MUMBAI: With record traffic to the www.casbaa.com website over the Lunar New Year, the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has today released the full version of an insightful documentary video examination of online video in China, Japan & Korea (click here). CASBAA also released an additional in-depth Data Pack related to the video, available exclusively to its members. The high-value information package highlights the dramatic impact of authorized (and unauthorized) streaming video services across Asian markets.
The Data Pack contains essential supporting documentation for the CASBAA video, featuring in-depth insights from 16 media market innovators and includes an executive summary. The full package is now available to CASBAA members from the Members Zone at www.casbaa.com.
According to CASBAA, China, Japan and Korea will drive the next wave of online video development. China will draw further attention as it emerges as the largest wired broadband market in the world with 190 million connections in 2012.
The CASBAA Data Pack to members shows that home access accounts for 74.1 per cent of all connections in China, whilst Internet Cafés are the source of access for almost 40 per cent of the youth market. Some 75 per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) indicate that they share the network video of all kinds with other netizens.
Meanwhile, 33.2 per cent of South Koreans watch movies online in some form and, according to a recent survey by the Korean Film Council, this effects the domestic DVD and movie industries. Some 47 per cent of the all respondents had illegally downloaded feature movies without paying, or paid less than 50 cents per title during the past year.
"Although movie piracy has become rampant in both China and Korea, Japan remains a relatively strong copyright protected regime. Traditional sources of paid content are still popular in Japan," said CASBAA CEO Simon Twiston Davies.
Nevertheless, according to the CASBAA Data Pack, online video advertising represents a strong growth opportunity as audiences migrate to the web. Tudou, a popular video sharing site in China, claimed that advertising revenue reached CNY11.296 million (US$1.65 million) in the first half of 2008. Other sites drawing big audiences include Nico Nico Douga (Smiley Smiley video) in Japan, and Pandora TV in Korea.
Overall, online advertising for China, Japan and Korea is forecasted to grow from US$10.3 billion in 2009 to US$15.1 billion in 2012.
Despite the current uncertainties over rights, regulation and business models of online video services, the emerging online video landscape offers opportunities for content owners, broadcasters, advertisers and subscription television players. "It is time for the TV industry to review new strategies to provide offerings to this new breed of customers," added Davies.
