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Tag: Southeast Asia

  • Xaxis names Arshan Saha APAC president

    Xaxis names Arshan Saha APAC president

    MUMBAI: Xaxis the world’s largest programmatic media and technology platform, today announced the promotion of ArshanSaha to President, Asia Pacific (APAC). Saha was previously Vice President, South and Southeast Asia. As one of the founding members of Xaxis APAC, Saha helped established offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and India.

    “Arshan has played an integral role in establishing Xaxis as the programmatic advertising platform of choice in Asia Pacific,” said Xaxis global president Nicolas Bidon. “He has done an incredible job of expanding Xaxis’ programmatic footprint and building the region’s business with great management skills, passion for our clients’ success and knowledge of the industry. I look forward to his continued leadership as APAC President.”

    “The tremendous success and growth of Xaxis has culminated in the creation of [m]PLATFORM which we are looking forward to roll out across APAC. Arshan has played a significant role in this success with his ability to understand and navigate clients and publishers in the region. I cannot think of a better candidate to take Xaxis APAC to the next level”, says [m]PLATFORM.
    APAC president Michel De Rijk.

    Over the last 4.5 years at Xaxis, Arshan’s leadership included full charge of all seven markets’ P&Ls, as well as growing the businesses 20-fold within a short span of three years. Prior to joining Xaxis in 2012, Arshan served as Regional Director for Southeast Asia at Innity Corp. where he played a critical role in establishing the company as the leading media network in the region. Arshan’s portfolio included over 300 clients across multiple industries, an array of large to mid-sized publishers, as well as technology vendors across APAC, driving best-in-class -advertising technology and innovation. He was also most recently voted as Campaign Asia’s 40 under 40 most talented individuals in Asia.

    “I am incredibly honored to lead our team of committed programmatic experts here in APAC. As leaders, we will continue to set standards and drive the industry forward with our proprietary technology and unique data so the entire ecosystem is able to benefit from measurable value.” said Arshan “It’s a very exciting time as clients are demanding empowerment and guarantees to be able to navigate through the programmatic landscape whilst at the other end of the spectrum we have a consumer who is seeking relevance and personalization.”

  • Xaxis names Arshan Saha APAC president

    Xaxis names Arshan Saha APAC president

    MUMBAI: Xaxis the world’s largest programmatic media and technology platform, today announced the promotion of ArshanSaha to President, Asia Pacific (APAC). Saha was previously Vice President, South and Southeast Asia. As one of the founding members of Xaxis APAC, Saha helped established offices in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and India.

    “Arshan has played an integral role in establishing Xaxis as the programmatic advertising platform of choice in Asia Pacific,” said Xaxis global president Nicolas Bidon. “He has done an incredible job of expanding Xaxis’ programmatic footprint and building the region’s business with great management skills, passion for our clients’ success and knowledge of the industry. I look forward to his continued leadership as APAC President.”

    “The tremendous success and growth of Xaxis has culminated in the creation of [m]PLATFORM which we are looking forward to roll out across APAC. Arshan has played a significant role in this success with his ability to understand and navigate clients and publishers in the region. I cannot think of a better candidate to take Xaxis APAC to the next level”, says [m]PLATFORM.
    APAC president Michel De Rijk.

    Over the last 4.5 years at Xaxis, Arshan’s leadership included full charge of all seven markets’ P&Ls, as well as growing the businesses 20-fold within a short span of three years. Prior to joining Xaxis in 2012, Arshan served as Regional Director for Southeast Asia at Innity Corp. where he played a critical role in establishing the company as the leading media network in the region. Arshan’s portfolio included over 300 clients across multiple industries, an array of large to mid-sized publishers, as well as technology vendors across APAC, driving best-in-class -advertising technology and innovation. He was also most recently voted as Campaign Asia’s 40 under 40 most talented individuals in Asia.

    “I am incredibly honored to lead our team of committed programmatic experts here in APAC. As leaders, we will continue to set standards and drive the industry forward with our proprietary technology and unique data so the entire ecosystem is able to benefit from measurable value.” said Arshan “It’s a very exciting time as clients are demanding empowerment and guarantees to be able to navigate through the programmatic landscape whilst at the other end of the spectrum we have a consumer who is seeking relevance and personalization.”

