CITIC Telecom CPC X OpenRice Cooking up Technological Transformation with a Food Tech Ecosystem, To Always Deliver More Than Expected

HONG KONG, Oct 29, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK:1883) together with the most popular and award-winning dinning guide OpenRice today celebrate their business collaboration. Using innovative technology to build a reliable dining experience and one-stop merchant platform, in reaching new heights for Asia FoodTech Ecosystems, OpenRice has won three category awards at the "IDC Digital Transformation Awards" – Omni-experience Innovator – Hong Kong, and DX CEO – Hong Kong and Regional.

From right to left: Group photo of Mr. Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer from CITIC Telecom CPC, Mr. Joe Yau, CEO at OpenRice, and Mr. Taylor Lam, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Management at CITIC Telecom CPC.

"Innovation Never Stops. Our Digitalization strategy is simple, it not only about machines and technologies, but also about talent and customer experience. We are putting people at the centre of the DX Journey, and truly believe it is people's skills and their ability to learn, adapt, change and innovate that makes any technology implementation successful," said Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer from CITIC Telecom CPC.

"We see digitalization as a part of the company's daily routine; growing with it and evolving with it has become second nature amidst the growing digital economy." said Joe Yau, CEO at OpenRice.

"As one of the key components of our DX strategy, we are revamping our TrustCSITM portfolio to fulfill customer demand during their digital transformation journey. Our security service portfolio now consists of four key service scopes – Device Management Service, Threat Detection and Response Service, Behaviour Analysis Service, and Professional Service." said Taylor Lam, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Management at CITIC Telecom CPC.

CITIC Telecom CPC Supports OpenRice's Digital Transformation Journey
OpenRice has been going through a digital transformation journey in recent years, where they have gone from an online dining guide to a FoodTech Ecosystem. With its success in digital transformation, OpenRice has won three IDC Digital Transformation Awards – for Omni-experience Innovator – Hong Kong, and DX CEO – Hong Kong and Regional.

The IDC Digital Transformation Awards recognise the achievements of organisations that distinguished themselves with notable and measurable success in the execution of their organisation's digital transformation (DX) initiatives across the seven DX masteries and who make significant efforts to transform or disrupt the market.

During the digital shift, OpenRice redeveloped its Table Booking System into a native app and website, connecting consumers, restaurants and partners in the F&B and non-F&B sectors. The new initiative included the transformation of a table booking system into one-stop merchant platform "OpenRice Biz" to support restaurants' dining business journey, improve the availability of market insight solutions for merchants, as well as provide agile and digital business operations. Enabling technologies, including big data analytics and AI, were adopted to empower the initiative.

"With a majority of food and beverage merchants lacking the technology know-how and budget, OpenRice as a platform has taken the leading position to innovate and enhance services for restaurants. Thus, we introduced the OpenRice Biz Platform, where restaurant merchants can choose from a suite of dining solutions or have customised plans tailored specifically to better fit their needs. This was how our journey of digital transformation began," said Joe Yau, CEO at OpenRice. "We see digitalization as a part of the company's daily routine; growing with it and evolving with it has become second nature amidst the growing digital economy."

Delivering the Most Important Package in the Dining Journey: TRUST
As OpenRice continued to expand its platform business with increasing traffic, transactions and data volume, a more reliable security solution was needed. This is where CITIC Telecom CPC came in to assist OpenRice with their security and network system.

"With increasing cyber-attacks and phishing emails, as well as a rising amount of data usage due to the expansion of our service offerings, we needed to enhance our security level and data transmission," said Yau. "With CITIC Telecom CPC's TrustCSI(TM) UTM and Email Protection services, plus its TrueCONNECT(TM) MPLS connectivity service in place, OpenRice now enjoys reliable data flow and better data protection to help safeguard our business."

"CITIC Telecom CPC always strives to serve our customers with strong support for their business digital transformation, and we are glad that our TrustCSI(TM) information security services and TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions have helped to support OpenRice's secure dining platform," said Mr. Taylor Lam, Senior Vice President of Product Development & Management at CITIC Telecom CPC. "The OpenRice FoodTech ecosystem redefines users' total dining experience and services merchants' business operations, as well as sales and marketing strategies. Appreciating its success, CITIC Telecom CPC nominated OpenRice for the IDC Digital Transformation Awards and we feel honoured that it has won awards in three categories."

CITIC Telecom CPC's Security Solutions Revamped to Support its DX Strategy
Given that DX is no longer an option but a must-have process for any type of business, CITIC Telecom CPC's innovative solutions and experienced experts have put it in a leading position to help enterprises on their DX journey. CITIC Telecom CPC's new DX strategy will ensure that it is a strong ICT-enabler to support the digital transformation of various industries. In fact, with 5G+ bringing DX into a new era, CITIC Telcom CPC's solutions will help enabling enterprises to better leverage technologies. For example, 5G+ will allow Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT, and even autonomous driving to reach new heights, while CITIC Telecom CPC's solutions suite assures enterprises by helping them to leverage these technologies in a secure and effective manner to achieve their DX goals.

"Innovation Never Stops. Our Digitalization strategy is simple, it not only about machines and technologies, but also about talent and customer experience. We are putting people at the centre of the DX Journey, and truly believe it is people's skills and their ability to learn, adapt, change and innovate that makes any technology implementation successful," said Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer from CITIC Telecom CPC.

"Furthermore, the way we work is primarily about keeping customers at the centre and we plan everything around them to ensure we are aligned to both their strategy and their business goals. Recognising that digital transformation is no longer a choice but rather an inescapable and exponentially growing process, enterprises are quickly adopting and leveraging new technologies to embrace the digital era. CITIC Telecom CPC is committed to helping clients navigate their digital transformation journeys, through the provision of a wide range of innovative solutions created from powerful new disruptive technologies," added Kwong.

Since the next generation of digital business will be run by underlying data, there is a crucial security element that now needs to be considered – cybersecurity and a company's networks and systems will need to be combined. Thus, security will no longer just be another system requirement, it will be one of the key enablers of digital transformation.

