TV Broadcasters of The Year

The idiot box is getting smarter with the onset of digital, especially in Asia. Here are the top 10 broadcasters this year, according to marketers.1. MediaCorpMediaCorp, once again and not surprisingly, tops the list as Singapore’s top TV Broadcaster as voted by marketers. The only local terrestrial broadcaster, MediaCorp’s television channels feature a mix of local productions and international programmes.Recently, MediaCorp has been hard at work digitising its content. Its latest developments will have it transmitting all free-to-air channels in digital format under the DVB-T2 television standard by December this year.Besides Channel 5, which is already transmitting in digital via HD5, viewers will also have high quality picture and audio as well as electronic programme guides on Channel 8, U, okto, Suria, Vasantham and Channel NewsAsia.“With a proliferation of new mass medium in a world of multiple screens, communication and entertainment avenues, the focus for our TV channels will be to identify programmes ideal for transmedia storytelling so that we can engage our fans across different platforms offering them unique content and ultimately a greater viewer experience,” said a MediaCorp spokesperson.MediaCorp also has plans for its individual channels. For example, its flagship Mandarin channel, Channel 8, will begin prime-time live streaming services on Toggle in the second half of 2013. In terms of content offerings, Channel 8 will launch projects such as The Journey, which will tell 100 years of Singapore stories over the next three years, and World At Your Feet, a drama serial in conjunction with the World Cup.Its English news channel, Channel NewsAsia has launched a multi-year slate of iconic documentaries on Singapore to mark the country’s 50th year of independence in 2015.It will also launch a new documentary, Undercover Asia, which will investigate and uncover the issues facing a fast-growing and modernising Asian region.2. NBCUniversal NBCUniversal comes in at number two in this year’s rankings as voted by marketers. Its flagship channels in Asia are Universal Channel, E!, DIVA Universal, Style, Syfy, 13th Street and Golf Channel. Its regular advertisers include brands from automotive, personal care, tourism boards and more.Recently, it presented the second phase of the “High Heeled Warriors” research to media buyers and advertisers from June 2013 to give its stakeholders a greater understanding of the pay-TV female audience in Asia. The quantitative study revealed different segments of female audiences based on demographics and lifestyle analysis.Also, DIVA Universal organised a Suits cast tour with lead Patrick J Adams in Singapore as part of a promotional tour in Asia (Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines) for the second season.Universal Channel refreshed its brand with the positioning “100% Characters” leading its on and off-air look and brand proposition. It has launched a series of hot new shows such as Chicago Fire and Bates Motel since the brand refresh. Style Network also rolled out a bold rebrand in April 2013 with a new look, feel, new programming and tag line – “Work it. Love it. Style it”.According to a spokesperson, NBCUniversal prides itself on being strong with the contemporary female pay-TV audience with its strong female brands – E! and DIVA Universal, Style and Universal Channel.3. BBC Worldwide AsiaBBC Worldwide Asia does well in this year’s TV Broadcasters of the Year rankings coming in at third place. The broadcaster reaches a wide range of audiences with its channels. The brand has been hard at work extending its business across Southeast Asia. This year it launched TV Everywhere services in two markets in Singapore and Malaysia. In July, it launched BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Entertainment, CBeebies and BBC World News on StarHub’s TV Everywhere service in Singapore. With this service, StarHub subscribers can go to StarHub’s TV Everywhere URL to watch the channels they have subscribed to online. This service is an addition to the catchup service for BBC Knowledge and BBC Lifestyle with StarHub, launched three years ago.BBC World News also became the first global news channel to offer a high definition (HD) feed in Singapore when it launched its HD channel with StarHub.In Malaysia, it worked with TM Net to launch its TV Everywhere service in May. The HyppTV Everywhere service is available through an app, is exclusive to HyppTV subscribers with UniFi and Streamyx 4Mbps and 8Mbps.BBC Knowledge, BBC Lifestyle, BBC Entertainment and CBeebies are available through this service.BBC World News and bbc.com launched a new brand positioning and major global marketing campaign called “Live the Story” earlier this year. Live the Story aims to portray the authentic on-the-ground perspective of BBC correspondents across the world. Over the next 12 months, BBC