OTT TV: How is it Being Adopted in Asia?

                                        Photo credit: Jazz

“Today, TV has evolved from a world of limited options to one of almost unlimited choices" [1]

The pre-eminent global supplier of video cloud services, Brightcove Inc., (BCOV), has just released its 2018 Asia OTT Television Research Report, which it conducted in association with the international data and analytics group, YouGov. The study covered 5,000 respondents who were polled in Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, India and Hong Kong [1].

How Consumers Respond to OTT TV Services

The research strategy was conducted in order to ascertain the way in which consumers are responding to OTT television services, and to put the spotlight on: viewers' favourite platforms, the way they normally consume TV media; their acceptance of ads; their payment preferences; and the factors which propel them to sign up, or cancel their subs [1].

                                           Photo credit: Broadpeak

"TV is disrupting the idea of traditional broadcasting and redefining itself in the process, and streaming is the catalyst for this evolution" [1]. 

The General Manager of Asia at Brightcove, Ben Morrell, stated that: "the future of TV is OTT, and fundamentally, it will be defined by what the viewer wants, exerting a strong influence on how media companies package, deliver and monetise their content" [1]. 

Research Summary:

• 27% of viewers state that one of the main reasons behind signing up to OTT TV, & staying with it, is the mobile access, bearing in mind Asia's mobile centricity [1]. 
• As soon as trail consumers become subscribers, 4 key aspects play a part in their retention: the the content library, the price, the quality the user experiences on their mobile, and the platform's accessibility on their mobile [1].
• The value proposition to get non-subscribers to sign-up means that the price point should be cheaper than existing pay TV services, & must not be too expensive [1].
• 29% of respondents said that free online streaming sites [such as OONA], were their preferred choice for watching films. Films are the anchor content for OTT platforms [1].
• Consumers in Asia are happy to look at one to three adverts. "With OTT, the consumer general expectation is for more content & less ads, with 23% stating that they would rather pay a lower fee & watch some ads" [1].

OONA FREE OTT TV - A Case in Point

OONA Free Mobile TV - the cool interactive platform which goes way beyond television and OTT, is rapidly gaining traction for being the future of television. - It is currently set up to provide subscription-free and data-free AVOD interactive entertainment along with its premium options, to 185 million Indonesians, as a result of its partnership with Telkom Indonesia – one the the world's foremost telcom giants, and is on course to provide its revolutionary service to billions of people in other parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, the US and Europe..

OONA offers free to air, OTT, and pay-TV options, and its exciting new concept gives users and content holders 100% control and transparency, and enables viewers to get what they want to watch, the moment they want to watch it, in broadcast quality - anytime, anywhere.

The Next Frontier: Top Quality OTT Streaming

Some platforms, such as OONA, have already set the benchmark for state-of-the-art streaming quality on their go-to-market strategy. -Yet others still have more work to do. Right now, the video market is becoming incredibly vibrant with state-of-the-art innovative services and features. - And it is very likely that the adoption and promotion of cloud based live streaming will rocket up: "from leading-edge adoption to mass consumption in record time—and quality of experience will be the differentiating factor for consumers and providers alike" [2].

Second Rate Quality Will Be Relegated to History

Just as OONA's founder and CEO, leading digital strategist, Christophe Hochart, understands: in order for his and any other OTT TV platform to gain market share, viewers' expectations for live content quality, reliability, interface performance, and convenience, must be met, and if possible, exceeded. After all, viewers who have been used to top quality live content from cable, demand exactly the same: "Gone are the days when the early adopters of live streaming accepted convenience over quality." [2]. Now, OTT viewers want to tick the boxes for all these aspects that a leading service should offer.

OONA viewers are empowered with a personalized AI chatbot, who is there is serve them, and deliver the content and ads they are interested in. They also enjoy the benefits of a user-friendly interactive platform, and have their favourite channels and programs lined up ready and waiting for them. Users can also edit content, and use a variety of fun tools and stickers when they share exciting films and programs, and send messages to friends and family.

OONA - Delivering on Quality, Convenience, & So Much More

In the sphere of live streaming and video on-demand, the definition of a platform's brand is characterised by the quality of the content it provides. To that end, the relevant quality control department must have the best possible proactive tools which are engineered to detect problems prior to viewers witnessing them. Moreover, it must have a system which can continually detect, alert, and report important issues which impact consumers' viewing experience. This is paramount to the reputation of the platform, and delivering first-class CX (customer service) [2]. After all, it is very simple for fed-up consumers to switch platforms within minutes.