  • CNN, EBS & Discovery buy factual programmes from Bomanbridge

    CNN, EBS & Discovery buy factual programmes from Bomanbridge

    MUMBAI: Bomanbridge Media, a Singapore-based content distribution and production agency , has announced sale of several significant factual programmes in the Asian region, including deals with Discovery Asia, EBS South Korea, and CNN Southeast Asia.

    Discovery Asia acquired multiple titles including Hippo Supremacy, which documents a mother hippopotamus who risks her safety to protect her struggling baby from the danger-filled waters of the Luagwa river, and River Battlefront, where the hippopotamus and the Nile crocodile share a home in East Africa, fighting for their survival. Other wildlife titles acquired by Discovery Asia include Tanzania’s Best Kept Secrets, Crocs of Katuma, and Fawn Identity.

    South Korea’s EBS acquired Strip the Cosmo, which uses stunning CGI animation to strip planets, moons, black holes, stars and galaxies – layer by layer – to solve key mysteries surrounding the origin and destiny of the universe, Messiah at the Foundling Hospital, one-hour drama documentary which recreates the first performance of Messiah at London’s Foundling Hospital in 1750, Raccoons – The New European, Drain the Bermuda Triangle, and Drain the Titanic.

    On top of Drain the Titanic, CNN Southeast Asia also took Cobra Mafia, Creative Killers, and People’s Health, a six-hour series that looks at how people in Thailand, China, United Kingdom, Brazil, Istanbul, and Turkey cope with some of the major health issues the world face today.

    “Bomanbridge is the preeminent distributor in Asia of quality factual programming from around the globe. We represent first-rate production companies with award-winning documentaries and factual shows including gripping wildlife series; intriguing exploration and inspiring musical docs. Bomanbridge is also in a robust acquisition phase and look forward to acquiring even more premium factual programs for our library,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.

  • CNN, EBS & Discovery buy factual programmes from Bomanbridge

    CNN, EBS & Discovery buy factual programmes from Bomanbridge

    MUMBAI: Bomanbridge Media, a Singapore-based content distribution and production agency , has announced sale of several significant factual programmes in the Asian region, including deals with Discovery Asia, EBS South Korea, and CNN Southeast Asia.

    Discovery Asia acquired multiple titles including Hippo Supremacy, which documents a mother hippopotamus who risks her safety to protect her struggling baby from the danger-filled waters of the Luagwa river, and River Battlefront, where the hippopotamus and the Nile crocodile share a home in East Africa, fighting for their survival. Other wildlife titles acquired by Discovery Asia include Tanzania’s Best Kept Secrets, Crocs of Katuma, and Fawn Identity.

    South Korea’s EBS acquired Strip the Cosmo, which uses stunning CGI animation to strip planets, moons, black holes, stars and galaxies – layer by layer – to solve key mysteries surrounding the origin and destiny of the universe, Messiah at the Foundling Hospital, one-hour drama documentary which recreates the first performance of Messiah at London’s Foundling Hospital in 1750, Raccoons – The New European, Drain the Bermuda Triangle, and Drain the Titanic.

    On top of Drain the Titanic, CNN Southeast Asia also took Cobra Mafia, Creative Killers, and People’s Health, a six-hour series that looks at how people in Thailand, China, United Kingdom, Brazil, Istanbul, and Turkey cope with some of the major health issues the world face today.

    “Bomanbridge is the preeminent distributor in Asia of quality factual programming from around the globe. We represent first-rate production companies with award-winning documentaries and factual shows including gripping wildlife series; intriguing exploration and inspiring musical docs. Bomanbridge is also in a robust acquisition phase and look forward to acquiring even more premium factual programs for our library,” said Bomanbridge Media CEO Sonia Fleck.

  • MPA: APAC pay TV growth to slowdown 2016-2025

    MPA: APAC pay TV growth to slowdown 2016-2025

    MUMBAI: Slowdown. After years of dizzying speedy growth, the Asia-Pacific pay-TV industry is expected to grow at a very sedate average 5.8 per cent annually between 2016 and 2021, says leading industry analyst Media Partners Asia (MPA in its new report Asia Pacific Pay-TV & Broadband Markets, published today.

