Transborder Television: The Response of Advertisers in Asia

Abstract

With the advent of the transnational medium of satellite television in Asia, the long-debated issue of globalising advertising is being revisited in the region. The pioneer broadcaster StarTV sought to convince international marketers and their advertising agencies of its uniqueness as a Pan-Asian medium. However, in its early years, there was little response from either Asian consumers or advertisers. This paper explores the views of advertising agencies, domestic broadcasters, market researchers and media regulators about transnational satellite television in the two key markets of Indonesia and India, as well as Hong Kong, the regional hub for advertising and broadcasting. It finds that interest in regional advertising varied from country to country, depending on such factors as language barriers, alternative domestic media, non-standardisation of products and government restrictions.