Gearing Up for APOS?

The tenth edition of Media Partners Asia’s (MPA) APOS Summit begins Tuesday, April 23, at the Ayana Resort in Bali, with executives from global, regional and local companies operating across the media, telco and sports sectors set to discuss the key factors driving the $425 billion consumer broadband and video ecosystem in the Asia Pacific.

Our APOS edition takes a look at trends in the region’s content space, hearing from pay-TV channels, OTT operators and program distributors about how they are expanding their businesses. We also have an in-depth Q&A with Astro CEO Henry Tan on how the company is redefining its consumer proposition. You can read the APOS edition here.

Under the theme of “The Path to Value Creation,” the summit will explore how global media giants are building on local businesses in the region; the impact of direct-to-consumer platform rollouts; the changing environment for distribution platforms; the new economics of content creation; the emerging area of sports on OTT platforms; and the key factors investors are taking into account when valuing businesses.

“Digital distribution continues to recalibrate revenues, costs and valuations in the Asia Pacific, where local and global innovators are forging new business models and strategies,” said Vivek Couto, executive director of MPA. “As distribution options multiply, the need for scale, operating leverage and local relevance has been never greater, driving M&A and astute partnerships with a heightened focus on content, data and direct-to-consumer relationships.

“All this requires human and financial capital as well as disciplined execution, shaping investor perception and valuations in turn. As ecosystems converge, APOS 2019 will plot the trajectories of these formative trends in some of the world’s most dynamic markets, with invaluable insights on what will define, create and drive value from leading content creators, owners, distributors and investors.”

The agenda kicks off the morning of April 24 with Couto delivering his forecasts on the AsiaPac media landscape, highlighting the increasing value of IP creation and curation and identifying key business models. Next up, Kevin Mayer, the chairman of direct-to-consumer and international at The Walt Disney Company, will highlight his plans for the company in Asia and elsewhere. Greg Hart, VP of worldwide at Amazon Prime Video, is also part of the morning agenda, to discuss continued international growth for the platform. His session will be followed by Joe Ravitch, co-founder and partner at Raine, discussing investment potential in the sports and entertainment spaces. Mike Hopkins, chairman of Sony Pictures Television, will weigh in on how the studio is responding to the new media landscape. A session on China will include Deborah Mei, partner at Raine, and Yang Xianghua, president of membership and the overseas business group at iQiyi. Netflix’s Bill Holmes, global head of business development, will address the streamer’s pursuit of global scale. Astro’s new CEO, Henry Tan, will take to the stage to share how he is refocusing the business. David Lynn, president and CEO of Viacom International Media Networks, will talk about engagement and new revenue and distribution models. Another morning session will focus on Globe, the Filipino mobile telco, with Ernest Cu, president and CEO; Nikko Acosta, senior VP of the content business group; and Joseph Paul Caliro, senior advisor at Globe Entertainment. APOS delegates will hear about the integration of HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. from Molly Battin, executive VP of WarnerMedia. The focus on sports will feature a slew of one-on-one conversations, include Facebook’s Dan Reed, One Championship’s Chatri Sityodtong, the International Cricket Council’s Manu Sawhney, NBA China’s Derek Chang, DAZN Group’s John Gleasure and beIN Asia Pacific’s Mike Kerr.

Returning from the lunch break, delegates will hear about the latest developments in Australia from Nine Entertainment’s Hugh Marks, Optus’s Allen Lew and Fetch TV’s Scott Lorson. Next, Janice Lee of PCCW Media Group will talk about maintaining Viu’s momentum. The next session, on online video, will feature Mediacorp’s Parminder Singh, Media Prima’s Kamal Khalid and YouTube’s Ajay Vidyasagar. Later, Peter Bithos will share the strategy at HOOQ. The afternoon agenda also includes André Kudelski from Kudelski Group, Yves Padrines from Synamedia, Ward Platt from Blue Ant Media, Jane Basas from Cignal TV and Avi Himatsinghani from Rewind Networks.

The Thursday schedule kicks off with a panel on online video marketing models, followed by a session on OTT in India with Hotstar’s Varun Narang, Zee5 Global’s Archana Anand, Eros Digital’s Ali Hussein, HOOQ India’s Zulfiqar Khan and Shemaroo’s Hiren Gada. Later in the morning, delegates will hear about telcos in the video business from Telkomsel’s Alistair Johnston, Indosat’s Vikram Sinha and IndiaCast Media Distribution’s Anuj Gandhi. A sports session includes Bundesliga International’s Robert Klein, DDMC Fortis’s Patrick Murphy and OnePride MMA’s David Burke. Next, storytelling takes center stage with interviews with Netflix’s Melissa Cobb, WebTVAsia’s Fred Chong and WattPad’s Allen Lau, followed by a panel discussion with Astro’s Agnes Rozario, HBO Asia’s Jessica Kam, HOOQ’s Jennifer Batty, iflix’s Mark Francis and Indochina Productions’ Nicolas Simon. The after-lunch sessions begin with a look at content and distribution with BBC Studios’ David Weiland and Entertainment One’s Darren Throop. Later, Kazufumi Nagasawa will talk about Hulu Japan’s positioning and growth. A Korea session includes A+E Networks’ Saugato Banerjee, HB Entertainment’s Bomi Moon, KT’s Dominic In Sik Kang, SK Telecom’s Hugh Kim and Watcha’s Taehoon Park. True Corporation’s Birathon Kasemsri Na Ayudhaya and Line Thailand’s Kawin Tangudtaisak will talk about new developments in Thailand. MNC Founder and Chairman Hary Tanoesoedibjo will weigh in on digital momentum and monetization in Indonesia. The agenda wraps with a session on investors.

Find the full APOS agenda here. Look out for our coverage of APOS all week on WorldScreen.com.