Building on strong momentum in the first half of the year, WeTV expands its partnerships with telecommunication service providers and zeroes in on delivering localized content originals.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 28 July 2022 – WeTV, Southeast Asia’s leading video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top platform (OTT), today announced key business momentum updates for Southeast Asia, including accelerated growth in viewership, subscriptions and partners. As demand for OTT services continue to surge, the company reaffirmed its commitment to investing in high-quality, local original content and bringing the best of Asian entertainment to its viewers in the region.

With one in three of Southeast Asian viewers now streaming OTT, audiences here have become the backbone of the global streaming industry. In fact, the region has seen a 22% increase in OTT consumption over the course of 2021, fuelled by the evolution of telecommunications infrastructure and an increasingly mobile-savvy population. In the first half of the year (H1 2022), WeTV experienced strong regional growth with a 60% leap in monthly active users year-on-year (YoY), along with a significant hike in both its existing subscriber base and relative income. The company’s robust performance has helped WeTV retain its position among the top 3 OTT platforms in Southeast Asia in terms of daily active users.

“We have always been user-first and the prospects for WeTV in Southeast Asia is evergreen with its youthful and mobile-savvy population,” said Jeff Han, WeTV Director and Vice President of Tencent Video. “Our strong performance in H12022 is testament to our continuous efforts to adapt our content propositions to the diverse needs of our users and partners. Looking ahead, we will continue to welcome and collaborate with more partners to provide superior streaming experiences for all of our users.”

With smartphone penetration set to reach 90.1% by 2026 in Southeast Asia, WeTV looks to address the growing market for mobile-first OTT services through enhancing existing networks and building new partnerships. Most notably, its collaborations with electronics providers like Samsung, LG and TCL Televisions ensure a more seamless and connected user streaming experience across different platforms – including mobile, tablet and Smart TV.

Recently, the company has also established partnerships with local telecommunication service providers in Southeast Asia, such as Thailand’s 3BB, AIS, and TrueMoney and Indonesia’s largest operators Telkomsel and Indihome, to offer WeTV-exclusive bundles. WeTV has plans to further expand its partner network in the region, such as its upcoming partnership with Indonesian Internet provider XL Home.

“Providing localized content that resonates with our users is core to our strategy in Southeast Asia. Hence, we see the importance of empowering local creative industries and supporting local productions to go global via our platform,” Jeff continued. This is evident from the resounding success for past WeTV Originals produced locally, including the “Layanga Putus” series in Indonesia which garnered over 2,000 million views.

Exciting WeTV Originals in the pipeline include Thai campus romance “Love Mechanics” and melodrama “The Wife” as well as Season 2 of Indonesian hit “My Lecture My Husband”. Audiences can also look forward to regional in-demand titles, including “The Longest Promise”, starring “The Untamed” star Xiao Zhan, and “Three-Body”, adapted from the award-winning Chinese science fiction trilogy.

Hashtag: #WeTV

ABOUT WeTV

WeTV is an Asian streaming service that sees the creation of premier video-on-demand (VOD) and provides over-the-top (OTT) local content. The streaming service provides content from around the region, inclusive of selected Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Malaysian, Philippines and Thai series and movies. Operating as a freemium service, viewers can access some content without the need for a paid subscription and premium content at a small fee. The basic features also include free subtitles. WeTV is available on the browser at wetv.vip, or on the WeTV application that can be downloaded from the Apple Store for iOS users and the Google Play Store for Android users.

Mr John Lee Ka-chiu and Mr Liu Guangyuan deliver keynote speeches in the presence of over 40 consuls based in Hong Kong

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 July 2022 – Hong Kong Chronicles Institute (HKCI) today marked the historic launch of the first volume of the English edition of Hong Kong Chronicles in a ceremony at the Government House with the release of Overview & Chronology as part of a bilingual book series on Hong Kong’s local history. HKSAR Chief Executive Mr John Lee Ka-chiu and Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the HKSAR Mr Liu Guangyuan were keynote speakers in the presence of HKSARG principal officials, Central government officials based in the HKSAR, more than 40 consuls general/deputy consuls general, over 10 representatives of international chambers of commerce and global institutions, among local community leaders and scholars, in Hong Kong.