Worldwide aims to continue the growth of its portfolio of channels with existing and new partners across the region. Plans include launching more channels in markets that don’t have its full portfolio; launching channels with operators who don’t carry its channels and more.4. Fox International ChannelsThis year Fox International Channels comes in at number four and targets male and female viewers aged 18-55. Each channel under the FOX International Channels (FIC) umbrella has a unique personality and caters to a specific audience. Its flagship channels include National Geographic Channel, FOX, Star World, FOX SPORTS, FOX Movies Premium and SCM.FIC is also the first regional pay-TV network to offer local ad sales solutions, allowing it to further customise the power of the network for clients’ needs. FIC Asia reaches more than 550 million cumulative subscribers across Asia Pacific and the Middle East with offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand and the UAE.In the past year, FOX Movies Play and SCM Play, the companion catch-up services to its Hollywood and Chinese movies channels, was made available online for StarHub subscribers, authenticated through StarHub’s TV Anywhere portal. NGC Singapore also partnered with The National Library Board to produce a series of television vignettes focusing on the memories of Singaporeans in the eighties, titled irememberThe80s as part of the Singapore Memory Project, a nationwide initiative which aims to capture and document memories of Singapore.In January 2013, FIC Asia, announced FOX SPORTS was to be launched across multiple platforms, including television, broadband, mobile and online in Singapore and in various countries across Asia. This significant development was pursuant to News Corporation’s successful acquisition of ESPN’s partnership interest in ESPN STAR Sports (ESS) in November last year, and all ESPN networks were renamed as FOX SPORTS networks as of January 28, 2013.5. Discovery Networks Asia PacificDiscovery Networks Asia-Pacific is synonymous with knowledge and curiosity across various platforms. This year it comes in at fifth spot.Each of its eight network channels target a different audience group. For example, Discovery Channel, one of the world’s most widely distributed TV brands, targets upscale and affluent adults aged 25-54.TLC, launched in Asia Pacific in September 2010, targets the 18-54 age group with a slight female skew. Animal Planet is morefamily oriented, while Discovery Kids combines educational and entertainment content and is aimed at school-age kids 6-12 andtheir parents.The network reaches 207 million viewers in the Asia Pacifi c every month, delivering a primetime audience of 1.3 million. Discovery Kids, its newest channel, is available in seven countries, in several different languages and reaches more than 40 million homes across the region. The channel was launched in 2012 to bridge the gap in the market and the demand for edutainment programming targeted at older school-going children across the Asia Pacific.Discovery’s channel line-ups are also constantly evolving to cater to audience tastes and interests. The channel provides 39 localisedfeeds in 15 languages and offers a mix of content that provides viewers with global perspectives and local viewpoints.In addition to continuing favourites, there are also several new series coming soon, including Bear Grylls: Escape From Hell and Forbiddenon Discovery Channel; The Fabulous Baker Brothers and When Patrick Met Kylie on TLC; and Adrenaline Project and On the Spot onDiscovery Kids. Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific also engages with its audience through interactive campaigns and activities such as Discovery Bait Night, TLC High Flyers and more. It is also committed to developing local talent and supporting nonfiction content providers in the Asia Pacific.6. Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific has held on strongly to sixth position this year. Turner takes pride in both creating anddistributing award-winning content throughout the Asia Pacific region and beyond. It also offers 36 channels in 11 languagesin 40 countries.These channels include CNN International, Cartoon Network, Cartoonito, Boomerang, Pogo, Toonami, TCM Turner Classic Movies, truTV, WB, QTV, Mondo TV and TABI Channel.With its broad suite of channels, the broadcaster targets a varying group of audiences. For CNN, its target audience comprises theupscale, globally minded independent thinkers. CNN International provides captivating, trustworthy and impartial news content, takingviewers to the heart of the story. Meanwhile, the Cartoon Network, while open to any and all cartoon enthusiasts, specifically targets boys and girls between 7-14 and their families. Being one of the leading children’s channels in Asia Pacific, it is available in 74 million households.In late 2011, Cartoon Network also saw a brand refresh