Adam Roseman Discusses the Chinese and US Entertainment Industries

Adam Roseman, CEO and Co-Founder of FansTang, the largest provider of localized international entertainment content in China, discussed with Phoenix TV some of his ideas on how best to bridge the gap that exists between the entertainment industries in China and the USA.

Roseman believes that the opportunities that present themselves today in China are greater than they have ever been before in history, particularly in the entertainment industry. However, Roseman says, there is a large difference between the reality of the market, and the perception. The last 12 months, especially, have exacerbated the gap between perception and reality, due to the large number of new companies that have entered the marketplace. Companies that are coming into the entertainment industry now, whether on the China side or the US side, are coming into the marketplace a bit naïve. As Roseman explains, “It is easier to see the opportunities than to properly understand the challenges.”

Roseman continued: “China and the US are tremendous economic powers, but they both operate very differently from a cultural perspective. And that cultural difference in particular is amplified when you are talking about the entertainment sector. In Hollywood you have a lot of very strong personalities; a lot of arrogant people; a lot of people who could be described by the expression, ‘Their way or the highway.’ But in China things are just done differently. In China, in the entertainment sector as well, there are a lot of very powerful people. They have been very successful and are now entering the entertainment industry. These people are not used to being told ‘No.’ Getting these two parties, who come from such different backgrounds, to work together in a seamless fashion, is just challenging.”

Roseman says that bridging the gap between the two entertainment super powers is just a question of experience and understanding. Over time, he says, the market will grow dramatically. However, because of the large number of new entrants into the entertainment market, the perception of growth will outpace the reality.

The Far East Loves Mackies Ice Cream

Apparently people in the Far East love Mackies ice cream. Sales have quadrupled in the most recent financial year and profits have more than doubled. The company admits that these sales were quite a surprise, according to managing director Mac Mackie.

The firm has supplied ice cream to South Korea since 2002 and has been selling ice cream in South Korea with Costco.

As Mr. Mackie said, “Korea has really taken off last year and hopefully carrying on this way. It has been a surprise, to be honest. Dairy products are very popular across the whole marketplace. Because Korea has done so well we are now supplying Taiwan from this year.”

Most Lucrative Jobs For Those In Singapore

A recent survey by the top three universities in Singapore has found that the median salary for degree holders rose to $3,200 for the graduating class of 2014. That’s a 5% increase over last year. Unemployment rates are consistently lower than 3% in Singapore.

According to GET.com, here are the 10 best paid jobs for degree holders in Singapore.

10. Quality Assurance

9. Research and Development

8. Property Management

7. Corporate Affairs

6. Finance and Accounting

5. Production

4. Project Management

3. Information Technology

2. Legal

1. Engineers

Learn more and see the full descriptions.

Netflix Comes to Japan

The Japanese market is abuzz with the news that Netflix, the streaming video provider, is coming to the Japanese market.  They entered the New Zealand and Australian markets in March of 2015 and they will be launching in Spain, Italy and Portugal in October. Their goal is to achieve a presence in 200 countries by the end of 2016.

As Reed Hastings, chief executive officer at Netflix said, “With its rich culture and celebrated creative traditions, Japan is a critical component of our plan to connect people around the world to stories they love. As we expand into Asia, we’re excited Netflix members increasingly will have access to some of their favorite movies and TV shows no matter where they are.”

Netflix plans to open a regional office in Tokyo. As Gregory K. Peters, who will be the general manager of Netflix Japan said, “It is an honor to bring Netflix to Japan, and we’ll work hard to please consumers there. People in Japan soon will have access to great entertainment from all over the world for a low monthly price, while our more than 57 million members will benefit from increased access to great Japanese films and TV shows.”

 

Financial Times Selling to Nikkei

Pearson is selling the Financial Times to the Japanese media group Nikkei for £844m in cash. The British company will hold onto FT Group’s 50pc stake in the Economist. It will also keep its building on the south bank of the Thames.

As Pearson’s chief executive, John Fallen, said, “Pearson has been a proud proprietor of the FT for nearly 60 years.

“But we’ve reached an inflection point in media, driven by the explosive growth of mobile and social. In this new environment, the best way to ensure the FT’s journalistic and commercial success is for it to be part of a global, digital news company.”

Read the whole story and more on the agreement.

Hong Kong Approves Government Spending for City Crossing

Hong Kong lawmakers have approved for the government to spend HK$17.5 billion to construct the city’s 7th crossing to Shenzhen. They discussed the idea for three weeks before coming to their current conclusion. This money will be put with the already approved HK$16.25 billion that was approved in July 2012.

Legco’s Finance Committee backed the funding after the 26-10 approval. Learn more about the process and the conflicts that arose around it.

Japan Announces $100 Billion Plan

Japan is set to announce a $100 billion plan to invest in roads, bridges, railways and other building projects in Asia. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to unveil a five-year public-private partnership.

As Jiji Press reported, “The envisioned assistance is aimed at demonstrating Japan’s stance to contribute to building up high-quality infrastructure in Asia through human resource development and technological transfers and showing the difference from the AIIB, so that Japan can keep a high profile in the region.” Learn more with the full article.

Apple Sales up in China

For the first time Apple sold more iPhones in China than the United States. Apple’s iPhone sales in China skyrocketed recently, increasing the revenue in China by 71% to $16.8 billion. This was certainly helped by the upcoming Chinese New Year. Chief Executive Tim Cook also says that it’s a result of China’s expanding middle class.

In the last quarter, Apple sold a total of 61.2 million iPhones, up 40% from the year-ago quarter. It sold 12.6 million iPads, which is actually down 23% from a year ago.

As FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives said, “A 60 million-plus iPhone number is a home run and will be cheered by the Street as this remains the bread and butter of Apple.”

Read the article to get all the details.

Marketing Researcher Repucom Spotlights Asia Sports Investments

A recent report released by sports marketing research company Repucom on Monday shows the trend of investment in sports sponsorship from the Asia into US sports franchises.

The report was entitled “Emerging Giants” and explains that, in the last two years, Asian businessmen have invested approximately $1.1 billion in US sports franchises.

South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 World Cup will then be staged in Qatar. The report explains that, as long as the economies in the Middle East and Asia remain strong there is no reason to assume that their investments in sports will slow down.

Read the whole article to gain more depth about this interesting economic change.

Is Asia on a Spending Binge?

Qatar-HoldingQatar recently acquired a small part of Lifestyle International Holdings in Hong Kong. This may be indicative of the start of an Asian spending binge. What this means for the near future is that Qatar may very soon be investing in other Asian regions including: China, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. The total amount spent could reach $15bn.

This is new for Qatar, which, via the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has primarily made investments in Europe, with businesses like Barclays, the Canary Wharf Group and Harrods. Now, with its move into Asia, Qatar is doing something new.

While in the past there have been some Qatarian investments into Asia (such as in 2010 the $2.8bn investment into the Agricultural Bank of China) until now there hasn’t been a steady flow. Now, putting £616m into Lifestyle International Holdings is according to QIA forming part of the region’s “strategy to diversify its portfolio.”

Another potential region for investments is Turkey. The Hassad Food Co. is planning on investing in Turkey’s country poultry, dairy and meat sectors. As it stands right now, 90 percent of Qatarian food products are imported. Hassad was launched to secure supplies. And then there is real estate investment, linked to the FIFA World Cup that is set to be in Qatar in 2022 and all the infrastructure preparations involved in that. Real estate prices are elevating due to increasing demand for infrastructure land.