Blokir OTT bandel jadi program pemerintah ?

Dicuplik dari artikel Bisnis.com "Aplikasi Over The Top akan Diblokir. Line, WhatsApp dkk Bakal Mati"
Rabu, 24 Februari 2016, 16:44 WIB
Lukas Hendra TM

Bisnis.com, JAKARTA - Pemerintah akan melakukan pemblokiran melalui operator seluler untuk aplikasi over the top (OTT) yang tidak memenuhi ketentuan beleid soal kewajiban badan usaha tetap.

(Red. : kenapa hanya dari operator seluler ? Bagaimana dengan OTT yang melewati fixed broadband ?)

Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika (Kominfo) Rudiantara mengatakan pihaknya tengah melakukan finalisasi untuk diterbitkannya peraturan menteri berkaitan dengan kewajiban badan usaha tetap (BUT) bagi pemain OTT yang beroperasi di Indonesia.

Dia menargetkan beleid itu akan meluncur pada akhir Maret 2016 yang di dalamnya juga menyebutkan soal masa transisi bagi OTT agar bisa memenuhi kewajiban tersebut. "Punishment kalau nggak dipenuhi, teknisnya gampang, nanti diblokir dari operator," katanya di Kantor Staf Presiden, Rabu (24/2/2016).

Dia mengungkapkan pendekatan kebijakan pemerintah di sektor telekomunikasi memang bersahabat dengan pebisnis, tetapi juga tidak terlalu lunak. Oleh karena itu, pihaknya berharap agar pelaku OTT bisa memenuhi kewajiban itu.

Namun, dia tidak ingin jika OTT hanya membuka kantor cabang saja, melainkan harus berbadan usaha di Indonesia. Para pemain OTT, lanjutnya, juga bisa membentuk badan usaha patungan (joint venture/JOV) atau bisa juga memilih bekerja sama dengan operator seluler.

(Red.: Lagi2 seluler, OTT diatas jaringan data fixed juga ada kan ?)

Rudiantara menyebutkan upaya tersebut sebagai bentuk terhadap perlindungan konsumen. Namun, upaya ini juga bisa mengeruk potensi pajak yang tidak terserap akibat OTT tidak berbadan hukum di Indonesia.

Dia mencontohkan pada 2015 iklan digital dari Indonesia memiliki nilai US$430 juta. "Kalau misalnya kena PPn 10% sudah US$43 juta, belum PPh badan," ujarnya.

Sebelumnya, Masyarakat Telematika Indonesia (Mastel) mendesak pemerintah bersikap tegas dengan memblokir OTT asing yang telah lama beroperasi dan menjadikan Indonesia hanya sebagai pasar untuk meraup keuntungan.

Nonot Harsono, Chairman of Mastel Institute memprediksi pemain OTT asing akan tumbuh dengan signifikan di Indonesia dalam beberapa tahun ke depan. Indikator itu sangat dimungkinkan sejalan dengan pertumbuhan pengguna Internet dan smartphone di Tanah Air.

Dari 255,5 juta penduduk Indonesia, 72,2 juta di antaranya merupakan pengguna Internet aktif. Di sisi lain, pengguna smartphone di Tanah Air juga telah melebihi jumlah penduduk di Tanah Air yaitu sebanyak 308 juta pengguna . Artinya, setiap satu orang Warga Negara Indonesia sampai saat ini menggunakan satu hingga dua smartphone.

“Tidak sedikit pemain OTT asing ini yang menjalankan bisnisnya di Indonesia tanpa permisi seperti Line, Whatsapp, Kakao Talk, Netflix dan masih banyak yang lainnya. Mereka seharusnya mengajukan izin terlebih dulu kalau ingin berjualan di sini,” ujarnya.

Nonot menjelaskan saat ini tidak sedikit pemain OTT asing yang mulai beroperasi di Indonesia secara vulgar seperti yang dilakukan oleh layanan video streaming Netflix beberapa waktu lalu.