Prioritising

Platforms and developers act swiftly when it comes to adding features, services, content and capabilities. However, many fall short when it comes to monitoring and analyzing their streams. - This means that unlike OONA, they are not able to troubleshoot problems as soon as they appear, or guarantee that within reason, their consumers enjoy a non-stop fantastic viewing experience.

Being in the Know

As video monitoring specialist, Dan Murray, notes: "If something goes wrong, the provider's brand will suffer. Compared to the cost of the content... advertising, and marketing... [and] not knowing there's an issue until tens of thousands of customers drop off... instrumenting proper live streaming analysis will allow providers to win the next big opportunity in OTT cloud streaming: the high-quality live broadcast event" [2].

Standing Out From the Crowd

The OONA platform is unique in that it gives its viewers rewards in the form of tcoins (which can be exchanged for branded goods and telcom products), just for watching content and personalised ads; sharing the content they love with friends and family; and interacting with OONA's world first patented AI genie in the app, Siskabot. 

"No More TV Box (Pay-TV) - Viewers Only Need OONA & an Internet Connection on a 3G, 4G or Future 5G Mobile Device"

These days, we all want flexibility. This is a number one consideration with OONA, and its strategy empowers viewers so they can enjoy the freedom of not being tied down with financial commitments to cable companies etc. - In fact, OONA consumers have a whopping five choices:

Option 1

Viewers do not have to pay subscription or data charges. This is because OONA's  AVOD (ad-based live & on demand video service) is completely funded by personalised ads which are regularly updated according to what branded products each individual consumer is interested in at the time. Further, the technology that OONA uses enables first-class digital FTA (free-to-air) broadcasting in a clear (unencrypted) form.

Option 2

OONA's SVOD (subscription based live and on-demand video service), offers viewers the choice of paying for specific premium content on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual basis. 

Option 3 

OONA's TVOD (transaction-based live and on-demand video service), provides a pay-per-view option. So for example, if a couple just want to enjoy a newly released premium film on the odd Friday night or weekend, then they do not have to sign up for an extended period of time, and be burdened for paying for more content than they really want, like they would have to with other platforms.

Option 4

Viewers can unlock premium content by using their tcoins (OONA's virtual currency rewards which can be used for telcom products, branded goods, discounts, meals and other fun things). These tcoins are easy to accrue from watching various channels, looking at ads, sharing content with friends and family, and interacting with OONA's AI Genie in the app, Siskabot. They are stored in a virtual wallet.

Option 5

Premium pay-TV content can be easily included in the user's telcom data plan bundle.

In summary, OTT is the future of TV, and it is the viewers who will define it. To that end, it is essential that companies follow the lead of cutting-edge platforms such as OONA, which provides broadcast quality, offers flexibility to suit all consumers' needs, and delivers and monetizes their content in a winning way.

References

[1]. Digital TV News (2018). "Brightcove releases research on OTT TV adoption in Asia." http://www.digitaltvnews.net/?p=31159   Accessed 30 Aug. 2018.

[2]. Murray, Dan (2018). “The Arrival of OTT Live Video.” Streaming Media.
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/Editorial/Featured-Articles/The-Arrival-of-OTT-Live-Video-126589.aspx Accessed 30 Aug. 2018.

Online Video: Skyrocketing Mobile Use - Leads Advertisers to Invest $30 Billion

Image credit: Tubular Insights

WARC, the renowned global marketing and intelligence service, has indicated in its latest monthly Global Ad Trends report that: "Advertisers are expected to spend a combined $30 billion on online video advertising this year, most of which will be paid to social media platforms despite the continuing risks of negative adjacency and ad fraud" [1]. The rise of mobile usage is driving the unstoppable global surge in video consumption, and so advertisers' investment in video is rolling at an all time high.

 $30 billion online advertising spend in 2018, accounts for 17.5% of worldwide video spend [1] 

"Online video is set to account for almost half of daily internet consumption, with mobile driving growth" [1] 

The Upward Trajectory

It is anticipated that the ad expenditure for online video (including pre/mid/post roll, broadcaster and social video-on-demand), will go up by a huge 27.5% to achieve $29.8 billion by the end of 2018. Conversely, the predicted increase in linear TV at just 1.1%, is only equal to $140.2 billion – which is virtually the level it had eight years ago. As a result: "online video is set to account for 17.5% of the total $170 billion spent on video advertising worldwide this year, up from a share of just 1.3% in 2010" [1].

