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  • ‘CNN-IBN is a win-win partnership’ – CNN International Managing Editor – Asia Pacific Ellana Lee

    ‘CNN-IBN is a win-win partnership’ – CNN International Managing Editor – Asia Pacific Ellana Lee

    Based at the network‘s regional headquarters in Hong Kong, Ellena Lee is one of the most dynamic and successful young executives working in Asian television. She manages the on air and online news and feature programming produced in Hong Kong, in addition to CNN‘s correspondents and newsgathering teams across ten bureaus in the Asia Pacific region that stretch from Islamabad to Tokyo.

    Some of the programming initiatives under her tenure include taking CNN‘s Asia-produced programming to Beijing, Delhi, Mumbai and Seoul for dedicated weeks of coverage. She has overseen the launch of a new weekday business program from Hong Kong, World Business Today and also managed the network‘s Talk Asia program as it has travelled across the Asia Pacific.

    Named as a Young Global Leader in 2008 by the World Economic Forum, Lee has steered CNN in the Asia Pacific to received a variety of awards, including a 2008 Peabody for the network‘s global coverage of the US presidential primary campaigns and debates and two Asian Television Awards for best news program for ‘CNN Today‘ (now renamed ‘World Report‘) and best talk show for ‘Talk Asia‘.

    In an email interview with Indiantelevision.com, Lee shared her views on the state of journalism in India, CNN‘s viewpoint and the changes she has brought in her three year tenure as managing editor.

    Excerpts:

    How do you see India as a news market? How different is it from other Asian countries? When it comes to news gathering, how different do you see India among other countries around world? Your take on the exploding media scene in India what so many news channels that have launched?

    India is a fascinating television news market thanks to the number and diversity of channels and the press freedom that the media enjoys. The Indian media is a powerful force to be reckoned with, which makes the need for responsible journalism even more necessary. Indeed, there are clearly some quality control issues regarding journalistic output while the lines between journalism and advertising have too often been blurred. From a domestic Indian perspective, the concept of news has undergone a transformation over the past five years due to key factors including the entry of private (non-governmental) players in the news space and the speed of technological innovations, so there will doubtless be many more changes ahead.

    How is CNN‘s coverage different than other international players like BBC? What is your DNA?

    Production and ownership of our content is our cornerstone and it has allowed us to expand the depth and breadth of coverage. It is very important for us that CNN provide original news to its audiences and not aggregate third party material which people can get from elsewhere. In 2009, we embarked on the biggest newsgathering expansion in our history, a multi-million dollar investment in staff and resources to bolster our world-class, award-winning journalism as well as give us the power to move swiftly into developing new business models.

    CNN also continues to evolve to meet the needs of our international audience through platforms including online, broadband, mobile and interactive television. Our strategy is to make use of most of the growing digital technologies and platforms to enhance our reach and be in continuous touch with our audience. That‘s why we offer multiple touch points for the consumer to access CNN content anytime, anywhere.

    The issue of paid news and plagiarism have been raised in the Indian media repeatedly and quite often in the recent past. Your comment?

    Journalism should always be responsible, impartial and unimpeded by any external factors, be they financial or otherwise. There have been examples of plagiarism and paid media within India which raise serious questions about the independence and objectivity of some reports.

    What is CNN‘s policy on paid news and journalistic ethics?

    We adhere to the highest standards of journalism and never compromise on journalistic ethics. We have never and will never accept any payment for any news coverage, period.

    CNN has adopted a broader perspective on global matters. Can you throw some light on the same?

    In 2009, we embarked on the biggest newsgathering expansion in our history, a multi-million dollar investment in staff and resources to bolster our award-winning journalism and give us the power to move swiftly into developing new business models. This also reflects our philosophy of “Go beyond borders”, our commitment to delivering intelligent news in a connected world where stories and people are not defined or limited by geography.
    ‘Journalism should always be responsible, impartial and unimpeded by any external factors‘

    You were promoted as managing editor of the APAC region in 2007. In the last three years, what changes have you brought in the editorial during this time?

    Rigorous editorial discussion and accountability, clarity of thought and speed of action from all our journalists. As Asia itself grows in influence, we strive to reflect its rise through smart story telling. In my short time as managing editor, we have seen explosive growth in the digital and social media sphere and so we make sure our journalists are comfortable on all platforms and work across divisions to maximize a story‘s impact.

    What about CNN‘s ambitions to go regional and local? You have CNNj in Japan, then Turkish and Korean CNN, why not in India? And if you say partnership with CNN-IBN, the editorial content is all under IBN18?