and Turner has since reinforced the channel as the home of comedy.Acquired content typically comprises a large percentage of Cartoon Network’s programming, but it’s its originals such as Adventure Time that have really catapulted the channel into the number one spot throughout the region. In the past year, children now have dedicated channels to watch their preferred genre of content. Hence, Turner recently launched Toonami, a boy-skewed adventure channel with a focus on superheroes, along with Cartoonito, a younger-skewing, pre-school offering.Going forward, there are also two projects launching in the fourth quarter of the year that represent some of the most important developments in the TV Everywhere space for Turner’s kids brands in Asia Pacifi c, including Cartoon Network. Meanwhile, in August 2013, Boomerang debuted on Freesat platforms in Thailand.7. CNBC Asia PacificCNBC once again retains its seventh position in this year’s rankings. In the past year, it launched a new bureau in Beijing and introduced anew correspondent Eunice Yoon to lead the company’s China coverage. The entity also launched a new half-hour programme, Inside China, boasting to provide viewers fi rst-hand updates on China and it also increased its programming content in Japan. Over the past year, it also launched a new international home page to provide more international content for its readers. According to a spokesperson from CNBC, the launch saw a signifi cant increase in page views and unique visitors as well as a shift in usage from the regional home pages to the new international home page. By June 2013, the international home page drew 19.4 million page views, double the amount achieved  during the same period a year ago for the regional home pages. Since it was launched unique visitors to the international home page also quadrupled. CNBC counts the C-suite, elite, influential opinion leaders, finance professionals and investors, who play significant roles in shaping the global political and economic landscape, as its target audience. Its unique selling proposition is being the “global leader in business news and information, providing fast, accurate, actionable and unbiased financial news, market analysis, real-time access to market data and economic and company insights”.The network counts Singapore Airlines, Macau Tourism and India Tourism and regional corporate clients such as Petronas, MitsubishiEstate, UPS and HDC as its regular advertisers. In the next 12 months, the network is looking to strengthen its programming, productdistribution and partnerships throughout the region and globally.8. Sony Pictures Television Networks AsiaSPT Networks, Asia once again retains eighth position in the top 10 TV Broadcasters of the Year. SPT’s Asia suite of entertainmentand content offerings include English content channels, consisting of AXN, beTV, Sony Entertainment Television, ONE and Animax.For AXN, the channel targets upscale affluent adults aged 18 and above, especially PMEB (professionals, managers, executivesand businessmen) audiences across Asia for its drama series, blockbuster movies, adventure and reality programmes from around the world, as well as made-in Asia original productions. For beTV, its core audience is young adults aged 15-34, while Sony Entertainment Television (SET) appeals to discerning and trendsetting females.SET is focused on entertainment, including fashion, lifestyle, design, food, romance and celebrity gossip. Animax caters to anime lovers of all ages, boasting a wide variety of programmes across different genres such as action, romance, horror, supernatural, comedy and slice-of-life. For ONE, its core audience includes predominantly female viewers in their 20-40s with a keen interest in prime and current SouthKorean entertainment.Over the past year, the company saw key recent developments across AXN’s The Apprentice Asia, which saw it become the top-ratedshow across all international channels for PMEBs in Southeast Asia. Its channel ONE also remains the top-rated high definition international channel in Malaysia. SPT Networks, Asia will also have new plans for AXN’s upcoming premieres of its latest programming acquisitions, including suspense thriller The Blacklist and adventure reality series The Hero. For ONE, the channel will organise the ticketed Singapore leg of the Running Man fan meeting Asia tour on 19 October.The company’s major advertisers include Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Bangkok Airways, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Subaru,Maybank, Standard Chartered Bank, Samsung, LG, Sony, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Expedia, Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, Department of Tourism Philippines and Axiata.9. Viacom International Media Networks AsiaViacom International Media Networks Asia dropped four positions in this year’s rankings, coming in ninth. With the