Mr John Lee Ka-chiu and Mr Liu Guangyuan were joined by Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR Ms Lu Xinning, Deputy Director of the Office for Safeguarding National Security of the Central People’s Government of the PRC in the HKSAR Mr Li Jiangzhou, HKSAR Chief Secretary for Administration Mr Chan Kwok-ki, as well as Vice Chairmen of Our Hong Kong Foundation and HKCI Executive Committee Chairman Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan in officiating at the ceremony under the theme “Chronicling the Ages, Connecting with the World” – dedicated to telling a global audience about 7,000 years of Hong Kong history from its early days to becoming a cosmopolitan city with prestigious international status under the framework of “One Country, Two Systems.”

Among the guests in attendance were diplomatic missions in Hong Kong, including 41 consuls general and deputy consuls general from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Canada, Dominican Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Netherlands, Nigeria, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

“The first English volume, Overview & Chronology, traces the footsteps of the 7,000-year history of Hong Kong – replete with folktales and cultural stories on local traditions and customary practices. The sweeping history tells the stories of Hong Kong’s roots, and its political, social and economic development into the ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and gateway to China,” said Mr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Vice Chairmen of Our Hong Kong Foundation and HKCI Executive Committee Chairman. “Hong Kong Chronicles – both the Chinese and English versions – seeks to recover the collective memories shared by the people of our dynamic city we call home.”

Overview & Chronology – comprising an “overview” on Hong Kong’s local history and a “chronology” of more than 6,500 major historical events spanning 7,000 years – is the first volume in the first and largest translation project of any Chinese local chronicles in history.

Hong Kong Chronicles as a book series consists of 54 volumes with 25 million words in 10 content categories, namely Overview, Chronology, Nature, Economy, Culture, Society, Politics, Notable People, Appendices and Special Topics. The series is funded by private donations from more than 50 corporations, charitable foundations and NGOs, including the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust as the principal benefactor.

“Hong Kong Chronicles is the first series of local chronicles to officially adopt name ‘Hong Kong’ in its title. It is the largest of its kind in Hong Kong and reflects significant historical and cultural value,” said Prof. Lee Chack-fan, Chief Convenor, HKCI Academic Review Committee. “It is a community-wide academic project with the participation of nearly 370 scholars, historians and experts under the guiding principle of recounting historical facts without interpretation.”

“The compilation of local chronicles is an age-old Chinese tradition. However, the making of an English edition of is not part of that tradition – or any tradition. It is a unique and unprecedented venture,” said Prof. Elizabeth Sinn Yuk-yee, HKCI Translation Committee Chairman and Academic Review Committee Convenor. “Being an integral part of Chinese tradition and, yet, having room to bring in new elements, is a reflection of Hong Kong’s own unique position as a part of China and a key player of the global community.”

Hong Kong Chronicles is available on a global basis through worldwide distribution. Hard copies are available for purchase from bookstores under Sino United Publishing Holdings, including Chung Hwa Book Company (Hong Kong) Limited, and its online portal My Book One. E-books are available in more than 30 countries/regions through platforms such as Amazon Kindle, Google Book, Huawei Books, JDRead, Kobo, Overdrive, Rakuten, Readmoo, and Yuewen. The book series is also viewable for all readers and downloadable for universities, public libraries, national archives, government agencies and think tanks worldwide upon registration at www.hkchronicles.org.hk.

Hashtag: #HongKongChroniclesInstitute

About Hong Kong Chronicles Institute

Hong Kong Chronicles Institute was established by Our Hong Kong Foundation in August 2019. The Institute brings together community leaders, experts and scholars to undertake the historic mission of compiling the first-ever Hong Kong Chronicles. The book series covers a period from the ancient era about 7,000 years ago to the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the HKSAR on 01 July 2017. It consists of 10 content categories and is scheduled for completion by 2027. An English edition of the entire series is also scheduled for completion by 2032.

More information is available at https://www.hkchronicles.org.hk or by connecting with the Institute on:
Facebook: fb.com/hongkongchronicles
Instagram: instagram.com/hongkongchronicles

Industry leader’s market share nearly triples its nearest competitor

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach – 27 July 2022 – Global cybersecurity leader Trend Micro today celebrated its continued leadership role in the fast-growing global market for cloud security, according to the latest the IDC market share report on Cloud Workload Security*.

