South Korea, Japan, China, Australia and Taiwan have highest OTT viability in Asia

SNL Kagan Shares New Data on The New Frontier ‘OTT’ During CASBAA Webinar

HONG KONG — CASBAA and SNL Kagan recently conducted an informative webinar on Tuesday, September 23 detailing how upstart OTT providers are taking on traditional multichannel providers in the fight for Asia Pacific’s video customers.

“CASBAA is excited to have this opportunity to partner with SNL Kagan to help provide essential information to our members about the expanding TV Everywhere and OTT streams in the broadcast industry,” said Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA. “Their expertise, in-depth analysis, and proprietary data on the constantly evolving media and communications business provided invaluable insights for the webinar’s attendees.”

During the webinar, SNL Kagan analyst Wangxing Zhao examined key trends for OTT subscriber and revenue growth on a global scale, and identified key metrics that signal high probability of OTT adoption in specific markets. In addition, Zhao discussed how operator-led TV Everywhere/Multiscreen services were positioned to grow revenue opportunities for distributors and programmers, while fending off new competition from Over-The-Top (OTT) Subscription Video on Demand (SVoD) and catch-up TV websites.

Defined as web-sourced video accessible via the open Internet regardless of broadband network, OTT is taking on traditional multichannel providers with diversified revenue models including advertising, SVoD, premium rental, and download-to-own.

Based on a series of indicators for TV and telecom sectors on both market size and device/service penetration, the top-ranking countries in Asia Pacific for OTT viability are South Korea, Japan, China, Australia and Taiwan. Other factors, such as well-established telecom infrastructure, an open regulatory environment, diverse international content, strong local broadcaster presence, and residential purchasing power, can also boost OTT viability.

On a global level, the Asia Pacific region trails behind North America and Western Europe in terms of pay TV penetration, while exceeding the Middle East and Africa for fixed broadband penetration. North America and Western Europe also lead the charge for OTT SVoD service uptake and revenue, with Asia Pacific ranking third.

Across Asia Pacific, leading pay-TV operators are leveraging TV Everywhere deployments to build product competitiveness and create additional value for existing subscribers, with live streaming channels and VOD libraries rolled out to smartphones, tablets, computers, smart TVs and game consoles. TV Everywhere is believed to play an essential role in long-term video competition for incumbent pay TV providers to meet the challenge of cord-cutting in light of OTT evolution.

“Video competition in Asia Pacific is growing more intense by the day as new OTT entrants stir the pot with innovative business models and content offerings,” remarked SNL Kagan Associate Director Ben Reneker. “Incumbent providers must continue to react aggressively with TV everywhere rollouts to ensure long-term competitive viability. Now is not the time to stand still.”