SATELLITE & CABLE: Asian elites prefer Discovery: PAX

<p>Asia-Pacific's elite class of people have given the thumbs up to </p><p>Discovery Channel, according to the Pan Asia Cross Media Survey (PAX) </p><p>conducted by Asia Market Intelligence (AMI) recently across eight of the </p><p>region's biggest markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The study found that among affluent adults, almost 2.2 million stated </p><p>they had watched a Discovery Channel programme in the past seven </p><p>days. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Coming a distant second and third were HBO and National Geographic, at </p><p>1.68 million and 1.67 million respectively. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Discovery Channel was also the most popular among business decision </p><p>makers, with more than 722,000 saying they had tuned into the channel's </p><p>programming in the past seven days. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>CNN and MTV followed at 567,000 and 521,000 respectively. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Other channels that were also rated highly were BBC World and ESPN. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Overall, PAX found that cable and satellite viewership in the region was </p><p>generally higher compared with 1999, reflecting the fact that more homes </p><p>and businesses in the region have been wired to receive programming from </p><p>cab/sat operators. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In some cases though - in India and Taiwan - penetration was at almost </p><p>100 per cent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The eight markets surveyed consisted of Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, </p><p>Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Manila, Taipei and the Indian cities of Mumbai, </p><p>Bangalore and Delhi. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The penetration of cable and satellite television across the eight </p><p>markets continues to edge higher, and the PAX research shows the rate </p><p>fast approaching the 70 per cent mark. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Business decision makers and affluent adults make up four per cent and </p><p>14 per cent respectively of the total population of the markets </p><p>surveyed. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While the proportional respresentation appears small, they are perceived </p><p>as being Asia's most influential class of people. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>