To read a full copy of the IDC report, “Worldwide Cloud Workload Security Market Shares, 2021: Prepare for a Wild Ride,” please visit: https://www.trendmicro.com/explore/idc-cloud-workload-security

Throughout two years of global crisis, enterprise leaders invested in cloud infrastructure and services to streamline business processes, lower costs and create innovative new customer experiences. They also turned to trusted partners to manage and mitigate the resulting cyber risk. That’s created a market for cloud workload security which surged 36% year-on-year in 2021, according to the IDC market share report.

Trend Micro Cloud One was built for this. As business-critical cloud-native applications increase complexity and broaden the corporate cyber-attack surface, Trend Micro offers cloud builders visibility into cloud security and operational posture, enables discovery of threats, risks, and misconfigurations in open-source pipelines, and provides security for:

• File and object storage
• Workloads and virtual machines
• Cloud networks and virtual private cloud
• Cloud-native applications

Kevin Simzer, COO at Trend Micro: “According to the IDC market share report, global organizations spent $2.2bn last year on cloud security and nearly 18% of them partnered with us. Our automated, flexible, all-in-one platform delivers the simplicity and powerful protection they need to secure critical digital transformation initiatives. This commitment to cloud security has kept Trend Micro on top for over a decade.”

According to Trend Micro’s data, the company experienced 53% customer growth in the AWS marketplace in 2021, leading to a 134% year-on-year revenue increase in the marketplace. Revenues from cloud workload security were greater than the second and third largest players combined, according to the IDC market share report.

The independent market analysis also noted Trend Micro’s continued focus on the channel and marketplace-centric selling:

“Frankly, customers like to buy cloud security much like they buy cloud, which means buying security through cloud marketplaces,” it says. “In addition, buying through a cloud marketplace provides customers transparency of the spend and enables security units to pass the cost of security to individual business unit application owners. It is a win for security.”

*IDC, Worldwide Cloud Workload Security Market Shares, 2021: Prepare for a Wild Ride, doc #US49295722, July 2022

Hashtag: #TrendMicro

About Trend Micro

Trend Micro, a global cybersecurity leader, helps make the world safe for exchanging digital information. Fueled by decades of security expertise, global threat research, and continuous innovation, Trend Micro’s cybersecurity platform protects hundreds of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals across clouds, networks, devices, and endpoints. As a leader in cloud and enterprise cybersecurity, the platform delivers a powerful range of advanced threat defense techniques optimized for environments like AWS, Microsoft, and Google, and central visibility for better, faster detection and response. With 7,000 employees across 65 countries, Trend Micro enables organizations to simplify and secure their connected world. www.trendmicro.com.hk

• 2.8 billion malware attacks (+11%) recorded in the first half of 2022 — first escalation of global malware volume in more than three years
• While ransomware volume shrunk 23% worldwide, Europe saw 63% increase
• Even in decline, year-to-date ransomware volume exceeded full-year totals of 2017, 2018 and 2019
• Financial sector saw cyberattacks climb drastically: malware up 100%, a 243% spike in ransomware, and a 269% increase in cryptojacking attempts
• 45% increase in ‘never-before-seen’ malware variants, up 21x since SonicWall began tracking in 2018
• Encrypted threats, IoT malware increased 132% and 77% year-over-year, respectively

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 27 July 2022 – SonicWall, publisher of the world’s most quoted ransomware threat intelligence, today released the mid-year update to the 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report. The newest report, researched and compiled by SonicWall Capture Labs, unveils an 11% increase in global malware, a 77% spike in IoT malware, a 132% rise in encrypted threats and a geographically-driven shift in ransomware volume as geopolitical strife impacts cybercriminal activity.

“In the cyber arms race, cybersecurity and geopolitics have always been inseparably linked, and in the last six months we have seen that play out across the cyber landscape,” said SonicWall President and CEO Bill Conner. “The cyber warfare battlefront has shifted, as our data indicates a 63% rise in ransomware in Europe and a concerted effort to target financial sector companies, while ransomware volume dropped in other regions. With major increases in encrypted threats, IoT malware, cryptojacking and new unknown variants, it’s critical that cybersecurity leaders have all the required tools and technology to proactively detect and remediate against increasingly sophisticated and targeted threats to their business.”