    MPA projects pay-TV industry sales across 18 major markets in APAC to climb from $54 billion in 2016 to US$72 billion by 2021, rising thereafter to US $81 billion by 2025. The pace of pay-TV subscriber and revenue growth is slowing however, weakened by an economic slowdown and increasing competition from both legal and illegal alternatives. Pay-TV subscriber growth has declined or substantially decelerated in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in particular.

    At the same time however, India and Korea remain two of the region’s largest and most scalable pay-TV opportunities. Revenue growth will also accelerate in Australia and the Philippines, largely thanks to subscriber growth.

    However, MPA analysts have lowered subscriber growth forecasts across much of Southeast Asia, especially for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, although ARPU (average revenue per user) should remain resilient in both Malaysia and Singapore.

    The pay-TV industry in China, meanwhile, remains the largest in the region and is becoming increasingly digitalized. Pay-TV growth opportunities for broadcasters are limited however, due to increasing regulation as well as competition from free and paid online video services.

    Elsewhere in the region, subscription-based video-on-demand (SVOD) services have had a negligible impact on pay-TV so far, despite the global launch of Netflix earlier this year, in addition to increasing competition among lower-priced regional and local SVOD services.

    Most pay-TV subscribers downgrading or canceling pay-TV services are moving instead to illegal services, as well as to free, ad-supported options across both TV and online video.

    At the same time, more pay-TV operators are rolling out connected set-top boxes that can incorporate OTT video services. In addition, some operators (telcos in particular) are aggressively hard-bundling video content, including pay-TV channels, with high-speed broadband. This is helping drive subscriber growth, especially in a number of Southeast Asian markets.

    Commenting on the report, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said:

    “Pay-TV providers are increasingly focused on repackaging and re-pricing both linear and on-demand services. Local and regional Asian programming is also becoming increasingly important. At the same time, sports, kids, infotainment and Hollywood movies will remain mainstays of the pay-TV bundle, although channels offering Hollywood TV series are being disrupted by both legal and illegal OTT. Few pay-TV operators have been able to capture or monetize large-scale online video viewing so far, although early results in Hong Kong and Korea are encouraging. The goal is driving the next cycle of customer growth and consumer spend. Pay-TV user interfaces and data analytics are improving, although often too slowly to effectively compete with legal and illegal OTT rivals. Increasingly, viable pay-TV operators will become drivers and targets for M&A and consolidation, as the worlds of pay-TV, broadband and OTT collide and converge in the wider context of media and telecoms.”

    Ex-China, which remains a utility-oriented and highly regulated pay-TV market, Asia Pacific added 9.6 million net new pay-TV customers last year, the slowest pace of growth since 1997-98. MPA analysts project a spike to 10.4 million net additions ex-China this year, driven by government-mandated cable digitalization in India. Subscriber growth should decelerate again from next year onwards, moderating to between 4 million to 8 million net adds per annum between 2018 and 2022.

    Including China, MPA sees total pay-TV subscribers in Asia Pacific growing from 567 million in 2016 to 764 million by 2025. Adjusted for multiple connections in a household, pay-TV penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 55 per cent of TV households in 2016 to 61 per cent by 2025.

    Digital pay-TV penetration in Asia Pacific will increase from 80 per cent of pay-TV subs in 2016 to 91 per cent by 2025, as pay-TV networks in most markets go 90-100 per cent digital, with the exception of India (70 per cent) and Pakistan (32 per cent) in the 18 markets covered in the report. HD penetration of digital pay-TV subs in Asia Pacific will grow from 30 per cent in 2016 to 46 per cent in 2025.

    The fastest growing segment within the Asia Pacific pay-TV industry over 2016-21 will be value-added services (VAS), driven by VOD, as revenues climb at an 11 per cent CAGR over the next five years. Australia, China, Japan and Korea will be the biggest markets for VOD revenue growth. Malaysia will lead amongst smaller markets.

