Content Asia

01
www.asiacontentwatch.com
www.contentasia.tv
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www.bit.ly/issuetwo2010
leah@contentasia.tv
C NTENTASIA
essential information only
Leah Gordon (Americas, Europe)
on leah@contentasia.tv
or +1 310 926-6761
Masliana Masron (Asia)
on mas@contentasia.tv
or +65 6846-5988
Be included. For details, contact:
www.contentasia.tv
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Interview
Louis Boswell, AETN
All Asia Networks
general manager,
talks about influences, small
teams, listening (or not) to China
and the great Thai opportunity.
page 10
C
NTENT
ASIA
www.contentasia.tv Issue 101: July 19-August 29, 2010
Ov er t he nex t t wo
months, Singapores me-
dia policy makers expect
to announce their preliminary
deci si on on i mpl ementi ng
controversial regulations that
force the cross-carriage of
exclusive channels/content
on t he count r y s pay- TV
platforms. This follows months
of consultations with a wide
range of stakeholders.
Were dying to hear how its
all going to work (and, among
a million other things, how the
difference between an ex-
clusive channel and a non-
exclusive one that simply hasnt
been acquired by the other
side is going to be explained
to consumers)....
Meanwhi l e, our guess i s
that policy makers will, on the
whole (and with lots of concilia-
tory and diplomatic language),
stick with the regulations as an-
nounced, with a commitment
to ongoing review in case some
of the forecasts of doom actu-
ally pan out.
Why? For one, the regula-
ti ons ar e f our -and-thr ee-
quarters minutes old and they
havent been given a chance
to work (or not to). Right now,
Singapore: Wrong problem, wrong solution?
No clear indications of market failure, report says
atigerseyes
History War-related content is
big news on History. For the week
of 19 July, 26% of the channels
standard-defnition schedule or
44 hours is flled with war-related
content.
page 13
More on page 3
programming
schedules
data
buyers
Singapores four-month-old cross-
carriage regulations may lead to
higher pay-TV prices, consumer
confusion, reduced investment
and limited product innovation
and differentiation, a new report
from Media Partners Asia and
Charles River Associates says.
Descri bi ng the untested
cross-carriage regulations as
a risky public policy proposi-
tion and one that may cause
irreversible harm, the report
says the framework may be a
disproportionate response to
Singapores pay-TV situation.
The new rules, implemented
in March this year, force Singa-
pores two pay-TV platforms,
StarHub and SingTel, to make
available to each other all chan-
nels and on-demand content
acquired on an exclusive basis.
The carefully worded paper
points out potential flaws in
policymakers diagnosis and
prescri pti on of Si ngapores
pay-TV situation, and says the
countrys content fragmentation
is more properly viewed... as a
sign that competition is operat-
ing effectively.
There are no clear indications
of market failure, the report
stresses, adding that Singapore
is not suffciently well established
to warrant policy intervention.
In addition, the report says,
the high degree of content ex-
clusivity that policymakers seem
determined to stamp out, is
likely to be transitory anyway.
Exclusivity is a relatively common
feature of markets in a rapid state
of fux, the report says.
In standing by the new rules,
policymakers may be forced to
implement additional interven-
tionist measures, which have the
potential for a destabilising ef-
fect on the entire pay-TV industry
value chain. Singapores pay-TV
industry is worth US$290m.
The report adds that alter-
native, less intrusive policy ap-
proaches may not have been
fully explored, and suggests a
more prudent approach would
be to revisit the ... market to de-
termine whether the expected
decline in content fragmenta-
tion is materialising.
The report also suggests an an-
nual regulatory review to gauge
whether the predicted course of
market evolution takes hold.
Whats really going on
out there...
HAPPY SUMMER!
ContentAsia is taking a Summer vacation... the next regular is-
sue will be on 30 August. If anything magnifcent happens, such
as last summers News Corp mammoth re-org in Asia, we will let
you know in a special issue. We will, of course, continue to publish
ContentAsia Insider, our subscription news service. Plus we will be
on Facebook and Twitter throughout with all the industry births,
deaths and behind-the-scenes stuff people are saying and doing.
Happy Summer!
What Hong Kongs 3 new
free-TV wannabes want...
i-Cable, PCCW and CTI have
applied for free-TV licenses in
Hong Kong. Theyre promising
anything from one to 30 new
channels and a mass of every
kind of new locally produced
and acquired content.
page 8
whats inside
Mohd P uz i Mo-
hamed, channel
director of Singapores Sensasi
Malay channel and managing
director of local content distribu-
tor company Content Network
Asia, talks about what he likes,
loves and buys.
page 12
02 ContentAsia Issue 101: July 19-August 29, 2010
03
July 19-August 29, 2010
www.twitter.com/contentasia
thetweetlife
Malaysias pay-TV platform
cites content codes for nixing
local yoga show. Fatwa says
Malay Muslims not allowed
onscreen doing yoga.
7:45 PM Jul 14th via web
Weve opened a book for
good luck & best wishes for
new AsiaSat head, Bill Wade,
who takes over 1 August.
http://fb.me/xQUpwg5P
12:48 PM Jul 14th via Facebook
St ar Hub/Si ngTel l ovef est
doesnt extend to the same
Wor l d Cup f i nal s par t y.
StarHubs at Marina Bay. Sing-
Tel@ Resorts World.
Good news for intl content
distributors - if Hong Kongs
i-Cable gets a free TV license.
i-Cable has promised a...
http://fb.me/CJnWDaIn
Todays D-Day for industry
comment on Si ngapores
new cross-carriage rules...
results expected by month
end (maybe). Book is open
on outcome
Hearing that Casbaa has a
hot doc ready to hand to
Singapores MDA. Says some
of the same things as the
MPA/CRA...
http://fb.me/Bb6l0F59
Japans Sumo scandal must
be REALLY REALLY bad for
NHK t o have cancel l ed
broadcasts of the Nagoya
tournament. oops.
