Jakarta, Indonesia – The Indonesian video industry is set to reach a value of US$2.5b this year and ballooning up to US$3.7b in 2028, a new report from Media Partners Asia has stated.

According to the report, TV’s share, including net advertising and subscription, dropped to 48% from 56% in 2023, as the shift to online video accelerates, led by UGC and social video as well as including premium video-on-demand (VOD), including freemium and SVOD platforms.

Surya Citra Media (SCMA) and MNC will remain market leaders in terms of monetisation with SCMA a clear beneficiary from the shift to digital terrestrial television (DTT). 

Meanwhile, linear-based pay-TV adoption will continue to decline, as pay-TV’s incremental growth remains anchored to bundles of home broadband and payTV offered by players such as Telkom Indonesia and Axiata-owned LinkNet.

In terms of online share of the video industry, the report notes that revenue will grow from 44% in 2023 to 52% by 2028. UGC and social video, driven by YouTube and TikTok, lead monetisation, with UGC expected to grow advertising at 12% over the next 5 years for a 26% share of total video industry revenues by 2028. Meanwhile, SVOD is expected to grow at 11% over the 2023-28 period in order to grow market share in total video from 16% to 19%. Premium AVOD, meanwhile, is forecasted to grow at 16% from a low base with total video industry market share rising from 5% to 7% over the 2023-28 period.

Lastly, the report notes that Indonesian content investment grew 13% in 2022 to US$979m, representing Southeast Asia’s largest video content market. FTA remains the largest video content investment vertical. Meanwhile, online video content (local entertainment and sports) investment is the fastest growing as Netflix, Amazon and SCMA’s Vidio continue to invest through 2023. The report projects video industry content investment to grow 6% to just over US$1b in 2023 with online video rationalizing a notch. 

Vivek Couto, executive director at Media Partners Asia, said, “The advertising economy endured a poor 1H 2023; this will be partially offset by a stronger 2H 2023. TV is in the doldrums with annual ad declines over 2022 and 2023. TV ratings continue their gradual decline as audiences drift online. Free TV remains critical for mass ad campaigns, but growth is capped, held up largely by local consumer brands. Meanwhile, Indonesia remains Southeast Asia’s most intense battleground for streamers.” 

He further added, “By consumption and value, it is the largest market in SEA. Improvements in the quality of local content, combined with the proven viability of Korea content and localized tier-1 US content, has helped drive user acquisition and engagement. More rational pricing and packaging is helping to slowly boost per subscriber economics. The challenge remains the growth of free VOD platforms YouTube and TikTok. Both dominate viewership on mobile while YouTube is also increasingly popular on CTV. YouTube also remains the VOD category leader in terms of revenues by some distance though TikTok is growing rapidly while Netflix leads SVOD.”

Manila, Philippines – Local pay television provider Cignal TV has tapped Canadian software company Quickplay to aid them in the expansion of its existing video streaming service called ‘Cignal Play’, as well as the launch of a sports app–a first in the country.

The Cignal Play expansion will allow subscribers in the Philippines to access an all-in-one entertainment platform with multiple tiers of live and on demand content from Cignal TV, in addition to third-party apps and streaming services, regardless of their broadband provider.

The sports app, meanwhile, will use the same Quickplay infrastructure of Cignal Play on mobile and handheld devices. It will be a single source for live events, timely sports news and information, interactive experiences, and other unique content that cater to the varied interests of Filipino fans around the world.

Cignal TV is working with Quickplay to create these two market differentiators that will be launched in the coming months, running on Google Cloud.

Jane Basas, president and CEO of Cignal TV, said, “Streaming has given viewers greater control over a wider range of choices regarding the content available on the devices they use. The Quickplay platform has the agility and high performance that we need to quickly and efficiently provide the big screen viewing experience and live sports action that our subscribers want.”

Meanwhile, Goutham Vinjamuri, chief operating officer and co-founder of Quickplay, commented, “Cignal TV has been a leader in using the flexibility and extensibility of our platform to achieve market differentiation and better business outcomes. We look forward to helping Cignal TV unleash 10-foot Cignal Play experiences on smart TVs, as well as live sports coverage through their sports app in the near future.” 

