Seoul, South Korea – Popular streaming platform Twitch has announced that it will be shutting down its operations in the South Korean market by February 27, 2024; citing rising operational costs in the country brought by the country’s prevailing network fee implementation to content providers (CPs) in the country, both domestic and foreign.

In a blog post by Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, he stated that they have put a lot of effort into finding ways to continue operating in the country by reducing costs. It is worth noting that the platform tried experimenting with peer-to-peer (P2P) livestreaming, as well as reducing the maximum video quality output to 720p.

However, the platform noted that despite these measures, the network fees in the country were 10 times higher than in most other countries, making operations no longer feasible. Moreover, Twitch has continued to operate with difficulty in South Korea with significant losses.

Speaking about those that will be affected by the closure, Twitch has stated that it will be working with rival platforms such as AfreecaTV and YouTube to aid creators in the transition process to their platforms.

“I would like to reiterate that this was a very difficult and difficult decision, and one that all of us at Twitch are deeply saddened by. Korea has always been a stellar player in the global esports community and will continue to do so. We’d like to thank you all for your hard work building a great Twitch community,” Clancy said.

It is worth noting that South Korea has an implementation for content provider tech companies to pay a network fee depending on the traffic they generate towards internet service providers (ISPs). This regulation came to international attention when South Korean ISP SK Broadband had sued Netflix over the huge traffic it generated thanks to the popular series “Squid Game”.

Singapore – A new research from Magnite has found that ad-supported streaming services deliver scale for brands and that 71% of TV viewers in Southeast Asia watch ad-supported streaming. According to the report, said trend in the streaming industry serves as a signal for the future of streaming in the region.

According to the report, ad-supported streamers are embracing content across devices, which leads to more meaningful connections with brands and influences purchasing decisions. 

Around 68% of ad-supported viewers take action after seeing an ad on streaming platforms, and 94% are more likely to make a purchase from a brand they engaged with across multiple devices.

Meanwhile, ad-supported streaming audiences are highly engaged when watching streaming, which is winning viewers’ attention over social video. Around 92% of ad-supported viewers report being engaged when watching streaming content as compared to 62% of social media users who say user-generated videos on social media don’t hold their attention very long.

In an exclusive interview with MARKETECH APAC, Gavin Buxton, managing director of Asia at Magnite, he explained that in order to effectively leverage ad-supported streaming, brands should identify partners who can provide access to inventory from multiple streaming platforms at scale and support them in understanding targeting, creative and measurement opportunities.

“Streaming provides scale and reach at a level rivaling traditional TV and consumers in Southeast Asia are adopting ad-supported streaming in growing numbers. With streamers viewing content across multiple streaming platforms and devices, brands have more opportunities to increase the scale of their campaign investments to reach a growing audience of streamers across these platforms. This will enable brands to drive even greater awareness and impact,” Buxton stated.

When asked about how big is the scale of SEA’s ad-supported streaming industry, he stated that they look forward to many global streaming platforms launch their ad-supported streamers first in the region over the coming year.

“Our research establishes that streaming in the region is growing in scale, with 71% of TV viewers tuning in and 79% stating they prefer to watch free or reduced-cost content with ads versus 21% who prefer an ad-free experience. SEA was historically a free-to-air-dominant region, likely resulting in a lasting understanding of the value exchange between advertising and lower-priced or free access to premium content,” he said.

With many ad-supported streamers fully grasping the fact that streaming services have become a necessity for households in the region, Buxton expects that given this continued appetite for content, publishers and broadcasters will continue to increase investment in digital-first video content. 

“While video on demand (VOD) has been the main growth driver of ad-supported streaming in the Southeast Asia region, we can expect programmatic addressable, live sports, and free ad-suppoted television (FAST) adoption to also influence the growth of ad-supported streaming in the future. With linear TV now increasingly consumed in streaming environments, this opens up the opportunity to reach addressable audiences at scale,” he said.

Buxton further added, “Consumption of live sports on streaming platforms is also experiencing growing momentum, according to our research, and we expect this upward trajectory to continue, generating more opportunities. FAST adoption has been on the rise across the US and EMEA and is now starting to gain momentum across SEA, with device manufacturers and broadcasters launching more FAST channels to cater to a variety of user interests. All of this will enable advertisers to reach audiences more effectively and at greater scale.”