11:30 AM Jul 7th via web
Champagne all round at AETN
All Asia Networks to welcome
Vanessa Boswell, born on Fri-
day, 2 July. Insiders say...
http://fb.me/yCG4BvaU
10:15 AM Jul 7th via Facebook
Suria brings back the 90s
Singapores Malay-language
terrestrial station Suria launches
its third spinoff of variety show
80an Gerek! (groovy 80s) i n
September this year.
The new 90an Gerek! format
will take a tongue-in-cheek look
at the 90s, an era characterised
by local boybands, girl groups,
divas and glamourised mat rocks
(local lingo for Malay guys who
are into rock music), as well as
a karaoke competition on 90s
songs and a line-up of foreign
and local artistes each week.
The promise is to recapture
and relive the gist, spirit and
sound of the 90s.
The theme is fun, full of fash-
backs and 90s kitsch.
T h e n e w
s how wi l l be
hosted by Su-
hai mi Yus of ,
Norlena Salim
and Kumar (the
l ast two were
hosted by Na-
jip Ali and Era
Faridah).
The eight-ep-
isode one hour
series will premier on 21 Septem-
ber, airing prime time (8.30pm)
on Tuesdays.
The previous eight-part series
80an Gerek! aired from August
to October 2004, followed by
70an Gerek!, also eight one-
hour episodes, which aired from
April to June last year.
All three seasons were com-
mi ssi oned by Suri a and pro-
duced by Najib Ali, creative
di rector of l ocal producti on
house Dua M, which has also
pr oduced pr ogr ammes f or
Channel 5 and Okto.
its all just prediction, expecta-
tion, forecasts, opposing agen-
das. Plus pressure from the left,
the right, above, below...
Other than admitting that they
might have been too hasty),
what, exactly, would the regu-
lator achieve by scrapping or
significantly changing regula-
tions so soon after their birth. Is
this likely to happen? What do
you think?
Plus, theres enough local pres-
sure and support (including from
local academics and others who
think that the only people getting
rich are the international chan-
nels) for authorities to stick with
their declared path for now.
We think there will be some
effort made to placate deeply
unhappy pay-TV channels, upon
which Singapores media-hub
status was built 10+ years ago.
But we would never count out
the immense power of SingTel,
which has exclusive access to
the Barclays Premier League
and wants to build a more robust
linear TV offering around that.
So, i s there goi ng to be a
gigantic change of heart? No.
Will the regulator decide that its
worth setting aside the frame-
work in favour of a wait-and-see
approach? Probably not. Has
the claim by multichannel body
Casbaa about breaching global
copyright commitments sent the
regulator scurrying for its eraser
for fear of global ire and broad
trade sanctions? No. Will there
be a commitment to a review
down the line? Yes.
Stay tuned.
From page 1: A Tigers Eyes
Politics sweeps
Academy Fantasia Thailand
17-year -ol d Academy Fan-
tasi a contestant Wi tthawat
Thaokhamlue says he will quit
the talent show after an outcry
over pol i ti cal comments he
posted on Facebook. Wittha-
wats Facebook post said pro-
testers may not have been so
destructive if the Thai prime min-
ister had dissolved parliament
and called for fresh elections.
He has already apologised to
pr i me mi ni st er Abhi si t Vej -
jajiva, and admits thinking like
a teenager and without good
common sense. His comment,
however, drew strong support
from audiences who said he
had a right to express his opin-
ion. Others criticised his use of
harsh language and his support
for anti-government forces.
UAE bans Lamhaa
Award-winning Indian flm direc-
tor Rahul Dholakias Lamhaa
has been banned in Gulf states
after bei ng deemed hi ghl y
objectionable by UAE censor-
ship authorities. The flm, starring
Sanjay Dutt as an intelligence
officer and glamour girl Bipa-
sha Basu as a Kashmiri activist,
opened worldwide on Friday (16
July). Lamhaa, passed eventu-
ally by Indias censors despite its
controversial subject matter, will
not be screened in Kuwait, Qa-
tar, UAE, Bahrain and Oman.
Kung demos TM multi-play
Telekom Malaysias new IPTV
platform, HyppTV, is trawling
Hollywood, Bollywood and Kol-
lywood to ramp up what it sees
as its biggest early attraction
video on demand.
At a briefng in Kuala Lumpur
mid July, Jeremy Kung, TMs
executive vice president (con-
sumer), also said the telco had
its eye on regional Asian content
and titles from the Middle East.
HyppTV currently offers 22 chan-
nels (including eight domestic free-
TV channels) and about 20 VOD
titles a month. This could increase
to 30 channels by year end.
TMs br oadband net wor k
passes 375,000 homes.
Jeremy Kung, TMs executive vice
president (consumer)
70an Gerek!
05
TB3 Ad Content Asia EMag path.indd 1 7/6/10 5:15 PM
people
Apar na Pi ngal i Agr awal
joined CNBC this month as
director of marketing for Asia
Pacifc. She
was previ -
ously associ-
ate director
wi th Gray-
l i n g, an d
has i n t he
past worked
f o r Ne ws
Corps Star TV and the Indian
Express Group.
Mohamed Ilhami Emam has
been appointed euronews
permanent correspondent
based i n Cai ro coveri ng
the Middle East and North
Africa. He has worked with
euronews Arabic-language
service since March last year,
and was most recently a re-
porter for Russia Today.
Football body FIFA says digital
engagement with this years
World Cup in South Africa ex-
ceeded all expectations.
Fifa.com attracted more than
250 million visits and about 150
million unique users over the 31
days of this years tournament.