    CNN-IBN and CNN International have enjoyed a very fruitful newsgathering relationship. For our CNN-IBN audience, we are able to offer a window into key international stories such as the Chilean miners story. And in turn, CNN-IBN offers our international viewers key stories making headlines in India. It really is a win-win partnership.

    How has the tie-up with IBN18 helped CNN in India?

    CNN-IBN and CNN International have enjoyed a very fruitful relationship with respect to content sharing, helping us provide even more complete and rounded journalism from India for our global audiences.

    How will you position CNN in Indian context vis-a-vis other APAC countries?

    We don‘t ‘position‘ India or other countries. We report the stories that matter for our hundreds of millions of viewers around the world. We have bureaus in Delhi and Mumbai and are proud of our coverage from India.

    How many people you have in your Indian editorial team?

    The CNN Editorial team in India is led by New Delhi Bureau Chief, Phillip Turner. CNN boosted its presence in India with the appointment of Sara Sidner as the New Delhi-based international correspondent. Then, in 2008, as part of CNN‘s international newsgathering expansion and content ownership strategy, the network announced the opening of its editorial operation in Mumbai as well as the appointment of Mallika Kapur as the network‘s Mumbai-based international correspondent. We have dedicated newsgathering teams to support these bureaus.

    What are the plans for India, how are you going to consolidate your position?

    CNN International has a long and special relationship with India spanning more than two decades. We were the first International broadcaster to interview Dr. Manmohan Singh. Our programming in India runs the gamut from political and business news to stories that bring out the human dimension of India. For example, our coverage of the Commonwealth Games highlighted some of the problems in the preparation, while also focussing on stories which bought out a different and uniquely Indian flavour of the games for our viewers. For instance we covered how authorities were using langurs to deal with the macaque monkeys of Delhi in the run-up to the games.

    In the past, we‘ve focussed in-depth on India through special theme weeks like ‘Eye on India‘ (2004, 2005 & 2007) and ‘India Means Business‘ (2008). India is a nation with one of the youngest populations globally and we examined its youthful essence by giving a voice to ‘Generation Next.‘ In October 2010, ‘CNNGo‘ the monthly travel show on CNN International featuring a unique take on global destinations, visited Mumbai and took viewers beyond Bollywood and the bulls and bears of Dalal Street to explore some unique aspects of this vivacious city.

    Going forward we are looking at further expanding our coverage from India and continuing with our investments in technological innovations. We are also keen to work alongside the remarkable talent pool that is India‘s youth.

  • ‘Discovery identifies India as a growth market’ : Discovery Communications India SVP Rahul Johri

    ‘Discovery identifies India as a growth market’ : Discovery Communications India SVP Rahul Johri

    Discovery Communications India is readying for a major expansion to ride on India’s rapidly growing digital pay-TV environment. The roadmap includes the launch of three channels – Discovery Science, Discovery HD and Discovery Turbo.

    The existing three channels – Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Travel and Living – have built distinct brand propositions. And as the viewership pattern is shifting particularly in the non-fiction genre, Discovery hopes to capitalise.

    In an interview with Indiantelevision.com’s Ashwin Pinto, Discovery Communications India senior vice president Rahul Johri talks about the company’s growth plans.

    Excerpts:

    Having got the government nod, when are you planning to launch the three new channels?
    We are finalising the launch plans. Discovery Turbo will be India‘s first male lifestyle channel. Discovery Science will be dedicated to make science programming accessible, relevant and entertaining. Discovery HD, on the other hand, offers programming in 1080i with 5.1 surround sound, far superior to both NTSC and PAL. It lends itself perfectly to the type of rich and spectacular images that Discovery is renowned for.

    How are you going to tackle distribution?
    We have planned to launch Discovery Science and Discovery Turbo on both analogue and digital platforms. Discovery HD will be launched on the digital platform.

    Do you see niche channels gain as the digital environment grows?
    We currently have three distinct networks in India, each with immense brand equity. Digital platform, besides offering an enhanced viewing experience and an increased choice to viewers, demonstrates the real value of the brands and their unique propositions. Companies with strong bouquet of channels, be it mass or niche, will certainly stand to gain as the digital penetration goes up in India.

    Do you see the new channels broadening the audience base for infotainment?
    Viewers today are looking for distinct and credible content. We are witnessing a dramatic shift in the viewing patterns in India, especially in the non-fiction genre where our channels dominate.

    Considering that 60 per cent of India‘s population is under 30 years of age, this trend should only get amplified in the coming years. Each of our channels, existing and planned, has a distinct brand proposition and will resonate with viewers, advertisers and affiliates alike.