    In standout pay-TV markets such as India and Korea, pay-TV subscription revenue growth will be driven by high volumes and a level of ARPU upside (partially offset by price competition). Higher yields will also boost subscription revenue growth in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

    Pay-TV advertising will expand from US$11.6 billion in spend in 2016 to US$16.2 billion by 2021, with growth driven by markets with high levels of pay-TV penetration such as India and Korea, along with China. Meanwhile, pay-TV ad spend in Australia, Japan and Taiwan will remain material, although growth in each of these markets will soften. Malaysia and the Philippines will remain the standout markets for pay-TV advertising in Southeast Asia.

  • MPA: APAC pay TV growth to slowdown 2016-2025

    MPA: APAC pay TV growth to slowdown 2016-2025

    MUMBAI: Slowdown. After years of dizzying speedy growth, the Asia-Pacific pay-TV industry is expected to grow at a very sedate average 5.8 per cent annually between 2016 and 2021, says leading industry analyst Media Partners Asia (MPA in its new report Asia Pacific Pay-TV & Broadband Markets, published today.

    MPA projects pay-TV industry sales across 18 major markets in APAC to climb from $54 billion in 2016 to US$72 billion by 2021, rising thereafter to US $81 billion by 2025. The pace of pay-TV subscriber and revenue growth is slowing however, weakened by an economic slowdown and increasing competition from both legal and illegal alternatives. Pay-TV subscriber growth has declined or substantially decelerated in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in particular.

    At the same time however, India and Korea remain two of the region’s largest and most scalable pay-TV opportunities. Revenue growth will also accelerate in Australia and the Philippines, largely thanks to subscriber growth.

    However, MPA analysts have lowered subscriber growth forecasts across much of Southeast Asia, especially for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, although ARPU (average revenue per user) should remain resilient in both Malaysia and Singapore.

    The pay-TV industry in China, meanwhile, remains the largest in the region and is becoming increasingly digitalized. Pay-TV growth opportunities for broadcasters are limited however, due to increasing regulation as well as competition from free and paid online video services.

    Elsewhere in the region, subscription-based video-on-demand (SVOD) services have had a negligible impact on pay-TV so far, despite the global launch of Netflix earlier this year, in addition to increasing competition among lower-priced regional and local SVOD services.

    Most pay-TV subscribers downgrading or canceling pay-TV services are moving instead to illegal services, as well as to free, ad-supported options across both TV and online video.

    At the same time, more pay-TV operators are rolling out connected set-top boxes that can incorporate OTT video services. In addition, some operators (telcos in particular) are aggressively hard-bundling video content, including pay-TV channels, with high-speed broadband. This is helping drive subscriber growth, especially in a number of Southeast Asian markets.

    Commenting on the report, MPA executive director Vivek Couto said:

    “Pay-TV providers are increasingly focused on repackaging and re-pricing both linear and on-demand services. Local and regional Asian programming is also becoming increasingly important. At the same time, sports, kids, infotainment and Hollywood movies will remain mainstays of the pay-TV bundle, although channels offering Hollywood TV series are being disrupted by both legal and illegal OTT. Few pay-TV operators have been able to capture or monetize large-scale online video viewing so far, although early results in Hong Kong and Korea are encouraging. The goal is driving the next cycle of customer growth and consumer spend. Pay-TV user interfaces and data analytics are improving, although often too slowly to effectively compete with legal and illegal OTT rivals. Increasingly, viable pay-TV operators will become drivers and targets for M&A and consolidation, as the worlds of pay-TV, broadband and OTT collide and converge in the wider context of media and telecoms.”

    Ex-China, which remains a utility-oriented and highly regulated pay-TV market, Asia Pacific added 9.6 million net new pay-TV customers last year, the slowest pace of growth since 1997-98. MPA analysts project a spike to 10.4 million net additions ex-China this year, driven by government-mandated cable digitalization in India. Subscriber growth should decelerate again from next year onwards, moderating to between 4 million to 8 million net adds per annum between 2018 and 2022.

    Including China, MPA sees total pay-TV subscribers in Asia Pacific growing from 567 million in 2016 to 764 million by 2025. Adjusted for multiple connections in a household, pay-TV penetration in Asia Pacific will grow from 55 per cent of TV households in 2016 to 61 per cent by 2025.

