What makes Malaysian women tick?

Universal Networks International APAC managing director Christine Fellowes (pictured) was in town recently  to launch the newly rebranded E! and the Truth creative campaign, which offers advertisers and marketers the unique proposition of reaching the pay-tv female audience on a singular platform.A+M caught up with Fellowes to talk about the changing habits of Malaysian female consumers.Q: What do you understand about the Malaysian female audience?We've done a lot of research on Malaysian females and we know they are responsible for most decisions, from purchase decisions to what TV networks their households would subscribe to, with the exception of sports. Malaysian women are becoming a lot more confident, educated and opinionated. They also have a broad range of interest and they love entertainment, as a form of escapism and to switch off. They have a strong position in family and society, as well as a strong foundation in cultural values. So these are considerations we take into account as we market our channels and programmes.Q: How is the rise in different platforms and social media changing NBC?Audiences like to interact with brands on multiple screens, particularly in Malaysia, where people are very social. So we make sure we're present in all of those screens and secondly, we have programming that is interactive. So that gives audiences various ways to engage with socially.Q: What are some challenges in being a content provider today?The way people consume entertainment is changing. It used to be that you would look up the TV guide to see what's playing and you would sit yourself down in front of the TV to wait for that programme to come on, generally with your family. Now, people have access to entertainment anytime and anywhere and this will absolutely guide the future in the way we develop our business. So, it is important for us as content providers to make sure we are producing content for a number of different screens and that we have content available anywhere and anytime.The female target audience is also becoming increasingly busy, not just in Malaysia, but all around the world. So it is vital that we provide programming that can engage and connect with women on all levels. It makes coming up with great programming, with great content, characters and relationships all the more important.