    There has been a lot of talk about how HD is changing the television viewing experience globally. But at the moment the infrastructure is not there to support this in India. How does this impact the launch plans for Discovery HD?
    India is witnessing a substantial increase in the sale of HD-technology TV sets. With the growth of digital delivery platforms, HD would emerge as a premium offering.

    Besides, we like to be ahead of the curve, be it in our programme offerings or production technologies.
    ‘Viewers today are looking for distinct and credible content. We are witnessing a dramatic shift in the viewing patterns in India, especially in the non-fiction genre where our channels dominate‘

    In terms of revenue where does India stack up vis-a-vis other Asian markets like Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea?
    India has a considerable viewer and advertiser base and has been identified as a growth market for Discovery.

    Do you expect revenue growth this year given the economic downturn?
    It is my belief that leaders in respective categories will be least affected. Going by the current environment, we would be able to achieve our targets.

    What are the challenges that Discovery and other players in the infotainment space face this year?
    The challenge is to continuously refresh the programming to suit the viewers‘ changing demands. At the same time you have to maintain the brand‘s core propositions.

    Last year Animal Planet re-branded itself globally with a more adult-centric focus. How has this been reflected in India?
    Animal Planet revealed its fresh brand identity last year. Its new show line-up reflects intense drama, rich humour, unexpected choices and wonders of the animal kingdom.

    In order to strengthen its prime time slots, the channel introduced two new programme bands. Masters Of The Jungle at 9 pm takes viewers to meet the most celebrated wildlife experts from around the world who have dedicated their lives to animals.

    The Hunt at 8 pm presents nature‘s predators in their raw and merciless form every night. There has been a ratings increase.

    Has the look and feel been changed to reflect the channel‘s aggression?
    The new logo, communication and content allow viewers an immersive experience. Introducing new time bands, Masters of the Jungle, The Hunt and multiple new titles like Jockeys and Animal Gladiator; the channel today offers a close-up encounter with wildlife.

    What are the major programming properties coming up on the channel?
    From this month, Animal Planet‘s new series, Stranger Among Bears, will reveal the isolated life of a teacher who has received national attention for his unique but controversial relationship with the black grizzly bears for last 20 years.

    We will launch a new series in the Master of the Jungle band – Into The Pride in which the host Dave Salmoni will land himself in the middle of a ride of lions with just a walking stick. In a remarkable story of the bond between man and animal, we will present a reunion between two young men and a 500 pound pet lion in A Lion called Christian.

    Discovery Travel and Living has completed five years in India. What progress has it made in boosting lifestyle programming in the country and serving the SEC A+ demographic?
    Discovery Travel and Living has emerged as the definitive lifestyle channel in India. Surpassing all lifestyle television benchmarks, it has continuously added new genres, bringing the finest experience to its discerning audience. Even this year, it added three new genres – music, dance and relationship.

    On the Indian programming front, it explored unique Indian lifestyle themes – wedding, travel, food, fashion and hotels. It recently premiered a new series with one of India‘s leading columnists and food writer Vir Sanghvi. And in the biggest of all shows, we will present a series on India‘s biggest superstar Shah Rukh Khan, where for the first time ever viewers will be taken into his private and exclusive world.

    Has there been any change in strategy compared to previous years?
    Our focus has been to expand the existing genres like food, travel, fashion and makeover while at the same time adding new genres like music, fitness and relationship. We strengthened our prime time offerings with two strong bands – What A Life at 9 pm and Turn It On at 10 pm. Our efforts to up the weekend offerings with Brunch on Sundays and day time properties like Chew at 1 pm presented good results.

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.
     

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.

    Has there been any change in strategy compared to previous years?
    Our focus has been to expand the existing genres like food, travel, fashion and makeover while at the same time adding new genres like music, fitness and relationship. We strengthened our prime time offerings with two strong bands – What A Life at 9 pm and Turn It On at 10 pm. Our efforts to up the weekend offerings with Brunch on Sundays and day time properties like Chew at 1 pm presented good results.

    On the advertising front, are clients more cautious in terms of committing spends?
    We value our advertisers and believe in long term associations. Just like in the past, we will continue to offer higher values to our advertisers.

  • CNN-IBN to air cookery show Secret Kitchen on 17 and 24 January

    CNN-IBN to air cookery show Secret Kitchen on 17 and 24 January

    NEW DELHI: CNN-IBN will telecast the first part of its cookery show Secret Kitchen on 17 January at 12.30 pm. The second part will be telecast on 24 January at 6.30 pm.

    Hosted by Bikramjit Ray, the two special episodes aims to showcase the finest of cuisines and history behind them across cities like Hong Kong, Belgium and Sri Lanka.

