CASBAA Celebrates 20th Anniversary

HONG KONG: This month marks the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the multichannel TV industry group CASBAA, which is kicking off celebrations with a members-only event on May 23 in Singapore.

As part of its 20th anniversary program, CASBAA has lined up a number of immediate objectives. The first is to keep members connected to CASBAA everywhere, all the time, through a new mobile site that will be launched soon. CASBAA also recently launched the Connected Media & Mobility Group (CMMG), providing support for the "Digital Matters" conference, taking place May 24 and 25 in Singapore. The 2011 CASBAA Convention theme, which will be announced soon, will reflect new viewing experiences available "anywhere, anytime." The convention will run from October 31 to November 3 and will explore today’s market drivers that are defining the industry future. On May 23 in Singapore and July 28 in Hong Kong, CASBAA members, both past and present, will be invited to "birthday bashes" as part of the CASBAA Mixer series. The creation of a new CASBAA industry training program for new graduates, with initial funding from the China Great Wall Industry Corporation, is set to bolster Asia’s pay-TV industry leadership. Also, a newly formed CASBAA Advisory Group has been created to ensure that the association retains access to industry executives who have previously served in the Asia Pacific and championed CABSAA.

“We are extremely proud to mark our 20th Anniversary,” said Marcel Fenez, the chairman of CASBAA. “From tiny beginnings in early 1991 when there were few business plans, no cable TV platforms nor mature satellite TV systems, Asia’s pay-TV market is now a US$40 billion business serving more than 3.5 billion people."

Fenez added: "Today CASBAA is about far more than multichannel TV. Its members deliver video in multiple formats to all corners of people’s lives and impact entire business communities with the promotion of multichannel advertising via the Asian Television Advertising Coalition (ATAC), through CSR campaigns, through the dissemination of industry news and as a repository for every type of industry data from government regulations to talent development. With two decades of experience, CASBAA is truly the industry spokesperson and a key trade resource.   

“We have seen incredible changes in the last 20 years but one thing remains the same—CASBAA will always be THE voice for multichannel TV in Asia,” Fenez concluded.