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...iWant TViWant TV, part of the Philippines’ ABS-CBN empire, launched in December 2010 as an online video service offering content from ABS-CBN, SkyCable, ABS-CBNmobile and other subsidiaries. Content is streamed on-demand and live. SkyCable subscribers have access to cable channel content. ABS CBNmobile subscribers have access to content produced exclusively for mobile. The service is geo-blocked for the Philippines."It is all about giving Filipinos the freedom to choose the way they want to enjoy content." Ralph Menorca, Head of iWant TV, Digital Head of AccessAvailable on Desktops, smartphones and tablets. The iWant TV mobile app launched in Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store in November 2013.Targeting iWant TV’s free tier was opened to all online users in December 2012. The platform has about 2.4 million registered users, of which 200,000 are paying subscribers of ABS-CBN’s pay-TV and mobile platforms. Who’s driving the initiative Ralph Menorca, head of iWant TV, digital head for access; Connie Lopez, head of digital partnerships and ecosystem management; Richard Reynante, head of content for access; Tina Rita, platform manager; Joyce Villasor-Villaflor, content manager Biz/pricing models The free tier carries advertising. SkyCable and ABS-CBNmobile subscribers are provided access to ad-free premium and exclusive content. What about paid services? “iWant TV is constantly evolving... Currently, we feel our content is best made available on a free basis. However, paid services [for iWant TV only] may be considered in the future, when we see that our [online] users have developed the appetite for paid, premium content.” [Ralph Menorca] Live linear streamed channels ABS-CBN Channel 2, ABS-CBN News Channel, DZMM TeleRadyo and MOR 101.9 for all users. SkyCable subscribers have access to Al Jazeera, Asian Food Channel, Basketball TV, the Biography Channel, Bloomberg, Cartoon Network, CNN, Food Network Asia, History Channel, Jack TV, Lifetime Channel, National Geographic Channel, Nick, RTL-CBS Entertainment Channel, Solar Sports, Telenovela Channel and WarnerTVWhat’s offered on demand? Episodes of all shows from ABS- CBN Channel 2, ANC. Select content from ABS-CBN regional channels, ABS-CBN Sports + Action, E!, Kix/Thrill, Knowledge Channel and Nick, as well as exclusively produced content from ABS-CBNmobile. How many new titles are added a month? “On-demand content is mostly catch-up, so content is updated daily. New content, particularly for ABS-CBN, is in sync with broadcast launches.” [Ralph Menorca] What’s the biggest challenge? “Online video piracy” [Ralph Menorca] Take up expectations for 2014 “We hope to double the number of registered users by the end of 2014, driven by the growth of mobile internet access and usage.” [Ralph Menorca] What’s the average viewing time? “The typical iWant TV user finishes at least one episode (about 20 mins) per session.” [Ralph Menorca] What are you hoping to achieve? “It is all about giving Filipinos the freedom to choose the way they want to enjoy content. Our goal is to provide the best online viewing experience by offering the best lineup of shows, and by providing access in the platforms most relevant to them. We hope that in the near future, iWant TV will become top-of-mind as the primary venue for Filipinos to watch their favourite shows, in the same way as traditional TV is today.” [Ralph Menorca] Most-watched titles Be Careful With My Heart, Ina Kapatid Anak, Gandang Gabi Vice, MMK and Got To Believe Is there anything surprising about usage? “One of the surprises is the habit of repeating an episode again and again. Another is our Comment Boards, becoming a venue of fans to converge, discuss and even create small communities. Both phenomena were most evident among Be Careful With My Heart viewers.” [Ralph Menorca] How are you using social media? “We utilise Facebook and Twitter to keep our users abreast with the latest launches and featured shows. We also use social media to gather feedback and address any issue that our users may have.” [Ralph Menorca]* 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