    Says IBN 18 Network editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, “Secret Kitchen, our flagship series on hidden and dying recipes, had garnered viewer interest in the previous two seasons. This two-part Secret Kitchen international season is an effort to bring to our discerning viewers the international cuisines as discovered by our host. We hope that our viewers relish the same once again.”

  • Anna Coren joins CNN’s Hong Kong news centre

    Anna Coren joins CNN’s Hong Kong news centre

    MUMBAI: News broadcaster CNN International has announced the appointment of Anna Coren to the network’s Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Hong Kong.

    Coren takes up her post following more than 10 years at broadcasters in Australia where she held a variety of positions, most recently as a presenter on The Seven Network’s ‘Today Tonight’ national current affairs program. In 2006, she served as the network’s bureau chief in Los Angeles from where she covered stories including the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Prior to joining The Seven Network, she spent four years as a reporter and presenter for The Nine Network based in Sydney.

    CNN International senior VP programming Katherine Green says, “Anna has played an integral role in coverage of some of the most significant global news stories in recent years. We’re delighted to add a journalist of her experience, depth and passion to our Hong Kong news centre and we look forward to her working as part of our award-winning team”.

  • BBC Worldwide profits up 24 per cent to £111 million

    MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide, the commercial arm of UK pubcaster the BBC, has published its Annual Review for 2006-07. Profits are up 24 per cent to £111.1 million. It recorded sales of £810.4 million including BBC Worldwide’s share of joint ventures (2005-06: £785.1m).

    The proportion of sales to outside the UK was up by five per cent year on year to 46 per cent. Investment in BBC-commissioned programmes was also up at £96.3 million from £89 million in 2005/06, with total programme investment at £103.6m.

    Highlights of the year include continued strong profits growth, healthy international sales of hit shows and formats around the world, the refreshing of the company’s wholly owned channel portfolio and laying the foundations for strong digital revenue growth.

    BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith says, “BBC Worldwide has achieved a three-fold increase in profits in the last three years. We have exceeded expectations in most of our businesses over the past 12 months, reflecting healthy returns from our new Channels business, strong TV catalogue sales and growing demand internationally for BBC formats. We are now investing to build our digital offering and strengthen our position in markets such as the US, China, India and Australia, creating one of the world’s premier content networks.”

    BBC Worldwide non-executive chairman Etienne de Villiers says, “BBC Worldwide has reached a watershed. It has proven capable of delivering against a demanding business plan with commercial efficiency; it now is poised to grow significantly with new product lines and in exciting markets.”

    BBC DG Mark Thompson says, “BBC Worldwide continues to deliver excellent returns for licence payers from the content they help fund us to make. Its success is increasingly critical to our ability to invest in original creative programming for audiences in the UK, and the company is playing major part in taking those programmes out to the rest of the world.”

    Global Channels recorded sales of £169 million and profit of £20.9 million. 28 channels are available in over 259 million homes around the world, broadcasting in 15 different languages. New BBC-branded channel portfolio was developed. These are BBC Entertainment, BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, CBeebies and BBC HD.

    BBC Entertainment replaced BBC Prime in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Malaysia. It launched in India earlier this year together with the pre-school brand, CBeebies.

    Global Channels joined forces with the distribution and ad sales teams from BBC World allowing the teams to present a single face to market for all six BBC-branded channels. UKTV, the joint venture with Virgin Media, had a good year with its Sky carriage deal being renewed, commercial audiences growing by 18 per cent and an ad sales performance above the market average.

    BBC Worldwide recorded global TV sales of £216.4 million and profit of £40.2 million. BBC Worldwide TV sales and content and production revenue broadly accounted for 38 per cent of total UK TV exports last year (compared to 32 per cent the previous year).

    The year’s most successful new titles included Doctor Who, Robin Hood, Torchwood, Life on Mars, 9/11 – The Twin Towers and Planet Earth. The latter was viewed in 95 countries and territories and grossing in excess of £22m in global sales to date.

    Sales to Europe (ex-UK) were up by 23 per cent from £46.5 million to £57.1 million, aided by a country by country analysis of market tastes and tailored sales strategy.

    Sales to the Americas were up by 17.2 per cent but profits were impacted by a high proportion of co-production deals on which BBC Worldwide makes lower margins and the US dollar weakening against sterling.

    In the rest of the world profits were up 26.9 per cent although the strong pound had some impact on results. The BBC’s first ever co-production with China was secured – Wild China with CCTV. In Australia drama was a particularly powerful revenue driver.