He added, “We will continue to work with them to find new ways to forge meaningful connections among their subscribers and their commercial partners.”

California, USA – In response to the growing trend online of users resorting to online resources for verified answers to health questions and educating themselves more about health and medicine, video streaming platform YouTube has announced that it will be introducing new in-app features that would raise more awareness about verified health information.

YouTube will be adding new health source information panels on videos to help viewers identify videos from authoritative sources, and health content shelves that more effectively highlight videos from these sources when you search for specific health topics. These context cues are aimed at helping people more easily navigate and evaluate credible health information.

In order to cross-check information these YouTube videos present, the platform has applied the principles developed by an expert panel convened by the National Academy of Medicine, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that brings together the top experts in health, medicine, and biomedical science to provide unbiased, evidence-based guidance about health and science. 

The National Academy of Medicine regularly examines complicated questions related to health, medicine, and biomedical science and over the years they have given guidance on everything from countering the opioid epidemic to gene editing.

According to Dr. Garth Graham, director and global head of healthcare and public health partnerships at YouTube, the new in-app health information is the result of the platform’s constant work to make it easier for people to find authoritative information to help answer their questions, as well as putting health professionals at the core of our efforts to connect people with helpful content.

In addition, he also believes that in our increasingly digital world, the next phase in health communication is video, where we can connect with people and answer their questions in a way that is both visual and personal. He also believes that this platform, with 2 billion monthly active users, has the potential to be a transformative tool for public health and can positively impact communities at scale. 

“This is our first step towards identifying and designating authoritative health sources on YouTube. While only accredited health organizations and government entities are currently included in our health context features, we’re exploring ways to broaden eligibility and evaluate the inclusion of other health sources, as well as ways to expand these features globally,” Graham said.

He added, “Throughout my years of working in public health and practicing medicine, I have seen the benefits of getting the right information to patients when they need it. These new features are an important step to improve our platform’s role in connecting people with high-quality information. We know that there is more work to be done and our investment will continue for the long-term.”

Singapore – As cities went into lockdown and public gatherings grounded to a halt, mobile device usage has been the daily centerpiece of people’s lifestyle last year, evident with the latest statistics from independent marketing cloud company InMobi that video streaming in the Southeast Asian region has clocked in around 657 billion minutes of views during the second quarter last year.

In its latest report on programmatic video advertising, InMobi reveals that 93.5 million of those views originate from Indonesia, signifying a 57% increase in video streaming in the country, and a 65% growth in mobile video ad spend.

The report also notes that the industries of retail andfast moving consumer goods (FMCG), shopping, e-commerce, gaming, banking and other financial services dominate the mobile video advertising scene in SEA, thanks to fueled growth by advertisers in this sector. Said industries are also benefiting high video ad engagement.

On a general note, the report also found that that 36% of all in-app programmatic spends is accounted for by video, and that 179% of higher click-through rate (CTR) are driven by video compared to other formats.

In terms of video advertising format, the report states that there has been a 47% higher CTR driven by landscape video compared to other formats. Yet this still doesn’t fare well to the vertical format, which has seen an impressive growth of 196% year on year, which is 2x higher CTR driven on vertical video compared to other formats. Vertical videos are the preferred format for marketers from the shopping, social, and gaming industry.

According to Rishi Bedi, vice president of Southeast Asia, Japan, and Korea at InMobi, mobile devices are now able to deliver a near-seamless video experience to users, which is especially significant in Southeast Asia due to the size of the market in the region.

“Brands are realizing the inherent potential of video marketing in creating real connections with their customers. From screen orientation and precision targeting to the best time of day and placement, adopting the right programmatic video ad strategy will be crucial for companies to stand out in the eyes of the mobile-first consumer,” Bedi stated.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – To celebrate Huawei Video’s anniversary, the video streaming platform by multi-technology company Huawei has launched its limited-time ‘Huawei Video Turns 1’ contest.

The contest aims to honor the platform’s first-year anniversary with its fans in Malaysia, which will run until 4 April 2021. Participating users will get a chance to win free subscription services and latest products from Huawei.