The site had seven billion page
views. The highest per-day views
was 410 million. Unique users
were three times the number
recorded during the last games
in 2006.
When England and the U.S.
played simultaneously, ffa.com
technicians reported a through-
put of one million hits per second
at the height of the activity.
More than 220,000 people fol-
lowed FIFAs offcial tweets on
Twitter, while members of the
fve million-strong FIFA.com Club
swapped 120 million virtual stick-
ers and made over one million
comments on the website.
Record World Cup on digital, FIFA
Tournament attracts seven billion page views
Singapores StarHub has ex-
panded its video-on-demand
offering with, among other Indo-
nesian movies, thriller Air Terjun
Pengantin (above).
The cable platforms latest pro-
gramming initiative also bumps
up fi tness, food and heal th
content on-demand, including
instructional programmes Pilates
from the Inside Out hosted by
Karen Karter, and Yoga for Life
with Kurt Johnsen.
Lifestyle food shows include
Fed Up, with natural foods chef
Andrea Beaman.
StarHub ups VOD offering
Air Terjun Pengantin
Telemundo preps Analia for China
Telemundo Internacional is pre-
paring to premiere long-running
series Analia in China in the next
few months.
The show will follow Marina,
which airs daily from 11.50am
to 2.20pm in the Encore slot on
CCTV-8. Marina, the story of a girl
whose life is transformed when
she inherits a fortune, debuted
on 13 May this year. Telemundo
has also aired Zorro; The Sword
and the Rose, Sophia and Hidden
Passion in China.
Tel emundos bi z dev boss
Xavi er Ar i st i muo says t he
catalogues strong mainland
performance is an example of
how we continue to invest time
and resources in Asia.
06
the place to look for the jobs that matter
space
C NTENT
ASIA
J b
the
Sales Directors
TV & New Media Content Distribution
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is looking for two highly qualifed and expe-
rienced individuals for Sales Director positions for its Korean and Greater
China businesses. The Directors of Distribution, based in Seoul and Beijing,
respectively will lead the Sales & Marketing teams to deliver the highest
level of service to our existing and new clients while ensuring the successful
achievement of internal strategies, goals and sales budgets. Both positions
report into the SVP, Distribution Asia Pacifc, based in Hong Kong.
Role and Responsibilities:
Manage SPTs content sales to television, digital and new media clients in each country
Manage existing accounts and clients to ensure business continuity, customer satisfaction,
growth and expansion
Prepare and achieving aggressive annual sales budgets, growth targets and cost control
requirements
Provide accurate and useful sales estimates on individual projects, and determine the most
suitable sales strategies both with individual clients and overall
Oversee the development, implementation and management of new business opportunities
Liaise with and direct the marketing team in the development and implementation of
marketing and promotional strategies
Coordinate multiple departments and divisions within SPT to ensure the highest level of service
and support for our clients
Demonstrate strong and relevant local relationships so as to meet objectives and add value
to the business
Job Requirements:
Minimum 5 years direct and relevant industry experience in a Senior Sales role
Proven advanced sales and negotiation skills
Experience in media sales and content distribution, with some direct knowledge in other
aspects of the entertainment industry including local production
Proven experience in leading and motivating teams
Strong interpersonal skills demonstrating an ability to build and maintain collaborative
relationships with clients and key stakeholders
Native speaker (Korean or Mandarin, respectively) with excellent English written and verbal
communication and presentation skills
This is a great opportunity for an experienced, motivated and responsible candidate to join an
innovative environment, where your creativity and initiatives will be highly valued.
Interested candidates are invited to send your detailed CV to hr_asia@spe.sony.com
Sony Pictures Television (HK) Ltd.
21/F., Cityplaza Three, 14 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong
Applications will be treated in strict confdence and information will be used for recruitment
purposes only. If you do not hear from us within the next two to four weeks, you may
assume that your application has not been successful. We regret to advise that only shortlisted
candidates will be contacted.
For more job listings, please go to: http://www.contentasia.tv/classifed.php
&v.quickly
Stargate Universe
marks Sci Fis Syfy shift
Universal Networks Interna-
tional marks the shift in Asia
from science fction channel
Sci Fi to Syfy Universal on 26
July with the premiere of Star-
gate Universe (11pm SG/HK,
10pm Thailand/Indonesia).
The action series stars Robert
Carl yl e, Mi ng-Na and Lou
Diamond Phillips in the story
of scientist Eli and others who
unexpectedly fnd themselves
stranded on the far side of
the galaxy.
China nixes money-
obsessed dating shows
Dati ng shows or rather,
Chinese authorities determi-
nation to limit their infuence
are the topic of the month
in China. The State Admin-
istration of Radio, Film and
Television (SARFT) says many
popular match-making shows
are excessively materialistic
and have unhealthy values.
Local reports say satellite sta-
tions have already started
dropping programmes. Those
still on air have axed guests
obsessed with money. Aca-
demics have weighed into
the debate. Some insist the
latest crackdown suppresses
Chinese rights to self-expres-
sion and is not supported by
mainland law.
Bachchan back
Bollywoods Amitabh Bach-
chan is back on the set of
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
in India. The show airs on Sony
Entertainment Television later
this year.
Korea buys Jungle Book
Koreas educati onal pub-
lic broadcaster, Education
Broadcasting System (EBS),
has bought exclusive free-TV
rights for three years to DQ
Entertainments 3D animated
series, The Jungle Book. The
52-episode series has already
been sold to Disney and Al
Jazeera for Arabi c states,
among others.
07
beingsocial
Five of Facebooks top six
monthly growth countries are
in Asia, according to indie
anal ysts I nsi de Networks
Global Monitor report.
But even if Asia is an explod-
ing presence on Facebook,
not every country has caught
the wave. The notable hold-
outs have been Japan and
South Korea, both of which
have their own powerhouse
social networking sites.
