the Chinese investment banking analysts to China Daily.

  • STB cos in India, China enhancing features, providing customised solutions, Technavio enlists top vendors

    STB cos in India, China enhancing features, providing customised solutions, Technavio enlists top vendors

    MUMBAI: The global STB market is characterised by intense competition as the market is saturated in developed countries. The market share of these players is declining because of the entry of new players. The STB companies are enhancing the features of STBs and providing customised solutions to retain their market share.

    Technavio, a technology research and advisory company, has enlisted the top five leading vendors in their recent global set-top box (STB) market report. This report also lists 45 other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during 2017–2021.

    There is a high demand for pay-per-channels used by customers who use gateways and multiscreen devices. The ongoing shift to the HD format contributes to the growth of the market. Digitisation in China, India, and Brazil contributes significantly to market growth. The ongoing shift from analogue to the digital platform in China and India has created the demand for HD STBs in these countries.

    Competitive vendor landscape: “The global STB market is characterised by intense competition as the market in developed is expected to be stagnant in future. The market is fragmented owing to the presence of a large number of small players. The entry of new players intensifies competition and reduces the profit margins of other vendors. The players are enhancing the features of STBs and providing customised solutions to retain their market share,” says Ujjwal Doshi, a lead consumer electronics research analyst from Technavio.

    The growth of the global STB market is driven by digitisation that has been taking place in developing countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, China, and India, since 2010.

    ARRIS International: ARRIS International offers STBs, digital video and IPTV distribution systems, broadband access infrastructure platforms, and associated data and voice equipment. The wide portfolio of the company offers end-to-end solutions that offer service providers a variety of choices to customize their approach to IP transition. The company focuses on expanding its product and solutions portfolio through organic development, partnerships, and acquisitions.

    Broadcom: Broadcom offers a range of consumer electronics products including STB, central office broadband access equipment, residential gateways, and stand-alone broadband access modems. Global service providers introduce new technologies and services in STBs such as HD content, transcoding, digital video recording, and increased networking capabilities.

    Pace: Pace provides technology solutions and caters to the subscription-based TV services providers and broadband industries. It offers a wide range of media servers, STB, gateways, software, optical transport and access control network solutions, and highly specialized services.

    Roku: Roku focuses on manufacturing streaming entertainment devices. The first product launched by the company was designed to secure movies from Netflix and feature them on TV with the help of the Internet. The streaming players can be connected directly to the user’s TV and grant access to movies, TV shows, games, music, and extra channels.

    Technicolor: Technicolor provides production, post-production, and distribution services to content writers, network service providers, and broadcasters. The company offers film processing, visual effects, and animation services along with the manufacture and distribution of digital video disks, Blu-ray disks, STB, and gateways.

    The emerging markets offer opportunities for growth to vendors as the developed countries have reached saturation, according to Technavio. The availability of affordable STBs fuels growth in the market.

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  • India, China focus of report on ‘bundling interactive services with IPTV content delivery’ to accentuate market

    India, China focus of report on ‘bundling interactive services with IPTV content delivery’ to accentuate market

    MUMBAI: Interactive Services are being bundled with Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) content delivery to accentuate market. QYResearchReports.com has announced the addition of a new market intelligence report, titled “Global Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) Market Research Report 2021”.

    The research provides a granular analysis of major factors shaping the consumer demand and preference in various regions such as North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, with a focus on India, Japan, and China.

    The intensifying demand for services to deliver standard or high-definition television signals over the internet in real time is a key factor driving the evolution of IPTV. The growing popularity of IPTV for streaming media to access TV channels is attributed to several distinct advantages it offers over traditional cable and satellite pay-TV services. Over the past few years, cable operators and satellite broadcasters in developing and developed channels are increasingly using IPTV to provide additional channels to their subscribers. This is a key factor accentuating the market.

    The rising demand for customizable TV content and the pressing need for improving quality of service (QoS) for content providers are key trends expected to stoke the demand for IPTV. The unique advantage of IPTV to subscribers to view programs that they want and at their convenient time is a key factor propelling the demand for IPTV in various parts of the world.

