Asked what they think is the one thing that will make the most difference to their business this year, media execs with Asian businesses are, probably unsurprisingly, pretty much united around (1) content of all shapes and forms, with both a local angle and global legs, more creatively fund- ed and with higher production values; (2) the customer and everything that goes into delivering the most relevant, compelling and engaging entertainment experience; (3) technology, and particularly high-speed broadband and the ability to collect and leverage user data; and (4) the dangers – like piracy and pricing – that stand in the way of delivering a successful product.

Nestled under those categories are myriad one-things, including evolving funding models. There’s a strong feeling, for instance, that demand for local original content (already unprecedented) is about to get a whole lot higher. A lot because Netflix and Amazon are investing heavily in Asian titles and green-lighting local fare in a big way, and iflix will join them (no details yet). But also because there’s a land grab among streaming/mobile services in places like Indonesia. Platforms need local content to drive take up so they’re buying up whatever rights they can get their hands on and tying up with whichever production house they can to make more. Another original content driver is short-form, particularly for younger audiences.

Delivering anywhere/everywhere content and the multi-platform con- sumer is a one-thing for about 14 execs, giving it a 25% share of the list. The knock-on impact of catering to a hyper-served generation is, for some, all about innovation, experimentation and learning.

Social media came up once as a priority worthy of its very own mention among execs involved in delivering quality video and stories to audiences across Asia. This may well be because social media is considered one of the platforms in “multi-platform”. Whatever, we know for certain that no entertainment brand with an eye on the future doesn’t have social media on its radar.

Pricing and costs are raised a few times, mostly as necessities for the overall health of the video ecosystem in Asia. There’s also Multi Channels Asia boss Gregg Creevey’s observation that the most important influence this year will be the “continued culling of the herd of under performing generic channels as operators continue to face slow/zero growth”.

Related one-things are the ability to “unshackle and go back to basics – focused on delivering solid viewer experiences and value through power of curation and simplicity of proposition”, says Rewind Networks’ founder and chief executive, Avi Himatsinghani.

The health of that ecosystem in Asia is a key concern for others as well. Piracy remains at the top of the lists of at least two people, which gives this scourge a 4% share of our list.

Actually, we think piracy is a much bigger threat than that figure indicates; leading players in the industry have united recently to throw more resources than ever at aggressive and structured initiatives to, for instance, stop the flood of Android and other boxes in Singapore. We will, undoubtedly, be hearing more as the new unit, which we understand is backed by real money and full-time focus, gets going.

Good, old-fashioned story telling and talent made it onto the list, along with a reminder that authenticity, accuracy and originality still count for a whole lot.

Read more on ContentAsia's APOS Special, 19 April 2017