All that may be about to
change. Inside Network says
that in June, South Korea
added 211,280 monthly active
users to Facebook, growth of
23.5%. That followed 25.6%
growth in monthly users during
May. In the last three months,
South Koreas Facebook user-
base has more than doubled
to 1,108,840 users.
Inside Network says that if
Korean users continue to grow
at this pace, the country could
have 10 million Facebook us-
ers by next summer.
The question is whether or
how Facebook can coexist
with native networks, such as
Cyworld, which tried (& failed)
to establish a foothold in the
U.S. Depending on what South
Koreas users are coming for, it
may be possible for Facebook
to coexist with Cyworld and
others, Inside Network says.
Corrections
CETVs Angela Mak was
mistakenly identified in the
5 July issue as CEO. She is, of
course, CFO. Apologies for
any inconveniece caused.
K+, Vietnams joint venture
DTH service, hopes to have
one million subs in the next
three years, not 22 million,
which is the full reach of the
satellite platform. Apologies
for the error.
We hate making mistakes,
but when we do, we fx them
immediately. The corrected
version is available free at
www. asi acontentwatch.
com. Just click on the digital
section to view or download
back issues.
the place to look for the jobs that matter
space
C NTENT
ASIA
J b
the
Warner Bros. is a global leader in the creation, production,
di st r i but i on, l i censi ng and mar ket i ng of al l f or ms of
entertainment and their related businesses. We are now
recruiting for the following positions based in Shanghai, China:
Business Manager, International TV
Responsibilities & Requirements:
Assist China Director with distribution of WB programs to TV stations and new media platforms
Manage materials delivery and handle some sales to traditional linear clients
Manage product research, sales order and contract issues, billing, collections, fnancial planning
3-5 yrs experience in operations/supply chain management, customer or sales support, and/
or fnancial planning at a multinational company
Coordinator, International TV
Support Business Manager for all China clients, including branded on-demand services
1-2 yrs experience in sales support, sales planning, and/or operations/supply chain
management at a multinational company
Marketing Associate, Branded Services Asia, International TV
Assist Marketing Director on all aspects of branding and marketing Warner TV linear channels,
Subscription and Adsupported Video-on-Demand destinations across Asia
Manage client implementation and regular review of branding elements across each service
3-4 years experience in marketing, communication or business analysis at a multinational
company
Intern, Branded Services Asia, International TV
Support the Branded Services team on all aspects
Fluent in both spoken and written English
Knowledgeable of social media networks, internet/mobile trends, tools and best practices
Must be willing to commit for one year, full-time
To apply, please email your CV/resume to: elaine.yang@warnerbros.com
For more job listings, please go to: http://www.contentasia.tv/classifed.php
StarHub celebrates
Food Network Asia launch
Aussie celeb chef and TV show
host, Luke Nguyen, chopped,
shaved, rolled and explained
exactly whats involved in his
cuisine at a dinner in Singapore
to celebrate the arrival in Asia of
Scripps Networks Food Network
Asia. The channel is carried in SD
and HD on StarHub.
Celeb chef Luke Nguyen (3rd right) in Singapore with Scripps Networks (from
left) Hud Woodle, Sunil Shabhani, Greg Moyer and Mary Ellen Iwata, and StarHub
COO Tan Tong Hai. More party pics at www.asiacontentwatch.com
08
What Hong Kongs 3 new free-TV wannabes want...
CTI
Promises (for starters): A 12-
channel domestic free television
programme service (2 self-pro-
duced channels, 4 turn-around
channel s and 6 partnershi p
channels at launch. The channels
will broadcast between 12 to 24
hours a day.
More promises: The number
of channels will increase to 20
(2 self-produced channels, 8
turn-around channels and 10
partnership channels) within 3
years of launch and up to 30 (2
self-produced channels, 11 turn-
around channels and 17 partner-
ship channels) within 6 years of
launch.
Howre they going to do that:
Turn-around channels will be re-
quired to pay CTI carriage fees.
Partnership channels will operate
on a revenue-share basis.
How much $: CTI forecasts capi-
tal & operating expenditure at
HK$1,052 million/US$135 million
in the frst six years of operation.
Includes HK$394 million/US$51 mil-
lion on local production.
Will ride on: HKBNs fbre transmis-
sion network
Local content plans: CTI plans
to produce and/or commission
local news, current affairs and en-
tertainment programmes for self-
produced Cantonese channels.
Plans to broadcast 1 to 3 hours
locally produced programmes
daily during prime time (7pm and
11pm). Not less than 1.5 hours of
prime time programmes will be
frst-run programmes.
What about acquisitions: Plans
to acquire programmes from
branded channel provi ders
and producers in China and
overseas
Whats the HD plan: No HD for the
frst six years unless there is over-
whelming market demand
Coverage promises: Has com-
mitted to passing at least 100,000
homes within 9 months, 500,000
households in 24 months and 1.5
million homes in 36 months
i-Cables Fantastic TV
Promises: A two-channel (Can-
tonese and English) domestic
free-television programme serv-
ice in both analogue and digital
formats
How much theyre spending:
Capital & operating expenditure
in the frst six years of operation
are projected to be over HK$1
billion/US$129 million in aggre-
gate. Includes HK$39 million/
US$5 million capex and HK$968
million/US$125 million on pro-
gramming. First six years operat-
ing expenditure projected to be
HK$169 million/US$22 million
Schedules: 24-hour daily sched-
ule. The Cantonese channel will
be a general entertainment serv-
ice targeting mass audiences,
with news, fnance, information,
entertainment, childrens pro-
grammes, sports and movies.
Local production: Over 70% of
prime-time programmes on the
Cantonese channel will be pro-
duced locally and substantially
all prime-time programmes are
frst-run.