Huawei Video was first launched in March 2020 and has become one of the fastest-growing video streaming services across the Asia Pacific region, which includes Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, and the Philippines, as well as Singapore, and Thailand.

The video streaming app, which comes pre-installed on Huawei devices, offers a library of video content, ranging from child-friendly content to dramas, and movies, as well as documentaries, and concerts. The platform is also set to launch in Indonesia later this year.

Furthermore, Huawei Video has also announced the addition of a number of drama series on its platform, such as ‘Don’t Think of Interrupting My Studies’, and ‘Brilliant Girls’ from MangoTV, as well as popular contents like ‘Big White Duel’ from TVB, and ‘Heroic Journey of Ne Zha’ from dimsum entertainment, among others.

Shane Shan, the director of consumer cloud service at Huawei Asia Pacific, said, “The growth of Huawei Video in the past year shows that there is a huge demand for streaming content in Asia and we are committed to delivering quality content through our curation and new partnerships.”

Manila, Philippines – Kumu, Filipino video-sharing and e-commerce social networking platform, has launched an entertainment show called ‘Sana OL’ under the official @wetviflix account on its platform.

The new show is a collaboration between two video streaming providers – WeTV and iflix. Its title ‘Sana OL’ is a Filipino expression that means ‘to want what others have’, and is often jovially expressed to someone that has shown an amazing feat or is in possession of a trait or material thing that is a crowd favorite. 

The show aims to provide viewers a deep-dive into Asia’s passion for entertainment, premiering today from 8:00 pm PHT to 9:00 pm PHT. 

Every Wednesday night, viewers can expect guest hosts and streamers to talk about the latest contents of WeTV and iflix, the hottest trends in entertainment, and an occasional show review.

To kick-off the first stream of ‘Sana OL’, the pilot theme is ‘K-Drama or C-Drama?’. The hosts will talk about the unique cultures, the influences, and how these dramas shaped the pop culture today.

Georgette Tengco, country manager of WeTV and iflix in the Philippines, said that the show’s ultimate goal is to be relatable to all fans of Asian entertainment, saying that it will allow people of all ages and backgrounds to engage, sharing their thoughts on the shows they love to stream and binge-watch.

“We believe that Kumu is the best platform to use, to connect with our users and partners. It allows us to better engage consumers, to dig around and find out what it is they want to see, what they’re interested in, and how WeTV iflix can help materialize those ‘content cravings’,” added Tengco.

Singapore – Over-the-top (OTT) video streaming reaches 392 million people across Asia Pacific, according to a new report from global video advertising platform SpotX.

According to the report, over two thirds (69%) of video viewers in the region watch streaming video at least once a week, confirming that both the audience size and regularity of OTT viewing have matured and entered the mainstream. The top three markets for OTT viewing were Singapore (91%), Australia (81%), and Indonesia (76%). 

In terms of daily streaming, OTT viewers watch more than two hours of content a day, often out-stripping traditional TV and video-sharing platforms. The leading markets for OTT consumption are the Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia. 

The majority of OTT streaming is done through mobile devices, evident across developing countries. However, smart TV viewership is growing quickly, especially in Australia, Singapore, and Vietnam, where at least one in five video viewers streams through a smart TV.

Meanwhile, most video viewers (67%) prefer to watch free, ad-supported content versus only 23% who prefer to pay for an ad-free service. There is also a clear acceptance of ads in exchange for viewing free content, with 86% of viewers saying they don’t mind watching ads – provided the ad loads are kept light. Also, streamers say that OTT ads are more effective than TV ads at attracting their attention across Southeast Asian countries.

“We are only scratching the surface of the possibilities in OTT. Not only have users grown due to the stay-at-home regulations, but it is a habit that Indonesians will continue to pursue post-pandemic,” said Crisela Magpayo Cervantes, principal partner at Mindshare Indonesia

“Local original series and movies, Korean drama, and sports are driving OTT growth as are different acquisition strategies, through telco partnerships, and new funding models,” she added. 

The research was conducted across the markets of Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, and Australia through the help of Singapore-based research firm Milieu Insights, which conducted a quantitative survey of 7,000 people across the aforementioned markets.