2018: Online Shares in the US, UK & China

In the US - the world's biggest video market by a long way, the country's online share is predicted to rise to 19.3% - bringing in $15.3 billion. China's online video share is projected to rise to 24.7% -  netting $6.5 billion. And the UK's online video share is predicted to amount to 38.2% ($2.6 billion) of all ad-spend on video [1].

                                            Photo credit: Dealer Marketing Magazine

The consumption of online video, most of which is made on smart phones and tablets, is steadily increasing around the globe. "Projections show consumption will rise to 84.1 minutes per day in 2020, up 26.6% from a projected 66.5 minutes this year. Of this, 62.3% of the time will be spent watching via mobile devices (compared to 60.7% currently)" [1]. If these statistics are compared to broader media consumption, the figures clearly show that across the board, the online video percentage of daily consumption is most definitely on the up [1]. In fact, buy 2020: "it is expected to reach almost half (46.7%) of all internet usage and 17.1% of total daily media consumption" [1].

Global Media Analysis: Online Video Overview

• 17.1% online video percentage of all daily media consumption by 2020
• 17.5% online share of worldwide video advertising spend in 2018
• 46.7% online share of full video consumption each day by 2020
• 58.0% EMEA marketers intend to use mobile video for their campaigns in 2018
• 84.0% influencers’ share of  views on YouTube in Q1 2018 [1].

A Case in Point: OONA TV's Successful Online Advertising Strategy

OONA FREE TV - which is always providing winning ad options for channel owners and content holders, is currently set to provide AVOD (advertising-based live video & video on-demand), and its premium service to 185 million Indonesians; and is on course with its goal to deliver up to 300 top national and international channels, including: exciting films, top series, live sports, combat, interesting documentaries, educational broadcasts, cooking channels, FashionTV, celebrity news, cartoons, motoring, breaking news and more, to billions of people in other regions including other parts of Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, the US and Europe.

                                 Photo credit: Netimperative

OONA is the brainchild of serial entrepreneur and CEO, Christophe Hochart, a leader in digital strategy who focuses on user experience for competitive advantage. To that end, the platform is naturally geared towards programmatic advertising. OONA offers a strong flexible business model to channels and content holders via its OTT monetization methods, and this has become very popular with both large international, and smaller studios and content holders alike.

OONA's Advertising Options include: 

1. A programmatic advertising video (30 seconds), CMP and CPC revenue
2. Programmatic display advertising (30 seconds), CMP and CPC revenue 
3. Programmatic advertising short-video (pre-roll 6 seconds)
4. Pay per view micro-transactions

The bottom line is that programmatic advertising increases efficiency and saves money - two very valuable advantages. By opting for automation, it puts human beings out of the equation, and buying ads becomes less expensive and more dependable. Also, and very importantly, program channels and content holders are able to optimize their KPIs (key performance indicators), and attain a deeper insight into the behavior of consumers [2].

A Lucrative Future With Programmatic Advertising

There are a number of exciting predictions: 

1. Purchases of programmatic advertising will skyrocket, and ultimately, purchasing will surpass conventional, manual ad purchasing. Furthermore, industry experts predict that leading up to 2020: “programmatic advertising will drive 100% of advertising purchases. Organizations not championing automation will fall behind those that do" [2]. 
2. Traction will be gained in the field of DCO (dynamic creative optimization), the cutting-edge display advertising which delivers automatic multi-variate testing, namely, algorithms which interpret results and ascertain how to deliver advertisements for the most optimal performance. 
3. There will be more header bidding [2] such as that offered by the OONA platform. This empowers channels and content owners with a high tech method so they are able to offer inventory to multiple advertising exchanges at the same time.
4. Personalisation will become more intelligent. When channels and content owners are able to laser focus their programmatic ads to individual viewers, then they can leverage strategies including explicit demographics and geo-location [2].

Now, along with other like minded leaders in the industry, Hochart believes that although a substantial amount of artificial intelligence is already integrated into programmatic advertising, more high tech AI marketing applications have the potential to produce even better results, and for OONA, which already providers its users with a patented AI personal assistant, and is exploring machine learning, this is worth exploring.