Acquisitions: The English channel
will be almost all acquired, in-
cluding documentaries, lifestyle,
news, information and fnancial
programmes.
The HD plan: Standard defnition
initially to enable max reach
Will ride on: i-Cables Hybrid Fibre
Coaxial (HFC) network
Coverage: 95% or 2.15 million
homes from day one via i-
Cables HFC network (with some
additional connection required
for dual-system buildings). Single
system buildings can receive
signals immediately. This gives
Fantastic higher coverage than
the digital terrestrial services cur-
rently offered by TVB and ATV,
the two existing free-TV stations.
PCCWs HKTVE
Promises: A Cantonese general
entertainment channel
Special requests: Not to be
forced to offer an English-lan-
guage channel. For one, PCCW
says theres enough English-
language programming in Hong
Kong and no strong market
evidence of a need for more.
PCCW also says that having to
split resources across a second
channel will adversely affect its
ability to provide competitive
Cantonese programming, which
is its frst priority and the frst priority
of the community.
And if it has to... then the English
channel will broadcast for 8
hours a day and endeavour to
bring a taste of Hong Kong to
English-speaking viewers by pro-
viding subtitling/audio language
options (e.g. Putonghua and/
or English) to cater for different
viewing preferences of the com-
munity, as well as niche language
programmes to cater to the
needs of ethnic minority groups
and multi-lingual speakers.
How much theyre spending:
HK$600 million over the frst three
years. PCCW has not disclosed
the breakdown between capex
and programming spend, citing
commercial sensitivity.
Schedules: 24-hours, Cantonese.
News, finance, current affairs,
documentary, lifestyle, travel, va-
riety show, arts and culture, sports,
music and movie programmes as
well as programmes for seniors,
children and young people
Local production: General and
financial news, current affairs,
music, food and travel, and other
lifestyle programmes for prime-
time slots during year one
The HD plan: HD on the Canton-
ese channel. SD on the English
Coverage: Not less than 70% of
households within 12 months after
service commencement; not less
than 80% of households within 24
months; and not less than 90% of
households within 36 months
i-Cable, PCCW and CTI have applied for free-TV licenses in Hong Kong.
Theyre promising up to 30 new channels and a mass of every kind of new
locally produced and acquired content.
Who was at... Casbaas
summer mixer drinks
in Hong Kong
More industry party pics in
the Gallery section at
asiacontentwatch.com/
photo-galleries
Vanessa Griffths-Green, Casbaa;
Gushi Sethi, Eurosport
William Pfeiffer, Tiger Gate Enter-
tainment; Rob Gilby, Disney Media
Distribution
Breck McCormack, WMS; Simon
Twiston Davies, Casbaa
Alexandre Muller, TV5Monde
Paul Jackson, NDS; Andrew Davis,
InvestHK
.
.
.
/
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4 - 8 October 2010
Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France
www.mipcom.com
The worlds entertainment content market
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010
ContentAsias 20/20 interview asks those who have
been in the industry in Asia for the past 10 years at
least to look back and forward and tell us what
they see. As part of an ongoing series, Louis Boswell,
AETN All Asia Networks general manager, talks
about infuences, small teams, listening (or not)
to China and the great Thai opportunity.
interview
The
What do you think the biggest in-
fuence on Asias media industry
in the past 10 years has been?
It is a close call between new
trends in content and technol-
ogy, but if forced to pick one I
would have to choose technol-
ogy. Streaming media on the
internet, watching content on
smartphones, iPods, iPads, there
are more ways than ever to con-
sume content and this is still just
the beginning of a revolution.
And in parallel, the venerable TV
set gets stronger both with new
technologies to supply it and
more critically so many more
services to pump through it.
10 years ago, lots of companies
said they were totally digital.
Whats the biggest difference
between the digital of 2000 and
your digital of today? 10 years
ago, going or being digital was
the be all and end all. Today it
is HD, 3D, PVR, VOD, SVOD, and
many more acronyms besides. It
is still all digital but the difference
is we are using the fact that we
live in a digital world to innovate.
10 years ago we were simply in
the throw out our vinyl and buy
CDs mindset. Now we realise
digital is so much more than just
squeezing four channels into
where one had been.
Of all the things we have known
and been excited over in the
past 10 years, what do you think
has failed to live up to expec-
tations? Technology HD. Still
excited but it has certainly not
yet justified our expectations,
although that will likely change
very soon. Country Chi na.
China made it very clear a long
time ago that foreign control of
media was never on the cards,
but we all chose to ignore, then
ingratiate and then delude our-
selves that the nice people in
Beijing didnt really mean it.
What are the biggest operational
differences you have seen over
the past decade? Scale and ef-
fciency. You dont need a million
people to run a pay-television
network anymore. It can and is
effectively being done by really
quite small teams of people.
The forecasts that didnt come
true Or the ones that came
true but not in the way you ex-
pected. The end of television,
when everyone was frothing
about You Tube.
Is there anything that might have
happened that didnt (or hasnt
yet)? So many things. HD again,
progress against piracy, digitisa-
tion in Taiwan, real growth in
Thailand, more media spend on
pay-TV. But it will all happen.
What s your take on soci al
networks? Social networks are
now part of our landscape, and
they will continue to evolve and
develop. They are great means
of communication and defning
a community. But we need to
remember they are not all-en-
compassing and we need to be
careful about how we use them
because most people still want
to be friends with their friends,
not with brands.
What has been the bi ggest
disappointment? Thailand. It
is such a great country, with
incredible creativity and people
love TV, but, despite that, legal
pay TV is in a fraction of the
country and piracy is rampant.
Admittedly, pay TV is not Thai-
lands biggest problem right now
but the country needs to sort
itself out from the top down. It
could be a powerhouse.
