East Asian Media and Creative Industries Webinar Series III
Thursday, October 24, 2024
9:30 PM
Zoom Webinar
About the Series
The East Asian Media and Creative Industries Webinar Series III is a collaborative effort among four different centers and departments from prestigious universities: the Centre for Film and Creative Industries (CFCI) at Lingnan University, the Center for Chinese Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, the Department of Cultural and Religious Studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Visual Culture Research Center at National Central University, Taiwan. It features a diverse range of topics related to the media and creative industries in East Asia. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from leading scholars in the field, engage in thought-provoking discussions, and network with fellow researchers from around the world.
Rising on the Horizon - The making of early video culture in Hong Kong
Klavier Wong
Relying on electromagnetism to capture, record, and playback moving images, video is a cybernetic system that enables the creation, editing, and distribution of moving images more immediate, affordable, and accessible. First applied in the broadcasting system in the 1960s and gained wide popularity since the late 1970s, video was regarded as a “low” yet “democratic” media that revolutionized both the professional and amateur media landscape. While existing discussions on video culture are North American and European centric, in this research I focus on the East Asian context, in particular post-war Hong Kong. This research is based on over 900 Hong Kong local newspaper clips related to the subject of video, supplemented with government reports and commentaries from other publication resources.
Moderator: Michael Berry
Integrating Viewing Experiences: Strategies of Major Japanese Television Networks in the Age of Netflix
Erica Ka-yan Poon
Netflix launched its services in Japan in 2015. In the same year, major commercial television networks (Fuji TV, Nippon TV, TV Asahi, Tokyo Broadcasting System TV (TBS), and TV Tokyo) jointly launched their streaming platform, TVer. These industrial events began a new phase in Japanese media ecology, characterized by intense competition between local television networks and US-based streaming platforms. Previous studies have examined Netflix’s localization strategies in the global cultural industry. However, local television networks in Japan are often seen as “victims” being influenced by Netflix, and their resilience and strategies amid this streaming war have largely been overlooked. This talk aims to comprehensively understand contemporary Japanese media ecology dynamics by investigating how local television networks as conglomerates maintain their dominance.
Moderator: Michael Berry
Viu and its Originals in Southeast Asia: Regionalization of Streaming Platform through Minor Transnationalism
Enoch Yee-lok Tam
Viu, a streaming platform owned by PCCW Limited and headquartered in Hong Kong, has ascended as a significant player in Southeast Asian markets, particularly in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, in recent years. By amassing 9.1 million paid subscribers in the region during Q1 2024, Viu stands as the second-largest platform, trailing only behind Netflix with its 10 million subscribed customers. Competing fiercely with global streaming giants like Netflix and Disney+, Viu has solidified its influence over the past decade, emerging as a major contender in the streaming landscape. This research delves into Viu’s business strategies and digital infrastructure to advocate for a regionalization of streaming platforms, facilitating the dissemination of East Asian, notably Korean, audiovisual content and the production of local dramas tailored to regional audiences. Analysis of the Korean drama Reborn Rich (JTBC, 2022) and Hong Kong drama Left On Read (ViuTV, 2023) reveals that Viu adopts a co-commission model akin to Netflix originals, leveraging these original productions to enact a form of “minor transnationalism” that expands its business reach. Furthermore, this study highlights how Viu’s cataloging strategy embodies a unique form of minor transnationalism, fortifying its digital infrastructure within the region. By examining Viu’s model, the chapter ponders whether it can serve as a pioneering example for an alternative streaming paradigm rooted in minor transnational practices.
Moderator: Wesley Jacks
www.ln.edu.hk/cfci/webinar3/#schedule
Sponsor(s): Center for Chinese Studies