Menurutnya, Netflix merupakan salah satu pemain OTT asing yang tidak memiliki izin badan usaha di Indonesia, sehingga pemerintah sulit mengenakan pajak dan biaya lainnya untuk pemasukan pemerintah. “Kami mengapresiasi sikap Telkom yang dengan tegas memblokir layanan Netflix tersebut,” tegasnya.

Win customers by targeted content and leveraging billing assets

Taken from Total Telecom's article "Time is right for telcos to profit from mobile TV"

By Mary Lennighan, in Barcelona
Tuesday 23 February 2016

Operators can win customers by offering more targeted content, leveraging their billing assets to encourage consumers to make small purchases.

Customers are willing to pay more – to a certain extent - for the right multi-screen TV service and that could mean an additional revenue stream for telecoms operators, provided they get their propositions right.

As networks evolve, telcos are able to provide multi-screen offerings and mobile apps in addition to their standard home broadband and TV offers. And while consumers, particularly the younger generations, expect this sort of capability as standard, there is still some incremental revenue to capture.

Telcos' billing assets give them a big opportunity in the market, by facilitating low-value transactions on the part of their customers.

A customer is more likely to pay for a movie rental or sign up for a Netflix package, for example, if they can add the cost to their regular bill, and as a result content providers are more likely to give a small revenue cut to the telcos.

Customers are very happy to pay a slight premium, on top of a standard home broadband and TV package for a TV bundle that comes with the right content, said Lewis Insight.

Customers will pay for their fixed and mobile connectivity, but operators can generate "thin-ish layers of revenue [on top]… as long as it's not extortionate".

This is especially true for telcos competing with high-end cable packages, where customers are paying a premium for a plethora of channels, many of which they don't actually want. Telecoms operators can be more relevant by offering more targeted content.

Netflix Downplays Nielsen Plans

Taken from hollywoodreporter.com 's article

Netflix Chief Downplays Nielsen Plans to Measure Streaming Service Viewership
by John Hecht (11/24/2014)

What does Netflix CEO Reed Hastings think about reported plans by Nielsen to measure viewership for original series and acquired programming?

"It's not very relevant," he said. "There's so much viewing that happens on a mobile phone or an iPad that Nielsen won't capture."

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Nielsen will use content's audio on televisions to identify shows, but the measurement will not include mobile devices. Nevertheless, the ratings data could have a big effect on negotiations for streaming rights for Netflix and rival Amazon.

Hastings was in Mexico City on Monday to talk about Netflix's growing presence in Latin America — after three years in the region, the streaming service giant has captured more than 5 million users, bringing the global total to some 53 million.

Netflix recently launched in six key European markets, but none with the growth potential of Latin America.

"Latin America is one of the fastest growth areas in the world in terms of broadband households and Internet connectivity," Hastings said.

Earlier this month, Netflix announced that it's making its first foray into Australia and New Zealand, and some believe Japan may come next as the first move in a pan-Asia rollout. Hastings said there are no specific plans yet for Asia.

As Netflix continues to grow abroad, the company is working harder than ever to secure global licensing in its content deals, mainly because U.S. viewers have access to a much broader catalog than users in, say, Mexico.

Said Hastings: "We are trying to get to a place where it's fully global and you can get anything, anywhere."

Netflix's game-changing distribution strategies have irked some in the business. Plans to release the sequel to Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon day-and-date online and in Imax theaters has several exhibitors vowing to boycott the film.

Hastings said it's all about "breaking the stranglehold that movie theaters have" on releases.

As for free-to-air TV, Hastings believes its days are numbered.

"It's kind of like the horse, you know, the horse was good until we had the car," he said. "The age of broadcast TV will probably last until 2030."