    The key event of the year remains BBC Showcase. This, BBC Worldwide says, is the world’s largest trade event hosted by a single distributor. In February 2007, the event boasted 600 hours of new content and attracted over 550 buyers from all over the world. BBC Worldwide’s catalogue now includes 2000 hours of programming available for digital distribution and over 220 hours of High Definition content.

    BBC Worldwide’s FM radio joint venture with Mid Day Multimedia Ltd saw the re-launch of the radio station in Mumbai, plus new stations launching in Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore.

    In the Content and Production division sales were £52.9 million. Profit was £9.5 million. Growth was driven by the success of Dancing with the Stars, a hit in over 41 countries. Existing formats continued to deliver, such as Weakest Link in France, Friends Like These and The Generation Game in South Africa, and It Takes Two and Honey We’re Killing the Kids in Australia and New Zealand.

    Just the Two of Us became the first BBC entertainment format to be licensed to a Chinese broadcaster (Hunan TV). In Australia, where it plays as It Takes Two, a second series launched in 2007. The format has also been licensed in Belgium, the Netherlands, Turkey, Russia, Croatia and the Ukraine. A joint venture deal was announced with Australian independent producer, the Freehand Group. A worldwide network of local production offices was planned. BBC Worldwide is also developing loveearth.com, a natural history portal to support the launch of Earth the movie in autumn 2007/08.

    Magazines sales were £171.3 million and the profit was £20 million. The firm says that the magazines division performed well in a flat market, growing its circulation revenues and increasing its share of advertising revenues. One in four UK adults reads a BBC title every month. The year’s best-performing magazines were Top Gear, Good Food, Doctor Who Adventures and CBeebies Weekly in terms of circulation growth. Subscriptions across portfolio now up to 650,000. International licences up to 33 across 57 territories.

    Worldwide Media, a JV with the Times of India, secured licence to publish Hello! in India in May. Magazine websites bbcgoodfood.com and radiotimes.com were improved and relaunched. Countryfile magazine will be launched later this year.

    Losses in children magazines (previously a stand-alone business) continued and the business was moved into Home Entertainment where it can benefit from the combined management expertise in publishing and licensing. Sales from merchandising licences grew to almost £9 million (highest level for five years); Doctor Who was the fastest-growing licence in the UK children’s market in 2006.

    Digital media sales were £13.9 million. The division concluded a series of video on demand (VOD), web distribution and mobile deals around the world. New VoD customers included Netflix in the US and Telstra Big Pond in Australia. Investments went into key propositions bbc.com and the commercial media player. Digital Media is now responsible for the delivery of new websites or the re-launches of existing sites across all areas of BBC Worldwide.

    A global content agreement was announced with YouTube in March. Four million videos were viewed on the BBCW channel on YouTube in its first month of operation. New mobile clients included mobile operators TU Media in Asia, Vodafone’s New Zealand network and the 3 network in Ireland. BBC Motion Gallery, which is BBC Worldwide’s TV clip sales business, announced a clip distribution deal with China’s state broadcaster, CCTV.

  • Paul Aiello named Star CEO after Guthrie exit

    Paul Aiello named Star CEO after Guthrie exit

    MUMBAI: Star has appointed Paul Aiello, currently its president, as chief executive, replacing present CEO Michelle Guthrie, who has resigned. Guthrie’s departure will be effective 1 March.

    It was only last April that Aiello was appointed president in a newly created role and put in charge of developing strategic and business directions for the pan Asian broadcaster while overseeing corporate functions including business development, strategy and implementation, Star ventures, government affairs and corporate communications.

    The position of Steve Askew, chief operating officer (Star) & president (Star Entertainment) in the new dispensation is also unclear. Askew is presently on four months’ sick leave, according to industry sources.

    Commenting on the announcement, News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch said, “Paul has done an exceptional job at Star since joining the company, leading its corporate team and overseeing its overall growth strategy. Paul’s business acumen, strong leadership and financial skills as well as in-depth knowledge of the diverse and complex media and telecommunications industries in Asia make him the ideal candidate to steer the long-term growth and success of the company.”

    Meanwhile, Star officials refused comment on reports that Star Entertainment India CEO Sameer Nair had resigned and would be joining Prannoy Roy’s NDTV. Attempts to contact Nair proved fruitless at the time of filing this report.

    When contacted, NDTV officials were quite categorical that reports of Nair’s joining the news major to head up their broadcast entertainment venture were without basis.

    Aiello’s appointment followed soon after the creation of a new, convoluted executive structure within Star wherein Steve Askew was named president of Star Entertainment in addition to COO of Star.