    The growing popularity of video-on-demand (VoD) and time-shifted TV is a prominent trend catalyzing the growth of the IPTV market. Recent advances made in broadband infrastructure in several developing and developed nations and the advent of robust video compression technology are key factors expected to accentuate the IPTV market.

    The ability to bundle a variety of hybrid services with IPTV services is a key factor bolstering their demand across various industries for creating targeted advertising-on-demand video (AVoD). The offering of interactive services has further boosted the IPTV market. In recent years, IPTV has offered exciting avenues for a number of telecommunication companies exploring new revenue streams to improve their profitability in developing and developed nations. The rising internet penetration in several developing economies and the rising adoption of wireless communication technologies are key trend expected to fortify the IPTV market in the foreseeable future.

    However, the lack of viable communication infrastructure in less developed regions is a key factor likely to hinder the growth of the IPTV market. Furthermore, the high cost of setting up dedicated network architecture and platforms for delivering high-quality TV over the internet is a vital factor likely to hamper the adoption in several countries.

    The need for high bandwidth requirement is also likely to hinder the demand in less developed regions. The growing popularity of OTT services in developed regions is also anticipated to negatively impact the market to an extent. Nevertheless, the prominence of wireless-based distribution networks in various developing and developed countries is a key trend expected to create lucrative avenues for market players in the coming years. In addition, the demand for premium content to be delivered over IPTV is gaining significance, thereby unlocking exciting opportunities in various regions.

    Prominent players operating in the OTT market, according to the report, include PCCW Limited, NTT Plala, Neuf Cegetel, Deutsche Telekom, BT Group plc., UTStarcom, Bharti Airtel, AT&T, Orange S.A., Verizon Communications, and China Telecommunications Corporation.

  • dentsu X India ropes in Roopam Garg as chief client officer

    dentsu X India ropes in Roopam Garg as chief client officer

    MUMBAI: dentsu X India, an integrated media specialist, part of Dentsu Aegis Network, has roped in Roopam Garg as the chief client officer (CCO).

    Garg brings with him a rich experience of 22 years across multiple markets; India, MENA, China, Vietnam, London. His diverse set of exposure spans across FMCG majors, (P&G, Coke, Reckitt Benckiser) Two Wheeler (HMSI), Cars (Tata Motors) and Durable (Samsung)

    Given his multi-market, cross category experience, Garg is adept at global best practices. He has tweaked global tools into the Indian market and has also developed strategic media approaches between consumers, brands and their market performance which was then rolled out and adopted in other global markets.

    Garg’s ability to bring multi-functional teams together to see the unified goal is summed up with his motto, “Brand Wins, We Win”.

    Divya Karani, CEO, dentsu X India said, “Roopam brings immense value to the company with his extensive experience and holistic world-view on best practices. We want to increasingly bring on board senior talent who can carry forward the learnings of seamless integrated Consumer and Brand interaction to bear on our clients’ business.”

    Garg said, “In my experience across markets, I have come to realize that it’s critical to keep it simple, actionable and measurable for the client. Media is growing in complexity and the agency of the future needs to harness deep learning to innovate relentlessly.”

    Garg will report to Karani, will be based out of Delhi.

  • MPA: India & China power APAC ad rev, ads in largest medium TV still robust

    MUMBAI: Global media research and consulting firm Media Partners Asia’s findings in “Asia Pacific Advertising Trends” indicate that net advertising revenues in Asia Pacific, measured after discounts across 14 markets, were up by 6.8 per cent in 2016 to reach ~$ 170 billion (€160bn), compared with an 8.5 per cent expansion in 2015.

    Ad spend across these markets will increase by a further 6.4 per cent in 2017, and at a 4.9 per cent CAGR between 2017 and 2022, according to MPA forecast. This follows a 7.6 per cent CAGR between 2012 and 2017, Advanced Television reported.

    India is on path to become the third largest advertising market across the Asia-Pacific region, after China and Japan to touch $17.1 billion by 2022 from the existing 9.2 billion in 2017, according to the report. India is poised to replace Australia which may touch $13.2 billion by 2022 from $11.8 billion in 2017, added from the report.

