The Cultural Algorithm

STX Entertainment is merging with Eros International, India’s largest film studio, after a “trying year,” according to Variety , and will henceforth be known as the Eros STX Global Corporation. In 2019 viewers saw some midbudget films from STX, including “Hustlers” and “Ugly Dolls.” The merger with Eros International will bring both studios into a higher financial bracket, currently slated around $300 million for future revenue. What This Means Merger specifics include a “stock-for-stock” and publicly traded, independent content. Eros STX Global is currently set to remain on the New York Stock Exchange, according to Yahoo Finance and will maintain offices in Mumbai and Burbank. The newly consolidated company will also have a new distribution presence in the United States, India and China. As new content is created, existing partnerships with NBCUniversal, Google, Apple, YouTube, Amazon and Microsoft will expand. Eros STX Global Corporation 2020 slate consists of 40 feature films and over 100 hours of original episodic content. Company Expansion New team members are excited. Robert Simonds, the new Co-Chairman and chief executive officer, spoke with Variety about the now vast resources the companies have brought to the table. “Together we will have the relationships, management expertise and resources to create new content and grow rapidly in the largest and most attractive global markets,” said Simonds. “On Day One, we will have the ability to tap into our significant combined libraries and draw upon our deep relationships with A-list actors, directors and producers across the globe to create even more compelling content for millions of consumers.” As a combined entity, the company is excited about creating new opportunities in China. Although STX has had limited success in China, Eros aims to bridge that gap. Eros has a good track record in distributing successful Indian films in China. Eros India CEO Pradeep Dwivedi explains that “Asian sensibilities of movies are very different from American sensibilities. There is a certain understanding of the cultural ethos of China that we believe we can work with much better compared to STX.” Content Expansion Taking a cue from the ongoing success of super-hero films, the company is also keen on building franchises based on stories from Indian mythology , eliminating the socio-religious aspects and adapting them for universal appeal much like the DC and Marvel models. While STX’s recent film releases have garnered some attention, this union with Eros will serve to strengthen their viewership. Eros Now, a popular streaming platform, brings in roughly 188 million registered users around the globe. This association will increase that market share. The existing Eros Now platform deals with Indian content, it plans to soon launch a standalone English-language subscription based offering. In March, Eros announced that it had signed NBCUniversal to join this tier. STX content will follow. Eros also has a new technology deal with Microsoft. As part of the tie-up, Microsoft will build an online video platform for Eros using Azure technology, which will offer interactive voice search features in multiple Indian regional languages. It will also create an AI-powered platform that will enable high-speed subtitling and translations of Hollywood content. This will be available to customers in price-sensitive mass markets like middle India, Africa, Latin America and migrant workers in the Middle East. Eros STX Global Corporation plans to complete the merger by the end of second quarter, 2020.

Censorship in media has long been a sensitive matter in India. This is especially true for political topics. Recently, India witnessed countrywide unrest triggered by passing a controversial citizenship law aiming to grant citizenship based on religion. The Citizenship Amendment Act or CAA has people in India divided over its constitutionality and apparent violation of the country's secular foundation.

Located around 500 miles off Asia's southeast coast, the beautiful archipelago country of the Philippines includes over 7,000 islands. It is Asia's largest Christian majority nation with a population of 93 million. Filipino society is shaped by nearby Japan and China as well as India, the Middle East and Borneo. It is also interesting to note major Hispanic influences in the country's culture and ethnicity owing to its former colonial occupation.

OTT platforms are steadily expanding their international presence. Content providers want to be relevant in local markets by connecting with audiences through content that is culturally relatable. Platforms want to engage consumers to not only passively watch the content but also to share, comment and debate. However, it seems in their quest to provide cutting edge entertainment to customers, OTT platforms in India are ruffling some feathers on the wrong side of the political spectrum.

The land of K-pop, Korean Cinema and kimchi. South Korea is one of the most culturally exquisite countries in the world. During the past decade, the world has witnessed the phenomenal rise of the Korean Wave, dubbed as "Hallyu." Global awareness and popularity of South Korean culture, entertainment and most significantly music is rapidly growing. Additionally, K-beauty has become a household topic of discussion as well. So, let's discuss what makes the South Korean Wave such a success.