Currently, Smart TVs, OTT platforms such as OONA, connected TVs, PlayStations and other game consoles, provide the best digital whistles and bells. Further, the maturing of Advanced TV, has come during a period when: "multiscreen interaction has become the norm' [3], and according to an eye tracking study conducted by Facebook in 2017: "a whopping 94 percent of US viewers keep a phone on hand while watching TV" [3]. - This is not surprising, considering that smart phones seem to have become bionic extensions of many peoples' hands!

Advertisers can now build campaigns according to users' hyper-connected, fluid and dynamic behavior across varied screens and devices - thanks to Advanced TV. According to eMarketer, in 2018: "almost 200 million will use some type of OTT platform [and it] forecasts these numbers will grow steadily into the next decade" [3]. However, as Chuck Moran of Martech Today notes: "not all elements of Advanced TV are set up to extract the data necessary to make targeted buying feasible" [3]. And this is where OONA Mobile TV is at an advantage. Step forward Siskabot.

Taking a Cutting-Edge Approach

OONA creates a deep personal one-to-one experience between the user and the world first AI genie in the app, Siskabot. This guarantees high tech CX which engages users at a completely new level, and provides important data which is necessary for successful ad targeting. It also enables consumers to connect with the ads that interest them, and can save them money. And on top of this, viewers can accrue rewards in the form of a virtual currency - tcoins. - tcoins can be gained just for watching content and ads, sharing content with friends and family, and connecting with Siskabot, They can then be redeemed for branded goods and services, discounts, meals, fun days out, free telephone minutes, and Telkom Indonesia products.

Siskabot appears in person when the app is downloaded, and has regular conversations with each user to:

1. Find out the exact type of entertainment content they love, such as series, films, fashion, celebrity news, cookery, combat, live sports, motors and bikes, educational programs, documentaries, news, etc. 
2. To discover what kind of branded products and services they would chose, and the cool video and other type of ads they would like to see. 

As OONA viewers are rewarded with tcoins for interacting with Siskabot, this means that a note of everything they want in terms of branded products and services, and viewing content, is kept up to date. Further, everyone who uses the OONA platform is safe in the knowledge that OONA operates with complete transparency, and all users' data is kept strictly confidential. Ultimately, the combination of standard data collection, and OONA's Siskabot's data, is a winning combination. 

References

[1]. Digital TV News (2018). "Rise of mobile drives advertisers to invest $30bn in online video despite ongoing risks."  http://www.digitaltvnews.net/?p=31411 Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.

[2].  Kloefkorn, Sheila (2017). “Trends In Programmatic Advertising To Watch This Year.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/05/16/trends-in-programmatic-advertising-to-  Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.

[3].  Moran, Chuck (2018). “The future of TV advertising in today’s digital world.” Martech Today. https://martechtoday.com/the-future-of-tv-advertising-in-todays-digital-world-215750 Accessed 29 Aug. 2018.

Q2: OTT Prospers As Pay-TV Subs Fall

                           

                                 Photo credit: Libertas

A recent analysis conducted by Strategy Analytics’ Television & Media Strategies, put the spotlight on pay-TV subscriber numbers, and showed that in the US: vMVPDs (Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributors, who are responsible for the aggregation of on-demand linear and live TV, but transmit the content via the internet), produced a whopping: "868,000 net adds in the second quarter of 2018, bringing the total number of vMVPD subscribers to 6.73 million, up 119% year-over-year" [1]. 

Regardless of this though, the report, entitled: "U.S. Pay TV and Video Subscriber Update – 2Q 2018,” which analyses 27 public traded and private pay-TV operator subscriber bases by considering 97% of all pay-TV subscriptions, indicated that overall: pay TV subscribers (vMVPD, IPTV, satellite and cable), broke a chain of two successive quarters of growth, and dropped to 93.78 million [1]. 

By contrast, 2Q 2018, was not too good for providers of legacy pay-TV (IPTV, satellite and cable, etc.), because they just achieved close to  minus 973,000. - This was the same number of subscribers as the prior two quarters combined - the minus 1.16 Million who jumped ship. Moreover, in 2Q 2018, total legacy pay-TV subs decreased to 87.05 Million, down 3.6% year over year [1]. 

The director of Television & Media Strategies, Michael Goodman, stated that: “while the entire vMVPD segment is growing, AT&T’s DirecTV NOW deserves special notice.” Further, considering its rapid growth over a relatively short time span, if its current growth trajectory continues: “it will overtake Sling TV as the largest vMVPD in early 2019” [1].