    MPA executive director Vivek Couto said that future growth was becoming more challenged, as markets mature and working populations stagnate or decline. “This leaves China and India as the main dynamos of advertising growth.”

    India is likely to become Asia Pacific’s best performing ad market over the next five years, with net ad revenue expanding at a 13.1 per cent CAGR between 2017 and 2022. This will help India overtake Australia to become the region’s third largest ad market by 2022, after China and Japan. Australia will fall to fourth place, while Korea will remain in fifth.

    India, forecast to enjoy the fastest growth over the next five years, will see net ad revenue expanding to $17.1 billion by 2022, up from $9.2 billion in 2017. For Australia, another mature market, net ad revenue will rise to $13.2 billion by 2022, from $11.8 billion in 2017. Despite slow growth, Korea will hold onto its position as Asia Pacific’s fifth largest ad market, with net ad revenue touching $9.7 billion by 2022, up from $9.0 billion in 2017.

    That momentum will make the Philippines the second-fastest growing ad market after India, among the 14 Asia Pacific markets measured by MPA. Thailand follows as the third quickest, with a 6.8 per cent CAGR forecast for 2017 to 2022. Next is Indonesia, projected to notch up a 6.2 per cent CAGR over the same period.

    “Domestic demand is stabilising across key Asian economies, helping boost consumption, which is encouraging for advertising expenditure,” Couto said. “External demand is also improving, as exports reach new highs in a number of markets, but activity may decelerate significantly in 2H 2017. In general, economic growth is slowing down, although among growth markets, China, India, Indonesia and the Philippines remain strong. Among mature markets, Japan is proving to be somewhat resilient and robust.”

    Internet advertising continues to grow at a red-hot pace, climbing 20.8 per cent in 2016 across the 14 markets in MPA’s report to reach $66 billion. In 2016, the internet was the biggest medium for advertising in Australia, China, Korea, New Zealand and Taiwan. MPA expects that by 2022, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore will join their ranks.

    Television advertising remains robust in many territories, especially in India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. However, net TV ad spend as a whole slightly contracted in 2016, by 0.5 per cent across the 14 markets surveyed by MPA. Free-to-air TV ad revenues are becoming weaker in Australia and Korea among larger markets, and in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore among smaller markets.

    Nonetheless, TV will still be the largest ad medium in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam by 2022. At the same time, the internet will also become the second-largest ad medium in these geographies over the next five years. The biggest swings will take place in Southeast Asia, as mobile and video advertising drive internet ad spends to new heights.

    “Consumers are spending more time on mobile, social and online video platforms, driving demand for internet advertising,” Couto notes. “In most places, Google, including YouTube, and Facebook are dominant. In some markets however, especially in India, Japan and Korea, local digital players, as well as key incumbents in TV and print, are beginning to grab a bigger slice of the pie. China, meanwhile, is entirely dominated by a local ecosystem.”

  • Netflix originals may get mobile-specific cuts

    MUMBAI: Video streaming service Netflix plans to explore streaming mobile-specific cuts of its original movies and TV shows. With this plan, the platform’s chief product officer Neil Hunt wants to satisfy the growing audience of mobile Netflix watchers.

    “It’s not inconceivable that you could take a master [version] and make a different cut for mobile. To date, Netflix hasn’t been delivering different cuts for different viewing platforms, but it’s something we will explore over the next few years,” said Hunt.

    With small screens getting even smaller, the idea is to create versions that offer alternate shots, scenes and framing in order to make the most of the device the content is being streamed on.

    Hunt made the remarks as part of a two-day event at Dolby Laboratories and Netflix’s own headquarters, as the two companies gear up for the launch of Iron Fist, which launches this weekend.

    Netflix is now available globally, with the exception of a few markets, including China, and since then it has seen mobile usage soar. In established markets like the US and Canada, most Netflix watching still happens on TVs. Hunt added that Netflix’s expansion to over 190 countries across the globe now means that mobile screens are the majority consumption device.