Singtel Videostreaming

Taken from The Sidney Morning Herald 's article

Singtel joins Asian Videostreaming Joint Venture

SingTel, the owner of Optus, has joined a joint-venture with global media giants Warner Brothers Entertainment and Sony Pictures' AXN network to launch HOOQ - a new over-the-top video service for Asia.

In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, SingTel said  HOOQ Digital Holdings, would work with Warner Brothers and AXN to buy, sell, market and produce films and TV products through an over-the-top (OTT) service across a range of markets. OTT video services send television programs and movies through customers via the internet.

SingTel's move comes as Australia's market for similar offerings heats up. Foxtel and Seven West Media's Presto TV service and Stan, Fairfax Media's joint-venture with Nine Entertainment, have both launched this month. US giant Netflix is set to start its Australian service in March.

SingTel's new service could compete directly with these offerings but its opening statement only specified Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Thailand as the initial markets, to be targeted from the first quarter of 2015.

When asked if SingTel planned to bring HOOQ to Australia, a spokeswoman said the initial focus would be on emerging markets.

"Singapore and Australia are developed markets with existing content ecosystems," she said.

Optus chief executive Allen Lew told Fairfax Media this week his vision was for the telco to become Australia's "fastest-growing mobile-led multimedia company in Australia" - a statement entirely in line with HOOQ's stated goals.

Singtel would "provide market access with its customer base of over half a billion mobile customers." while the studios would deliver " access to their premium content and know-how."

"HOOQ will deliver both Hollywood blockbusters and television series, as well as popular local movies and programmes to customers anytime, anywhere," they said in a statement.

HOOQ will have over 10,000 movies and TV series at launch, from Spiderman to Harry Potter and Gossip Girl.

SingTel Group Digital Life chief executive Jonathan Auerbach said the venture provided "a more than $SGD1 billion ($950 million) opportunity in our markets."

"We have unique assets that give us a right to play in this space, and with our partnership ... we will achieve our vision to be the largest OTT video service in the region," he added.

As part of the deal, HOOQ's share capital will rise from $US2 to $US27,600,020. Warner Brothers and AXN will each own 17.5 pert cent of the company with the rest belonging to SingTel.

"The investment ... will be funded by internal resources and entry into the joint venture is not expected to have any material impact on the earnings per share or net tangible asset per share of the SingTel Group for the financial year ending 31 March 2015," the telecoms provider said.

Pajak untuk bisnis OTT, mungkinkah jadi dilemma ?

Diacu dari Bisnis Indonesia
OTT Asing Sulit Dikenai Pajak

Otoritas perpajakan Indonesia dan tekanan negara besar dinilai menjadi penghalang niat BRTI untuk mengenakan pajak terhadap pelaku OTT asing.

Pengenaan pajak atas penghasilan iklan pelaku OTT merupakan salah satu solusi untuk memberi keadilan ekonomi bagi Indonesia. Selain itu, Amerika Serikat, berkepentingan agar pemain OTT yang mayoritas bercokol di negeri itu tidak dibebani pajak oleh negara lain.

OTT dan operator jaringan telah menjadi permasalahan di AS. Pada tahun lalu, Federal Communications Commission (BRTI-nya AS) sempat mewacanakan agar penyedia jasa Internet bisa memungut tarif kepada pelaku OTT. Kebijakan ini, jika diluluskan, membuat akses Internet terhadap server OTT menjadi berbeda sesuai dengan tarif yang dibayar. Namun, rencana tersebut ditolak oleh presiden yang bersikukuh negaranya tetap menerapkan asas net neutrality sehingga kecepatan akses terhadap konten apapun sama sesuai bandwidth.

ITU juga seiya-sekata dengan negara-negara besar, hanya China dan Korea Selatan yang berhasil mengendalikan OTT. Pemerintah China melarang penyedia konten asing masuk ke jaringannya. Sementara Korea Selatan menarik pungutan kepada OTT dengan dalih perbedaan aksara Korea dengan internasional.

(Samdysara Saragih)