Goodman also noted that in the past, pay TV in America comprised: IPTV, satellite and cable, yet: "the introduction of over-the-top pay TV services, commonly referred to as vMVPDs, necessitates a change in our thinking. What we have commonly referred to as pay TV (cable, satellite, and IPTV) should now be referred to as Legacy Pay TV, while the definition of Pay TV should include vMVPDs” [1]. 

                                 Photo credit: Encompass

A Brilliant Opportunity For Content Owners

Content owners now have an excellent opportunity to connect with the countless millions of OTT users who are cord-nevers, or scissor users. By using a vMVPDs, these companies "can avoid the risk of going direct" [2]. vMVPDs include: 

• OONA FREE TV
• DIRECTV NOW
• YouTube Live
• Hulu Live
• fuboTV
• Sling

The above companies, along with others, aggregate providers' content and then distribute it straight to viewers via devices with an internet service such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and so on. The majority of the latter demand a subscription to access the content [2]. Examples include: 

• Apple TV
• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• Other iOS and Android devices

vMVPDs are responsible for offering CX and billing [2].

Channel Holders & Content Holders Are Looking For the Best Deal

Leading TV channel owners and content holders are taking an up close and personal look at all the advertising strategies regulated OTT companies such as OONA have to offer. But this is to be expected, when data from the GSMA Intelligence Report, Global Mobile Trends 2017, indicated that: “5 billion unique mobile subscribers globally was achieved in Q2 2017. [And] by 2020, almost 75% of the global population will be connected by mobile” [3].

OONA empowers TV channel companies and content owners by not requiring any financial outlay; and giving them a 100% control, customization and data transparency. And very importantly, their existing model is not threatened. And this is one of the areas where OONA's highly successful strategy partnership is different to other platforms. Further, OONA adapts to each single market without changing its first-class universal user experience. The TV landscape, media content and economics of a particular country remain the same, and every OTT solution is framed using a custom designed model which is beneficial to both the channel company and the user.

Giving Viewers the Choices They Need

OONA TV - the cool, interactive AVOD (ad-based video on-demand & live) OTT entertainment platform which goes beyond TV and OTT, is about to shake up the media industry as it sets about revolutionising TV distribution and viewing experience, while simultaneously offering consumers the choices they need when it comes to free viewing or paying subs.

For example, right now, its Indonesian platform, OONA Indonesia, is set to offer 185 million Indonesians its free cutting-edge AVOD interactive entertainment service that gives viewers the very best in top international and national content on up to 300 channels. Further: "Brightcove’s industry-leading Video Cloud platform will stream live channels on OONA, as well as enable server-side ad insertion (SSAI) for a broadcast-like seamless ad experience" [3].

And on top of its AVOD service, OONA has premium options available as well, so that everyone's preferences and needs are met. OONA is also is well on course for expansion in other parts of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, South America, the US and Europe.

A Cut Above the Rest

The OONA platform is unique in that it gives its viewers rewards in the form of a virtual currency - tcoins. These can be exchanged for branded goods and services, discounts, meals, fun days out, and free phone munutes and telcom products. Users just have to watch content and personalised ads; share content with friends and family; and interact with OONA's world first patented AI genie in the app, Siskabot.

Siskabot

Siskabot, OONA's patented AI genie in the app, serves as a personal assistant and virtual friend who has users' favourite content ready and waiting for them. She also has regular chats with viewers to see what kind of brands and services they are really keen on, so she can arrange ads that will not only interest them, but save them time and money. All personal information is kept strictly confidential, and all of OONA's policies are completely transparent for users, channels and content holders.

21st Century Flexibility

This is a number one consideration with OONA, and its strategy empowers viewers with an awesome choice of content, and the freedom of not having to get tied down with financial commitments to cable companies etc. - In fact, OONA consumers have a whopping five choices:

Option 1

Viewers do not have to pay subscription or data charges. This is because OONA's AVOD is mainly funded by personalised ads which are regularly updated according to what branded products each individual consumer is interested in at the time. Further, the tech that OONA uses, enables first-class digital FTA (free-to-air) broadcasting in a clear (unencrypted) form.

Option 2

OONA's SVOD (subscription based live and on-demand video service), offers viewers the choice of paying for specific premium content on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

Option 3

OONA's TVOD (transaction-based live and on-demand video service), provides a pay-per-view option. So for example, if a couple just want to enjoy a newly released premium film on the odd Friday night or weekend, then they do not have to sign up for an extended period of time, and be burdened for paying for more content than they really want, like they would have to with other platforms. 