  • Corning uses Micromax Vdeo to narrate tough dabbawalas’ story

    MUMBAI: Corning Gorilla Glass has unveiled a global marketing communications campaign, Incredibly Tough, highlighting incredibly tough people, doing incredibly tough things using devices that are equally tough. The campaign will be promoted across social media channels, on regional online TV platforms and through multiple language influencers including Marathi.

    The Incredibly Tough campaign highlights stories of extraordinary people using devices that feature Corning Gorilla Glass in some of the toughest ways imaginable, including a parkour athlete training and taking on tough city streets; an adventurer trekking one of China toughest roads and, in India, the incredibly tough Dabbawalas of Mumbai.

    Corning Gorilla Glass has been used on nearly five billion devices worldwide, including more than 1,800 product models across 40 major brands.

    In India, the campaign kicked off with an online story based on Mumbai’s Dabbawalas. Done in collaboration with Micromax’s new Vdeo series for the value segment, the Incredibly Tough Dabbawala story begins with the Dabbawala’s morning early on a working day, sees him travel across Mumbai, collect, deliver and re-collect the lunch boxes before heading home on Mumbai’s local trains where he uses his phone to send messages to his family and watch a video clip. The featured Dabbawala comments on the importance of his device and how technology has changed how they work every day.

    This real-life story accentuates Corning research in India that highlighted the importance of a mobile phone to consumers. In a recent poll, nearly 58% of consumers polled in India said that their smartphone is the most expensive thing that they carry with them daily, and their single biggest worry is damaging their device.

    The campaign includes promotion of the video, development of a microsite dedicated to the Dabbawalas and other marketing assets to highlight the lives of a Mumbai institution. Uniquely for the Dabbawalas, the promotion will be featured in India, the United States and China.

  • Smartphone chip market to be worth US$ 5bn by ’22: Report

    MUMBAI: GNSS Chip Market is estimated to be worth US$ 5.22 billion by 2022. Some of the factors driving the growth of the GNSS chip market include the high penetration of electronic, wearable, and connecting devices; increasing demand for accurate and real-time data; rising demand for high-speed Internet and network coverage such as 4G/5G; and growing popularity of IoT.

    According to a new market research report, “GNSS Chip Market by Devices (Smartphones, In-Vehicle Systems, Tablets, Personal Navigation), Application (Location-Based Services, Navigation, Telematics, Surveying, Mapping, Timing & Synchronization), Vertical and Geography – Global Forecast to 2022,” published by MarketsandMarkets, the market, also covering India, is expected to be expanding at a CAGR of 7.9 per cent between 2016 and 2022.

    The key players operating in the GNSS chip market include Qualcomm Incorporated (U.S.), STMicroelectronics N.V. (Switzerland), Intel Corporation (U.S.), Mediatek Inc. (Taiwan), U-Blox Holdings AG (Switzerland), Broadcom Corporation (U.S.), Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (Japan), Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (U.S.), Quectel Wireless Solutions Co., Ltd. (China), and Navika Electronics (India).

    “Smartphones to hold the largest size of the overall GNSS chip market”

    Smartphones held the largest size of the GNSS chip market in 2015. GNSS chips in smartphones are used for applications such as location-based services (LBS), online games, and mobile geographic information systems (GISs), among others. Smartphones are expected to hold the largest size of the GNSS chip market during the forecast period due to the increasing demand in developing countries and the need for real-time information pertaining to the exact location of vehicles, individuals, and other assets. With the growing demand for smartphones, personal navigation devices, , and tablets, among others, are now equipped with GPS/GNSS receiver chips and navigation software to enable the users to navigate from one place to other. Due to the miniaturization of smartphones, the demand for GNSS chips is increasing. Also, the miniaturization of GNSS chips enables the chips to get integrated in small as well highly sensitive devices.