The phrase you take with you into
every biz dev meeting? What is
it going to cost us and what is
the worst-case scenario?
What do you think the costs of all
the focus of speed and tech is? I
dont think there is any real cost
that we need to be concerned
about. Speed and technology
are essential in our business, as
in many others. But I would say
that with technology, we do
spend too much time talking
about how technology will be
used, only to be told differently
once we give that technology
to the consumer.
You dont need a million
people to run a pay-TV network
anymore. It can and is effectively
being done by really quite
small teams of people.
Boswell also talks about what
he would do again in a na-
nosecond even if no money
was involved, says what he
thinks the industry will be talk-
ing about in 20/20 and reveals
what hes still deeply unsure
about. Read the full interview
at www.contentasia.tv
Contacts:
Sponsorship Opportunities
Jasper Donat
jasper@brandedasia.com
Speaking Opportunities
Amanda Yang
amanda@casbaa.com
Delegate Registration
Agnes Chan
agnes@casbaa.com
www.casbaa.com
This years CASBAA Convention, themed Unlock Your Networks will
be held from 25 28 October in Hong Kong with an unrivalled programme
of debates and discussions including:

Country leaders from Vietnam and Thailand to discuss their markets and
future directions
Potentials and challenges in developing 3DTV networks
Winning news viewership in the technologically-advanced ecosystem
Discussions on the digital giant China market
Where is the Asian media hub
Key industry leaders to share lessons learnt and discuss plans for future

The not-to-be-missed industry event to meet the leaderships of the
pay-TV industry! Register NOW to guarantee your seat, contact Agnes
Chan at +852 3929 1728 or email agnes@casbaa.com.

www.casbaaconvention.com
Organised by
Sponsors
Presenting Ball Sponsor Presenting Golf Sponsor
C
M
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Content Asia 192x250-2.pdf 1 10712 6:51
012
ContentAsias ongoing focus on Asias most important buyers
explores how they think and what they want.
What kinds of sales pitches do
you respond best to? Softer
approach with lots of informa-
tion on the ratings, production
details such as budget, casting,
director and location shoot.
How much of a programme/epi-
sodes of a series do you watch
before you decide to buy? Usu-
ally I watch the frst two, middle
two and last two episodes.
Do you remember the frst pro-
gramme/series you bought and
what you were thinking at the
time? The frst programme we
bought was an Indonesian dra-
ma series that we thought would
be a big hit due to its storyline,
infusion of Indian and Indonesian
culture and good director and
producer. It worked...
What is your best buy ever
and why? Indonesian sinetron
Mimpi Manis, which won best
drama award in Indonesia. It
fies in the faces of our viewers
so much so that it infuenced
the festive celebration dressing
and wedding performances at
that time.

Is there any show you wish you
had bought but didnt? And
why? Not really. We are short
on prime-time slots rather than
programmes. We wish the prime
time slot was longer but that is
not possible due to Singapores
working lifestyle.
If money were no object, which
three programmes would you
buy tomorrow? Bl ockbuster
Hindi movies.
What do you fnd most diffcult
about the programming/acqui-
sition process? The paperwork
and the lack of good promo-
tional materials such as visuals
and trailers.
What do you hate most about
t he acqui si t i ons pr ocess?
Delays in getting information
such as ratings and production
details.
Is there anything you wish pro-
gramme licensing and distribu-
tion people would do that they
are not doing now? Be more
creative and generous in their
promotional materials.
Whats the biggest programming
risk youve ever taken? Buying
drama series that run over 200
episodes.
What do you think the most
important part of your job is?
Getting the right content and
promoting it to our viewers as
well as non-viewers.
Where do you buy most of your
programmi ng from? Mostl y
from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singa-
pore and also smaller quantities
from Korea, Brazil, Philippines
and others.
How much do you acquire from
Europe/Americas/Latin Ameri-
ca/Middle East? We previously
acquired from Europe and the
Americas, mostly North America
and Canada. Most of these titles
are documentary series from in-
dependent producers and also
suppliers that represent these
small independent producers.
So far we have acquired about
50 hours from these places.
What genres are most popular
on Sensasi? Drama, lifestyle
magazine, reality TV show and
variety content.
What genre/s are you not inter-
ested in at all? We dont have
slots for childrens programming,
including animation. We also
dont buy any current affairs as
our channel mainly focuses on
entertainment programmes.
Have you noticed any major
changes in the kinds of pro-
gramming being made in Asian
countries for regional distribu-
tion? We noticed that the Phil-
ippines has been quite active in
Mohd Puzi Mohamed, channel director of Singapores Malay cable channel Sensasi and
managing director of local content distributor company Content Network Asia, buys drama,
lifestyle, magazine and documentary programming. He acquires mostly cable TV [and some-
times video-on-demand] rights for Sensasi.
BUYERtalk
Mohd Puzi Mohamed is among
500 buyers in Asia featured on
ContentAsias subscri pti on
service, asiacontentwatch.com
For more information, please
email i_want@contentasia.tv
or call +65 6846-5988.
selling their content especially
their drama series. As for the
Malaysian content, we saw a
trend towards stripping their
drama daily series (either local
Malaysian or foreign drama),
which has done quite well for
them. We also notice that Sin-
gapore has been very active
in promoting co-productions in
both movies and series with their
Mal aysi an counterparts. Thi s
is something positive for both
countries as it help to bind us
together regionally.
What programme do you watch
most often for your own enjoy-
ment? Various drama series
from Korea, Brazil, Malaysia and
Indonesia.
The key trade events that you
will be attending in the next six
months? The Asia Television
Forum in Singapore.
Where could your programme be on in Asia? Follow us, well show you
For subscription information, contact Leah at leah@contentasia.tv (Americas/Europe) or Masliana at mas@contentasia.tv (Asia)
Tracking what goes where on Asias television schedules
Schedules, buyers, country and channel profles. PLUS programme of the day, features and news.