    Digital pay-TV penetration in Asia Pacific will increase from 80 per cent of pay-TV subs in 2016 to 91 per cent by 2025, as pay-TV networks in most markets go 90-100 per cent digital, with the exception of India (70 per cent) and Pakistan (32 per cent) in the 18 markets covered in the report. HD penetration of digital pay-TV subs in Asia Pacific will grow from 30 per cent in 2016 to 46 per cent in 2025.

    The fastest growing segment within the Asia Pacific pay-TV industry over 2016-21 will be value-added services (VAS), driven by VOD, as revenues climb at an 11 per cent CAGR over the next five years. Australia, China, Japan and Korea will be the biggest markets for VOD revenue growth. Malaysia will lead amongst smaller markets.

    In standout pay-TV markets such as India and Korea, pay-TV subscription revenue growth will be driven by high volumes and a level of ARPU upside (partially offset by price competition). Higher yields will also boost subscription revenue growth in Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

    Pay-TV advertising will expand from US$11.6 billion in spend in 2016 to US$16.2 billion by 2021, with growth driven by markets with high levels of pay-TV penetration such as India and Korea, along with China. Meanwhile, pay-TV ad spend in Australia, Japan and Taiwan will remain material, although growth in each of these markets will soften. Malaysia and the Philippines will remain the standout markets for pay-TV advertising in Southeast Asia.

  • Starcom names Sujatha Maniya as talent management head for SE Asia

    Starcom names Sujatha Maniya as talent management head for SE Asia

    MUMBAI: Starcom Mediavest Group has appointed Sujatha Maniya as talent management head for Southeast Asia.

     

    She replaces Tang Seok Hian, talent management lead for SEA, who left to be a consultant.

     

    Maniya will report into Starcom Mediavest Group Southeast Asia CEO and VivaKi country chair Jeffrey Seah. Her responsibilities include the development of strategic HR business plans, talent management and change management.

     

    Maniya said, “Human Resource as a business practice is in a powerful position to influence business success in 2016, especially as organisational changes and shifting priorities continue to increase in complexity, frequency and scope. Organisations need to apply several strategies to prepare for and more effectively adjust during continuous change and at the core of those strategies are the HR business partners. HRBP’s who improve their skills, maintain partnerships and confidently and competently manage projects they lead, can make these changes, successful realties in their organisations.”

     

    Seah added, “Culture, employer branding and industry outreach become key priorities for HR as each company competes in the space of talent attraction and acquisition. This means that most HR, if not all, will need to sell better, seal strategic partnerships with key players in the industry, and manage talent communities. HR, or organisation coaches as they are, will become a key enabler to help companies future-proof their businesses.”

  • Zirca Digital Solutions eyes expansion in SE & North Asia

    Zirca Digital Solutions eyes expansion in SE & North Asia

    MUMBAI: Aidem’s digital brand solutions arm Zirca Digital Solutions is planning to expand in the Southeast Asia and North Asia regions.

     

    The agency has set shop in Singapore in order to cater to their clientele in the region and has appointed Sukesh Singh as consultant – sales and business development. Singh will be based out of Singapore.

     

    With an aim to create a strong international presence, plans are also afoot to set shop in the Middle East and in Europe during the company’s next expansion phase.

     

    Additionally, in order to further strengthen their services to clients, a major tech acquisition is on the cards for Zirca Digital Solutions.

     

    Having worked with companies like Microsoft Advertising to The Economist, Outbrain amongst others in the digital media space, Zirca will be leveraging its experience to bring its services to clients across the globe.

     

    Singh, who has experience in sales, business development and partner management during his previous stints at Phunware Inc. and BBC Worldwide, will provide considerable advantage to Zirca’s extensive partner and client base in the Southeast Asia and North Asia regions. He will be actively involved in building local teams for these markets. Some key personnel from the India team will also be given the opportunity to international exposure.