Option 4

Viewers can unlock premium content by using their tcoins (OONA's vitural currency rewards which can be used for telcom products, branded goods, meals and other fun things). These tcoins are easy to accrue from watching various channels; looking at ads; sharing content with friends and family; sharing a referral code on social media; and interacting with OONA's AI Genie, Siskabot. They are stored in a virtual wallet.

Option 5

Premium pay-TV content can be easily included in the user's telcom data plan bundle.

For enquiries and further information on OONA Global TV,  please visit the website

References
[1]. Radio & Television Business report (2018). "Despite vMVPD Subscriber Surge, Overall Pay TV Down. https://www.rbr.com/despite-vmvpd-subscriber-surge-overall-pay-tv-numbers-down/  Accessed 27 Aug. 2018.
[2]. Brown, Gregg (2017). "What is a Virtual Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (vMVPD)? Encompass. https://www.encompass.tv/blog/virtual-multichannel-video-programming-distributor-vmvpd/  Accessed 27 Aug. 2018.
[3]. Kulbyte, Toma (2017). “32 Customer Experience Statistics You Need to Know for 2017.” Superoffice. https://www.superoffice.com/ Accessed 27 Aug. 2018.
[4]. Digital TV News (2018). "Telkom Indonesia launches OONA mobile TV app with Brightcove."  http://www.digitaltvnews.net/?p=31233  Accessed 27 Aug. 2018. 

Global Conglomerates Set to Battle for a Slice of the Rocketing Asia Video Market

  Photo credit: DMA

Asia's online video sector racked up $21 billion this year, & revenue is anticipated to climb 18% over the next five years [1]

Photo credit: apt.int

The video industry in the Asia Pacific region is set to become a major battlefield for global media companies - and there is a lot at stake. For example, a recent study on the Online Video and Broadband Distribution sectors, was conducted by Media Partners Asia. - This shows that by 2023, there is likely to be an expansion of up to $48 billion. This incorporates advertising revenue and income from subscriptions, in a part of the world where there is a huge difference between user behavior patterns, and the degree of economic and infrastructure development.

Media Partners Asia’s executive director, Vivek Couto, who authored the report, noted that: “different payment models are emerging across China, India and Southeast Asia including TVOD and shorter time commitments, freemium tiers, bundles and loyalty programs tied to a broader mix of digital services” [1].

The Largest Markets

It is likely that China, "where generalist and specialist video players already operate side by side, but where the global giants of video are largely excluded, [will] "account for 60% of the Asia-Pacific revenue, including 66% of regional subscription revenue" [1]. The next biggest markets include: Taiwan, South Korea, India, Australia and Japan [1].

By 2023, the revenue from subscriptions outside China is predicted to rise from $3 billion to $6 billion; and further, it is anticipated that the spend on online advertising (excluding China), will shoot up from $5 billion to $11 billion. The report by Media Partners Asia predicts that across the entire Asia Pacific area, content costs will increase at as rate of 14% per annum from $16.6 billion in 2018, to $31.5 billion in 2023. Further, with the exception of China, the investment in content, will reach $5.9 billion, up from $2.7 billion.

Early Innings

The report notes that the industry: "is in the early innings of an industry evolution which will require high levels of investment and strong balance sheets" [1]. In the case of standalone players: across the medium term, there is no clear pathway to the generation of substantial free cash, in any market. Moreover, big-scale TV players and integrated digital behemoths are subsidising their online video services losses. - However, with regard to local platforms in Japan, India, China and Australia, operational break-even is predicted  within the near to medium term [1].

The Three Tech Kings

Along with Facebook and YouTube, analysis for 2018, indicates that that three mega video operators in the Asia Pacific (each of which are incorporated into bigger tech giants), are: China’s iQivi (which is predicted to gain close $2.7 billion); Tencent Video (which is thought will roll in $2.4 billion); and Youku (which is forecast to achieve $1.9 billion). And within the same region, Netflix has a predicted revenue of $750 million, while Amazon Prime Video has an estimated income of $320 million, in countries such as Japan and India, where it is readily available. [1].