"As one of the key components of our DX strategy, we are revamping our TrustCSI(TM) portfolio to fulfill customer demand during their digital transformation journey," said Lam. "With new additional services and technology enhancements, our security service portfolio now consists of four key service scopes – Device Management Service, Threat Detection and Response Service, Behaviour Analysis Service, and Professional Service. Customers can now enjoy comprehensive security solution offerings, and select the most suitable services to help them digitally transform their operations."

Embedded with the latest powerful analytics-driven SIEM and superior Dashboards capability, TrustCSI(TM) 2.0 can empower customers and teams with data insights in real-time, making it fast and easy for everyone to visualise and deliver numerous capabilities at-scale, as well as to address modern threats demand analytics-driven security and continuous monitoring.

The key enhancements of this revamp include the launch of the Incident Response (IR) and Security Orchestration, Automation and Response (SOAR) functions under the Threat Detection and Response Service scope, and a consultation service for China Cybersecurity Law MLPS 2.0 compliance under the Professional Services scope.

Threat Detection and Response Service
With the new generation of Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) technology, CITIC Telecom CPC brings a whole new experience to its customers. The enhanced SIEM platform can support modern cloud applications and type of workload and provide a flexible deployment model including on-premises, cloud, and hybrid models. An advanced monthly report and customised monitoring dashboard will be available for customers, giving them a clear picture on their security aspects.

What's more, the IR and SOAR services are added to help customers identify potential threats from different devices without human intervention. Remediation actions and suggested measures will be provided to resolve an issue automatically in the future.

The new IR feature is able to:
– Shorten investigation cycles – prioritise, confirm, and act on higher priority threats
– Use an Investigation Workbench to investigate notable events that may represent a threat
– Leverage integration with existing capabilities – by collaborating and tracking an investigation
– Quickly launch a response to critical incidents

The new SOAR service can:
– Automate repetitive tasks so that customers can allocate their resources to higher value tasks
– Automate security alerts allowing customers to keep everything under control, instead of dealing with overwhelming alerts
– Orchestrate workflows and responses across all products so that each device can actively participate in the defence strategy
– Save time and resources by resolving issues and making current tools work better

Professional Services
People are the key to any enterprises DX journey, and CITIC Telecom CPC can help by providing the resources to help client personnel learn and understand fast changing policy and compliance changes. This service includes being able to help companies enter the Chinese market with China Cybersecurity Law MLPS 2.0 compliance. For enterprises expanding or already operating inside China, it is imperative their digital transformation be in compliance with the law. This service includes classification, filing, implementation, evaluation, and auditing, and is easy, reliable, and professionally administered to ensure an enterprise operates a robust, fully compliant MLPS 2.0 infrastructure. Other Professional Services offered by CITIC Telecom CPC include vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, and security device migration.

Together with the existing yet powerful Device Management Service, which provides round-the-clock comprehensive and reliable infrastructure management services to handle the crucial burden of regular diligent device and software management, and the TrustCSI(TM) Behavior Analysis Service which brings a new approach to enterprise cyber defense, CITIC Telcom CPC's solutions provide a secure journey for companies that are going through the digital transformation process.

About OpenRice
Established in 1999, OpenRice is currently the most popular food dining guide in Hong Kong. The database contains the most complete and updated restaurant information, with credible restaurant reviews written by real locals. As the most comprehensive F&B platform in Hong Kong, OpenRice is devoted to the research and development of FoodTech to create a sustainable one-stop shop of solutions in the eco-system; including Restaurant Management System (RMS), Recruitment, POS & integrated payment, Table booking & dine-in solutions, Scan to Order, Vouchers, TakeAway , Analytics, and beyond!

Based in Hong Kong, OpenRice has also actively expanded to other Asian regions in recent years, including Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and China.

About CITIC Telecom CPC
We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, "Innovation Never Stops." Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com

Media Contacts:

Rowena Leung
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
(852) 2170 7536
Email: rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

WIMI’s Dr. Guo Songrui: Holographic technology and light fields

BEIJING, Oct 19, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Holography comes from the Latin vocabulary, and its meaning is: all, compound. According to the current common knowledge in mainstream technology filed, holography specifically refers to "holographic technology", which is a technology for reproducing diffracted light emitted by objects. Holographic technology uses the principle of interference to record the light wave messages of the object, and uses the principle of diffraction to reproduce the light wave messages of the object, helping users to store all the light information of the object. Thus, the observer can observe the different positions of the object in all directions, and the stored light information records all the light distribution in the three-dimensional space. Therefore, holographic technology is also a kind of optical storage and reproduction technology.

The earliest holographic technology was discovered by Denise Gabor (1900-1979), a Hungarian physicist, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1971. However, this technology was first used in electron microscopes to record and display electronic holograms. The earliest use in the field of optics was after the invention of laser technology in 1960.

The holographic recording is different from ordinary photography. An ordinary camera only records the intensity of the object's light field. The hologram records the intensity of the reference light and the object light after interference. When it needs to be reproduced, it is only necessary to use the reference light to show the amplitude of the object light that fully characterizes the object information.

The hologram production process uses a laser. The laser beam is strictly split 1:1 by a beam splitter. One beam of light shines on the surface of the object to be photographed, and the other beam directly shines on the photosensitive film (holographic dry plate). Moreover, this light is also called the reference beam. When the object beam is reflected by the object, its reflected beam is also irradiated on the film, completing the hologram shooting process.

There are several major characteristics of holograms: 1. Omni-directional information recording. The holographic picture records the omnidirectional and comprehensive illumination information of the object, so that the object can be observed from different angles during observation. 2. Learning the whole picture from the parts. When part of the holographic picture is damaged, the whole picture of the object can still be seen from the remaining part. 3. The amount of stored information is huge, and multiple holographic photos can be recorded hierarchically on the holographic film. Moreover, they will not interfere with each other when displaying the picture.

