3 September 2014: Analysts might not be over the moon about the short/medium term profit prospects of OTT, but there's clearly no shortage of companies in Asia willing to give multi-screen options a go. Malena Amzah spoke to 19 online/OTT platforms in the region about what they have, what they would like to have, and the biggest things they think are standing in their way. Analysts might not be over the moon about the short/medium term profit prospects of OTT, but there’s no shortage of companies in Asia willing to give multi-screen options a good go. This includes established free- and pay-TV broadcasters, who are moving lock, stock and tech barrel into non traditional delivery, leveraging the rights they own in new spaces and creating – or hoping to – original content for online services. Channels and acquisitions execs are also pushing hard for as many rights as possible, hoping to drive online viewership, engagement and revenue. What are these and their stand-alone online platform rivals most concerned about? Interviews with 19 platforms* in Asia showed that piracy is the top concern along with access to and cost of rights, and censorship, which drives users away. Priorities include presenting a simple and easy-to-use entertainment service, available everywhere with broad content choices at the right price models and designs that serve multiple user groups’ needs. Here’s what else they said...Astro on the GoAstro on the Go (AOTG), launched in Malaysia in May 2012, is operated by Malaysian media company Astro Malaysia Holdings. The OTT/ mobile entertainment platform offers 32 live channels, catch-up and VOD via internet- connected devices (computers, smartphones, tablets)."We originally thought that most of the usage for AOTG would occur out of home... but what we’ve learned is that there are many users choosing to watch AOTG at home, suggesting that it’s being used as a second screen.”Shaiful Subhan, Vice President, Astro on the GoTargeting... Everyone who constantly access entertainment content via their connected devices anytime and anywhere Pricing... Signing up is free, with selected channels and content available for all. Free for Astro subscribers with specific packages while others pay from RM10/US$3 a monthSubscribers About 600,000 registered users Who’s driving the initiative... Shaiful Subhan, vice president of Astro on the Go The offering... Live streaming of 32 local and international channels, TV shows and movies on demand as well as live sporting and entertainment events (concerts, sporting events and special coverage). Provides up to 2,000 hours of catch-up video-on-demand content at any given time, with approximately 500 hours added monthly The goal... “While pay TV caters to a household, Astro on the Go meets the digital lifestyle of the individuals within the Astro households. AOTG is brought to market because we realised that customers demand access to their TV and entertainment everywhere they go, and not be limited to when they’re in front of their TV in the living room. In addition, we also hope to make available our channels and content to the digitally savvy generation.” [Shaiful Subhan] The biggest challenge... “To come up with a design that meets multiple users’ needs. We believe we have made the first of many steps towards building a delightful experience for our customers. We gain a lot of satisfaction from learning how our customers use our services and are al- ways working on making the next version better.” [Shaiful Subhan]2014 added features include... “We launched Malaysia’s First Multilingual TV guide and user interface for AOTG users in February 2014. In addition, for our biggest event yet – FIFA World Cup 2014 – AOTG streamed all of the World Cup games live.” [Shaiful Subhan]Take-up expectations for 2014... “We have over one million downloads and 600,000 registered users. With the continuous product improvements, expansion of content line-ups, as well as increasing smart devices and broadband adoption, we expect user adoption to grow healthily this year.” [Shaiful Subhan]What AOTG’s average video viewing time? Approximately 104 minutes weekly, a 160% increase over last year What is the most-watched content so far? “We have seen live sporting events such as the recent 2014 Thomas Cup final between Malaysia and Japan, and also the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, to be the most watched content so far.” [Shaiful Subhan]Is there anything that has surprised you about usage? “We originally thought that most of the usage for AOTG would occur out of home – thus the name Astro on the Go. But what we’ve learned is that there are many users choosing to watch AOTG at home, suggesting that it’s being used as a second screen.” [Shaiful Subhan]How are you using social media to expand your online presence? “Our social properties include Facebook and Twitter. With these two platforms, we provide our fans and followers the latest updates on the service and channels as well as customer support.” [Shaiful Subhan]* All information and opinion was supplied by the platforms themselves and fact checked for accuracy as far as humanly possible. ContentAsia has not road-tested all the platforms and offers no opinion on how well any of them work or what the strengths and weaknesses are from a consumer perspective.Issue Three 2014