Advertising Spend & An Expected Surge in Ramping Up Sub Numbers

When it comes to Facebook and YouTube, this year in 2018, within Asia, these platforms' video advertising spend will be near the $4 billion mark, and most of this will be controlled by YouTube.
With regard to Netflix, its current success is largely due to its extended presence in New Zealand and Australia, although it is ramping up its sub numbers in Taiwan, other regions in S.E. Asia, and India. Moreover, in the not too distant future, Netflix is expected to surge in Korea particularly, as well as India [1].  Speaking to Variety, Couto stated: “All eyes are now on the landscape starting 2019 as Disney invests to scale global and local entertainment and sports offerings in Australia, India, Japan and Southeast Asia, following its acquisition of Fox.

Indonesia

Indonesia is one of the buoyant emerging markets where online video streaming platforms have started to have some success: "Falling smartphone prices and improved 4G coverage have also contributed to heighten smartphone penetration to 43 percent and to a growth in Subscription Video on Demand (SVOD) services" [2]. But SVOD means paying mandatory subscriptions, and this is not within the budget of a large percentage of the population which exceeds 260 million. So a viable free alternative is crucial. - Step forward OONA...

What is OONA?

OONA TV is the cool, interactive AVOD (ad-based video on-demand & live) OTT entertainment platform which goes beyond TV and OTT. OONA's Indonesian platform, OONA Indonesia, is currently set to offer 185 million plus Indonesians its free cutting-edge interactive entertainment service that gives viewers the very best in top international and national content on up to 300 channels. And on top of this, OONA has other premium options available as well, so that everyone's preferences are met. OONA is also is well on course for expansion in other parts of Asia, Africa, South America, the Middle East, the US and Europe.

A Cut Above the Rest

The OONA platform is unique in that it gives its viewers rewards in the form of a virtual currency - tcoins (which can be exchanged for branded goods and services, discounts, meals, fun days out, free phone minutes and telcom products), just for watching content and personalised ads; sharing the with friends and family; and interacting with OONA's world first patented AI genie in the app, Siskabot.

Siskabot

Siskabot serves as a personal assistant and virtual friend who has users' favourite content ready and waiting for them. She also has regular chats with viewers to see what kind of brands they are really keen on, so she can arrange ads that will not only interest them, but save them time and money. All personal information is kept strictly confidential, and all of OONA's policies are completely transparent.

These days, we all want flexibility. This is a number one consideration with OONA, and its strategy empowers viewers so they can enjoy the freedom of not being tied down with financial commitments to cable companies etc. - In fact, OONA consumers have a whopping five choices: 

Option 1

Viewers do not have to pay subscription or data charges. This is because OONA's  AVOD is completely funded by personalised ads which are regularly updated according to what branded products each individual consumer is interested in at the time. Further, the technology that OONA uses enables first-class digital FTA (free-to-air) broadcasting in a clear (unencrypted) form. 

Option 2

OONA's SVOD (subscription based live and on-demand video service), offers viewers the choice of paying for specific premium content on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual basis.

Option 3
                                                   

OONA's TVOD (transaction-based live and on-demand video service), provides a pay-per-view option. So for example, if a couple just want to enjoy a newly released premium film on the odd Friday night or weekend, then they do not have to sign up for an extended period of time, and be burdened for paying for more content than they really want, like they would have to with other platforms. 

Option 4

Viewers can unlock premium content by using their tcoins (OONA's vitural currency rewards which can be used for telcom products, branded goods, meals and other fun things). These tcoins are easy to accrue from watching various channels, looking at ads, sharing content with friends and family, and interacting with OONA's AI Genie in the app, Siskabot. They are stored in a virtual wallet.

Option 5

Premium pay-TV content can be easily included in the user's telcom data plan bundle.

The OONA Advantage for Studios and Channels

Studios can become channels on the OONA platform without any financial outlay. By doing this, they can enjoy full transparency and 100% access to data. Further, channels can click on and activate any business model they are interested in, and have flexibility in any market.

Patented Media Monitization and Deep Data

All of these advantages are made possible because of OONA's unique patented media monetization strategy, and the deep data that is regularly collected via chatbot engagement. Find out more here. 

References

[1]. Frater, Patrick (2018). “Booming Asia Video Market Will Be Key Battle for Global Conglomerates (Study).” Variety.  https://variety.com/2018/digital/asia/booming-asia-video-market-key-battle-for-global-conglomerates-1202911329/
Accessed 26 Aug. 2018.

[2]. Yun Kyung, Kim (2017). "Video on demand: An emerging industry." 
 http://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2017/08/08/video-on-demand-an-emerging-industry.html   Accessed 26 Aug. 2018.