With 2016 marking the 25th anniversary of both cable TV in the region and the inauguration of CASBAA, this year’s CASBAA Convention is set to underscore just how much the industry has transformed over the last quarter of a century. This year the CASBAA Convention is at a new venue at Studio City, Macau, and promises to be hotter than ever, with an impressive line-up of speakers.
Speaker include the opening keynote from one of the most powerful men in advertising Irwin Gotlieb, Global Chairman of media agency Group M. Other speakers include Bennett Pozil from California-based East West Bank who has been deeply involved in arranging financing for China’s Hollywood funding, Chad Gutstein, CEO of Machinima, one of the biggest online “multichannel networks” (or MCNs) and James Schwab, the Co-President of Vice Media, who was an advisor on some of the biggest media deals in the US in the past decade and more, including work with Time Warner, DreamWorks, Sony and Viacom. Other speakers include Thom Beers, who was responsible for creating “Monster Garage”, “Deadliest Catch”, “Ice Road Truckers” and “Ax Men”, and Neil Smythe who runs the hugely successful online social media fan site “Football Republic”. This will be the first opportunity most delegates will have had to learn from any of these speakers in Asia.
The CASBAA Convention will also address issues on piracy and the rise of the pirate black box, or the “Illicit Streaming Device” as well as covering topics at the heart of the digital transformation of the broadcast industry, with global and regional overviews from PricewaterhouseCoopers and Media Partners Asia, respectively, and sessions from research companies S&P Global Market Intelligence, Kantar, and Nielsen. The CASBAA Convention will also feature panels on advertising, streaming media, technology, content strategy, and satellite services, as well as Japanese, Korean, and Chinese content.
There’s no denying that increased broadband capabilities and the rise of digital disrupters has had a significant impact on the way content is now disseminated and consumed, forcing established industry players to urgently rethink their business model. Christopher Slaughter, CEO, CASBAA says, “The simple truth is that companies that fail to evolve will be left behind. By taking a look at some of the best practices in the industry, both in our neck of the woods and further afield, it is our belief that the CASBAA Convention will help our members find ways to navigate – and even conquer – the unchartered territory ahead.”
This year more than 40 operators from 15 markets have already confirmed their attendance at the CASBAA Convention and CASBAA will showcase a series of fascinating Operator interviews which will take place throughout the conference on the main stage.
Please see the table below for full Keynote and speaker lineup.
As CASBAA moves into its 25th year we look five years into the future of Asian Pay-TV. Will the consumer still pay? Can FTA and PSB survive? Can we expect to see broadcasters embrace OTT as the preferred delivery? What else can we expect that’s just around the corner?
CASBAA will also hold its annual Policy Roundtable on the Monday prior to the Convention. This closed-door summit with invited regulatory officials from a range of jurisdictions across the Asia-Pacific region represents an unprecedented forum for industry and governments to interact.
The CASBAA Convention 2016 is generously supported by sponsors including: ABS, APT Satellite, AsiaSat, Brightcove, Celestial Tiger, Cisco, CLUB TV, Conax, Eutelsat, FashionTV, France 24, Ideal Group, INsight, InvestHK, Irdeto, Kantar Media, Leyard, Love Nature, Macau Cable TV, MEASAT, One Championship, RTL CBS Asia Entertainment Network, Scripps Networks Interactive Asia Pacific, SES, Sony Pictures Television, Telstra, Time Warner, TrueVisions, Turner Asia Pacific, TV5MONDE, Verimatrix and Viaccess-Orca.
Patrons for the CASBAA Convention 2016 include: Astro, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
For further information about the CASBAA Convention 2016, please visit www.casbaaconvention.com.
