Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia’s independent self-regulatory body The Content Forum has elected Astro Radio’s CEO Kenny Ong to be its new chairman, which was announced during its annual general meeting.
The appointment will see Ong assuming the position for a two-year term, succeeding outgoing chairman Y.Bhg. Dato’ Khairul Anwar Salleh, the CEO of Media Prima Television Networks.
Ong is the current CEO of radio company network Astro Radio and is also the CEO of performing arts company Rocketfuel Entertainment. Prior to joining Astro, he was the managing director of Universal Music Malaysia, where he was instrumental in increasing investments and accelerating the development of local content and artists. He has also previously worked as the country head of Unilever Network Malaysia and Singapore, where he created a safe, credible, and new e-commerce network both locally and regionally.
The Content Forum is made up of various organizations representing the communications and multimedia industry. It governs content by self-regulation in line with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Content Code – a set of rules that are applied to all content in the networked medium such as radio, television, audio text, and internet content from the country, as well as electronic boards, and public transport, among others.
In his new role, Ong will be bringing over 25 years of knowledge and experience across different industries to lead the council that sets the agenda on building a strong and agile self-regulatory framework for the communications and multimedia content industry. Together with members of the council, he is charged with executing strategies to achieve the vision of the Content Forum, which includes facilitating self-regulation and establishing best practices necessary for the growth of the content industry and the protection of its consumers.
Commenting on his appointment, Ong said that he is truly humbled and thankful for the responsibility entrusted to him, and looks forward to raising the bar on the good work that has been done by the Content Forum.
“The challenge for us now is to self-regulate and continuously update the Content Code that caters to a world of multiple complexities resulting from a new era of User Generated Content such as piracy, fake news, online scams, cyberbullying, hateful messages, e-commerce complaints, invasion of privacy and misleading information on products, services, and platforms. At the same time, it is equally important to identify and help manage the emergence of new industries and players such as OTTs, live-streaming platforms, e-sports, and the proliferation of social media influencers and KOLs,” said Ong.