Table of Contents

Main Summit Day One: Tuesday, 20 June 2023
Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong

Time in SGT/HKT

John Dykes, Sports Broadcaster

Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

With so much talk about cost savings, it does appear as though the focus has very much shifted to the bottom line. Is this one of the pressure points of an industry in transition, and one where both the costs and margins continue to change dramatically? In this opening session we look at the trends that are shaping the industry in 2023.

Vivek Couto, Executive Director, Media Partners Asia
With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

The Making of Korea and the Model for Who’s Next

The explosive success of the Korean content industry, both music and video, was not the chance success that much of the world sees it to be. We will look back to understand what it took to create this success and what lessons other markets can learn as they try to launch waves of their own. What are the prospects for Chinese, Thai and Indian content really breaking through and becoming the new favourites for Asian audiences? 

We take it as read that Korea is a content powerhouse.  But how did it happen? In this panel, we want to uncover the 20-year journey to dominance and as everyone strives to be the next Korea, what does it take to get there, and how easy will it be to emulate for markets around the region that want their content to be noticed both at home and abroad?

Panelists:

Peter Choe, CEO, Blint

Hyun Park, SVP, Global Division, Studio Dragon

Jeeyoung Lee, General Manager – Korea, Warner Bros. Discovery

Moderator: Gregory Ho, Senior Advisor, AVIA

11:05 | Coffee Break

For years Hong Kong was the Asian content powerhouse, but the meteoric rise of Korean drama, itself influenced by Chinese dramas, has changed the landscape. What can Hong Kong and Chinese producers learn from this Korean success, and does it make it harder or easier for Chinese content to shine again?

 

Panelists:

Lesley Simpson, Country Head, WeTV and iflix Indonesia
Desmond Deputy, General Manager (Legal and International Operations), TVB

Of all the countries that are mentioned as the next Asian success story, Thailand regularly features at the top of the list. Thai storylines continue to evolve, gaining ground on platforms and channels outside its local market. What has Thailand been doing to prepare for this day and what do they need to do to ensure that this undoubted potential is fulfilled?

Panelists:
Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya, Chief Content Strategy, Investment & Partnership Officer, CP Group and True Corporation

Prof Pirongrong Ramasoota, Commissioner, The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC), Thailand

With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

12:45 | Lunch Break

Video at the Crossroads

Gaming, social media, creator and user-generated content, experience- based entertainment and e-commerce – these are all now mega-industries, in some cases dwarfing the curated video industry in size and scale. Increasingly, they are all providing growing opportunities for the story tellers of our industry. We need to know how we co-exist with these other industries and whether they present opportunities to be harnessed, or are we the opportunity to be harnessed by them?

OTT and gaming have similar DNA, based around the art of story telling. Except, the thing about gaming is you can be the star of the show, and it is down to you when you get killed off. Are these two industries becoming closer, both in technology but also in the stories they tell? And increasingly will we see them as two sides of the same coin, with platforms dedicated not to one or the other, but to both?

Panelists:
William Wong, Head of Solutions Engineering, HK, Akamai Technologies

Kaushik Moitra, Partner, Bharucha & Partners

Jil Bausa-Go, Head of Broadcast and Publishing Business Group, Kroma Entertainment

Tony Qiu, SVP, Head of Commercial, Western Pacific, Warner Bros. Discovery

With Virat Patel, MD, Pioneer Consulting Asia-Pacific

Technology Taking Over 

It is hard not to feel that technology really is about to take over. We sit at the cusp of what many believe will be the single biggest technological evolution since the development of the internet. AI is here and it is a reality. Defined by not knowing the myriad applications which will be developed, for good and bad, what does and what will AI mean for the video industry? And before AI disrupts the video industry along with every other industry, more recognisable technology continues to shape and change the video industry we serve. What are the latest developments with cloud services, payment services, personalisation and discovery algorithms?

Product placement has a long history in the worlds of film and TV, but today the ability to not just showcase products but to sell them directly to consumers is a game changer. Who is availing themselves of this opportunity and is it just a matter of time before e-commerce becomes the third leg of the video revenue stool, together with subscription and advertising?


Panelists:
Yew Weng Soo, Senior Sales Director APAC, Endeavor Streaming
With Ivy Wong, CEO, VS Media

A generation ago the video industry jumped on the 3D bandwagon only to realise it was HD that was about to provide the revolution. Has history repeated itself with the metaverse and AI? But what will AI mean for the video industry; for the way we will go about our lives; and ultimately for the future of humanity? This is a change that feels more profound than anything we have seen since the advent of the world wide web.


Vikram Tanna, CEO, Mzaalo (Xfinite)

15:15 | Coffee Break

In the context of the video industry, what exactly do we mean by AI as opposed to other forms of technological innovation we have increasingly become accustomed to? Are we already seeing AI technologies being deployed or is this yet to come? What are the applications from content creation, editing, visual effects and copyright, and what do they presage for the industry?


