ASIA

PwC has released their special report on the annual Global Entertainment & Media Outlook. Now in its 22nd year, the Outlook is the premier source of information and insight into the evolution of this dynamic, diverse and fast-changing sector.
In 2020, the pandemic triggered the sharpest contraction in overall E&M revenues in the history of this research. And it accelerated changes in consumer behaviour to pull forward digital disruption and industry tipping points by several years. In 2021, those tipping points morphed and coalesced into power shifts that are rapidly reshaping the industry.
One of the clearest trends is that players are realising they may be better served by figuring out how to meet consumers at their convenience. People prefer the ease and convenience of self-directed podcast listening to adhering to radio stations’ schedules. As a result, audio content providers are diversifying their offerings to become more of a destination where consumers will linger and browse. For example, although podcast platforms in many territories tend to specialise in particular topics—comedy, politics and so on—the leading providers in the mature Chinese market, such as Ximalaya and Nasdaq-listed Lizhi, aggregate many different subjects and types of podcasts into a single offering. Clubhouse and Spotify use live and recorded podcasts to re-create a personalised radio type experience.
Total global entertainment and media (E&M) revenue fell -3.8% year on year in 2020, by far the most significant drop in revenue — US$81.0bn, or more than the value of 2020’s entire music, radio and podcasts segment — in the history of the Global Entertainment and Media Outlook.
As more global regions emerge from lockdown and see increasing rates of vaccination, a forecast year-on-year rise of 6.5% in 2021 and a further 6.7% rise in 2022 will help drive total global E&M revenue to increase at a 5.0% five-year CAGR. However, this seemingly healthy growth comes from a greatly depressed base year — extending the CAGR period to six years provides a less optimistic picture with a rate of just 3.5%.
Sectors that meet digital and mobile consumers where they are find rapid growth. The projected CAGR for Virtual Reality from 2020-25 is the highest among all segments at 30 percent, while Music, Radio and Podcasts are projected to grow at 9 percent. […]

After more than a year-long hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the SPH Gift of Music, a series of free community concerts sponsored by Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation, will return with A Gift of Love, a concert by Ding Yi Music Company on 24 July at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Auditorium. SPH Radio is the official radio partner of the event.
Ding Yi Music Company, a renowned Chinese chamber ensemble and recipient of the Singapore Chinese Cultural Contribution Award in 2019, will perform two shows at 3pm and 7pm respectively. Online audiences can catch the live-streamed concert at 7pm on the Facebook pages of SPH, Ding Yi and 96.3 Hao FM.
A Gift of Love concert aims to spread joy and hope amid the pandemic situation. It is a reminder to take comfort in the love of our family, friends and those around us during challenging times.
Inspired by the 2021 National Day Parade theme of ‘Together, Our Singapore Spirit‘, the multi-cultural repertoire will feature popular favourites such as Chinese pop hits Friends Forever and My Dearest Baby, Indian medley Veena Concerto, Malay medley Beruntung Jadi Anak Kelatan and one of Singapore’s favourite National Day songs Home, written by Dick Lee.
The concert, conducted by Wong De Li, Dedric, will be hosted by SPH Radio 96.3 Hao FM DJ De Ming who will also perform a song with the ensemble. The programme will also feature two soloists, Cellist Chee Jun Sian and Veena musician Madhavan Kalaichelvan. […]

India’s 93.5 Red FM network announced ‘The Audio Film Project’ starting July 26.
The show will have ace Bollywood Director, Vikram Bhatt narrating high intensity horror and thriller stories on air to give listeners a never-before experience in the form of audio films.
It will air every Monday to Saturday at 9 PM.
Speaking on the announcement, Nisha Narayanan, Director & COO, RED FM and Magic FM, said: “Audio is a personalised form of storytelling, and the tradition is ingrained in India’s fabric. It is also one of the most powerful content formats on radio. Vikram Bhatt has built a legacy of films in the space of horror and thrillers and our listeners are in for a lot of thrill and spine-chilling content.”
Talking about the initiative, Vikram Bhatt said: “Have you ever felt that the book was better than the movie? Have you ever felt more scared while hearing a ghost story than seeing one? I am certain you have and the reason is that imagination sees more than the eyes can ever see. I have now collaborated with RED FM for The Audio Film Project that aims at creating a unique experience for radio listeners. It focuses on storytelling and live narration that will give listeners an experience of stories vividly through the audio format.” […]

