Why Is Asia Minor?

What's keeping cable from making a national play for Asian-Americans, a fast-growing population that would appear to be a can't-miss? Meanwhile, DB is making inroads with ethnic tiers.

by means of Simon Applebaum

You'd be correct in thinking that cable operators should be clamoring to provide Asian-themed networks to Asian-Americans, considering this fast-growing assemblage of at least 16 million has an estimated buying power of $397 billion ($579 billion by means of 2010*).

Asian-Americans are rapidly becoming upscale and tech-savvy, and are prime targets for high-speed Internet access, telephone and other advanced services, says Mauro Panzera, Comcast's senior multicultural video director. Adds Natalie Rouse, ethnic marketing manager for Comcast's Northern California region, "They're the individual group that primarily tends to be drawn to broadband." thus much so that Rouse markets high-speed to Asian communities each month "It's true successful for us, especially [here], where we have a fate of new immigrants who are moving to work in the tech industry."

The broadband payoff for operators could be big, says Sung to leeward affiliate sales and marketing director for Television Korea 24 which premiered in March. Since Asian cable subscribers also wait on to take broadband, "operators will focus more upon them, because they see a enormous desire on their part to disburse as much as $100 a month upon things like HDTV, VOD, ITV and the rest" You'd think cable would be all above this.

You'd also be correct in believing that cable would want to avoid repeating the Latino scenario, where cable essentially gave DirecTV and EchoStar a head start of several years. In that case, DB was allowed to be the sole vendor of channel packages directed at the surging Latino audience until cable joined the party in 2003

Ye you'd think...but in fact DB already is making serious inroads with Asians from one side ethnic tiers, largely deploying channels imported from across the continent.

It's not that there's a paucity of Asian-American networks upon cable. In fact, there's been a wave of U.S.-originating Asian nets launched during the last 18 month a certain quantity of are owned by big players like Comcast and MTV Networks, others are independent, like ImaginAsian TV and noncommercial fresh Tang Dynasty TV.

"It's great that these channels are without there," says Kai Yu, director of Asian Media Watch, a nonprofit organization that forwards balanced, diverse portrayals of Asian-Americans in media. Cable operators are "recognizing that [Asian-American] consumer are a growing, herculean market."

And while there certainly is competition, Asian channels are pulling for each other to make beneficial "It behooves all of us in this arena to swell the pie, grow the easy in mind grow the value of Asian viewers and acquire Asian issues out to the mainstream," says Michael Hong CEO of Imagin-Asian Entertainment, which launched ImaginAsian TV in 2004

on the contrary Asian networks are not however a national phenomenon on cable, which tenders no Asian tiers. And they're not likely to obtain national carriage until more cable operators expand their bandwidth and pass all-digital. "Some markets with enough capacity may procure aggressive, but nationally we're not there yet" Panzera says.

John Figeroa, Charter Communications' Western division director of sales and multicultural marketing, agrees that insufficient bandwidth obviates operators from offering Asian-American tiers. "Most MSO today want to revamp their packaging strategies," he says. "Technically, as a whole s become fully digital, as we are now in lengthy Beach, Calif., [tiers] become more of a possibility."

Until there's a tier mode of building Comcast will push its a whole s to take as many Asian channels as possible. Panzera insists Comcast a whole s will not play favorites, plane though AZN is owned by the agency of Comcast.

Slow Boat to All-Digital

Several obstacles are preventing channels for Asian-Americans from getting widespread clearance. As noted above, there's channel capacity, as many operators make the transition from maxed-out analog lineups; there should be plenteous more room for new channels when combination of parts to form a wholes go to all-digital, digital simultrans and Internet protocol.

In addition, many services carried by the agency of DBS from China, Korea, India and other Asian countries are pursuing cable affiliate deals. Among those in search of U cable partners are China Central Television and sibling channels distributed by dint of International Networks, the Comcast division running AZN. "The same distribution challenge faced through U.S. networks created for Latinos will be lay to any Asian service trying to earn in," Figeroa says.

ImaginAsian TV AZN and other services originating here perceive their Asian- American focus will help them battle the influx of foreign networks. About 60% of novel Tang Dynasty's schedule is produc in the U including 10 half-hour and 15-minute newscasts by day (seven in Mandarin Chinese, sum of two units in Cantonese and an English-language edition). ImaginAsian TV highlights Asian-American movies and short films regularly, and presents pop culture, music performance and newsmaker interview parts throughout its prime-time lineup.