    The biggest news then was of course the shake up in the Indian operations wherein two units were created – Star Group and Star Entertainment – with Peter Mukerjea made CEO of Star Group India and Nair promoted from COO to CEO of Star Entertainment.

    As CEO of Star Entertainment, Nair was given the responsibility of overseeing all day-to-day operations including programming, marketing, advertising sales and distribution while pursuing growth opportunities in new media including wireless and internet.

    Nair was reporting to Askew while Mukerjea continued to report to Guthrie.

    Aiello, 42, joined Star from Morgan Stanley where he worked for more than nine years. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Aiello was vice president, mergers and acquisitions, Investment Banking Department of CS First Boston Limited, Hong Kong.

  • IPTV subscribers in Asia Pacific expected to reach 27.4 million by 2013: Frost and Sullivan report

    IPTV subscribers in Asia Pacific expected to reach 27.4 million by 2013: Frost and Sullivan report

    MUMBAI: The Frost and Sullivan research service titled Asia Pacific IPTV Market provides an in-depth analysis of IPTV scenario in 12 markets across Asia Pacific.

    The research service identifies the market demand, competitive landscape, key drivers and restraints for the IPTV market.

    Further, the study presents detailed forecast patterns for revenues and ARPU trends for various countries in Asia Pacific. In this research service, Frost and Sullivan’s expert analysts thoroughly examine the markets of Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand.

    Growth of Broadband Spurs IPTV Deployments

    Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is fast making headway across the entire Asia Pacific region. The deployment of IPTV in the region has been further hastened by the explosion of broadband in various high growth markets across Asia Pacific, even as service providers across the region have invested heavily in the network infrastructure required for offering these services.

    IPTV has generated a new revenue stream, amidst dwindling fixed line revenues, and rapid advancements in compression, transmission, and watermarking technologies have enabled more and more service providers to jump onto the IPTV bandwagon. In line with these trends, the Asia Pacific IPTV market is set for considerable growth over the forecast period, with the number of IPTV subscribers expected to increase from the existing 1,47,000 to 27.4 million by 2013.

    However, poor broadband infrastructure in key growth markets such as China, India, and the Philippines coupled with lack of quality content have restrained the growth of IPTV in the region. Furthermore, access to quality content has been a common challenge for service providers.

    The analyst of this research service said, “While partnerships with content providers and broadcasting companies go a long way in securing access rights, the cable TV providers or the IPTV market leaders already have exclusive access to this content. This arrangement makes it difficult for other service providers to scale their service to meet the users’ requirements.”

    China and India expected to be high growth ,arkets

    With respect to individual regional markets, Hong Kong is already a mature market for IPTV services, and is expected to be heading toward saturation by 2009. China and India are perceived as high growth markets for IPTV by 2009. By 2013, China along with Hong Kong is expected to contribute nearly 60 per cent of the total Asia Pacific IPTV revenues. With 47.8 million subscribers, China has the largest broadband subscriber base in Asia Pacific in 2006, out of which nearly 70 per cent are residential subscribers.

    In Australia, IPTV is entering a crucial stage in its development, moving away from a technology under trial, into full commercial deployment. While it could take another three years for IPTV to enter the growth stage, service providers’ early adoption of IPTV services and aggressive pricing strategies are expected to contribute to the success of the technology in Australia.

    Presently, IPTV is deployed in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. The service is expected to be introduced in India and the Philippines in 2007, and despite the lack of bandwidth in most markets, the demand for interactive entertainment has lured service providers to offer IPTV-based content in the form of video-on-demand (VoD) and channel-based offerings.

    Analyst further added, “As the service providers take the first few tentative steps, response from IPTV users has been positive in most markets. Service providers need to look beyond immediate revenue opportunities to understand the long-term importance of IPTV as a carrier distribution platform, over which many consumer communication and entertainment services can be offered simultaneously.”

  • ‘An outlook towards the future of Television’

    In this article, penned for Indiantelevision.com, Media e2e chief evangelist Atul Phadnis is of the view that the media landscape is changing rapidly and new distribution technologies would alter business models.

    As 2006 comes to an end, some of us, who had embarked on a new journey of creating a new thought within our industry, feel vindicated. The key changes that we had envisaged, envisioned and expected are taking place rapidly within our media & entertainment (M&E) environment. These changes are in terms of distribution platforms, newer business models, interactivity, new content formats and experimentation. This piece looks at the change catalysts and an outlook on how things would continue to develop within our space.