Based on the characteristics of holograms mentioned above, the application prospects of holograms are quite broad, but it is not an easy task to collect light fields to form a hologram in the early stage of technological development. Early technical methods were either expensive, such as using the aforementioned laser to irradiate objects, or using camera arrays; or collecting information was limited and inefficient, for example, the light field acquisition systems based on a fixed turntable. After 2000, with the development of digital camera shooting technology and light field shooting technology gradually attracted the attention of researchers, the light field collection technology of the single camera came into being. Until now, the light field collection technology has truly reached the civilian level.

The common light field shooting techniques are divided into two categories: integral imaging and aperture coding imaging.

Integral imaging is achieved by adding a microlens array or a micromirror array in front of the sensor to realize the collection of images of the light field viewpoints in different directions. There are more well-known integral imaging devices, including the lens array lens launched by Adobe, the Pelican lens array camera on the mobile phone, the Lytro light field camera, the R series light field camera of Raytrix, and so on.

The shooting based on the compressed light field is to add an optical mask between the camera lens and the sensor to achieve compression encoding of the light entering the camera aperture. The more well-known equipment is the prototype of the light field camera developed by Babacan et al. They proposed to use the method of encoding mask and programmed aperture to capture light field viewpoints in different directions, which can obtain light field with high spatial resolution.

The microlens array has the advantages of low cost and small size, but its disadvantage is that the image resolution loss is serious. The coding imaging technology has the advantages of small size, no loss of resolution, but its advantages are low signal-to-noise ratio and low light field quality.

From the perspective of the development of light field cameras, encoding-based light field acquisition equipment breaks the mutual restriction between angular resolution and viewpoint image resolution. The redundant information in the light field can be removed through machine learning, and the light field can be restored from a small amount of information. In the future 4K era, the advantage of not losing resolution will be the focus of this technology.

In the near future, when light field acquisition equipment develops to a sufficiently high resolution, as well as has fast enough acquisition speed, and cheap, the light field data, as a kind of rich media data, is stored in a large amount of non-overlapping data that can be passed through a single point. The complete picture of data information will become a new data treasure house for data scientists to research and mine. In particular, unexpected achievements may be obtained in many fields, such as holographic recognition, holographic payment, holographic authentication, and so on.

Guo Songrui:
Doctor of Computer Science and Technology Engineering from Hunan University, studied mixed reality and augmented reality technology at the State Key Laboratory of Scientific Computing of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and participated in the research and development of multiple key projects.

About WIMI Hologram Cloud Inc.
WiMi Hologram Cloud, Inc. (NASDAQ: WIMI), whose commercial operations began in 2015, operates an integrated holographic AR application platform in China and has built a comprehensive and diversified holographic AR content library among all holographic AR solution providers in China. Its extensive portfolio includes 4,654 AR holographic contents. The company has also achieved a speed of image processing that is 80 percent faster than the industry average. While most peer companies may identify and capture 40 to 50 blocks of image data within a specific space unit, WiMi collects 500 to 550 data blocks. For more information, please visit http://ir.wimiar.com/.

WIMI Hologram Cloud Inc.
Name: Tim Wong
E-mail: pr@wimiar.com
Tele: +86 10 89913328

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Indosat Ooredoo, Smart Axiata, PLDT Global, and over 50 mobile operators from across the region to gather to shape the future of intelligent connectivity in Asia

SINGAPORE, Oct 16, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Asia's fastest-growing telco event, Telecoms World Asia, will take place virtually on 27-29 October with a focus on intelligent connectivity in Asia. Look forward to 6 channels of targeted content covering 5G, Network Virtualisation, Telco 4.0, Intelligent Connectivity and Carriers World Asia, with presentations addressing the key topics disrupting and re- shaping the telecoms industry in the region.

On Day 1 of the virtual conference, Rahul Atri, Managing Director, Rakuten Mobile Singapore and Head of Product and Engineering, Rakuten Mobile will open the morning plenary with his keynote on "The world's first end to end cloud native networks." Following that, leaders from EVOS Esports, Garena, ONE Esports, Singtel International Group, United States Esports Federations, and Thailand Esports Federation will debate "The growth of digital content: Esports case study." Donald Tan, CEO, China Telecom Global will also be delivering a presentation followed by a fireside chat.

On Day 2, The focus then shifts towards 5G and Intelligent Connectivity with Su Ann Lim, Industry Head Telco & Technology, Google addressing "New technologies, new opportunities of going digital". Vikram Sinha, COO, Director of Indosat Ooredoo, Katrina Luna-Abelarde, CEO of PLDT Global and Thomas Hundt, CEO of Smart Axiata will then take the LIVE stage to evaluate Asia's 5G future in the Boardroom session moderated by Ajay Sunder of SC-NEX. Tom Varghese, Head of Connectivity & Access Policy, APAC of Facebook and Dhanant Subhadrabandhu, PhD., Senior Executive Vice President, Marketing and Service of CAT Telecom will then continue the discussions on "Digital Platform Transformation: Bringing more people online to a faster internet" and "The Next Steps of Thailand's Digital Outlook."

Rounding up the Day 3 keynotes, Tanapong Ittisakulchai, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited (AIS) will explore 5G & Digital Ecosystems for Businesses in Thailand while Richard Fung, CEO, China Broadband Communications shares his perspectives on "The telco transformation for everything cloud".