When asked what advice would brands consider when placing ads on as-supported streaming platforms, he said that brands should seek out and work with providers who have an understanding of the nuances of the streaming market across the SEA region. Moreover, it is also important that partners have direct relationships with streaming platforms and can provide transparency into media planning and reporting across these platforms, as well as the programmatic capabilities to maximise scale.

“As media owners continue to invest in quality content and internet-connected device ownership increases, Southeast Asia’s streaming TV ecosystem offers significant opportunities and benefits to advertisers looking to reach highly engaged audiences across all devices. For those that are newer to streaming, now is the time to dive in and test campaigns to become more familiar with the format, while those already investing should extend these investments across multiple streaming platforms and devices to capitalize on the current growth of CTV in addition to other screens,” he concluded.

Singapore  – Official sports streaming applications and those with close associations to the tournament or FIFA itself observed a huge increase in user acquisition activity as the FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament came to a culmination, according to the latest report from data.ai. 

All around the world, streaming partners given official broadcast rights to stream the World Cup Final saw a surge in user acquisition activity around key matches for their respective countries’ teams. 

In particular, BBC iPlayer, RTVE Play, FOX Sports in the US, and Optus Sport in Australia became focal points for fans taking in the match and those leading up to it. 

FOX Sports saw dramatic spikes during the tournament around the US team’s matches. But building excitement can best be seen in the sudden increase in adoption of the BBC iPlayer app as England faced a make-or-break game against Australia, the outcome of which would determine if the UK team was in or out of the final.

Fans’ increasing need to watch the game and its results drove a 50% increase in downloads of the four apps as a cohort when compared to the same number of days preceding the tournament. In terms of numbers, these apps saw a combined 1.06 million new installs across the iOS App Store and Google Play globally during the first four weeks of the Women’s World Cup, which was up from approximately 706,000 in the four weeks leading up to it.

Also looking at how the apps performed in their home markets, there is impressive period-over-period growth in average daily downloads for Spain’s RTVE Play and US-based FOX Sports at 44% and 51%, respectively. Meanwhile, BBC iPlayer had yet to benefit from the full impact of England’s securing a final berth. Australia’s Optus Sport proved to be an outlier, with growth of more than 1,700% from its daily average coming into the tournament.

Furthermore, other apps with connections to FIFA and the Women’s World Cup tournament, like subscription or ad-supported live TV services, also posted impressive results. 

According to estimates by data.ai, the average weekly time spent by US mobile users in cohort apps like Hulu and Youtube TV that carry FOX Sports Live observed an appreciable increase from 48.9 million hours to 52.8 million. The analysis of app usage data also found a combined 8% increase in weekly time spent on them during the Women’s World Cup. 

Additionally, Booking.com, the official travel partner of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, delivered its best month ever for new downloads in July. The app reached 7.4 million, a significant improvement compared to how it performed in July 2022, its previous best month with 7.35 million.

Meanwhile, FIFA Soccer from EA Sports scored perhaps the greatest goal as it reached $1b in lifetime consumer spending.

Singapore – PubMatic has partnered with on-demand video streaming service iQIYI through the integration of PubMatic’s OpenWrap over the top (OTT) service.

The partnership has been motivated by premium OTT streaming services’ increasing adoption of programmatic strategies. This has allowed them to optimize revenue and improve the overall advertising experience for viewers. Hence, it gained PubMatic’s OpenWrap OTT popularity.

A key feature of OpenWrap OTT and PubMatic’s unified auction solution for OTT and CTV publishers is the expanded advertiser reach, increased revenue, and improved experiences for viewers.

Meanwhile, Frankie Fu, VP of international at iQIYI, expressed excitement about the impressive outcomes of implementing OpenWrap OTT, stating, “We are thrilled with the results we’ve achieved since integrating OpenWrap OTT. We observed an immediate uplift in bid requests and overall programmatic revenue. The PubMatic team collaborated closely with our Southeast Asia and China teams to identify the most effective monetization setup for our platform, ensuring a quick and efficient implementation.”

John Martin, senior director, OpenWrap, at PubMatic, also shared that they have been supportive of iQIYI’s exploration of the programmatic landscape over the years and that they are thrilled to assist them in their role as a flourishing global streaming platform, driving revenue growth through unified programmatic auctions.

