Thinking Commercially in Media
· Facilitator Guide
Thinking Commercially in Media
· Facilitator Guide
| # | Timing | Agenda Item | Section-Level Objectives | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | 20 min | Opening |
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| 1 | 100 min | Section 1 — "In the CEO's Chair" |
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| — | 10 min | Break | Self-paced Value Map dot placement happens here — see Section 1 | |
| 2 | 60 min | Section 2 — "Metrics That Matter" |
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| 3 | 45 min | Section 3 — "Moving The Metrics" |
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| — | 15 min | Closing |
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No fixed script — introduce yourself, establish credibility, and frame why this day matters ("thinking like a CEO," why media, why now).
"Find someone from a different department. For 60 seconds each: discuss one piece of media you genuinely enjoyed this week — and why."
"If you were Astro's CEO today, what would keep you up at night?"
Read 2–3 anonymised, pre-selected standout submissions, then open the floor for 1–2 volunteers if time allows.
"Hold onto your answer — you'll come back to this question later today, after exploring five different companies who are industry leaders in media."
Present programme-level learning objectives and the agenda (Section 1 – 2 – 3 – Closing, with timings).
"Are there any parts here that you're particularly excited about?"
Transition slide — no script, advance straight into 1A.
Groups of 4–5, one company each (Netflix, A24, Viu, Sky, iHeartRadio), self-paced through the case pack (brief, headline collage, article, video QR codes, prop). Group selects its own spokesperson.
"Use the CEO Interview questions as your prep guide — get to know your company well enough to improvise, not memorise. You'll be interviewed live and the room will ask follow-ups."
| Block | Prompt |
|---|---|
| Company Snapshot | "When and where were you founded, and how has your business model evolved?" / "What's your scale today?" / "What do you sell and who pays for it? Largest cost drivers?" |
| Strategic Direction | "What's the one number you'd watch every week?" / "What's your biggest strategic bet right now?" / "What's the biggest threat to your position?" |
| The CEO's Seat | "What keeps you up at night?" |
Invite the room to ask as fellow CEOs in the same space — as a competitor, someone who'd emulate this company, or a potential partner.
Purpose: participants begin drawing out the value-chain characteristics (aggregation vs. content creation, asset-light vs. vertically integrated, legacy vs. digital-native) that the room will formalise in 1B's mapping exercise next.
"Looking across all five companies — what similarities did you notice? What differences stood out?"
Reveal the framework (5 min). Narration, not discussion — click through the layers one at a time, in order:
| Layer | Content |
|---|---|
| 1 · Zones | Content Creation → Aggregation → Distribution (Traditional Pipe / OTT-DTC), 2 cross-cutting bands (Advertising & Monetisation, Data & Tech), parallel Radio lane (AM/FM Radio → DTC Apps) |
| 2 · Win conditions | Click through per zone, including the Radio lane and cross-cutting bands |
| 3 · Examples (generic) | Local/regional/international examples excluding the 5 studied companies and Astro |
| 4 · Case studies | The 5 studied companies (Netflix, A24, Viu, Sky, iHeartRadio) — gated by an on-screen popup |
| 5 · Astro | Astro's own footprint across the map — the final click, also gated by an on-screen popup |
Map the companies (10 min). Each spokesperson places their company card on the zone(s) they believe it occupies, justified by their own findings — not facilitator-assigned.
"You said [X] is your company's edge — where does that put you on this map, and why?"
"Looking at the board — which two companies, despite operating in completely different markets or at completely different scale, are structurally fighting the same fight?"
Identify Astro's zones (5 min). Reveal Astro's own footprint across the map — nearly the full chain plus the parallel radio track:
| Zone | Astro entity |
|---|---|
| Advertising & Monetisation | Astro Media Solutions (AMS) |
| IP Creation & Ownership | Astro Shaw |
| Production Services | Astro Studios |
| Aggregation | Astro |
| Traditional Pipe | NJOI, MEASAT |
| OTT/DTC | Astro GO/Sooka |
| AM/FM Radio | Astro Audio (Era, Sinar, Hitz, Lite, Melody, Raaga & more) |
| DTC Apps | SYOK |
Rebuilt as a Similar → Different → Lessons structure — a deliberate fix against an apples-to-apples trap, so the room reasons "what tension does X's position reveal that Astro also has to navigate," not "why isn't Astro like X."
