CASBAA '98 MIP ASIA '98:
DAMP SQUIBS?

Casbaa '98 and Mip Asia '98 met with a lukewarm response from the television industry in the first year that the two events were moved from Hong Kong to Singapore. While attendance at the Casbaa conference was up, the number of visitors to the Casbaa exhibition at Suntec City was much lower than last year's event in Hong Kong.

The Casbaa board has decided to take the show back to Hong Kong in 1999. Executive director Kristina Rose says that the focus of Casbaa '99 will be on North Asia as the association expects a lot of changes in broadcasting regulations in Hong Kong which will have implications on broadcasting China.

The Reed Midem Organization, on the other hand, has decided that Mip Asia will continue with Singapore as its venue in 1999. It has taken this decision despite 17%, 15%, 24.5% and 26% drops in corporate attendance, exhibiting companies, visitors, and buyers respectively in 1998 over last year (as of the second day of the market). 742 companies from 54 countries, 258 exhibitors from 29 countries, 1600 visitors and 588 buyers attended the exhibition this year.

The market, however, saw better attendance from companies and buyers from Singapore, Thailand, India and Malaysia as compared to last year.