The PubMatic and iQIYI International partnership, integrating OpenWrap OTT, marks a significant milestone in advancing programmatic technology for OTT streaming. This collaboration unlocks opportunities for revenue growth, expanded advertiser reach, and an enhanced viewer experience on iQIYI’s global platform.

Singapore – Live commerce and shoppable short video provider BeLive Technology has announced a partnership with Japanese entertainment platform mysta, aimed at offering interactive live streaming capabilities to artists so that they can audition and showcase their talents.

The new solution, powered by BeLive Technology means users can stream interactive auditions at both a local and nationwide level, offering participants real-time engagement and feedback. While it is possible to produce videos directly from mysta’s existing platform, this new solution goes beyond that, by supporting live streaming and immediate online interaction. 

Furthermore, BeLive Technology and mysta plan to jointly add new live video capabilities to their existing portfolio for the Japanese market in the future.

Kenneth Tan, CEO of BeLive Technology, said, “We are excited to partner with mysta and power video-first engagement for Singaporean audiences. Under Morikawa-san and Takahashi-san’s leadership, mysta has demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and elevating the entertainment industry. We are delighted to advance the adoption of live video in Singapore with mysta.”

Meanwhile, Akihito Takahashi, CEO and president of mysta, commented, “We are delighted to partner with BeLive Technology, a leader in live streaming solutions. By harnessing BeLive Technology’s expertise, we can enhance the live streaming experience on the mysta platform, enabling content creators and aspiring talents to connect with their fans and unlock new opportunities.”

The new partnership expands on BeLive Technology’s growing number of clients, including Grab, Shopback, and Revieve.

Seoul, South Korea – Popular streaming platform Netflix has announced that it has pledged US$2.5b in investment to South Korea’s entertainment scene, including the creation of films, series, and other unscripted shows for the next four years.

The announcement was made following a meeting with Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos with South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol following the latter’s ongoing state trip in the United States.

According to Sarandos, said investment is twice the company had previously pledged in the Korean market since they started service in Korea in 2016.

“We were able to make this decision because we have great confidence that the Korean creative industry will continue to tell great stories. We were also inspired by the President’s love and strong support for the Korean entertainment industry and fueling the Korean wave,” he said.

Sarandos also added that with the partnership, they will continue to grow with the local industry while sharing the joy of entertainment with Korean storytellers to their fans around the world.

“I have no doubt our investment will strengthen our long-term partnership with Korea and Korea’s creative ecosystem. We are deepening our partnership with the Korean creative industry, which has produced global hits such as ‘Squid Game’, ‘The Glory’, and ‘Physical:100’,” he concluded.

Singapore – Global audio streaming services platform Spotify has announced new personalised and curated experiences to observe the holy month of Ramadan. They include Ramadan-centric music, podcasts, and talk content dedicated to families and communities celebrating the holy season.

Listeners can also find personalised content on the “Your Ramadan 2023” playlist and see the music and talk content that is trending in their respective countries, and podcasters are constantly developing and publishing new Ramadan-related episodes.

Previously, Spotify’s editorial teams had curated playlists, podcasts, and talk content for their users during Ramadan. Through this new announcement, Spotify aims to spotlight content that changes each day, creating personalised playlists with songs picked just for listeners, and highlighting trending content that people are listening to in their region.

Moreover, the platform is aiming at making readings from the Quran easily accessible, and listeners can also find exclusive clips and greetings from their favourite artists and celebrities wishing them a blessed Ramadan.

For Gautam Talwar, managing director for Spotify Asia-Pacific, they are proud of delivering this new Ramaden-centric experience to their listeners during this holy month of observance.

“We’re designing an experience on the platform that allows our listeners to take a more active role in discoverability as well as to foster more meaningful connections with artists and podcasters they love on Spotify,” Talwar said.

Meanwhile, Rhea Chedid, senior podcast manager at Spotify, commented that they are now seeing more and more podcasters release series that are the ultimate companions to everyone observing Ramadan.

“Everything from shows about cooking and the history of Ramadan traditions and Islam, to audio scripted series that entertain and podcasts that review your favourite Ramadan television series, we are really witnessing creators think deeply about how they can better the lives of listeners through audio during this time,” Chedid said.