Mumbai, India – Local-based entertainment super-app ZEE5 has partnered with XroadMedia,  a cloud- and server-based content discovery and recommendations back-end solutions for  digital media, to ramp up its hyper-personalized video-on-demand (VOD)  offerings and social media services. 

Through the partnership, ZEE5 will be using XroadMedia’s content discovery platform Ncanto, which will help in creating multiple content discoveries, recommendations, and personalization use-cases for its users.

“ZEE5 has always believed in the power of great content and powerful technology coming together to offer the best experience to a viewer. We believe gone are the days of broadcast; even the current trend of viewing audiences in clusters and cohorts will soon give way to individual personalization,” stated Rajneel Kumar, business head for expansion projects and head of products at ZEE5.

He added, “We have benchmarked their solution for a few months and found adoption and click-through-rates on recommendations were significantly higher along with a substantial increase in average time spent by a user. XroadMedia’s cloud-based services have also provided us with a higher level of flexibility to serve personalization use-cases and I’m confident this partnership will heighten our seamless content viewing experience, a feat we take great pride in and work tirelessly to maintain.”

Furthermore, Ncanto will aid ZEE5 in creating dynamic personalization of VODbased on interests and watching behavior. 

“Our partnership with ZEE5 is another major milestone in the history of XroadMedia and proves the progress we have made over the past few years. We are particularly excited to work with ZEE5 as they are using our solution to its full extent – from personalizing entire screens in the user interface via creating and managing editorial services to applying our solution across multiple content types and sources. We are very pleased with this partnership, as the application of our solution shows how important personalization is to ZEE5 and I am sure together we will push the boundaries of content discovery and personalization even further in the future”, said XroadMedia Co-Founder and CEO Adolf Proidl.

Singapore – Digital media company Limelight Networks has unveiled a new enhancement for its streaming service Limelight Realtime Streaming – providing sub-second latency for time-sensitive video applications that enable live interaction with viewers.

In a press statement, Limelight Networks said Realtime Streaming is part of the widest range of low latency online streaming solutions in the industry that solve the perpetual challenge of delays in event broadcasts. In addition, Realtime Streaming mobile and HTML software development kits (SDKs) can also provide easy integration of interactive live applications with Limelight’s global private network.

Limelight Networks said the improved platform allows live video applications in areas such as:

  • Live sports—In-event betting allowing fans to bet on in-game outcomes while the game is being played.
  • Live auctions—Remote bidders can participate through a livestream and have a “just like being there” experience along with those on-site.
  • Online gaming—Online casinos can allow all players to instantly see table action and to place bets more quickly, increasing the number of hands that can be played each hour.

“As online video has quickly grown in popularity, performance expectations have increased and new technologies, such as Limelight Realtime Streaming, enable innovative new ways to engage audiences. Now live events are truly live with the lowest possible latency, and it’s possible to create interactive experiences that were never before possible,” stated Nigel Burmeister, vice president at Limelight Networks

Sydney, Australia – Global stock photography and footage provider Shutterstock has announced  the addition of “Editorial Video” in their growing stock library, with more than 250,000 user-generated content (UGC), live and archive footage from various subjects, ranging from entertainment, sports, current affairs, and fashion.

With partners such as Critical Past, Celebrity Footage, ViralHog, epa and London Entertainment, the Editorial Video library ensures a much more diverse portfolio for Shutterstock, which has now over 50 million photos in stock.

“We’ve long valued our partnership with Shutterstock and being able to contribute our photographs to their amazing, robust catalogue of high-quality photos in their database,” said Julia R. Arévalo, president and CEO of epa.

Unlike previous offerings from Shutterstock, the newest service has simplified its licensing service, which allows users to avail license of stock footage per clip, as opposed to the conventional per second or format licensing.

With forecasts stating that by 2022, 82% of consumer digital consumption will be more focused on online videos, the company hopes to use this medium to expand consumer demand.

“With the expansion of our editorial content into video, we will continue to service our partners across global networks, production companies and studios. We continuously strive to give our customers around the world more flexibility in how they access best-in-class content to create stunning, high-quality creative that will propel their stories forward in unique and fresh ways,” Candice Murray, VP Editorial at Shutterstock stated.