SINGAPORE: Zoomin.TV, the video content provider headquartered in Amsterdam, already has a small team operating in China, but plans to expand into other Asian markets because of the region's embrace of mobile and digital.
That's according to Co-Founder Bram Bloemberg and Eric Snelleman, Managing Director APAC, who spoke to Campaign Asia about the company's expectations.
"Here we have no legacy, so we come to the market with a clean story," said Bloemberg, in reference to the company so far having offices only in Beijing and Tokyo. "Asian consumers have jumped straight into the new digital or mobile world, which fits very well with us."
Snelleman said Zoomin.TV intends Singapore to be its regional hub and that it is looking to expand into Indonesia and the Philippines. "After that China, Thailand and Vietnam; those will be our focus markets," he added.
He explained that it's the right time for the company to expand in Asia because of Zoomin's reputation for high quality video content, which he believes still is not widely available in the region.
"There's so much content out there, people get lost," he said. "Of course the traditional publishers are all trying to create content that resonates, but not in the way that we do it. It's a difficult job. We also have a huge amount of content to enter the market with."
Much of that content originates from the region already, Bloemberg added, as he pointed to the contracts the company has secured in China with the likes of Weibo and Youku, the video site owned by Alibaba.
"We like to play according to the local rules," he said. "We like to partner, not like the traditional US companies that come into a market and basically want to take the money. To a certain extent that might work, but we feel more comfortable partnering with local players and local habits."
To that end, Zoomin.TV has built up a team of 150 video journalists in Asia and has partnered with AccelerAsia, a Singapore-based business development firm, to expand its operations and content network.
That's according to Co-Founder Bram Bloemberg and Eric Snelleman, Managing Director APAC, who spoke to Campaign Asia about the company's expectations.
"Here we have no legacy, so we come to the market with a clean story," said Bloemberg, in reference to the company so far having offices only in Beijing and Tokyo. "Asian consumers have jumped straight into the new digital or mobile world, which fits very well with us."
Snelleman said Zoomin.TV intends Singapore to be its regional hub and that it is looking to expand into Indonesia and the Philippines. "After that China, Thailand and Vietnam; those will be our focus markets," he added.
He explained that it's the right time for the company to expand in Asia because of Zoomin's reputation for high quality video content, which he believes still is not widely available in the region.
"There's so much content out there, people get lost," he said. "Of course the traditional publishers are all trying to create content that resonates, but not in the way that we do it. It's a difficult job. We also have a huge amount of content to enter the market with."
Much of that content originates from the region already, Bloemberg added, as he pointed to the contracts the company has secured in China with the likes of Weibo and Youku, the video site owned by Alibaba.
"We like to play according to the local rules," he said. "We like to partner, not like the traditional US companies that come into a market and basically want to take the money. To a certain extent that might work, but we feel more comfortable partnering with local players and local habits."
To that end, Zoomin.TV has built up a team of 150 video journalists in Asia and has partnered with AccelerAsia, a Singapore-based business development firm, to expand its operations and content network.
Data sourced from Campaign Asia; additional content by Warc staff
