Television Asia Plus | January-February 2023

Editor’s Note

EDITORIAL/PUBLISHER

Keen Whye Lee Publisher

Mathew Chan Editor editor-tva@harvest-info.com

Arjay Alivia Layout and Design OPERATIONS

Mari Vergara Head of Operations manager-ph@harvest-info.com

SALES

Simon Lee Hong Kong, U.S.A., and Europe sales@harvest-info.com

Dear Reader,

Thank you for picking up Television Asia Plus’s first issue of 2023!

As I mentioned in my last note, you can expect changes to come, but don’t worry, I’ll make the transition as easy as possible. As we start the year there are so many things to look forward to. As things ease up into a new normal in the television industry, there big things coming you don’t want to miss.

On this issue’s cover is Netflix smash hit Japanese series, Alice in Borderland. And as for our cover story, we

And for the cover story, we have a special preview of upcoming big budget Asian television series that it hitting the big streamers this year. From global franchise Citadel on Prime Video, to the numerous offerings from Netflix including a much anticipated adaptation of popular manga/ anime series Yu Yu Hakusho as well as two star-studded series from Korea. Many of these shows are from popular IP which is a safe bet but often a gamble to adapt too. Will any of these new shows live up to their hype and become the next big series the world will talk about?

For our first feature story, to take a look at how Philippine network, ABSCBN, has been faring since losing their franchise last 2020. With a big emphasis on becoming a world-class content provider, they have a lot of projects to announce with some big partnerships on the way.

Our final feature story focuses on the VFX company, Digital Domain, who have worked with Marvel for years. We get a comprehensive look of how they brought the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe series, She-Hulk, to life. From what they learned from past projects to what they had to invent to make it work, we pull back the curtain on the what it takes to make a series like this.

Mathew Chan Editor

Chua Chew Huat Asia Pacific sales-sg@harvest-info.com

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ZEE5 Global announces the return of the fan-favourite TVF show Pitchers S2

The Ink Factory revives cult classic Cleopatra Wong with Beach House Pictures

Award-winning London and LAbased independent studio The Ink Factory has teamed with Singapore, Beijing and Tokyobased Beach House Pictures, a Blue Ant Studios company and one of Asia’s largest indies, for a television series adaptation of Cleopatra Wong – which The Ink Factory has acquired rights to adapt through the partnership. The series will be co-written by ChineseAmerican writer Tasha Huo and Thai-British writer Chris Cornwell.

ZEE5 Global announced the second installment of the much loved and awaited series Pitchers. With an IMDB rating of 9.1, Pitchers became a cult show and an inspiration for millions of people to embark on their entrepreneurial journey. The first season revolved around the trials and tribulations of four young entrepreneurs who quit their day jobs in order to pursue their start-up venture.

The show is now returning after a gap of 7 years and this time around, we meet the Pitchers 2.5 years after their tech start-up Pragati. AI was founded. The start-up is on the cusp of an expansion journey and short of one co-founder. The original cast consisting of Naveen Kasturia, Arunabh Kumar, Abhay Mahajan, Abhishek Banerjee and Gopal Dutt are joined by new entrants like Ridhi Dogra, Sikander Kher and Ashish Vidyarthi who will be seen in pivotal roles.

Cleopatra Wong is the latest project from The Ink Factory’s Asia Slate initiative, which is led by Executive Producer Tessa Inkelaar and backed by Hong Kong and London-based media investment firm 127 Wall Productions – with support from the British Film Institute’s Global Film Screen Fund. Created by legendary Filipino writer/director Bobby Suarez, Cleopatra Wong was the star of a

series of films made in Singapore in the late 1970s. Combining elements of England’s super-spy blockbusters and the popular US Blaxploitation films, she was Asia’s answer to all things action-packed: kitsch, violent and über-cool. Cited as inspiration by filmmakers including Quentin Tarantino, Cleopatra Wong is a cult icon who will be reimagined in The Ink Factory and Beach House’s television adaption inspired by the original series of films – paying homage to the trailblazing hero while moving the story into 21st century Singapore. FIFTH SEASON (fka Endeavor Content) will handle global sales on the title.