Telecoms World Asia will bring together over 50 senior decision-maker speakers and over 1500 leaders and professionals from mobile operators, government regulators, development banks, consultants, global suppliers, and solution providers, who are leading the future of intelligent connectivity in Asia. Some confirmed speakers include:

– Sandra De Zoysa, Group Chief Customer Officer, Axiata
– Yaw Yeo, General Manager, International Product & Business, Alibaba Group
– Anik Dhar, Head of Digital, Banglalink
– Praveen Agarwal, VP & Business Head, APAC, China, India & SAARC, Bharti Airtel
– Natasak Rodjanapiches, Vice Chairman, Creative Digital Economy, Board of Trade Thailand
– Myo Ohn, CEO, Campana Group
– Ming Yow, Chief Customer Officer, China Broadband Communications
– Mya Han, CEO, Fortune Telecom
– Raden Kurnia Supriadi, VP, Head of Core Planning & Engineering Indosat Ooredoo
– Piyawat Jriyasetapong, Chief Commercial Officer, Lao Telecommunication Company
– Pichet Rerkpreecha, CEO, LINE Corp (Thailand)
– Nathan Bell, Chief Digital Officer, M1
– Idermunkh Tsogbadrakh, CEO, MobiCom Networks
– Binh Vu, CEO, NetNam
– Mel Velarde, CEO, NOW Telecom Corporation
– Satoshi Nagata, Vice Chairman, 3GPP TSG-RAN & Manager, NTT Docomo
– Bharath Rathinam, Head, RCP Uplift & Orchestration, Rakuten Mobile
– Saad Sheikh, Chief Architect, Saudi Telecom Company
– Rangarajan Kalyanasundaram, CEO Enterprise Business, Smartfren Telecom
– Swe Thu Han, Digitization Solution Department, SCSK Myanmar, Sumitomo Corporation
– Edi Siswanto, Vice President, Infrastructure Planning & Development, Telkom Indonesia International
– Maxime Carpentier, VP IoT Operations, True Digital Group
– Mandeshpal Singh Banvet, Head of Cybersecurity & Network Product, Asia, Verizon
– Jaime Diez, CTO, APAC, Vodafone Business

Leading solution partners Advanced Info Services (AIS), CAT Telecom, Servicenow, Metaswitch, MSIG, EnableX, Atmail, CDNetworks, China Mobile International, China Telecom, CSG, IEEE, Netrounds, Marveltec, PCCW Global, R3, SQREAM, Turkcell, Zinier, Vertiv, FNT, Canopus Networks and more will be showcasing their latest solutions via TECH Demos on 26th October and in the virtual exhibition hall.

About Telecoms World Asia 2020
27-29 October 2020
9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. LIVE ONLINE
Website: https://www.terrapinn.com/virtual/telecoms-world-asia/index.stm Mobile operators can attend the full event for free.
Content-only Conference Passes are available free for all to register.

About Terrapinn

Terrapinn is a business media company. Its products are trade exhibitions, conferences, training solutions and electronic and print publications. For more information, please visit www.terrapinn.com.

Note: Press registration for the conference is compulsory and advance scheduling for speaker/ sponsor interviews is recommended. Press passes are strictly reserved for reporters, journalists, editors only. Final issuance of press passes is subjected to Terrapinn's discretion.

For your complimentary press pass, please contact the following:
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Terrapinn Pte Ltd
emma.riddingtonbates@terrapinn.com

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

New survey shows Philippines among highest in online piracy in Southeast Asia

MANILA, Oct 15, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Filipino consumers, has found that 49% access streaming piracy websites or torrent sites. The levels of piracy went as high as 53% within the 25-34 age demographic. The survey commissioned by the Asia Video Industry Association's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 47% of consumers who accessed piracy sites cancelled their subscriptions to both local and international content services.

The levels of piracy in the Philippines now dwarfs neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia which have both seen substantial reductions in online piracy over the last 12 months. In Indonesia a similar YouGov survey found a massive 55% reduction in Indonesians accessing piracy services with 28% of consumers admitting to accessing piracy websites compared to 63% in 2019. In Malaysia, a YouGov survey found a 64% decline in users accessing piracy sites when compared to a similar YouGov survey in 2019.

In both countries a key variable for the decline in online piracy levels was the government's proactive piracy site blocking initiative. In Malaysia more than half (55%) of online consumers noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Malaysian government, which subsequently influenced viewing habits with 49% stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40% saying that they now 'rarely accessed' piracy services as a result of the site blocking.

A Bill currently before the Philippine Senate (Bill #497) entitled the 'Online Infringement Act' proposes a regulatory site blocking mechanism which would empower the authorities to ensure that ISPs take "reasonable steps to disable access to sites whenever these sites are reported to be infringing copyright or facilitating copyright infringement."

The recent YouGov survey suggests that a regulatory site blocking mechanism would be supported by the majority of Filipino consumers. When given choices of what they thought were effective measures of reducing piracy behaviour, 53% of Filipinos agree that a "government order or law for ISPs to block piracy websites" would be the most effective.

Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu said, "The ill effects of online piracy cannot be underestimated. We have been an advocate of content streaming through legal sites only through our #PlayItRight program. This advocacy educates people on the impacts of online piracy and on making the right choices when it comes to online consumption."

For his part, Atty Teodoro Pascua, Deputy Director General, Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) said, "The wide variety of legal services in the Philippines which provide premium entertainment content are reliable and importantly are legal. The piracy alternatives fund crime groups, put consumers at risk of malware infection and are unreliable. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who are behind these illegal websites."

Neil Gane, the General Manager of AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) commented, "We are confident that Indonesia and Malaysia will rise to become market leaders in video IP protection in the region, as a result of their site-blocking strategies. We are also confident that other countries in Asia, such as the Philippines, will take note and follow suit, boosting the growth of legal consumption of Filipino and international content."

When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, Filipino consumers placed funding crime groups (55%), loss of jobs in the creative industry (50%) and malware risks (49%) as their top three concerns.

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in September 2020. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Philippines n=1,098

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

Contact AVIA
For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AVIA’s Satellite Industry Forum highlights the resilience of the satellite industry and the key role it will continue to have in this age of connectivity

SINGAPORE, Oct 8, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, from 24 – 25 September, which allowed for truly global participation with delegates from around the world in attendance. The event also saw over 100 new companies register to be part of the two-day discussions on Video in the Satellite World.

The event opened with on a note of optimism from Louis Boswell, AVIA CEO. Despite unprecedented challenges and disruption for the industry in recent years, more video is being created, distributed and consumed than ever before, and satellite continues to play an indispensable role in delivering that video. "Satellite's strength in multicasting across wide areas cannot be matched by any other technology," commented Boswell.

