MUMBAI: The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) launched its first exclusive Members Report for 2009, the multi-layered Online Video in China, Japan & Korea, assessing the video services sector in three of Asia’s most dynamic media markets.
The CASBAA Report comprises three components: an Executive Summary, a comprehensive data pack and a documentary video featuring in-depth insights from 16 leading media market executives. CASBAA Members may also access the related full CASBAA data pack and videos exclusively from the CASBAA Members Zone at www.casbaa.com
"Online Video in China, Japan & Korea presents our industry with challenges, but also great opportunity. The written briefing, the data pack and accompanying video segments shed new light on the on-line video eco-system and the emerging business models," said CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies.
The CASBAA Report examines how online video is revolutionizing media consumption in China, as well as Japan and Korea, as such services are deployed in parallel with the traditional pay-TV business model.
Meanwhile, the CASBAA Members’ data pack is filled with lead indicators of the new consumption patterns.
"With the development of high-speed broadband infrastructure and web-connected mobile devices, in some markets uncontrolled online video distribution has become an almost irreversible trend among young urbanites and professionals," said Davies.
"The upside of this for the pay-TV business is a huge market for paid delivery platforms, quality VoD and advertising."
"We see cross-media advertising and subscription opportunities, led by pay-TV, becoming more compelling than ever for marketers, advertisers and content providers alike," said Davies.
The Report was prepared for CASBAA by Tomorrow consumer innovation research agency CEO Mike Walsh. "Youth audiences are redefining how they want to experience television. Watching video online could be just the start, transforming the relationship between content, consumers and brands," said Walsh.
According to the CASBAA Report, there are well over 250 million online users in China, of which at least 180 million are regular viewers of online video content. Some 50% of Chinese netizens are under 30 years of age, with online video being the fourth most popular internet application in the Middle Kingdom.
"Unlike the West where the internet has developed primarily as an information and business tool, China’s web application usages would appear to be more predominantly for entertainment," said CASBAA.
In Japan’s mature advertising market, mobile TV advertising has emerged in the last year or so as a newly dominant channel for revenue growth. Japan’s mobile centric culture has also driven strong usage of video sharing sites on mobile phones.
"These models may have strong implications for the rest of the region," said Davies. "Traditional pay-TV platform will continue to grow but online video is not to be ignored,"
Meanwhile, CASBAA notes that more than a third of Korean internet users, predominantly males, watch movies online in some form, with file-sharing as a mainstream activity. Video quality is also identified to be a strong consumer incentive and paid-for high-definition video channels are being launched to match this demand.