    “Location-based services (LBS) to hold the largest share of GNSS”

    The LBS application is expected to dominate the global GNSS chip market between 2016 and 2022. LBS are the most widely used applications in various devices such as smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, in-vehicle systems, and personal navigation devices. In addition, technological innovations and miniaturization of electronic devices have led to the increased demand for GNSS chips for consumer electronics products such as tablets, smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras, among others. LBS, on the basis of application, can be categorized into mapping, discovery and infotainment, emergency support and disaster management, leisure and social networking, location-based advertising, location-based games and augmented reality, and tracking, among others. All the aforementioned factors are driving the growth of the market for location-based services.

    “APAC GNSS chip market expected to grow at a high rate”

    APAC is expected to be the fastest-growing market for GNSS chip during the forecast period. This market growth can be attributed to the growth in the construction industry and the development of the transportation infrastructure in this region. The major factors responsible for the growth of these sectors include the rapid urbanisation and growing population. The construction industry in APAC would continue to account for the largest share of the GNSS chip market in the coming years. Due to the increasing adoption of IoT and portable consumer electronics devices in countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea, the GNSS chip market in
    APAC is expected to grow at a high rate.

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  • Biswas new ESPN head – southeast Asia; Cooke expands role

    Biswas new ESPN head – southeast Asia; Cooke expands role

    MUMBAI: ESPN has added to and newly aligned its leadership team in the region to manage its expanding position in the region.

    Joyee Biswas has joined the sports media leader as the new head of Southeast Asia. Biswas will be based in ESPN’s offices in Singapore and report to Mike Morrison, vice president and managing director, ESPN APAC, based in Shanghai.

    Prior to joining ESPN, Biswas was managing director, Asia for Eleven Sports Network. He previously headed up sports content for Singtel TV as well as content acquisition and management for Fox International Channels and ESPN Star Sports.

    Additionally, Kelly Cooke will take on the expanded role of general manager, ESPN North Asia. Based n Hong Kong, Cooke will be responsible for helping manage ESPN’s long-term collaboration with Tencent in China, as well as the growth of partnerships, media distribution, ad sales, digital – focusing on China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

    In addition to Biswas and Cooke, ESPN has made additional personnel moves recently to align with its growing business.

    In support of ESPN’s relationship with Tencent, the company produces and delivers both original and adapted content such as video and coverage of sports including the NBA, global football and more. To provide focused oversight and coordination of that, ESPN has tapped Bowen Dou and Michael Huang to take on important new roles.

    Dou takes on the role of coordinating producer, international production. Based in ESPN’s Bristol, CT, USA headquarters and working closely with teams at both ESPN and Tencent. Dou will lead the coordination of all video production supporting the Tencent relationship, including original Chinese-language video such as “ESPN On Court” NBA content, original studio programming and other video production and adaption.

    Huang takes on the expanded role of deputy editor, ESPN Digital & Print Media. He will work in close coordination with ESPN’s worldwide digital and television editorial teams, leading a team focused on the creation and adaption of sports news and information content for the ESPN section on QQ.com, as well as identifying and telling sports stories originating in China that have resonance in other parts of the world.

    Marc Mallett, will now lead ESPN’s advertising efforts across Asia as the new Director of Sponsorship and Ad Sales, ESPN APAC. Based in Singapore, he will be focused on identifying new sales opportunities and clients, as well as the development of compelling advertising solutions for clients and agencies – like its ongoing TCL campaign – which leverage ESPN’s distinct content creation capability.

    ESPN Australia and New Zealand vice president and general manager Haydn Arndt continues to lead ESPN’s dynamic multiplatform business in Australia and New Zealand, as it sets viewership records on television and has established a digital leadership position.
    ESPN India and South Asia head and vice president Ramesh Kumar continues to manage and grow ESPN’s business in India and the subcontinent, including the Sony ESPN collaboration, as well as leading the ESPNcricinfo business globally.

    “These moves ensure that we have an outstanding and innovative ESPN leadership team in place to continue our growth in the APAC region,” said Morrison. “It’s an exciting time for ESPN in the region, with ground-breaking collaborations in China and India, a thriving multimedia business in Australia and New Zealand, further expansion and localization of the world’s leading digital sports business and continued exploration of new business opportunities in Southeast and North Asia.”