     

    “The business environment certainly won’t be identical to that in India. However, the fact that Southeast Asia and North Asia are more developed markets, works in our favour. Establishing our business here will be less of a challenge as compared to what it would be for a similar company looking to expand into India. Our expertise in digital media sales and operations brought from the years of experience in the Indian market combined with the localised knowledge that Sukesh brings in will enable us to systemize the expansion process and provide a suite of services that are specific to this region,” said Zirca Digital Solutions CEO and director Neena Dasgupta.

     

    “Geographic expansion is a clear & powerful way to drive growth. Our clients need a global service and a global perspective. Asia is diverse. A ‘one size fits all’ approach to asset monetisation does not work – we recognise this and hence plan to have offices setup across locations in order to be more in sync with these market differences. We are looking to build a strong team focused solely on our international expansion,” added Zirca Digital Solutions managing director Karan Kumar Gupta.

     

    The company recently updated its brand identity. The new brand identity and logo convey the energy and the vigour with which they aim to address the new markets and new opportunities.

  • ComScore launches Mobile Metrix & mobile panel development with Kantar

    ComScore launches Mobile Metrix & mobile panel development with Kantar

    MUMBAI: comScore, Inc has launched two initiatives to expand mobile audience measurement in Indonesia. The global media measurement and analytics company has launched its syndicated Mobile Metrix solution, and has also introduced a joint mobile panel development with Kantar, which will fuel mobile and cross-media audience measurement in the future.

     

    comScore and Kantar will share more details on these developments at the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) Forum Indonesia during a joint presentation on The Future of Mobile Measurement. 

     

    “Kantar and comScore recognise the importance of comprehensive mobile measurement as essential to fostering sustainable growth in the mobile advertising and media ecosystem. The joint building of mobile panels in Indonesia will enable both comScore and Kantar to bring services to market faster, and is an important step forward for the future development of cross-media audience and campaign measurement,” said Kantar chief client officer, Asia Pacific Tim Kelsall.

     

    “The industry needs insights they can act on now as well as the assurance that measurement leaders are planning ahead to address their future needs in this fast-evolving space. Today, we announced initiatives to support both of these needs,” said comScore vice president, Southeast Asia Kerry J Brown.

     

    “Starting today, agencies, advertisers and publishers can leverage comScore Mobile Metrix to better inform media buying and selling strategies. As we look to the future, our work with Kantar to jointly build mobile panels will further advance mobile, multi-platform and cross-media measurement to benefit the entire industry. We are excited to announce these developments and look forward to sharing more updates as these solutions progress,” Brown added.

     

    The introduction of comScore’s census-based Mobile Metrix, now available in Indonesia, allows for reporting of mobile browser and app audiences on smartphones and tablets for tagged publishers.

     

    This service helps publishers to demonstrate the size and value of their mobile audiences to advertisers, and helps media planners and buyers to better evaluate advertising opportunities on mobile devices. In Asia Pacific, Mobile Metrix is available in 12 markets in addition to Indonesia.

  • Turner launches OH!K channel in Southeast Asia

    Turner launches OH!K channel in Southeast Asia

    MUMBAI: Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific today signed a volume deal with Korea’s broadcaster MBC, locking in content for Oh!K, a new general entertainment channel.

    Commenting on the occasion Turner Asia Pacific president Ricky Ow said, “Oh!K combines the best in content with Turner’s proven history in curating some of the most successful channels in Asia Pacific. We are thrilled to partner with MBC and we are looking forward to introducing it to the region in the coming months.”
    Oh!K will have first pick of MBC content, including first-runs and exclusives soon after their initial transmission debut in Korea, with some shows airing within a week.

    MBC produces 1400 hours of quality content each year distributed in more than 100 countries. Current shows include drama series Diary of a Night Watchman, You Are My Destiny, Triangle and the long-running variety show Infinite Challenge and reality show Dad, Where Are We Going?

    MBC media business executive managing director Jung Woo Oh added, “We are very proud to be partnering with Turner to give viewers unparalleled access to some of the most engaging Korean TV content. The launch of Oh!K will allow an even bigger audience to enjoy MBC’s unique brand of storytelling, and we can’t wait to share our best shows with fans in Southeast Asia.”

    The launch of Oh!K launch follows Turner’s April announcement that it will assume full operational and programming control of WarnerTV, the English-language entertainment channel in Singapore.