"Let's explore what perspective these other cases give us to understand Astro. These companies operate in completely different worlds — a global streaming giant, an indie studio, a regional aggregator, a UK pay-TV operator being restructured as we speak, a US terrestrial radio giant. None of them are Astro's peer on scale or market. But some of them are fighting fights that are structurally similar to Astro's, even at wildly different size. That's what we're looking for now — not 'why isn't Astro like X,' but 'what tension does X's position reveal that Astro also has to navigate, in Astro's own context.'"
Sample answers below are synthesised from the case packs — illustrative, not a script. The room's real answers should lead; use these only to sense-check whether the discussion is landing on structural insight or staying at scale-comparison.
"Which parts of these cases are structurally or strategically similar to Astro — regardless of size or market?"
"Which parts are fundamentally different — and why does that matter for whether a lesson actually transfers?"
"What lessons can we draw for Astro specifically?"
"What is the value of staying in business across multiple zones versus focusing on fewer? If you were Astro's CEO, which zones would you focus in, and why?"
"If you were Astro's CEO, what would keep you up at night?"
Self-paced, no facilitator time required — participants place red/green dots on the wall-chart value map during the break. This feeds directly into Section 2's transition ("turn around and look at the chart behind you").
Transition slide — delivered right after the break, before the content slide.
"Turn around and look at the chart behind you. That's this room's collective picture of where Astro's costs and revenue actually sit — built by you, during the break."
"Anything interesting jump out at you?"
"So how do we know these cost drivers and revenue enablers are actually worth it? You know it by tracking the numbers behind it. That's what we're doing next."
Standardised 2-question pattern for every metric (reduces cognitive load) — Q1: "Who's seen/tracked/familiar with this in your role or function?" Q2: "How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's familiar with CAC in your role or function? How is it tracked, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's seen a free trial or freemium tier convert — or fail to convert — to paid, in your own function? How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who tracks usage or daily engagement in their own work? How is DAU/MAU tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who tracks watch time or content completion in their own work? How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's dealt with churn or cancellations in their own function? How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's used ARPU-type thinking? How is it tracked, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's used lifetime-value thinking? How is it tracked, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's dealt with ad/media-buying measurement? How is it tracked, and what does it tell us?"
"Which of these are more 'traditional' metrics and which are more recent?"
"Do you think any bucket or metric is more important than the rest? Why?" / "What happens to a business if it loses sight of these metrics?" / "What other metrics do you think a CEO needs to track that we haven't covered?"
All 8 metrics are funnel metrics (get/keep/monetise one subscriber). Two contrast metrics, same 2-question pattern:
"Who's dealt with content or production investment decisions in their own function? How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"Who's seen the same piece of content monetised in more than one way in their own function? How is it tracked and calculated, and what does it tell us?"
"We focused on these eight, plus the two content/asset metrics, because they're the most universal — every role touches acquisition, engagement, or monetisation. The rest are real but belong to specific functions."
Transition slide — no script, advance straight into 3A.
"Think back to the eight metrics — which one does your role most directly affect, and how?"
"Anyone surprised by which bucket they landed in?"
"Write two more post-its, in [Color 2]: 'I propose [X] to improve [metric].'"
First post-it: a metric your role already affects. Second post-it: a metric in a different bucket than the one you work in.
3 groups, each starts at a different bucket; 5 min silent read + one dot vote (Colour 3) per station; rotate on timer.
Facilitator circulates, notes the leading post-it per bucket for the debrief.
Facilitator shares the top-voted idea per bucket — quick reads, not per-bucket discussion.
"Which idea here is likely to lead to the greatest impact?" / "Which is most exciting?" / "Which is most feasible?" / "Which metric or bucket should Astro employees prioritise?"
Transition slide — no script, advance straight into the recap.
Narrated arc, not discussion or LO recitation — click through the winding path as you speak:
"Complete the sentence: 'I will act like a CEO by committing to ___.' Draw from your Section 3 post-its, or something broader."
Give one example of each register (metric-specific vs. broader) so the room understands the range. Cards are pre-printed with the stem to protect the 3-min window.
"Stand, read your commitment, sit down. One sentence — no elaboration."
~19 sec/person across 25 participants. Note recurring themes while listening.
"Here's what I heard a lot of: [2–3 recurring themes]. Hold each other to it."