BroadcastAsia 2014 Plays Hub to OTT Content Revolution

Singapore, February 20, 2014 – With the ever increasing demand for mobile broadband anytime, anywhere, the explosive growth of Over-the-Top (OTT) content has accelerated rapidly with a staggering 352.4 million people expected to pay for access to OTT programming by 2016[1]. As Asian consumers continue to demand easily-accessible entertainment, OTT services such as pay TV are increasingly becoming a necessity in the region with revenues expected to grow to US$43.9 billion by 2018, according to a research report[2].

This trend, familiarly coined as the ‘pay TV boom’, will be showcased at BroadcastAsia2014 and will inspire broadcasters to pursue the right business models, whilst harnessing the best technologies in order to monetise content. Returning to the Marina Bay Sands from 17 – 20 June, content providers, broadcasters and telecommunication companies from all over the world will be at the event to witness the revolution in its full glory as they play a part in taking the OTT model to the next level with the latest innovative technologies and services.

Strong spotlight on OTT

BroadcastAsia acts as a knowledge platform for the international broadcasting, film and digital multimedia industry and with the OTT trend in mind; the first day of the four-day conference will throw a bright spotlight on success stories on the conceptualisation, implementation and monetisation of OTT video services.

Opening keynote address

The BroadcastAsia2014 International Conference will kick off on 17 June with a welcome address by StarHub’s Chief Technology Officer Mock Pak Lam, followed by a keynote address, ‘A Global Perspective on How OTT is Changing the Competitive Landscape of the Broadcasting Space’, which will delve into the opportunities for growth and challenges faced by broadcasters in Asia.

Captains of the Industry Dialogue 1

Following the opening keynote address comes the ‘Captains of the Industry Dialogue 1’, where the OTT conversation continues to flow among a panel of distinguished speakers from Amazon Web Services, Ericsson, HBO Asia, Irdeto, Samsung, StarHub and Telekom Malaysia.

Delegates will hear these experts probe into the feasibility of OTT becoming the future of TV - how this evolution would impact operators and broadcasters in Asia. They will also discover the newest technologies and discover innovative methods that can help companies effectively face key challenges and capitalise on growth opportunities.

OTT case studies

Media Prima Digital, the digital arm of Media Prima Berhad and Malaysia’s number one digital media group, will be presenting a case study at the conference on ‘How OTT is driving business growth in broadcasting’.

Noting that OTT services are gaining greater traction in the US and Europe, Lam Swee Kim, Group General Manager of Media Prima Digital thinks that Asian operators and broadcasters need to provide OTT services to reach not only a wider target audience, but also for sustainability because content consumption is now expected to be multiscreen. Recognising that there are challenges such as getting the ‘buy-in’ of management to adopt an OTT strategy and setting up a robust OTT platform that is able to cater to the broadcaster’s needs, Kim believes that having good content will work anywhere – be it the traditional broadcast or OTT platforms.

“OTT is driving business growth in the Asian broadcasting industry and with new players emerging from different areas across the region, it is an extremely crucial time for us to learn from one another and unanimously develop OTT video services. BroadcastAsia will educate visitors and participating businesses alike, while providing the ideal opportunity for us to draw focus to our target audience, plan our investment options and prepare for the challenges that expanding the OTT market may bring,” says Kim.

“An OTT service should not be an ‘after thought’ to broadcasters as it is the current consumer expectation. It demands as much attention or sometimes more than the traditional broadcast platforms as the consumers expect to have their content fast, anytime and anywhere to fit into their lifestyle as opposed to appointment viewing,” she enthuses.

Other companies who have confirmed their participation to share their individual expertise and experience in OTT alongside Media Prima Digital include MediaCorp and Tvinci. MediaCorp will provide delegates with an update on Toggle, and Tvinci will steer delegates into an in-depth examination of the success behind Asia’s newest OTT launch.

As well as exploring the OTT business model, how it should be implemented and how to ensure sustainability and longevity whilst monetising OTT, the first day of the BroadcastAsia2014 International Conference will also focus on the next wave of technologies for television. Other topics for discussion throughout the agenda will include Broadband TV, Connected TV, CDN, Cloud broadcasting, DVB, File-based workflow, Multi-screen, Multi-platform, Next wave of technologies for TV, Social media / TV, Radio broadcasting and more.

Covering all facets of the ‘Content’ value-chain

Incorporated with the BroadcastAsia2014 International Conference, the Creative Content Production Conference 2014 will highlight Asia’s extensive contribution towards the revenues of films and the creation of TV and film content. The conference will also explore practices for content distribution in Asia and the impact of 4K adoption.

Held over two days from 18 - 19 June, the first day will focus on content creation that matters and appeals to a larger audience than within Asia. The latest case studies of top-rated film and TV formats will be discussed, as well as best practices in storytelling and trans-media content adaptation. Content distribution and funding opportunities will be explored on the second day. With international experts offering their experiences, the track will also look at the impact of 4K adoption from the production viewpoint.

Event of choice for the international broadcasting, film and digital multimedia industry

BroadcastAsia2014, Asia’s definitive exhibition and knowledge platform for the international broadcasting, film and digital multimedia industry, will return to Marina Bay Sands from 17 – 20 June 2014. This year, the exhibition will see the return of some of industry’s most renowned players in their respective fields, such as Blackmagic Design, EVS, Grass Valley and more. Exhibitors showcasing OTT solutions include Envivio, Channel Islands Media, Gospell, Konka, Limelight, SumaVision, Thomson Video Network, Pace and many more.

Together with CommunicAsia, the event welcomed more than 51,000 trade attendees from 100 different countries/regions in its 2013 edition, including industry professionals from ABS-CBN Corporation, Astro TV, Fox International Channel, HBO Asia, MediaCorp, Media Prima Berhad, Myanmar Radio and Television, Raj Television Network Limited, Radio Television Hong Kong, Vietnam Cable Television Company and many others.

Calvin Koh, Assistant Project Director of BroadcastAsia from show organiser, Singapore Exhibition Services, says: “As content becomes more digitalised and the use of connected devices becomes the norm, the rise in demand for TV everywhere is becoming more dominant and relevant than ever. With this in mind, we have designed this year’s exhibition and conference to help businesses expand their OTT capabilities, embrace innovation and capitalise on growing consumer demands for digitalised content. Not only will BroadcastAsia2014 showcase Asia’s potential and growth in the OTT market but it will reflect a global perspective and give us some insight into the future of OTT broadcasting.”

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