English Language Magazines in ASIA

2004 International Magazine conference of Taipei

John W Chu Managing DirectorEmitAsia (TWN) Ltd.

Nov. 15 – 17, 2004

Overview

• English speaking population

• Niche market environment in Asia

• The growth and expansion of English

• Challenges to English language magazines

in the region• A look at the future

• Distinctive issues in some Asian markets

English Speaking Population

Spoken in United Kingdom,

United States and 113 other countries

First language speakers:

330 million

Second language speakers

possibly 350 – 1,000 million

Ranking: 2

English Speaking Population

Most influential languages

After weighing factors

1. Mandarin Chinese (1.2 billion)

1. English (37)

2. English (330 million) 2. French (23)

3. Spanish (300 million) 3. Spanish (20)

4. Hindi/Urdu (250 million) 4. Russian (16)

5. Arabic (200 million) 5. Arabic (14)

6. Bengali (185 million) 6. Chinese (13)

7. Portuguese (160 million) 7. German (12)

The growth and expansion in English

• Internationalization ( The English imperative)

• Growing demand for education and communication

• Expanding share of the market

• Increase of online English Language population

English, 35.2

Italian, 3.8

French, 4.2

Geman, 6.9

Spanish, 9

Japanese, 8.4

Dutch, 1.7

Korean , 3.9

Portuguese, 3.1

Others, 10.1

Chinese, 13.7

On-Line Language Population (in %)

The growth and expansion in English

Niche Market Environment in Asia

• China - Government control, uncertain for English language magazines

• Hong Kong - English may lose its high profile in years to come

• Taiwan - Long-term approach to improving English standards

• Japan - Needs English for tots

• South Korea - Insufficient ability to synthesize the four skills

Niche Market Environment in Asia

• Philippine - The largest population of fluent English speakers in Asia

• Malaysia - Controversy by seeking to promote the use of English

• Singapore - General literacy rate 93%, English is widely used and spoken

• Thailand - Increasing demand to learn English

• India - English is in addition to 21 other state languages

Distinctive issues in some Asian markets

• The media environment is as diverse as the region’s cultural and political systems

• Economic growth versus Government control • Regulatory environment continues

• Unclear market positioning

Distinctive issues in some Asian markets

• Improve for content quality

• Negligence of ABC audits

• Demand for licensed content and brand building

• A necessity of professional publishing training

for regional/ global competition

Challenges to English language magazines in the region

• Emergence of Chinese as a viable second language in Asia

• Rapid growth of magazine licensing business

• Integration/ consolidation for synergy

• Controlled Circulation

Challenges to English language magazines in the region

• Small share of total advertising spending

• Advertising-dependent magazines struggle for survival

• The changing market place - Localization & decentralization

• E market place

• Improve service with e- presence

A look at the future

• Publishers must move up the value chain in order to survive.

Contents creation

Editorial Production ( generally outsourced)

Sales & marketing

Design & Layout

Traditional Publishing Value Chain

A look at the future

• Difficult questions for publishers: What is a publisher in this new electronic age? Information or Content?

• To be used for information rather than as a solution.

• Offering users information that fits their query.

A look at the future

• Publishing business is becoming a cradle to grave information and content industry.

• Encompassing skills from the creation of content to its manipulation in the most complex of digital environments.

• Traditional publishing skills needs to be re-examined.

A look at the future

• Re-interpretation of these skills in the new digital age.

• Widening the management vision.

• Publishers are forced to develop and expand the skills of their staff to cover previously unsought areas. .

A look at the future

• New skills will need to be integrated into publishing businesses to enable them to meet customers’ needs and compete effectively in a global marketplace.

• Ongoing expansion of the publishing industry

skills footprint will be needed throughout a variety of industry sectors.

Thank You