Continuing with the tone of optimism was Yew Weng Soo VP, Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES, and Chairman of the Satellite Industry Committee. "The satellite industry is playing a key role in fighting the outbreak with a scale and reach in helping to inform, entertain and keep all connected," added Soo. "Video and particularly satellite, will not just bounce back but use this time to transform itself to change consumer behaviour and thrive in the post Covid world."

At the opening Asia Pacific Thought Leaders' Panel, Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat, shared that the resilience of Intelsat's business was having a diversified portfolio. Through crossing many verticals across the markets they served, a downturn in one business saw an upturn in another. Bleakley also added how important satellite has been for this pandemic, especially in remote environments and how essential satellite was for remote connectivity, creating further opportunity for consolidation and vertical integration.

Another opportunity that the satellite industry also identified was the role female leadership could play in fostering greater change for the sector. At this year's Women in Satellite panel, discussions centered around the importance of diversity to be part of the policy dialogue for the Information and Communication Technology sector, to show that the industry was supporting gender equality and bridging the gender divide. Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES, shared that a 2020 Catalyst study showed very strong links between profitability of businesses and workplace diversity. Added Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, "Diversity is a smart business decision. Diversity not just to hit quotas or to tick a box but to bring alternative thoughts and ideas." Bernie also commented that for an organisation to do better in the world of today, and to be better prepared for the future and the pace of rapid change, it needed a team that is representative of the world it lives in and the customers that it reaches and serves.

The topic of integration followed through to the closing panel of the conference, with industry leaders weighing in on what would drive global growth for the industry in the next decade. On the question posed on whether satellite should be an integrated component of the telecom value chain and ecosystem, Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat, opined that "satellite should not be integrated but we can integrate our services… there are multiple fronts that we can compete and succeed in [and] serve the customers with the best that we can do." Optimism continued to prevail, with Tong sharing his view that video will continue to be the driving force for the satellite industry.

As part of SIF this year, AVIA in partnership with EMEA Satellite Operator's Association (ESOA), also distributed a booklet on Satellite – An Integral Part of the 5G Ecosystem. This is now available at the Download Centre at www.avia.org

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry. AVIA is also committed to its mission in working with and representing the interests of the satellite industry. AVIA evolved from Casbaa in 2018.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

CITIC Telecom CPC and ASTRI Transform Customer Experience with AR-based Operations and Maintenance Solution

HONG KONG, Sep 24, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited (CITIC Telecom CPC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883) and the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) have introduced a jointly developed Augmented Reality (AR) solution designed to transform field engineers' operations and maintenance processes. Branded DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service (AR Remote Hand), the solution leverages wearable Augmented Reality (AR) technology and brings CITIC Telecom CPC's field engineers and its customers to a new era, enabling them to slash the time and cost of troubleshooting and maintenance for achieving better results.

Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC (left) and Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI announced the launch of "DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service", an AR solution jointly developed to transform field engineers' operations and maintenance processes.

(From the left) Mr. Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC, Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC, Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI and Dr. Lucas Hui, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI pictured to celebrate the success of the partnership and AR-based Operations and Maintenance Solution.

The "DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service"meets the growing customer demand for support in managing the increasing complexity and diversity of equipment used today in data centres via the state-of-the-art solution. It enables field engineers across multiple locations to overcome the challenges of multiple languages and skillsets in multi-technology environments; as well as to manage installation and maintenance issues more efficiently and cost effectively, resulting in improved customer satisfaction

The AR Remote Hand Service employs AR glasses to stream real-time intelligence, troubleshooting logs, graphics and encrypted data from back-end systems to on-site engineers and maintenance staff, boosting field productivity by up to 50%. By wearing the glasses, field engineers do not have to stop their work to communicate with back-end support teams via a laptop or phone, nor to refer to a paper manual. The AR Remote Hand provides field engineers with a heads-up display for remote visualisation in real time as they install, maintain or troubleshoot equipment, thus speeding up the whole process.

Global-Local Service Enabler
CITIC Telecom CPC and ASTRI share the same vision in driving innovation and enhancing customer experience. Through the partnership, both companies not only take the latest AR technology to the next level, but also bring those benefits to a wide range of industries.

The new DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service meets the growing customer demand for support in managing the increasing complexity and diversity of equipment used today in data centres via the state-of-the-art solution. AR Remote Hand enables field engineers across multiple locations to overcome the challenges of multiple languages and skillsets in multi-technology environments; as well as to manage installation and maintenance issues more efficiently and cost effectively, resulting in improved customer satisfaction.

With the DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service, remote support teams share the same view as on-site engineers which reduces the need for and expense of travel time. This ability to work effectively from remote locations is also helping CITIC Telecom CPC's customers and staff stay safe in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure safe operations and maintain service infrastructure availability by the global remote service support teams, CITIC Telecom CPC is using DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand Service in its China Data Center operations to assure regional customers' business operations continuity.

"We are delighted to see the results of our strategic partnership with ASTRI in the launch of AR Remote Hand Service," said Mr. Esmond Li, CEO of CITIC Telecom CPC. "The partnership has provided us with a solution that significantly strengthens our managed services offerings, greatly enhances the customer experience and is revolutionising the industry's operations and maintenance capabilities. DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand is an innovative remote maintenance service adopted in data centre scenarios, which leverages AR intelligent operations and maintenance technologies. This is only the first step and we will not stop here. Through collaborating more innovative thinking, we expect to enhance the service to cope with more scenarios and bring more value and better customer experience to enterprises."

"Our strategic collaboration with CITIC Telecom CPC has demonstrated the success in leveraging next generation technology in real-life applications that benefit our people and society, in this case smart industrial applications and field service management solutions for Hong Kong enterprises," said Mr. Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI. "We are delighted that our applied research has proven effective in enhancing CITIC Telecom CPC's customer experience, improving operational efficiency and boosting business resilience, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. ASTRI, as a bridge of innovation and technology, will continue to strive to create economic value and societal impact via technology transfer and commercialisation in building a smarter and safer Hong Kong."

