The Voice of the Video Industry
The Asia Video Industry Association (AVIA) speaks on behalf of professional video and those who help consumers access it. Creation, transmission, distribution, technology – every aspect of the industry depends on making governments understand that the old rules of legacy broadcast regulation cannot be applied to an industry that is converging and transforming to meet the needs of the 21st Century.
Reaching governments across Asia with this message is a huge task, and AVIA relies on its members for side-by-side advocacy. But the single voice for broad industry interests is AVIA.
Tools
AVIA’s toolkit includes:
Direct advocacy ‐ with governments, via submissions, statements, and white papers that members play a direct role in shaping.
Face-to-face interactions ‐ with AVIA members joining government officials in policy roundtables, door-knocks in capitals, and small group interactions. These bring regulatory officials into contact with the dynamism of the industry, let them rub shoulders with executives from national markets and from regional corporate centres, and create opportunities for cross-pollination of ideas and mutual sharing of concerns.
Media outreach ‐ to generate broader understanding of our key issues. Apart from seeking reform of traditional regulatory policies, AVIA supports tightening of national laws and anti-piracy enforcement to improve the business climate for professional video.
Research and education ‐ with regular “country seminars” held in national capitals. These bring the international video industry to Asian markets and facilitate interchanges between operators “on the ground” and their colleagues in regional centres. AVIA’s “Regulating for Growth” series of studies and publications helps members, regulators, and industry observers understand the ground rules for operating in Asia Pacific video markets.
Video Regulations in Asia – To keep the industry healthy, good light-touch regulatory frameworks are vital. Using periodic surveys, AVIA tracks regulatory policies and practices in Asian markets. Detailed information on Pay TV regulations and also rules for Online Curated Content (OCC) services are available for AVIA members in our database of policy summaries. (NB: member login is required for access)
Submissions – AVIA maintains close and cooperative relationships with regulatory bodies in Asia, and as part of that we regularly submit our industry’s views to governments. This database includes full texts of past public submissions, letters and reports.
Results
Within recent years, AVIA’s advocacy has played a key role in:
- Continued Implementation of Singapore’s “cross-carriage” rules in ways that minimised their scope, and contain their negative impact on contracting for premium content in the video industry.
- Vietnam’s gradual opening to international video content, including a key decision not to impose burdensome translation requirements on international news channels, and very recently, delay and re-evaluate of proposed imposition of new requirements on online content services.
- Positive copyright reform proposals by several Asian and Australasian governments, including Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. AVIA’s advice on IP protection in Asia has been lauded and quoted by US and European trade negotiators.
- Repeated resolutions and decisions by the ITU – including at the 2019 World Radio Conference to preserve vital C-band spectrum for use by satellite networks and broadcast content distribution in Asia, where unique conditions – very different from those in other hemispheres – shape the regional video economy.
- India’s world-leading decision to mandate rapid digitalisation of its cable TV industry, and to preserve a light-touch licensing regime for TV channels. AVIA also played a key role in deterring expansion of India’s intrusive “sports sharing” rules.