Sydney, Australia – Independent omnichannel sell-side advertising platform Magnite has announced the launch of its singular supply side platform (SSP) Magnite Streaming, which combines technology from the Magnite CTV and SpotX platforms.

Magnite Streaming empowers media owners to maximise the value of their assets holistically across live and VOD inventory, CTV and OTT environments, and addressable linear, while gaining insights to more efficiently and effectively drive their businesses. 

Some of its CTV and OTT clients include Nine, TVNZ, Emtek Digital and Samsung Ads. Magnite Streaming also provides advertisers with unparalleled access to CTV and OTT inventory, audience targeting capabilities and real-time reporting.

The SSP’s features include comprehensive seller deal management capabilities to monetise all types of long-form video content, inventory curation tools purpose-built for video such as advanced podding, frequency capping and reserved/upfront inventory management, and multi-faceted audience activation features including seller defined audiences, third-party data integrations, and secure data matching, amongst others.

Juliette Stead, head of JAPAC at Magnite, commented, “Magnite’s combined expertise across all digital video formats makes us the strongest omnichannel technology provider for premium publishers to count on. Our experienced team is able to effectively address the diverse opportunities and challenges that arise in video advertising, having executed many exciting streaming video campaigns in partnership with leading broadcasters and streaming publishers throughout JAPAC, such as Nine, TVNZ, Emtek Digital and Samsung Ads.” 

She added, “Through Magnite Streaming, we’re reinforcing our commitment to address the unique needs of our clients and helping set them up for long term success to propel the progression of ad-supported CTV and OTT.”

The recent SSP launch comes after the recent news of Magnite’s global, two-year expanded partnership with Disney Advertising.

Manila, Philippines – Disney+, the subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service under The Walt Disney Company, is finally coming to the Philippines on November 17.

Disney+ coming to the Philippines comes after a year of the platform announcing its added expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

The platform first appeared in APAC through its ANZ launch in November 2019, followed by the Indian launch in April 2020 through Disney Star’s Indian SOV Hotstar. It then launched in Japan via a deal with NTT Docomo in June 2020, in Indonesia in September 2020.

In 2021, Disney+ launched in Singapore (February 2021), Malaysia and Thailand (June 2021), as well as the countries of South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in November 2021. Meanwhile, launch in Vietnam is slated for early 2023.

The Philippine launch also comes months after Disney+ has announced an adtech deal with The Trade Desk in its move to offer ad-supported plans for its subscriptions in the future.

Singapore – Popular streaming platform Netflix is finally rolling out its ad-supported plan on November 3 this year, starting off with a price of US$6.99 a month, three dollars less than the typical US$9.99 a month subscription plan. 

The ad-supported plan will first roll out in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Through the new plan, users will be presented with a much smaller library of movies and series, and will have on average 4-5 minutes of ads per hour, ranging from 15 to 30 seconds each. Users will not be able to download their favourite shows for offline viewing.

In order to roll out their ad-supported plan, Netflix has partnered with DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science to verify the viewability and traffic validity of their ads starting in Q1 2023. Ads can be specifically targeted by the geographical location of the viewer and the genre they are watching.

Mark Zagorski, CEO, DoubleVerify, said, “Over the past decade, the team at Netflix has done a tremendous job building one of the most popular streaming services in the world. As we continue to expand our coverage across premium video and CTV environments, DV is thrilled to extend our third-party verification solutions across their platform, ensuring campaigns meet key quality criteria while maximizing performance and outcomes for advertisers”.

Meanwhile, Lisa Utzschneider, CEO at IAS, commented, “We are excited to partner with Netflix as they introduce their much-anticipated ad-supported tier that will dramatically increase the global supply of CTV advertising inventory. IAS provides marketers with the tools necessary to monitor the quality of their media buys as they expand their CTV inventory. We look forward to offering essential coverage to brands and the ability to purchase ads on the Netflix platform with confidence.”

It should be recalled that Netflix tapped Microsoft as its adtech partner following their interest to launch an ad-supported plan.

“While it’s still very early days, we’re pleased with the interest from both consumers and the advertising community — and couldn’t be more excited about what’s ahead. As we learn from and improve the experience, we expect to launch in more countries over time,” Netflix said in a statement.

Netflix’s launch of the ad-supported plan comes after six months of their interest to launch said offering. The platform has been losing performance this year, resulting in a massive layoff and slow growth.