    End of distribution platform insulation

    Before we look at the current and future, a quick glance at the past. The history of TVs popularity among consumers can be gauged from the amount of advertising on satellite TV chasing consumers. As veteran industry folk would recall, the early 90s was all about DD when only experimental advertising monies would come onto satellite channels. In the mid-90s substantial chunks of budgets were diverted into satellite channels. By the late 90s and early 2000s, the satellite TV environment had reached a level of stability and maturity. Here’s where the story takes an interesting u-turn. The legislation changed and allowed newer distribution technologies on the scene. These new technologies ended the technology insulation that persisted in India vis-?-vis other Asian markets like Hong Kong, Korea and Japan.

    Distribution: set to change the ground rules

    Globally, whenever distribution channels explode, it sets off a chain reaction in terms of market segmentation, newer revenue opportunities, newer pricing models. The hectic activities since early 2000 to present day on laying cables, dishes, optical fibre, upgrading cable facilities, are today creating competition among satellite TV platforms such as DTH, HITS, IPTV, CAS, and even traditional cable.

     

    Creating the ‘Long Tail’

    For those who have read Chris Anderson’s book The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More (2006) would immediately associate that phenomenon with what’s happening with our television today. The Long Tail phenomenon occurs when distribution platforms become very large helping the smaller products collectively gain market share rivaling that of market leaders!

    The TV business has been growing a long tail as niche content offerings are getting acceptance in small pockets. Take the example of television news. Already, the kids channels are going the same way as the news channels. Animated, non-animated, teens, tweens, pre-teens! The good news – each of the niche segments that have been launched has shown Viewership.

    If the current trend continues and if distribution platforms get more and more addressable, one can imagine channels aimed at extremely niche communities. Surgeon’s channel, lawyers channel, chartered accountants channel to weather news channel, celeb news channel to even a Mumbai traffic channel! Considering that some of these formats exist in other economies expecting that in our environment seems fairly reasonable.

    Specialization to Segmentation

    The specialization in this industry is already segmenting the market. Groups of consumers who are watching specialist programming are extending the long tail of content. The specialist content has an impact on TV programmers and the TV production houses as resistance to experimentation could lead to certain death or marginalization. This impact should mostly be felt immediately post the universe adjustments of the TV ratings panels to latest estimates.

    Applications, on-demand

    Our environment is also critically poised to propel demand for applications that satiate this new consumer thirst for content which is typically instant and on-demand. Considering that for a bulk of Indian consumers, TV-watching emerges in the Top-5 daily activities, it’s not impossible to imagine the lengths to which consumers could go to better that experience. Gadgets like Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), Video on Demand (VoD), Personal Video Recorders (PVRs) can do exactly this if the pricing gets it right.

    Content mobility, malleability

    The consumer need for on-demand content in other Asian markets has made content both mobile and malleable. Content mobility is to do with being able to record and transfer content off television onto your phone, laptop or desktop. The last few months I have been an amazed, animated user of Bluetooth and the possibilities that emerge from being able to transfer data, music, and video from one device to another. Content malleability is something that TV, music and film companies would have to learn else the consumer is going to teach them a thing or two!

    Newer contact points via localization

    The newspaper business in the last 3 years has been growing faster on ad revenues than television. It’s done so on the back of distribution changes and reform that has resulted into micro editions. That has in turn propelled localized advertising through a slew of first time advertisers on print. The same is bound to happen to television. The only question is the timeframe. Local pizza stores, restaurants, banks, grocery and electronic retail, multiplexes would all jump in if micro-reach was possible via TV. It’s not as if all that is not possible today via local cable and regional stations. It’s possible and it’s happening. But while regional channels still score, there are questions on quality and popularity of local cable advertising.

    Branded Entertainment : winds blow stronger

    The Branded Entertainment Awards 2006 held in Mumbai have demonstrated a new industry-wide vision in this space. The promise that this specialist stream holds is that in a perpetually fragmenting media scene, TV could be used via innovation, integration and multimedia support. Activation is the powerful new word in this area and it’s expected to be initiated by regional channels. Activation would derive tremendous strength either from channels promising micro-reach or distribution platforms undertaking sampling/ contact programs. One of my recent favorites is a DTH company distributing sample set-top boxes to school children preloaded with education channels!

    Distant possibilities

    What seems to be now distant in our market but is very prevalent in the West and some parts of Asia is CGM or Consumer Generated Media (such as Blogs, and home or personal videos). This is a current rage even in the US if one is to see the popularity of sites such as YouTube. Low penetration of capture devices in India would typically see this as fairly futuristic. Having said that we are seeing news channels in India currently test this through Viewer reported stories.

    Finally in conclusion – expect key changes in television that’s bound to affect all stakeholders. These changes are expected to alter business models, revenue models as well as content formats.

