Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) BroadcastAsia2016 Show Daily - Day 1 | Page 21

31 May 2016
21 BROADCASTASIA2016 SHOWDAILY 21

Addressing a digitally transformed world

“ Futurist ” Gerd Leonhard is presenting the combined Visionary Address .
In the next five years , globally increased connectivity , super-computing and vastly more power ful inter faces will bring about exponential changes in how we communicate , consume media and content , transact and do business , as well as how we learn and design our future .
So says Gerd Leonhard , “ futurist ” and founder / CEO of The Futures Agency , who is speaking at the BroadcastAsia2016 International Conference and Communic- Asia2016 Summit . He is presenting the combined Visionary Address titled The Next 5 Years in Global Digital Transformation tomorrow .
Dubbed as “ one of the leading media futurists in the world ”, Leonhard is also sharing his views on the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for ICT professionals in Asia-Pacific , as a hyper-connected world continues to be shaped .

Asia ’ s OTT potential continues to grow

BY PETER BITHOS
The potential for over-the-top ( OTT ) is very large in Asia , given the rapid growth in smart device and Internet penetration , coupled with consumers ’ desire and impatience to want what they want , whenever they want . This growing demand for digital services will continue to accelerate in the coming few years , which will increase the market potential for OTT services to become a thriving business in Asia .
On a macro level , there are two worlds dominating the OTT space in Asia . Firstly , it ’ s the advertisingvideo-on-demand ( AVoD ) model , which focuses on free-to-air ( FTA content ) and often a spin-off model from their main broadcast business .
Secondly , the subscriptionvideo-on-demand ( SVoD ) or “ paid service ” that requires subscription . This is an entirely different space from AVoD , and HOOQ believes that the key formula to win in this space includes payment , pricing and content .
HOOQ has been working across the region with mobile carriers to offer the payment mechanisms needed for the average Indian , Filipino and Thai viewer . HOOQ has existing partnerships with Airtel , Vodafone and Idea Cellular in India , Globe in the Philippines , AIS in Thailand , as well as Hutchison 3 , Indosat Ooredoo , Smartfren Telecom , Telkomsel and XL Axiata in Indonesia . Most of these partnerships were established before HOOQ entered the market to ensure that , at launch , more people can gain access to HOOQ .
On pricing , entertainment must be benchmarked to the price of a movie ticket and below typical pay-TV alternatives . With HOOQ , customers can access over 35,000 hours of movies and TV series for under US $ 4 per month . HOOQ also recently announced a first-of-itskind pricing structure for emerging markets , where customers will now be able to enjoy HOOQ in bitesized weekly “ sachets ” from as low as $ 1.40 .
Customers can now access
HOOQ for seven days through the largest catalogue of Hollywood and local titles of any premium service across Asia . This new weekly pricing is now available in Indonesia and will be rolling out soon to all remaining countries that HOOQ operates in : the Philippines , Thailand and India .
This is the first time such a price plan has been introduced in the relative young video-on-demand ( VoD ) space , and which is inclusive of Hollywood content .
On content , the key is to provide the best of Hollywood and local content , which HOOQ believes is what customers want . For them , local content is equal to , if not more important than just , Hollywood content . For this reason , HOOQ has recently entered into the foray of original content production starting in the Philippines , with an original mini-series based on a highly acclaimed Pinoy film .
Customers can now access HOOQ for seven days through the largest catalogue of Hollywood and local titles of any premium service across Asia .
HOOQ ’ s mission has always been to drive the entertainment revolution for the emerging market customer , and the trends and demands in the OTT space .
Peter Bithos is CEO of HOOQ , and is presenting today at the Broadcast- Asia2016 International Conference , Track C1 : The Business of Connected Entertainment . He is addressing how technology deployments , user experience and content strategies are tracked in Asia .
The universal transport platform at the core of the most innovative digital content experiences .
Explore the possibilities at BROADCAST ASIA 2016 . Stand # 5G4-08
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