CASBAA hails APEC
October 18, 2007
Industry body the Cable & Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia (CASBAA) has applauded a call by regional political leaders for Governments to “effectively address” the issue of satellite and cable TV signal theft. “The new priority given by the APEC ministers to this problem is great news,” said Marcel Fenez, the Chairman of CASBAA. “With estimated pay-TV piracy in Asia topping US$1.1 billion — and still rising — Governments must sit up and take notice.”
The APEC statement noted that TV signal piracy does great harm to copyright owners, legitimate pay-TV operators and broadcasters. “The big change is that Asian governments now see the damage that piracy of all kinds to does to their domestic economies,” said Mr. Fenez. “With more and more Asian content entering the global media market, it is not only the legitimate distributors, but increasingly Asian content owners who bear the brunt of signal theft.”