IPR at the heart of Vietnam pay-TV growth

Ho Chi Minh City — The Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) today reaffirmed regional television industry support for the remarkable growth of the Vietnam pay-TV industry – recently at more than 50% per year. A high-level meeting of industry executives in Ho Chi Minh City praised the Government of Vietnam and domestic pay-TV operators for creating one of the most vibrant markets in Asia.

According to CASBAA, Vietnam has made important strides towards adhering to international standards for the protection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for broadcasters of all kinds. During a working seminar on pay-TV services for 120 officials and industry executives, CASBAA noted the favorable trend, which has heightened the interest of foreign investors in Vietnam. The seminar, entitled “Growing Pay-TV in Vietnam: Enhancing Revenues and Protecting Contents,” was co-organized by CASBAA and the Copyright Office of Vietnam.

However, the industry Association, which represents more than 120 companies from across the region, also warned that a formally structured, fully licensed, competitive marketplace must be put in place in order to support digital infrastructure and to underpin Vietnam’s economically vital communications market.

“CASBAA and its member organizations are eager to help Vietnamese companies to build a viable pay-television industry to meet the needs of Vietnamese consumers and contribute to the country’s development goals,” said Simon Twiston Davies, the CEO of CASBAA. “But the deployment of enforceable (and enforced) IPR and transparent licensing regimes is essential if today’s remarkable growth pattern is to be sustained.”

With approximately 1 million legitimate subscribers to pay-TV systems across the country, Vietnam also notably features more than 2.5 million unauthorized (pirated) pay-TV subscribers to cable, satellite and digital terrestrial systems in Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, Danang and the other fast developing cities.

“The tolerance of widespread pay-TV signal theft sends a very negative message, even as Vietnam continues to benefit from its accession to the World Trade Organization and looks forward to the launch of the exciting VinaSat project in 2008,” said Mr Twiston Davies at the conclusion of the meeting in Ho Chi Minh City. The success of this project, and many others in Vietnam, will depend on continuing progress toward creating a positive environment for growth of the legitimate industry.