All at www.asiacontentwatch.com
C NTENTASIA AsiaContentWatch... one more useful service from
013
Places/Events (28 hours/17%) Environment/Science (31 hours/18%) Military/War (44 hours/26%) Paranormal/Superstition (16 hours/10%)
People (13 hours/8%) Engineering/Architectural (19 hours/11%) Crime (4 hours/2%) Mythology (13 hours/8%)
ContentAsia Issue 101: July 19-August 29, 2010
History
by Malena Amzah
The full 24-hour schedule along with more than 70 others is available at www.asiacontentwatch.com
Source: AETN All Asia Networks, Time Zone: +8 GMT (HK / MAL / SIN)
Key P= Premiere TSC= Time Slot Change FR= First-run
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
19-Jul-10 20-Jul-10 21-Jul-10 22-Jul-10 23-Jul-10 24-Jul-10 25-Jul-10
12:00
Infamous Assassinations
The Attempt On Hitler
Modern Marvels
Enter & Exit
Modern Marvels
Milk
Lost Worlds
Herod The Great
The Da Vinci Shroud
WWII Lost Films
#10
End Game
How The Earth Was
Made
Ring Of Fire
12:30
Historys Greatest
Blunders: Asia
Hitlers Declaration Of
War On The United States
13:00
The Real Face Of Jesus?
Pawn Stars
#1 Knights In A Fake
Armor? Dogfghts
MIG Killers Of Midway
Spartacus:
Behind The Myth
Cities Of The
Underworld
Secret Soviet Bases
HISTORY ASIA
Lost Worlds:
Taj Mahal
UFO Hunters
UFO Surveillance
13:30
Pawn Stars
#2
Boom Or Bust
14:00
How The Earth Was
Made
Ring Of Fire
WWII Lost Films
#9
Edge Of The Abyss
Ancient Discoveries
Lost Science Of The Bible
Modern Marvels
Locomotives
Pawn Stars
#3
Confederate
Conundrum
Strange Rituals
Altered States
14:30
Pawn Stars
#4
Sink Or Sell
15:00
The Universe
Alien Moons
The Universe
10 Ways To Destroy
The Earth
WWII Lost Films
#10
End Game
Strange Rituals
Altered States
Monster Quest
Devils In New Jersey
America:
The Story Of The U.S.
#7
Cities
15:30
16:00
The Making Of
Adolf Hitler
America:
#7
Cities
Sworn To Secrecy
The Wizard War
Clash Of The Gods
Thor
UFO Hunters
UFO Surveillance
America:
#8
Boom
16:30
17:00
Infamous Assassinations
The Attempt On Hitler America:
#8
Boom
HISTORY ASIA
Lost Worlds:
Taj Mahal
Battles BC
Joshua:
Epic Slaughter
Pawn Stars
#3
Confederate
Conundrum Ancient Discoveries
Lost Science Of The Bible
WWII Lost Films
#10
End Game
17:30
Historys Greatest
Blunders: Asia
Hitlers Declaration Of
War On The United States
Pawn Stars
#4
Sink Or Sell
18:00
HISTORY ASIA
Lost Worlds:
Taj Mahal
Modern Marvels
Enter & Exit
Modern Marvels
Milk
Lost Worlds
Herod The Great
The Da Vinci Shroud
Modern Marvels
Locomotives
Pawn Stars
#3
Confederate
Conundrum
18:30
Pawn Stars
#4
Sink Or Sell
19:00
Pawn Stars
#1 Knights In A Fake
Armor? (TSC)
Dogfghts
MIG Killers Of Midway
(FR)
Spartacus:
Behind The Myth (FR)
Cities Of The
Underworld
Secret Soviet Bases (FR)
Sworn To Secrecy
The Wizard War (FR)
(FR)
The Universe
Astrobiology (FR)
19:30
Pawn Stars
#2
Boom Or Bust (TSC)
Military history is hot on History.
Great big battles, how they were
fought, and the winning (and
losing) strategies are the chan-
nels biggest draw, says Michele
Schofeld, AETN All Asia Networks
vice president for programming
and production.
For the week of 19 July, 26% of
the standard-definition sched-
ule or 44 hours is flled with
war-related content. Environ-
ment/science is second with 31
hours/18% and places/events
with 28 hours/17%.
But thats not (and never was)
where History ends. The joint ven-
ture channel also airs 19 hours
of engi neeri ng/archi tectural
content (11% of the schedule),
16 hours (10%) of paranormal
programming, including shows
like UFO Hunters, and 13 hours of
religion/mythology (8%). Crime-
related shows (as in the assassina-
tions of famous fgures) make up
2% (4 hours) of the schedule for
the week of 19 July.
I n addi t i on, Hi st or y gi ves
about 8% of the schedule to
people-related programming.
This includes series like AETNs
Pawn Stars (Thursdays, 11pm-
mi dni ght ) , chr oni cl i ng t he
three-generation Harrison family
pawn-broking business.
History, launched in Asia in
2007, targets the 25+ age group.
The channel schedules against
other factual channels, but keeps
it eye frmly on whats going on
everywhere from sports to gen-
eral entertainment.
Theres also a strong push to-
wards increasing audience touch
points beyond television and on-
ground events.
