what’sgoingonin...
NTENT ASIA
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6
factual
Turner steps up Asia expansion, turns to factual When Turner Broadcasting adds documen-
venture
tary service World Heritage Channel to its Asia
nel with Singa-
bouquet in the next few months, the Hong
pore-based pro-
Kong-based regional network takes another
duction
house
step into an expanded future mapped out
Moving
Visuals
15 months ago with the appointment of Ricky
International and
Ow in January 2014.
European The addition of factual
follows
chan-
factual
entertainment
joint
the
venture Spark. Among
expansion
into
other
Korean
pro-
spoke about “promoting
things,
Rozhan
gramming
knowledge” and the huge op-
with the Oh!K
portunity in Asian factual content. The pan-regional Spark Asia is scheduled to launch this year.
Travel Bug, World Heritage Channel
Turner’s World Heritage Channel
Gerhard Zeiler
channel,
which
launched in October last year. The new ser-
will air nature, travel, history and culture
Attenborough’s blue-chip docs – three-part
programming. Signature content fea-
Conquest of the Skies (2015), which aired on
tures Unesco’s World Heritage Sites.
Sky 1/Sky 3D in the U.K. in January this year and
Turner Broadcasting System Interna-
will air on World Heritage Channel in year one,
tional president, Gerhard Zeiler, says
and Flying Monsters (2011) – along with travel
the channel “will also feature more
shows Travel Bug and Paradise Asia.
Asian heritage content and this is some-
Titles programmed in year one include docu-
thing that viewers in this region are seek-
mentary festival award winners, the Smithso-
ing more and more”.
vices run alongside the reRicky Ow
nian Institution/KajimaVision’s Dream Window:
“We believe there is still a strong demand
Reflections on a Japanese Garden (1992);
for premium documentary content... with
Ocean-Pix’s 60-minute Salmon Forest (2011);
which shifted from HBO Asia to Turner in April
many established brands in the documentary
Remembering Vietnam: The Wall at 25 (2007);
last year.
space adopting an increasingly factual enter-
and MLK: The Assassination Tapes (2011).
vamp of general entertainment channel Warner TV,
Turner’s portfolio now spans news (CNN, CNN
tainment approach to programming, we see
Zeiler says the aim is to “share mankind’s
Headline News); kids (Cartoon Network, Boo-
an opportunity for a 100% pure and authentic
greatest treasures so that they may be cher-
merang, Toonami, Pogo in India); international
documentary service,” Zeiler says.
ished and safeguarded for our children, grandchildren and future generations”.
(Warner TV, truTV) and local (Oh!K) general en-
Turner hasn’t disclosed how many hours of
tertainment; old films (Turner Classic Movies);
content the channel will launch with but says
“Heritage tells us not only who we have been
and factual (World Heritage Channel).
the schedule will include “hundreds of hours”
but also who we are today. Our shared heri-
Turner Asia Pacific president, Ricky Ow, says
of first-run, exclusive shows from, among oth-
tage, as well as our historic and natural environ-
the 24-hour pan-regional World Heritage Chan-
ers, Off The Fence, Atlantic Productions, Tokyo
ment, are all critical to the future of the world’s
nel targets audiences seeking a “premium, au-
Broadcasting System, NHK and Beyond Televi-
economic, ecological and cultural wellbeing,”
thentic and serious documentary destination”.
sion Productions.
Zeiler adds.
Turner also uses adjectives such as “meaning-
Flagship titles include The World Heritage,
World Heritage Channel rolls out with Chi-
ful”, “premium”, “100% pure documentary”
Journey to Natural World Heritage Sites and
nese, Bahasa Malaysia, Bahasa Indonesia and
and “undiluted” to describe the channel.
Beautiful Planet, along with Asian titles Asia’s
Thai subtitles. Over-the-top (OTT) and catch-up
It’s a line that echoes the one taken by Astro
Monarchies and Asia Rising. Another Asian title
rights have been secured for select content.
Holdings Malaysia’s chief executive, Rohana
is Spirits of Orchid Island (2008) by Taiwan’s PTS.
Carriage deals for the new service, delivered in
Rozhan, last year in speaking about Astro’s joint
The new channel has also acquired Sir David
issue one, april 2015
full HD – had not been disclosed at press time.