Panelists:
Ramesh Babu, CEO, Benchmark Broadcast Systems
Daniel Seah, CEO, Digital Domain Holdings
Vikram Tanna, CEO, Mzaalo (Xfinite)

In a world of linear TV and OTT, growing CTV adop􀆟on and the poten􀆟al of FAST, how do we get content from point A to point B? How is the world of content distribu􀆟on changing? How are organisa􀆟ons con􀆟nuing to innovate the way content (live and VOD) is created and distributed in the cloud? Do we simply take cloud technology for granted now? Is there anything the cloud cannot do?


Panelists:
David Couret, Director of Technical Solutions for Distribution, France 24
Keith Huang, Head of Technology, Ecosystem and OTT, HKT
James Taylor, Head of Cloud, Ideal Systems Group

Main Summit Day Two: Wednesday, 21 June 2023
Kerry Hotel, Hong Kong

Time in SGT/HKT

John Dykes, Sports Broadcaster

The State of Video 2023

There is a real sense of sobriety in the video industry in 2023. Did the boom happen during the pandemic and is this now the bust? Or have priorities simply shifted with bottom line now trumping top line? And what is the current thinking on how video is delivered to the customer, from a la carte channels and streaming services to everything bundled together? Each part of the ecosystem we know as the video industry will be examined, from broadcaster to streamer, pay TV platform to telco.

What are the pressing concerns for the streaming community? From content investment, localisation and subscription growth to an increased focus in advertising, how do you manage and grow a successful streaming business in 2023?

Panelists:

Ana Bautista, Research and Strategy Director, Asia, BBC Studios

Kelvin Yau, VP and Head of Asia Pacific, iQIYI International

Catherine Park, SVP and Head of Streaming and Regional Lead for Asia, Paramount

With Gregory Ho, Senior Advisor, AVIA

Streaming may still be where a lot of the big bets are being placed but when it comes to revenue, TV still dwarfs streaming in most markets. So, what do the fortunes of linear TV look like and how does TV maintain its place in a digital world?


Panelists:
Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat
Mike Kerr, MD Asia, beIN Asia Pacific
Derek Choi, MD, HKT Home, HKT
Stéphane Le Dreau, SVP, Regional General Manager APAC, NAGRA
With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

11:15 | Coffee Break

When it comes to local content, who does it better than the local platforms? Until recently, nobody, but in this age of streaming, international players are competing more than ever before in this domain. So how do these dynamics play out and how are local platforms securing their futures?


Sutanto Hartono, MD, EMTEK, CEO, SCM, CEO, Vidio
With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

The Pay TV industry has gone through transformative changes over the past few years. They have been redirecting their focus towards exploring new business opportunities by moving away from legacy linear technology and embracing video streaming. In this session we will look at how do they remain relevant in a world where content that was once exclusive to them, is now available via D2C streaming services. Where can they add value for the streaming services they owned and/or carry? How can operators coexist with OTT in the evolving subscription industry and why should they?

Session brought to you by:

12:50 | Lunch Break

The Advance of Advertising

How can advertisers leverage streaming, CTV and linear TV to reach and engage audiences? How do CTV, OTT and mobile offer new opportunities and challenges for advertisers and content providers alike? And how is programmatic evolving to meet the needs of the video industry?

For decades, up to and including today, the television set has been the primary entertainment device in the house.
Smart TVs have been around for years but are we now at a watershed moment where those TVs are really being plugged
in and both the consumer and the industry is harnessing the power of the connected television?

Panelists:

Gavin Buxton, MD Asia, Magnite
Luke Smith, Head of Programmatic Sales & Audiences, Seven Network
Douglas Choy, GM of Inventory Development, The Trade Desk

Internet advertising is programmatic native, but for TV publishers, it is learned behaviour. Is programmatic fulfilling its potential in the video world? Can it move up the value chain and not just deliver advertising more efficiently, but help maximise the revenue potential of all inventories?


Panelists:
Raj Parekh, Lead, Digital Sales, Mediacorp
Emily Yri, VP, International Marketing, PubMatic
Lesley Simpson, Country Head, WeTV and iflix Indonesia
With Louis Boswell, CEO, AVIA

Session brought to you by:

15:50 | Coffee Break

Free ad-supported channels (FAST) are constantly talked about and becoming big business in other regions. But are they viable across the many disparate markets that constitute Asia? What are the prospects of FAST channels in this region?

Panelists:

Jay Ganesan, SVP, APAC, Amagi
Sophia Yuen, Head of Video and Audio, APAC, Bloomberg Media
Clem Birdsall, Senior Publisher and Platform Director – APAC, Publica

With Emily Yri, VP, International Marketing, PubMatic

Bringing the Asia Video Summit to a close and looking at where our industry finds itself at the mid of 2023, AVIA’s board members will wrap things up with a discussion on the challenges and opportunities that lie aheadand how trends that we have been seeing will continue to disrupt and change the way we see the Asian video industry.