Selling Radio Direct with Pat Bryson

It’s all about managing tension levels!
I’ve often heard it said that the easiest person to sell is a salesperson. If you are like me, you appreciate good technique. You probably also recognize bad sales skills when you experience them. Part of determining what’s “good” and what’s “bad” is how the salesperson makes you feel during the process. Which brings us to the point of today’s newsletter: How do WE make OUR clients feel during our sales process?
We know that prospects need to feel comfortable with us. If they aren’t, they probably won’t buy from us. No one wants to deal with a “slick” salesperson, one who makes you doubt their sincerity and credibility. We want to make our interactions with clients person to person, not salesperson to victim. We also know that as we lead prospects to the point of making a decision, the tension level in the room will spike. Since we are the only person that we have control over, it’s up to us to manage the tension level, to bring it down, to make our prospect comfortable. How do we do this?
We need to be sure that we aren’t intimidating prospects by using “radio”, “TV” or newspaper lingo. Those technical terms should never be used outside our offices. Many times, our prospects don’t understand them, but they won’t say anything. They simply remain quiet, uncomfortable and they keep their wallets closed. They simply won’t buy.
We also need to make sure we don’t have any annoying habits that can drive a prospective customer crazy. I’ve seen all kinds of little “tics”: clicking pens, shaking feet, straightening a tie, bouncing around in a seat. In close proximity, these can be most off-putting.
We need to watch our language. Some words in the English language sound harsh. They will spike the tension level: contract, deal, sign, cost, buy, liable, obligation, price, pay, decision.
Other words will lower the tension level: authorize, approve, agreement, results, proven, easy, save, results, profit, let’s.
I once trained a gentleman who had sold newspaper for 15 years before he joined our radio team. As we were going through this material, he shared with me how he used these words. When he was dealing with a prospect who was using a competitor’s product, he used the words like this:
“How liable are you when you sign their contract? What type of obligation do you have to pay for their deal? With our agreement, we make it easy. All you have to do is authorize this campaign and the results have been proven by other of our clients.”
In other words, he used the bad words when referring to the competition and the good words when referring to his own. I thought this a bit diabolical but certainly brilliant. Try it: it works! I’m always happy I train with people smarter than I am. I learn so much!
Our job is to manage the tension level, to make our potential clients comfortable in saying, “Yes” to our offers. Use these techniques: higher billing awaits!

Our New Book is Here: Add this to your library

What people are saying about this new book:

“In this time of a rapidly expanding media landscape with increasing layers of complexity, Pat Bryson reminds us that sales is still a people to people business built on personal relationships. The best relationships will endure long after disruptions such as COVID-19 have passed.”
Peter Saxon […]

John Huddle, Director, market Development, Asia, SES, presented a session on ‘Cloud Technology in Broadcasting’ at Broadcast Asia 2021 last week.
SES is a leader in global content connectivity solutions and a leading satellite operator.  SES has evolved to address content integration requirements seamlessly.
It has partnered with Microsoft enabling it to deliver the complete suite of capabilities to its broadcast customers via the cloud. The vision of this collaboration is to create the first broadcast-grade cloud.
Discussing the top cloud trends and broadcast industry challenges in Asia, where the pandemic has forced broadcasters to look at alternate revenue and cost models, and has also accelerated digital transformation of broadcasters.
There has been an explosive growth in direct-to-consumer offerings and a huge demand for compelling, relevant and new content. It has also led to broadcasters looking to take advantage of a hybrid distribution model, marrying traditional linear distribution with OTT distribution.
Cloud services can help generate some quick-to-market solutions. They provide broadcasters the ability to optimise content for different devices and user experiences. They also offer real scalability, providing a greater degree of flexibility and adaptability, making it easier to implement changes and react to market changes.
The potential for direct as well as opportunity cost savings offered by cloud-based workflows is huge due to the agility they offer.
SES has built a user interface called SES 360, where all of these workflows can be managed. Assuming that a broadcaster already has content in place, they can configure and launch a channel from this portal. It also has tools to help store and manage content, configure playlists and configure distribution. […]

Benztown and P1 Media Group will host a free webinar for radio professionals around the globe, titled “PD Summer School: The Best Advice Ever.” on July 15.
The webinar is 14th in the companies’ “Global Radio Ideas” webinar series from top radio experts from around the world.
The 30-minute webinar will be hosted by Andreas Sannemann, CEO, Benztown, and Ken Benson, Partner, P1 Media Group, and will feature Pat Holiday, Founder, Musicom Academy.
Over Holiday’s stellar 50-year radio career, he programmed monster AC and Hot AC stations including Lite in Detroit, Warm in Cincinnati, Mix in Montreal, and Mix Toronto, was GM for stations in Calgary and Toronto, and was head of programming for a major Canadian radio group and launched the Virgin Radio brand across Canada. Holiday was named Canadian PD of the Year and had Stations of the Year three times.
Holiday will field attendees’ questions and cover topics including:

A secret way to program you’ve never heard before
One easy step to turn a listener into a fan
5 quick things a jock can do to become great
Keys to leading creative people
How you should be programming ad breaks
Using your intuition to build a better station

Register at: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/GlobalRadio […]