March 2017 NEWS & VIEWS 13
China ready to embrace VR
BEIJING – Driven by the entry of major players , as well as “ new and exciting ” content , China ’ s virtual reality ( VR ) industry is expected to expand more than four-fold ( 441.2 %) in 2017 , predicted market intelligence firm IDC .
Inspired by Google , IDC expects 80 % of mainstream mobilephone vendors to start releasing VR products , while traditional tech giants such as Lenovo , Dell and HP will work with Microsoft to improve their competitiveness in the VR market .
IDC also sees Sony , Microsoft and Vive as the top three desktop VR platforms in China ,
while screen-less head-mounted displays can be expected to make up 62.9 % of all VR shipments in China in 2017 .
Chinese consumers can also anticipate a further explosion of VR experience stores . As of Q3 2016 , there were 5,000 VR experience stores in the country — more stores will open and be accessible in lower-tier Chinese cities , said IDC .
Content-oriented Internet companies such as Tencent , LeTV , iQiyi and Baofeng will also test their fortunes in the VR hardware market , even as “ impressive VR content ” emerges in the first half of 2017 , concluded IDC .
Asia-Pacific leads global social media use
SINGAPORE – A total of 2.8 billion users globally used social media on a monthly basis in 2016 , an increase of 21 % year-on-year , reported social media management platform Hootsuite in a new report produced in conjunction with We Are Social , a global social media agency .
Of these , 1.5 billion are from Asia-Pacific , 95 % of whom access social media via mobile devices — the highest ration in the world .
As such , organisations operating in Asia-Pacific should plan to transform their communications strategy to increase customer engagement and real-time interaction across the customer journey , suggested Hootsuite .
Roger Graham , Hootsuite ’ s senior director of growth and marketing , added : “ One of the greatest opportunities of a digitally connected world is the ability to have immediate conversations , wherever and whenever customers want . Social media not only enables organisations to amplify its brand , but also build trust , credibility and human relationships at scale .”
Within Asia-Pacific , Singapore is one of the most active social media-using countries . More than three in four Singaporeans now use social media , with 800,000 new users from January 2016 to January 2017 . Some 70 % of Singaporeans ( four million ) use social media on mobile , more than double the global average of 34 %.
Half of the world ’ s population is now online , which is a testament to the speed with which digital connectivity is helping to improve people ’ s lives , said Simon Kemp , global consultant at We Are Social .
“ It ’ s probably time for us to stop referring to social as ‘ new media ’, and integrate it more seamlessly into our day-to-day activities ,” he concluded .
APOS 2017 to highlight new opportunities in digital space
BALI – As the subscription video-ondemand ( SVoD ) online video cycle in most Asian markets is still in its infancy , the journey for most platforms , from building awareness to generating trial users , and finally converting them into regular users , is a “ long and arduous ” one , said Aravind Venugpoal , VP at Media Partners Asia ( MPA ).
Venugpoal was writing in the Asia Video Consumer Panel report released by MPA last November , which revealed that when consumers sign up to SVoD services , they are most concerned about the content genre offered by the service provider . Indicated as a “ must-have ” for a premium SVoD service are Hollywood movies , followed by new South Korean and Chinese dramas , Hollywood series , and sports .
To cater to local audiences in a specific country , some service providers are also offering local content on their platforms . For instance , iflix , which is primarily launched as a Hollywood TV series service , has been adding “ a signification portion ” of local content to its platform , particularly in Indonesia and the Philippines , where more than 30 % of its movie titles are local , said MPA .
The report covered six Asia- Pacific markets — Hong Kong , Malaysia , Indonesia , Singapore , the Philippines and Thailand — with a 1,000-user panel size in each market .
Venugopal continued : “ In four
Industry experts will be addressing the opportunities offered in the digital space at the Asia-Pacific Video Operators Summit ( APOS ) 2017 , which will be held from April 25-27 at the Ayana Resort in Bali , Indonesia .
of the markets surveyed — Hong Kong , Singapore , Malaysia and the Philippines — local over-the-top ( OTT ) players have taken the lead when it comes to building awareness and conversion , led by pay-TV and free TV operators , a number of which are reliant on local and Asian content and , in certain cases , sports .
“ Global and pan-regional SVoD services are focused on providing international content , and are fighting to take the lead , though conversion has been low in general . In terms of awareness and conversion , Netflix and iflix both lead in selected markets , with Viu also robust across most markets .”
As telcos and online video platforms expand distribution partnerships , the market share of digital video is also creating new opportunities for content creators , distributors and consumers .
Hence , industry experts will be gathering at the Asia-Pacific Video Operators Summit ( APOS )
2017 to provide insights , forge new partnerships and unlock the new opportunities for local markets across Asia-Pacific , said Vivek Couto , executive director for show organiser MPA .
Besides addressing the partnerships between telcos and SVoD online services , the event will also be focusing on the evolution of Internet TV . Following the emergence of new online video platforms , it is crucial for media operators to define and invest in a differentiated content proposition while using big data analytics to create a compelling experience for viewers , said MPA .
Other topics that will be highlighted at APOS 2017 include the power of social media video in the age of multimedia curation , the future of TV and video advertising , as well as the future of sports rights in an era of digital fragmentation .
APOS 2017 will take place from April 25-27 at the Ayana Resort in Bali , Indonesia .
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n MARCH
March 6 - 9 ABU DIGITAL BROADCASTING SYMPOSIUM 2017 The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur , Malaysia www . abu . org . my
March 21 - 23 CABSAT 2017 Dubai World Trade Centre , UAE www . cabsat . com
March 23 - 25 CCBN 2017 China International Exhibition Centre , Beijing , China www . ccbn . tv
n APRIL
April 22 - 27 2017 NAB SHOW Las Vegas , Nevada , USA www . nabshow . com
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April 25 - 27 ASIA PACIFIC VIDEO OPERATORS SUMMIT ( APOS ) 2017 Ayana Resort , Bali , Indonesia www . visitapos . com
n MAY
May 16 - 19 KOBA 2017 COEX Exhibition Centre , Seoul , South Korea www . kobashow . com
May 23 - 25 BROADCASTASIA2017 Suntec Singapore www . broadcast-asia . com
May 23 - 25 COMMUNICASIA2017 Sands Expo and Convention Centre , Marina Bay Sands , Singapore www . communicasia . com
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n AUGUST
Date to be announced BIRTV 2017 China International Exhibition Centre , Beijing , China www . birtv . com
n SEPTEMBER
September 15 - 19 IBC 2017 RAI Amsterdam , The Netherlands www . ibc . org
n OCTOBER
October 10 - 12 APSCC 2017 Tokyo , Japan www . apscc . or . kr / sub3 . asp
See at the upcoming events
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October 12 - 14 BROADCAST INDIA 2017 Bombay Exhibition Centre Goregaon , Mumbai , India www . broadcastindiashow . com
October 26 - 29
CASBAA Convention 2017 www . casbaa . com
n NOVEMBER
November 15 - 17 INTER BEE 2017 Makuhari Messe , Tokyo , Japan www . inter-bee . com
Date and venue to be announced IABM ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONFERENCE & AWARDS 2017 UK www . theiabm . org
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