A focus on content and the consumer is the key driver for growth and sustainability in Asia

The annual marquee event of the Asian Video Industry Association (AVIA), the Asia Video Summit, returned in full swing. It hosted over 300 delegates in person and online as a hybrid conference. This occurred amidst a time of immense innovation and disruption in the video industry.

The Summit opened with clear views from industry stalwarts, Henry Tan, Group CEO, Astro, Clément Schwebig, Chairman, Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA), and Vivek Couto, Executive Director, Media Partners Asia. They emphasized a return to profitability and a focus on revenue was much needed for sustained growth across Asia. “Though Asia was a huge but diverse and difficult market, there was no doubt certain markets will continue to grow,” said Couto. “However, disruption was going to continue for the next few years,” added Tan. “And all players had to be prepared for a rollercoaster ride.”

James Gibbons, President & Managing Director, Western Pacific, Warner Bros. Discovery, also shared his views on the massive changes that the industry had gone through over the last decade. While there used to be a real emphasis on subscriber growth, and the belief that the market for subscription video-on-demand was infinite, a business without an advertising component was no longer meaningful. A wholesale reassessment of how to assess the growth and value of a company was now needed. And content was no longer an individual line of business but represented an entire franchise opportunity. This enabled businesses to build a special relationship with their consumers across all touchpoints.

This focus on content certainly resonated through the Summit. For Donovan Chan, Founding Partner, Beach House Pictures, sticking to premium programming was key. It was efficiently produced at a high quality to deliver on what the audiences want and..., Deputy Director, Planning & Business Development, Strategic Content Group, , also added that with Korea leading in script development, there was also a need to attract and develop the right talent. This was to discover the secret sauce behind the success of Korean content, and hopefully replicate it in other parts of Asia.