Lionsgate+ announces critically acclaimed hit drama series P-Valley will return for a third season

Banijay Rights, the global distribution arm of Banijay, today announces further landmark sales of Rogue Heroes, following the gripping World War Two drama’s renewal by the BBC. In deals negotiated across the Banijay Rights global sales team, the first season of Rogue Heroes has been picked up by Wing Sight Culture & Media Co for streaming in China and STARZPLAY in the Middle East

Produced by Kudos (a Banijay UK company) and Nebulastar for the BBC – and entitled SAS Rogue Heroes in the UK market – the series is a dramatized account of how the world’s greatest Special Forces unit, the SAS, was formed under extraordinary circumstances in the darkest days of World War Two.

Based on Ben Macintyre’s bestselling book, Rogue Heroes centres on David Stirling, an eccentric young officer, who is hospitalized after a training exercise gone wrong. Convinced that traditional commando units don’t work, Stirling creates a radical plan that flies in the face of all accepted rules of modern warfare. He fights for permission to recruit the toughest, boldest, and brightest soldiers for a small undercover unit that will create mayhem behind enemy lines.

T World Entertainment announces cast for superhero universe series Altay

T World Entertainment announces the cast for the first series of Altay, its superhero series for TRT Digital. The series is currently in production.

The cast includes a raft of highprofile Turkish talents including lead roles for Cem Özer, Batuhan Bayar, Aslı Sümen, Beste Kökdemir , Elif Doğan , Cemil Büyükdöğerli, Çetin Sarıkartal and Toprak Sergen

Muhammet Uzuner, who starred in Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Cannes Film Festival Grand Prizewinning movie Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, completes the lineup. Bobby Roth acts as the Supervisor Director of the project.

As the first superhero universe from Turkey, the series is inspired by the golden age of Eastern science. The universe will expand to have future series inspired by a range of different cultures that will be set in a variety of countries around the world. Across the episodes viewers will see 35 mortal superheroes use the latest technology and ancient wisdom to overcome global challenges such as environmental disasters and wars, as well as battle with a cast of villains in the universe.

Fremantle and Astro strike new Family Feud Malaysia deal

Fremantle announced at the Asia Television Forum and Market, a new deal with Malaysian broadcasting giant Astro to produce iconic entertainment format Family Feud. The deal with Astro, which will be the home for Family Feud Malaysia, includes producing multilingual versions of the format, with production expected to commence imminently.

Family Feud Malaysia is expected to make its debut on Astro in mid2023. The popular entertainment format has already seen success across Asia, with local versions produced in China, India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar, Hong Kong, Cambodia and Vietnam. This follows recent news that Family Feud Mongolia will launch in 2023 on StarTV.

As one of television’s longest running, highest rated and most loved gameshows, Family Feud reveals that the simplest question can generate the most outrageous answers. Fremantle owns the Family Feud format

Abacus Media Rights sells award-winning CBC/HBO MAX original comedy drama Sort Of to Netflix in Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines

Abacus Media Rights (AMR), an Amcomri Entertainment company, has sold multi awardwinning CBC/HBO MAX Original comedy series Sort Of Season 1 (8 x 30’) to Netflix in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Pooja Nirmal Kant, Co-Founder and CEO at Still Road Media who brokered the deals for AMR comments, “We are delighted that the multi award-winning drama Sort Of and a number of very relevant and absorbing factual series have been picked up for the Asian market, where we have already had great success selling a range of drama, entertainment and factual programming.”

Sort Of, produced by Sienna Films, a Sphere Media company, with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, is created by Bilal Baig (Acha Bacha) and Fab Filippo (Save Me), who also serve as showrunners and executive producers. The dramatic comedy sees Sabi Mehboob (Baig), a fluid millennial who straddles various identities from sexy bartender at an LGBTQ bookstore/bar, to the youngest child in a large Pakistani family, to the de facto parent of a downtown hipster family.

Fallen 8, new animation original of an Asian classic comes alive through KC Global Media’s collaboration with award-winning local and international creators

of the original commenced in the third quarter of 2022, bringing together award-winning local and international creators to showcase Asian originals on the world stage.