In their collaboration, ASTRI focused on developing the software platform and customisation, while CITIC Telecom CPC provided related information and opinions based on its experience with business cases in various scenarios and applications. This ensured the solution could effectively address enterprise customers' needs across a range of industries. The result is a solution that offers a wide array of benefits in service provisioning and remote location visualization and communication capabilities:

Intelligent Service Provisioning without Boundaries

Field engineers managing complex equipment and procedures for on-site service previously required significant time and effort which reduced efficiency. Thanks to the innovative wearable AR technology, the AR Remote Hand service now substantially reduces the time and cost for field service provisioning while boosting capabilities. Customers can solve problems faster while minimising downtime and expense.

1.) Intuitive AR-Guided Installation, Troubleshooting and Maintenance: With AR Remote Hand, field engineers recognise any device with a designated QR code and access real-time intelligence, graphics, and encrypted data from back-end systems streamed on-site. Field staff can access virtual step-by-step guides or even 3D manuals via AR glasses, without the need to interrupt work to check information on a laptop or in a manual.

2.) Historical Records Analysis: Using a pre-set routine (e.g. gestures), on-site engineers can review a device's historical record (e.g. customers' network traffic or cloud CPU history), to speed up data analysis and troubleshooting, while cutting downtime and cost.

3.) Seamless Communication and Collaboration with Back-end Support: Field engineers previously communicated with back-end support via email or phone, making it difficult to describe a troubleshooting situation. Removing distance and language barriers, back-end engineers now view real-time images streamed via AR glasses through an AR operations console, improving operational speed and quality. Its powerful video conferencing feature also offers engineers instant support and fosters off-site collaboration between global operations and maintenance teams. In addition, back-end engineers can give field engineers clear instructions via 3D AR labelling.

AR-Enabler Acts as Customers' Remote Hands

While enterprises promote cross-regional operations and continuously develop businesses, the kinds of IT equipment used are diversified with fast upgrades, making daily IT operation and maintenance management difficult. In the past, maintenance of IT equipment was done by on-site professionals who would need to investigate and analyse the issues on-site in order to identify the solutions. However, the experience and capability of IT staff can vary. When an enterprise's IT and maintenance staff face situations they cannot fix or when its professional engineers are not able to go for on-site support, urgent maintenance can be delayed, compromising the enterprise's efficiency and putting it at risk.

In exceptional circumstances, such as the current pandemic, it's difficult for enterprises' IT staff to travel to data centres and manage their equipment. Equipped with the latest AR glasses development, CITIC Telecom CPC's DataHOUSE AR Remote Hand serves as customers' remote hands. It not only shows the status of on-site equipment as customers watch in real time from offices or other locations, but also lets customers to provide live instructions to CITIC Telecom CPC's on-site engineers as they troubleshoot equipment issues without physically being in the data centre.

"At CITIC Telecom CPC, we are constantly innovating to improve the customer experience," said Mr. Daniel Kwong, Chief Information and Innovation Officer of CITIC Telecom CPC. "We plan to extend the AR Remote Hand service for further customer use and will enlarge the list of equipment support. Adding AI applications for the AR glasses will be the next milestone as we work to deliver even more intelligent diagnoses. For example, when a field engineer sees the status of the target-fixing equipment through the AR glasses, they will be shown a number of possible causes for the problem, with each cause ranked with a percentage according to how likely it is to be the source of the problem."

Game-Changing Innovation in Algorithm Design

Innovation Never Stops. The innovative AR Remote Hand solution is the result of the hard work of CITIC Telecom CPC's data scientists and R&D experts based in Chengdu, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. In addition to developing the solution using AR technology, CITIC Telecom CPC's innovation team recently received an award that highlights its engineers' expertise in data science and algorithm design.

CITIC Telecom CPC's Data Science professionals won the "Tianchi Big Data Competition" organised by Alibaba Group in a fierce competition with over 900 teams from industry leading companies and top universities. The team helped ELEME Inc., an online food delivery platform, to optimise their food ordering and delivery with better algorithms to provide the best routes for their riders with full consideration of the location of food stores, the time needed for food preparation, traffic on the rider's route, service coverage in delivery areas, peak hours for food ordering, and customer waiting times.

The judges expressed their impression of the team's innovative thinking and algorithm calculation results, not only to achieve the fastest delivery time but also the shortest extra waiting time for customers. In the future, we expect the algorithm developed by the team will continue to add value for businesses of different industries and for the social community in a range of scenarios, such as optimising traffic flow or improving plane flight paths.

About CITIC Telecom CPC
We are CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited ("CITIC Telecom CPC"), a wholly owned subsidiary of CITIC Telecom International Holdings Limited (SEHK: 1883), serving multinational enterprises the world over by addressing their specific ICT requirements with highly scalable tailored solutions built upon our flagship technology suites, comprising TrueCONNECT(TM) private network solutions, TrustCSI(TM) information security solutions, DataHOUSE(TM) cloud data center solutions, and SmartCLOUD(TM) cloud computing solutions.

As a leading Global Local ICT Solutions Partner with worldwide footprint across East to West and native presence, we truly live our motto, "Innovation Never Stops." Being a preferred Digital Society Enabler, we lead our key markets at the forefront of pioneering ICT development, embracing AI, AR, Big Data, IoT, and other cutting-edge emerging technologies to transform technical potential into real-world value for our customers, helping them achieve higher productivity, agility, cost-efficiency, and ultimately, Digital Globalization.

As one of the first managed service providers in Hong Kong to achieve ISO 9001, 14001, 20000, 27001, and 27017 ICT-related certifications, CITIC Telecom CPC delivers on our superior quality commitment through a broad global self-managed infrastructure encompassing some of the highest growth markets in Asia, Europe and America, with over 140 points of presence, 18 Cloud service centers, 30+ data centers, and two dedicated 24×7 Security Operations Centers.

For more information please visit www.citictel-cpc.com

About ASTRI
The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong's competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research.