More on page 15
AMERICAN FILM MARKET
NOVEMBER 3-10, 2010 / SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

Register today for Best Rates at www.AmericanFilmMarket.com
Get two free seminar tickets when you register with Group Code A23
The Only Film Market in Hollywood
400+ Production/Distribution Companies
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015
C NTENTASIA
Editorial Director
Janine Stein
Assistant Editor
Malena Amzah
malena@contentasia.tv
Research Assistant
Winnie Chen
winnie@contentasia.tv
Design
Rae Yong
artwork@contentasia.tv
Production
CJ Yong
cj@contentasia.tv
Associate Publisher
(Americas, Europe) and
VP, International Business
Development
Leah Gordon
leah@contentasia.tv
Sales and Marketing (Asia)
Masliana Masron
mas@contentasia.tv
To receive your regular free
copy of ContentAsia, please
email i_want@contentasia.tv
Published fortnightly by:
Pencil Media Pte Ltd
730A Geylang Road
Singapore 389641
Tel: +65 6846-5987
Fax: +65 6742-9683
www.contentasia.tv
What is ContentAsia?
ContentAsia refnes todays
info-deluge into usable, di-
gestible, and reliable intelli-
gence about entertainment
content creation, funding,
fnancing, licensing, distribu-
tion, and technology across
the region. ContentAsias
products including elec-
tronic, print and online pub-
lications are tailor-made to
deliver just what you need
whenever you want it.
Copyright 2010 Pencil Media
Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
MICA (P) 133/11/2009
From page 13: History
Apple now but maybe not forever, Ovum says
Apples iPhone dominance in the
mobile app download market
will be eroded over the coming
years as rivals Android, Symbian
and BlackBerry make inroads,
tel ecoms anal yst Ovum has
forecast.
In a new report, Ovum says
mobile application downloads
generated by non-operator ap-
plication stores will grow by a
compound annual growth rate
(CAGR) of around 41% globally
over the next fve years, with total
downloads reaching almost 21.3
billion by 2015. Thats up from 2.69
billion in 2009.
Ovum estimates that Apple
generated 67% of all smartphone
app downloads in 2009, despite
claiming just 14% of the overall
smartphone installed base. Sym-
bian, conversely, commanded
a 49% share of the smartphone
installed base but only generated
an estimated 9% of the total ap-
plications downloads market.
Forecasts for 2015 have Apple
generating a relatively modest
22% of app downloads, com-
pared to 19% for Symbian.
Report co-author Mi chel e
Mackenzie says while the iPhone
generates the lions share of
smartphone app downloads,
over the period we will see the
share of application downloads
becoming more equally distrib-
uted. Over the forecast period
other smartphone platforms gain
ground and by 2015 the land-
scape looks very different in terms
of market share.
Bet ween 2009- 15, Ovum
expects Googles Android to
increase its smartphone base
from 5% to 18% penetration and
its mobile application download
share from 14% to 26%.
While BlackBerry looks set to
lose smartphone share over the
forecast period as newer players
like Android move in aggressively,
it will more than triple its share
of the app download market
from 5% to 17%. Similarly, Micro-
soft loses smartphone share but
doubles its mobile application
download share.
Adam Leach, report co-author,
says while North America will
continue to dominate, its share
of the smartphone mobile app
downloads market will decrease
from 57% in 2009 to 31% in 2015.
Ovum expects Asia Pacifc to
experience the highest growth,
with its share of the global market
set to quadruple from 5% in the
early phase to 20% by 2015. This
growth will be driven by grow-
ing penetration of smartphones
in the region coupled with the
increased availability of applica-
tions with local relevance.
Asia-Pac tops app download growth, 20% global share by 2015
Strange Rituals
History is owned and operated
by Singapore-based AETN All
Asia Networks (a joint venture
between A&E Television Networks
and Astro All Asia Entertainment
Networks). The JV operates chan-
nels in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong
and Taiwan. Services in other
regions, including India and Ko-
rea, are managed separately by
AETN International.
A large percentage of History
content comes from AETN. The
rest is acquired or commissioned
for its Asia appeal.
Asia-Pacific acquisitions on
the schedule for later this year
include Bhutto about Pakistan
leader Benazir Bhutto; Inside the
Firestorm, which chronicles the
worst bushfres in Australias his-
tory, and Return to Limbang, a
documentary about a hostage
rescue in the small river town in
North Borneo (now Sarawak) in
December 1962.
Content that compels audience
for long periods is Historys biggest
advantage and the networks
greatest asset, Schofeld says.
While she prefers to buy pre-
free-TV rights, shes not overly
hung up on frst-run, saying that
the ability to air shows over a
24-hour period makes a bigger
difference.
Julys programme highlights
include America, The Story of the
U.S. (Mondays, 10pm-12am), a
12-hour television epic about the
creation of America. The mini-
series premiered in the U.S. in April
this year.
Also on in July is How the Earth
Was Made (Mondays, 8pm-10-
pm), a documentary about
earths geological history, and
Strange Rituals, which explores
rites and rituals and how these
shape cultures and empires.
Series for the rest of the year
include Life After People, Nos-
tradamus Effects, Rome: Death
of an Empire, Top Shots and local
production Hidden Cities: Asia.
History HD, available in Singa-
pore, Hong Kong, Philippines,
Korea and Japan, is scheduled
separately.
Media reform in Thailand
Thailands government-run free-
TV channel, NBT Television, is
being remade into a space for
more diverse views and opinions,
and as a force for Thai reform.
Thailands Public Relations De-
partment, which operates the
22-year-old station, said media
reform was one of the fve points
of national reconciliation efforts
in Thailand.
In his address at NBTs birthday
and relaunch celebrations, Thai
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva
said that while people today
had more sources of informa-
tion, consumption seemed to be
narrower. The prime minister also
said social gaps were widened
when people were not open to
multiple sources of information.
He commited the government
to a policy of limited interfer-
ence, sayi ng that excessi ve
intervention made a diverse
environment, with free and crea-
tive media, impossible.
However, he drew the l i ne
at the use of vi ol ence, and
said even governments in fully
democratic countries would not
allow this type of freedom of
expression.

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NOVEMBER 3-10, 2010 / SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA

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