On a recent trip to Hanoi, Vietnam, I booked a walking tour to explore the city. My guide was a young university student named Linh who came to Hanoi from a neighboring province a year earlier. As our group walked, Linh excitedly started talking about a TV series "8-Year-Old Bride" that was hugely popular in Vietnam. She further explained that the series was not produced locally, but rather in India. Curious, I decided to find out more about it.

According to PriceWaterhouseCoopers's (PwC) Media and Entertainment (M&E) outlook for 2018-2023, the U.S. industry, which represents one-third of the global M&E industry, is expected to reach more than $825 billion by 2023. This includes revenues from global content creators (Disney, Fox, Warner Bros., Starz, CBS, AMC, etc.), linear broadcast via multichannel video programming distributors (Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, Sky, Virgin, etc.), digital stores (Apple iTunes, Amazon Prime, Google Play, etc.), and digital streaming platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, etc.).

Spread across thousands of islands bustling with beautiful flora and fauna, Indonesia is the world’s largest island country. Over the centuries, its people have welcomed several cultures they came across through trade and commerce. As a result, we now have a melting pot of cultures in Indonesia to study and appreciate. Though officially a secular nation, Indonesia is home to the largest Muslim population in the world, with about 87 percent of Indonesians following Islam. Other religions that coexist peacefully include Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism. The people of Indonesia are traditional and prefer to follow a more conservative approach to life. Indonesian culture influences age ratings for digital music, film and television in myriad ways. Sexual Material in Music Sex and sexuality are topics that Indonesians do not openly discuss. In fact, transgressions can carry heavy consequences. Music that contains sexual lyrics is regulated by the broadcasting authority. In early 2019, the West Java provincial broadcast commission listed 85 songs labelled ‘adult’ which could only be aired between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Popular English language songs, including Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like,” and Ariana Grande’s “Love Me Harder,” were considered vulgar and negative . Decency and Decorum Indonesians prefer to dress modestly in public. The government has in recent years grown more conservative with regards to acceptable clothing choices, particularly for women. It came as less of a surprise when an advertisement for the South Korean female pop group Blackpink was banned because its members dressed in miniskirts. The Indonesian Broadcasting Commission ordered nearly a dozen domestic TV stations to pull the commercial, citing indecency . Indonesia’s decency filter is applicable to cartoons and works of animation as well. In 2017, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (IBC) issued a warning letter about a kissing scene in the cartoon series “Shaun The Sheep.” The authority pointed out that the show violated Article 14 on child protection and Article 16 on the limitation of sexual content in the Broadcasting Code of Conduct and Broadcasting Standards. “SpongeBob SquarePants” and “Doraemon” also drew attention from the IBC as each had a female character sporting swimwear in one or more episodes. The images of these characters in swimwear were subsequently blurred out. Religious Matters: As Islam is the predominant religion practiced in Indonesia, authorities protect religious sentiments and seek to minimize or eliminate potentially upsetting material. One example is the Hollywood movie “Noah” starring Russell Crowe. The 2014 film was banned by the Indonesian Film Censorship Board, stating that the story contradicted Quran teachings and may mislead people . The current trend in Indonesia continues toward a conservative approach. Government authorities closely monitor the Media and Entertainment industry to ensure the sensibilities of the Indonesian people are not offended.

"We are running into the global arena faster than anybody," Jeff Hirsch, Starz COO declared at a June 2019 conference. He was referring to the fact that the Starz digital platform will soon serve over 50 territories throughout the world. Starz is not alone in focusing on global growth; Roku reported, in its recent fourth quarter earnings release, an expansion into Brazil, one of the largest digital markets in Latin America, as well as a diversification strategy away from its heavy U.S. focus. As content owners and platforms grow geographically, so too is the depth of consumer distribution touchpoints—take for example Acorn-TV, the largest purveyor of British themed programming in the U.S. Acorn is now available over Apple TV Channels, Roku Channels, Amazon Channels, Android TV, Chromecast, Comcast/Xfinity, and via Vizio Smart TV.