X-PLATFORM
August 2017
on their traditional revenue base.
He continues: “The strategic ac-
quisition of Rev Asia Holdings
demonstrates our commitment
to capitalising on the growing de-
mands for digital content among
consumers by expanding our reach
and further enhancing the group’s
competencies in digital content
marketing, digital content curation
and digital native marketing ads.
“The acquisition is expected
to result in the growth of revenue
contributions from Media Prima’s
digital platform exponentially
while expanding our reach and
platforms further. With this ac-
quisition, Media Prima will also be
one of the fully integrated media
companies, and one of the largest
digital publishers in this region.”
Since 2016, Media Prima has
launched several key initiatives to
capitalise on the growing demand
❝ Viewers are becoming
more discerning when
it comes to media
consumption. Lifestyle and
affluence are changing
viewers’ demands; thus,
understanding them
is imperative in order
to be able to cater for these individuals’
requirements. ❞
— Dr Ahmad Zaki Mohd Salleh,
Group General Manager, Engineering, Media Prima
of digital services and online com-
merce among Malaysian consum-
ers. Through the group’s media
platforms, these initiatives include
the launch of CJ Wow Shop, a
home-shopping network which in-
tegrates TV and online, and Super
Deals, a platform that combines
e-commerce and radio.
Furthermore, Media Prima has
also enhanced tonton, its over-the-
top (OTT) subscriber-based video
streaming service.
Dr Zaki concludes: “It’s no se-
cret that all media companies have
to move into the digital landscape.
With the declining print circula-
tion and Adex revenue for linear
TV, moving to digital is no longer
a choice but a necessity. With the
extended reach, Media Prima shall
integrate most of its current OTT
services, online portals and other
new services yet to be offered.”
For Vietnam Digital Television
(VTC), the company has been
focusing on engaging its audi-
ences via social media platforms
such as Facebook and YouTube.
“Although VTC is a national
broadcaster, we still have some of
our content available on our social
media platforms in order to cater
to younger audiences. Through
these channels, we want to attract
our viewers back to watching the
programmes on their TV sets as it
provides them with a better view-
ing experience,” Phan Tien Dung,
CTO at VTC, explains.
Due to the explosion of media
and information brought forth by
While mobile viewing continues to rise, it is also important for broadcasters
and service providers to understand what their viewers are discussing about the
content in the digital space, in order to respond timely and interact with them.
the Internet of Things (IoT), each
viewer has now developed their
own genre of interest, and their
preferred platform in obtaining
the information they require. Phan
elaborates: “Instead of watching
and listening from only one broad-
caster traditionally, viewers today
are able to verify the sources of
information from the Internet. For
instance, some viewers are watch-
ing the TV programme while find-
ing more information relating to
that programme. Hence, we have
to provide them with as much
necessary information as possible
in order to retain them on our
channels.”
As for HO O Q, an OT T
streaming service founded in
2015, it launched its Facebook
page in November 2016, and has
accumulated more than 1.4 mil-
lion of followers to date. Audience
engagement is a “large part” of any
video service and there is no one
silver bullet but a myriad of tools
that help deliver on a success-
The story is now in your hands
Netflix is continuing to push the boundaries
of storytelling with the launch of its first
interactive short film Puss in Book: Trapped
in an Epic Tale. With this interactive story-
telling approach, Netflix is placing viewers in
control of how the story unfolds, as viewers
are able to select from branching decision
paths and choose what happens next.
Carla Engelbrecht Fisher, director of
product innovation at Netflix, told APB:
“There is something fascinating about giv-
ing the viewer agency in the storytelling,
and the connection they can feel with the
characters. Our team’s mission is to inno-
vate on our product and help move Netflix
forward, so there was certainly a predispo-
sition to start thinking about what else we
could do, and what other kinds of stories
we could tell.”
Consumer control is already something
that the company has been providing in
terms of accessing video content anytime,
anywhere, and across any device. However,
this approach of interactive st