Ransomware Attacks in Europe Swell as Threat Landscape Shifts

After a record-breaking 2021, overall ransomware attacks have trended down in the first half of 2022, decreasing globally for the fourth consecutive quarter. Government sanctions, supply chain deficiencies, dropping cryptocurrency prices and limited availability of needed infrastructure are all making it more difficult for cybercriminals. Proprietary SonicWall threat intelligence reinforces that analysis, as June 2022 saw the lowest monthly ransomware volume in two years, which helped drive down overall global volume.

“As bad actors diversify their tactics, and look to expand their attack vectors, we expect global ransomware volume to climb — not only in the next six months, but in the years to come,” said Conner. “With so much turmoil in the geopolitical landscape, cybercrime is increasingly becoming more sophisticated and varying in the threats, tools, targets and locations.”

Commenting on the recent shift within the cybersecurity landscape in the last six months, Debasish Mukherjee, Vice President, Regional Sales, Asia Pacific Japan at SonicWall said, “It is indeed alarming to witness such a dramatic shift within a short span of time, attributed to the growing political unrest in the region. In APJ, there has been surmounting evidence and data that have pointed towards a concerted effort by cybercriminals across ransomware, encrypted threats, IOT malware, as well as new unknown variants. These attacks continue to remain a big problem – which is why our levels of resiliency and priorities will have to be consistently reinforced, with the mindset that cybersecurity is not only a good idea – but a necessary one for businesses of all sizes.”

While global ransomware dipped to start the year, Europe saw significant increases in malware attacks (+29% year-over-year) and ransomware attempts (+63%). In terms of volume, seven of the top 11 countries targeted by ransomware were in Europe (United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Ukraine), suggesting a cyber threat climate shift for the region.

Malware Rebounds with 11% Global Spike

In 2021, malware volume was slightly down, marking a third-straight year of decrease as well as a seven-year low. However, as predicted in the 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, a rebound was anticipated, due to a significant uptick in attacks during the second half of 2021. That rebound was felt as more than 2.8 billion malware attacks occurred within the first six months of 2022. In North America, encrypted threats were up an astounding 284% and IoT malware soared 228% within that same time frame.

Similar to shifting ransomware numbers, malware volume was level or dropped in typical hot spots like the United States (-1%), United Kingdom (-9%) and Germany (-13%), while rising collectively in Europe (29%) and Asia (32%).

“The international threat landscape is now seeing an active migration that is profoundly changing the challenges not only in Europe, but the United States as well,” said SonicWall expert on emerging threats Immanuel Chavoya. “Cybercriminals are working harder than ever to be ahead of the cybersecurity industry, and unlike many of the businesses they target, threat actors often have no shortage of skills, motivation, expertise and funding within their organizations.”

The financial sector combatted a 100% increase in malware attacks, a 243% hike in ransomware attempts and a staggering 269% in cryptojacking attempts.

Record Number of ‘Never-before-seen’ Malware Variants Discovered

SonicWall’s patented Real-Time Deep Memory Inspection^TM (RTDMI) technology identified 270,228 never-before-seen malware variants during the first half of 2022 — a 45% increase year-to-date. The first quarter of 2022 marked a record-high in never-before-seen malware discoveries (147,851), with March 2022 being the most ever on record (59,259).

Since the introduction of RTDMI in early 2018, new variants discovered have skyrocketed 21x through June 2022. These are new and previously unknown cyberattacks that are going undetected by traditional sandbox approaches.

To explore the complete mid-year update to the 2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report, please visit sonicwall.com/ThreatReport.

Hashtag: #SonicWall

About SonicWall

SonicWall delivers Boundless Cybersecurity for the hyper-distributed era in a work reality where everyone is remote, mobile and unsecure. SonicWall safeguards organizations mobilizing for their new business normal with seamless protection that stops the most evasive cyberattacks across boundless exposure points and increasingly remote, mobile and cloud-enabled workforces. By knowing the unknown, providing real-time visibility and enabling breakthrough economics, SonicWall closes the cybersecurity business gap for enterprises, governments and SMBs worldwide. For more information, visit www.sonicwall.com or follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.