    And the creatures aren’t too far away from us now. Stop! I hear the door creaking open. Wait! I can hear them growl…

  • IPTV revenues to touch $512 million in 2007: Frost & Sullivan

    IPTV revenues to touch $512 million in 2007: Frost & Sullivan

    MUMBAI: Dwindling wireline revenues, consumer demand for greater control over viewing preferences, and the explosion of broadband in various high growth markets across Asia-Pacific represent the impetus for the development of IPTV in the region.

    While service providers across Asia-Pacific have invested heavily in the network infrastructure required to offer such services, the key success factor for IPTV lies in the gamut of content that service providers are able to provide consumers.

    New analysis from global growth consulting company, Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific IPTV Market, reveals that revenues in this market – covering 12 major Asia-Pacific countries ex-Japan – is estimated to increase from $353.4 million in 2006 to $512.4 million next year. Growing at a compound annual growth rate of 37.5 per cent (2006-2013), the region’s IPTV market is forecasted to be worth $3.3 billion by end-2013.

    Frost & Sullivan senior research analyst Aravind Venkatesh says, “IPTV is the next notable wave in the consumer telecom space and service providers are planning to leverage this new technology to offer high quality interactive services to customers. While revenues from fixed-line services continue to decline, IPTV is likely to reduce churn, increase ARPU (average revenue per user) levels, and generate revenue streams in the long term.”

    IPTV is presently available in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, and is expected to be introduced in India and the Philippines in 2007. Countries like China, India and Australia are expected to be high growth markets by 2009.

    China, in particular, holds immense potential as it has the largest broadband subscriber base in Asia-Pacific. Residential subscribers constitute approximately 70 per cent of China’s 47.8 million broadband subscriber base. China together with Hong Kong, which is said to be one of the most sophisticated IPTV markets in the world, is expected to account for nearly 60 percent of the region’s IPTV revenues by end-2013.

    While initial response from end users has been positive, service providers face the challenge of procuring quality and regional content, most of which is exclusively offered by cable and satellite operators. The lack of quality content is a common problem for service providers across the region. Although partnerships with content providers and broadcasting companies aid in securing access rights, cable TV providers or IPTV market leaders already have exclusive access to the content.

    Venkatesh adds, “The lack of sufficient bandwidth and highly skewed broadband distribution are major inhibitors for the growth of IPTV in Asia-Pacific. While Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and Japan are mature markets for broadband, developing markets like China, India and Malaysia have dismally low broadband penetration.”

    The lack of bandwidth in developing markets requires the implementation of high compression codecs and watermarking technologies to achieve the expected quality of service (QoS) levels. This may however be only a short-term solution. Service providers should scale their networks rapidly to offer bandwidth-hungry applications to consumers.

  • China to have over 32 mn mobile video users in 2008

    China to have over 32 mn mobile video users in 2008

    MUMBAI: The mobile video market in China will take off in 2008, driven by interest in the Beijing Olympics. A new study from ABI Research forecasts total mobile video users at more than 32 million in 2008.

    About 27 per cent of these consumers will use broadcasting technology, and 73 per cent will use unicast streaming technology, while a number of viewers are likely to use both.

    This year the Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television (Sarft) had announced two handset-related standards. DAB is likely to be the first phase of mobile multimedia broadcasting standards development in China. DAB paves the way for upgrading to China’s proposed mobile multimedia broadcasting standard, T-DMB, a terrestrial implementation of SK Telecom’s mobile video format.

    ABI research director Jake Saunders says, “Because both standards are voluntary, there are questions surrounding their effect in the market. “It is likely that local media groups and TV stations will deploy DAB initially, and implement T-DMB at a later date. The Chinese government will give preference to a standard that will be used in the 2008 Olympics, and DAB has been listed as one of the broadcast services that will be available at the Beijing Games.

    “Although lack of content is still deemed to be a bottleneck for mobile video in mainland China, the problem will be solved in the next two years. The current content shortage is caused by the limited number of handset TV SP licenses. When more companies obtain licenses, competition will become the lubricant to drive up the market.”

    Meanwhile in Hong Kong, mobile operators are active in mobile video streaming. Their international operations backgrounds allow them to provide diversified content to users. PCCW’s experience in operating its IPTV business will boost its performance in the 3G market.

    ABI Research forecasts approximately 715,000 mobile video users in Hong Kong in 2008, of which 99 per cent will be streaming users. In Taiwan, ABI Research forecasts that there will be over 1.5 million mobile video users in 2008, with 97 per cent receiving content via streaming.