ASTRI's research and development strategic focus covers five areas of applications: Smart City; Financial Technologies; Intelligent Manufacturing; Health Technologies; and Application Specific Integrated Circuits through its mandate as the Hong Kong branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre.

Our core competence in various areas is grouped under five technology divisions, namely Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics; Communications Technologies; Cybersecurity, Cryptography and Trusted Technologies; Integrated Circuits and Systems, and IoT and Sensors.

ASTRI seeks to develop technologies that address the needs of industries, institutions and communities in Hong Kong; as well as nurture talent to create economic value and societal impact. To date, ASTRI has transferred more than 750 technologies to the industry and owns more than 850 patents in the Mainland, the US and other countries.

For further information, please visit www.astri.org.

Media Contacts:

Rowena Leung
CITIC Telecom International CPC Limited
(852) 2170 7536
Email: rowena.leung@citictel-cpc.com

Jeanette Kwok
Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute
(852) 9103 0633
Email: jeanettekwok@astri.org

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

If Content is King, then TV and Streaming continue to vie to be Queen

INDIA, Sep 21, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) held its annual Future of Video India seminar amidst a time of great change in the region.

The media and video industry in India has undergone more change in the last 6 months than it has seen in the last 30 years as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Sunil Lulla, CEO, BARC India, with the surge in viewing as a result of the lockdown in India, television viewing peaked to 1.26 trillion viewing minutes during lockdown and continues to be greater than pre-COVID levels. More advertisers and brands are also returning to TV as the economic recovery speeds up.

While TV continues to play a big role in India, the move to digital has been dramatically hastened as digital consumption increased rapidly, with the next 18-24 months being significant for broadband penetration and digital video streaming on TV at home, commented Tarun Katial, CEO, Zee5 India. The other major shift is how subscription video on demand (SVOD) has changed the game. "People have moved to watching premium content very significantly… The diversity of content that has come into this country… is now getting appreciated… and almost all SVOD users are becoming repeat and consistent users," added Katial.

This love for content is what has driven the growth of the streaming platforms. "India has always been a land of storytellers… and that's a great opportunity at Netflix… there is an opportunity to tell the story in the best form," said Srishti Behl Arya, Director International Originals, Netflix India. Anvita Dutt, Director, Bulbbul, also shared that streaming had provided an opportunity and empowered more storytellers to tell their stories, regardless of their gender, and "there is no limit to what you can release on a streaming platform."

However, with over 30 OTT platforms India, this also creates challenges on the technology front. With over 500 million internet users in the country, out of which at least 400 million are consuming video on various devices, "this is going to change the way content is consumed… produced… and offered to the consumers across the platforms," added Manish Verma, Head of Technology, SonyLIV. And wrapping up with the view of who rules in India, Chiranjeev Singh, Head of Marketing, APAC, MediaKind, said, "At the end of the day, the consumer is the king… we still need to build quality content, and make sure it is delivered with the best experience to the consumer."

Future of Video India is graciously sponsored by Applause, Broadpeak, Conviva, MEASAT, NETFLIX, Vuulr and ZEE5.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

AVIA Hosts the Satellite Industry Forum Focusing on Video in the Satellite World

SINGAPORE, Sep 18, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) will be hosting this year's Satellite Industry Forum (SIF) as a virtual conference, taking place over two days, from 24-25 September, 930am-1130am (SGT).

As Asia's leading satellite conference, the theme of Video in the Satellite World will look at the key conversations driving the industry today, with industry leaders sharing their thoughts on The State of the Satellite Industry with the Impact of COVID-19, a view on Asia with the outcomes from WRC-19, and weighing the Bear vs Bull Case for 5G. There will also be much conversations on the coming year, as we look at Satellite Financing and what to watch for in 2021, if it will truly become the landmark year for 4K UHD, and what will Drive Global Growth for the industry in the next decade.

Speaking at the Industry Leaders Talk will be Christophe Cazes, CEO of Eutelsat Asia. In this opening panel, Cazes will be sharing his perspectives and predictions on the satellite industry over the course of the coming year.

"Satellite industry in Asia has been undergoing a big transformation with the emergence of new players and the launch or investment in satellites of new generation. The COVID-19 situation will either be a catalyst or a disruptor of these trends," said Cazes.

This year, the conference will also be taking a look at Women in Satellite, a predominantly male industry, for a conversation on their perspectives, challenges and ideas for putting together best practices to strengthen gender equality both in the sector and within our organisations, as well as their perspectives on what the industry might look like in the coming year. This panel will bring together Anita Bernie, Strategic Business Manager, KISPE Space, Nicole Robinson, SVP Global Government, SES Networks, MD, SES Techcom Services, Aarti Holla-Maini, Secretary General, EMEA Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), and Tina Ghataore, President, Mynaric USA.

"I've seen a small shift in women being invited to speak at satellite forums – and not just on topics related to diversity in the industry – but clearly more needs to be done. I look forward to the day when I'm invited to speak and I see around me panelists reflecting both gender and cultural diversity," commented Ghataore.

Other key speakers joining the Satellite Industry Forum this year include:
– Marc Halbfinger, CEO, PCCW Global
– Yew Weng Soo, VP Sales & Market Development, SES Video, SES
– Terry Bleakley, Regional VP, Asia Pacific, Intelsat
– Shakunt Malhotra, MD, Asia, Globecast
– Roger Tong, CEO, AsiaSat
– Lon Levin, President & CEO, GEOshare
– Alvaro Sanchez, CEO, Integrasys
– Paul Estey, EVP, Customer Relations and Advisor to CEO, Maxar Technologies
– Mark Dankberg, CEO, ViaSat

The Satellite Industry Forum aims to deliver as close an experience as possible to a physical event. All delegates will be able to enjoy a full event platform which will include access to the live conference sessions, virtual networking opportunities as well as meeting rooms to connect and engage with industry peers during the conference. All sessions will also be available for catch-up viewing on demand after the live event.

For full event details and registration, visit https://www.aviasif.com/

Satellite Industry Forum is generously supported by AsiaSat, Boeing, Eutelsat, GEOshare, Integrasys, Marsh, Maxar and MEASAT.