network’s core audience being the millennials, Viacom boasts to be a pure content play company and a leading provider of glocal entertainment content, with its unique selling proposition being a content owner and creator. Its flagship channels include MTV, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central and Paramount Movie Channel, which reach out to more than 700 million households in 170 countries.Over the past year, Comedy Central Asia introduced a new channel and is slated to be the first English entertainment channel brandto be offered across all three subscription TV platforms in Singapore.For MTV, it created MTV 81 late last year with Dentsu to cater to an international audience of 18-34 with an insight into Japanese pop culture. MTV also launched Lenovo-MTV CO:LAB this year, an integrated social platform allowing progressive, creative and talented millennials across seven countries in Asia to share stories about their communities through music. This collaboration allowed MTV to engage with its audiences across an integrated marketing approach through digital, social media, on-air and overall communications withpress and bloggers.The network’s regular advertisers include Resorts World Sentosa, Sunway Group, Celcom Axiata Berhad, Lenovo, GyaO!, Dentsu, WildlifeReserves Singapore and Kidzania. The network is planning to expand its presence in the region by focusing on five key areas in the next 12 months, including expanding its distribution footprint in Asia and to be a leading provider of glocal entertainment content with a good balance between local and international relevance.Viacom is also looking to maximise the value of its content across windows, usage occasions, platforms, devices and distributors, developing its Asian operations as a best-in-class innovation engine as well as developing strategic partnerships.10. Asian Food ChannelAsian Food Channel (AFC) secured 10th spot in the TV Broadcasters of the Year. In the past year, it carried out an AFC Foodie Face Off in Kuala Lumpur – its fi rst on-line and onground integrated food photography and cooking competition held for AFC Facebook fans. The company’s core target audience is adults 25-45, including “high fliers, modern women and discerning foodies”. AFC’s flagship channels also include Food Network (FN) and Travel Channel (TC), lifestyle channels under the Scripps Networks Interactive brand in Asia. According to AFC, its unique selling proposition is its wide and growing range of originally produced local quality content featuring Asian cuisine and talent. The flagship channels are understood to be supplemented by a fully integrated marketing approach with on-ground events and online initiatives. AFC is also looking to increase locally produced content to satisfy viewers’ demands for more Asia-based content. The entity works closely with local and regional advertisers. Since being acquired by Scripps Networks Interactive (SNI) in April this year, SNI is looking to increase its growth for AFC, Food Network and Travel Channel in new territories such as Taiwan, Vietnam and greater Asia, while expanding its penetration in current markets such as Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines.Besides that, SNI is also looking to work on “creating a synergy between all three channels, leveraging off all of our available resources toincrease distribution and brand awareness”.*The methodology:The TV Broadcaster of the Year rankings were derived from questions in Lighthouse Research’s annual Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. Lighthouse Research employed an online questionnaire and surveyed its database of client advertisers and marketing services agency professionals. All answers by respondents were considered by Marketing when finalising the rankings.A total of 763 respondents from Singapore participated in the Media Spend Benchmarking Survey. Out of the 763 respondents, 578 were from the client advertiser-side and 185 from the agency side. Genuine advertising decision-makers and influencers across key agency using industries were well represented as were agency professionals from various marketing services categories.Eighty four per cent of client advertiser side respondents were manager-level decision-makers and above, with 16% from the most senior ranks of client advertisers – CEOs, MDs or GMs and another 21% were VPs or director-level marketers. Out of the 185 respondents from the agency side, the majority were marketing personnel (at 37%), 26% were CEOs, MDs or GMs, while 25% were sales personnel.The remaining 12% were operations, creative and media personnel. Advertisers from major and local international banks, FMCG companies, property and construction, IT and telecommunication firms, as well as those from travel and tourism companies participated in the survey. Agency professionals across the marketing services spectrum were also well represented.