About the Asia Video Industry Association

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy and provides insight into the video industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry. AVIA is also committed to its mission in working with and representing the interests of the satellite industry. AVIA evolved from Casbaa in 2018.

For media enquiries and additional background please contact:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

Huge Decrease in Levels of Streaming Piracy Seen in Malaysia Over the Last 12 Months

KUALA LUMPUR, Sep 17, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – A new study of the online content viewing behaviour of Malaysian consumers has found a massive 64% decrease in consumers accessing piracy websites over the past 12 months. The survey, commissioned by AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov, found that 22% of online consumers currently use piracy streaming websites or torrent sites to view pirated content, substantially less than the 61% from a similar survey conducted in August 2019. The YouGov survey also found a 61% reduction in the number of consumers who use an illicit streaming device (ISD) when compared to the August 2019 survey.

More than half (55%) of online consumers had noticed that a piracy service had been blocked by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (MDTCA). This would appear to have had an impact on consumer attitudes towards piracy, with 49% stating that they no longer accessed piracy services and 40% stating that they now rarely accessed piracy services as a result of not being able to access blocked piracy sites. 11% of consumers said it made no difference to their viewing habits.

Desmond Chan, General Manager of TVB International commented: "We are encouraged by the efforts of MDTCA in fighting online piracy with their site blocking campaign. Malaysia is an important market to our content distribution business. TVB's programmes are popular in Malaysia and have always been the targets for piracy. The swift anti-piracy measures provided by MDTCA will foster a business environment in which we will continue investing."

Melcior Soler, Global Audiovisual Director at LaLiga commented: "This substantial reduction in online piracy in Malaysia is a sign of the success of the actions undertaken by the MDTCA. Piracy only benefits the criminal organisations who operate the websites and illicit applications and harms society as a whole, especially those who work every day to generate content and entertainment for everyone. LaLiga will continue to fight against the problem of online piracy."

The continual site blocking has had an impact on consumers viewing habits who are now more likely to access legal content services. 20% of consumers who said they were aware of the government blocking piracy websites and illicit application domains, have since subscribed to a paid streaming service; 15% said they now spend more time viewing free (AVOD) local streaming services; and 65% now predominantly watch free (AVOD) international streaming services.

Neil Gane, General Manager of AVIA's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) said: "We applaud the MDTCA for disrupting piracy website networks which are being monetised by crime syndicates. Consumers who subscribe to illicit IPTV services or access piracy streaming sites are wasting their time and money when the channels and websites stop working. Piracy services do not come with a 'service guarantee', no matter what their 'sales pitch' may claim."

When asked about the negative consequences of online piracy, consumers placed funding crime groups (57%), loss of jobs in the creative industry (52%) and malware risks (42%) as their top three concerns.

YouGov is an international research and data analytics group. For further information, visit https://hk.yougov.com. Study conducted in September 2020. All data is weighted to be representative of the online population. Sample size: Malaysia n=1,123

About the Asia Video Industry Association:

The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) is the trade association for the video industry and ecosystem in Asia Pacific. It serves to make the video industry stronger and healthier through promoting the common interests of its members. AVIA is the interlocutor for the industry with governments across the region, leads the fight against video piracy through its Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) programme and provides insight into the industry through reports and conferences aimed to support a vibrant video industry.

For media contacts and additional background:
Charmaine Kwan
Head of Marketing and Communications
Email: charmaine@avia.org
Website: www.avia.org
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/asiavideoia
Twitter: @AsiaVideoIA

Copyright 2020 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. http://www.acnnewswire.com

FILMART Online attracts 7,000 international buyers

HONG KONG, Aug 31, 2020 – (ACN Newswire) – Organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART Online) concluded successfully on 29 August. The four-day virtual content marketplace, where some 2,100 film and television productions were released and promoted, attracted nearly 7,000 international buyers from 73 countries and regions. More than 2,000 online business matching meetings were arranged, illustrating strong demand for entertainment content globally and confidence in the prospects for the industry.

The Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART Online) concluded successfully on 29 August. The four-day virtual content marketplace attracted nearly 7,000 international buyers, with more than 2,000 online business matching meetings arranged. Various functions of the FILMART Online platform will remain available until 30 September.

Twenty-two online conferences and fringe events took place as part of FILMART Online, drawing more than 35,000 views in total. The photo above shows four speakers at the Digital Entertainment Summit 2020 discussing how the use of 5G, cloud and interactive entertainment technologies can bring a more immersive and personalised experience to the market.

More than 20 fringe events facilitate exchange

A total of 22 fringe events took place as part of FILMART Online, drawing more than 35,000 views in total. Among these events, six online conferences addressed the latest industry developments in areas such as streaming platforms and technologies for developing interactive entertainment content. Representatives from Japan, France, the Philippines, Finland and Taiwan introduced their quality productions and detailed local measures introduced in support of entertainment projects.

Multifunctional online platform continues until late September

Various functions of the FILMART Online platform will remain available until 30 September. Up to and including that date, exhibitors can continue to promote their productions and connect with buyers through the multifunctional online platform, while buyers can search for projects and enjoy online screenings, as well as viewing footage from the online conferences and seminars held as part of the event.

Website: http://www.hktdc.com/hkfilmart
Photo download: https://bit.ly/2EFZhm2

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is a statutory body established in 1966 to promote, assist and develop Hong Kong's trade. With 50 offices globally, including 13 in Mainland China, the HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a two-way global investment and business hub. The HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to create business opportunities for companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in the mainland and international markets. The HKTDC also provides up-to-date market insights and product information via trade publications, research reports and digital news channels. For more information, please visit: http://www.hktdc.com/aboutus. Follow us on Twitter @hktdc and LinkedIn

Contact:
Sam Ho, Tel: +852 2584 4569, Email: sam.sy.ho@hktdc.org
Cathy Lee, Tel: +852 2584 4393, Email: cathy.wk.lee@hktdc.org