KC Global Media teams up with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) on its latest script development for Fallen 8, a new sci-fi fantasy original animation series. Bringing to life the mystical Asian classic of the Eight Immortals, Fallen 8, provides a contemporary take on the original tale from the

Chinese mythology about a group of celestial beings who are tested on their worth where they have “Fallen” into the present day. Through the course of their adventures, each reveals their divine power to achieve a common goal. Supported by IMDA’s Capability Partnership Programme, the script development

Co-creator Meiling Melançon, shared, “Western myths have dominated film & television while at the same time connecting audiences to our shared humanity. I am excited to be working with talented Singapore creators to now bring one of the most popular Asian myths, The Legend of the 8 Immortals to life with Fallen 8 where we are taking the original folklore and characters but bringing them to the present day, with a fantasy, thriller twist storyline. Our united goal for this property, is to push boundaries through anime and CGI, but also create well-developed Asian, multilevel, “superheroes” that audiences worldwide will relate to and be entertained by. “

Nippon TV finalizes Season 2 of “Old Enough!” on Netflix in worldwide deal

Having previously announced a deal with Netflix for 20 episodes, Nippon TV, announced that the company has now finalized another deal with Netflix

for the second season (10 episodes) of its global phenomenon Old Enough!. The heartwarming episodes are set to stream globally to over 190 countries

on Netflix beginning on New Year’s Day, 2023. Thanks to demand from the viewers, some episodes of Season Two will showcase a feature entitled “After Years” which will tell about the child who went on the errand and where they are today. Old Enough! has been sold as a very popular finished program to many Asian countries and is also achieving global success as an unscripted format with previous adaptations in Italy, UK, Vietnam, China and most recently a third season in Singapore and an ongoing option agreement in the Netherlands. The format rights for international adaptations throughout the world are currently available by Nippon TV

MX Player launches a slice-of-life mini-series Salesman of the Year’, headlined by Hussain Dalal

Strengthening its play with exceptional content and a diverse library of shows across genres and formats, MX Player has emerged as a preferred destination for maximum entertainment. And now, the platform is all set to enthrall its viewers with a slice-of-life mini-series MX Studios Original Salesman of the Year. Created by MX Studios, ‘Salesman of the Year’ revolves around the life of a 26-year-old

Karthik, played by Hussain Dalal and his Charminar to Chandni Chowk journey as this Hyderabadi salesman moves to Delhi. Copowered by Valvoline and ET Money, and in partnership with TVS Raider – Salesman of the Year will stream starting 21 December, 2022, exclusively on MX Player.

Spread across 5 episodes, Salesman of the Year is about a

Hyderabad-born and raised 26-yearold Karthik who lands a sales job in Delhi. With an aim to prove to his parents that a sales job is not insignificant, Karthik tries to cope with life in a city, a place that is unfamiliar and often intimidating in every possible way. With hope in his heart and ambition in his veins, he begins to deal with a highly competitive workspace, a jargon spewing boss, an over-friendly DJ as a roommate, locals who constantly threaten him and all he can do is to ensure that things don’t go south – literally and otherwise. Directed by Ankita Sharma, the series is written by Rajesh Narasimhan and Ashiish V Patil and also features internet sensation Ahsaas Channa in a key role

Varun Dhawan to headline Prime Video’s Indian original series within the Citadel franchise

Prime Video confirmed the lead talent of the Indian installment of the Citadel universe, the first of its kind globalevent series from Prime Video and the Russo Brothers’ AGBO. The untitled Citadel series based out of India will be led by renowned creator duo Raj & DK (Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK), who are the showrunners, directors of the series, and will feature Varun Dhawan in the lead role. Written by Sita R. Menon along with Raj & DK, the local Original spy series, which starts filming in January 2023, will mark Dhawan’s streaming debut. More exciting details on the cast and crew of the series will be announced soon. The untitled Indian Original Citadel series will be available to

Prime members in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

As previously announced, Richard Madden (Bodyguard) and Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Quantico) will star in the first-to-launch series within the Citadel universe, which comes from the Russo Brothers’ AGBO along with David Weil (Hunters) and is set to premiere in 2023. Alongside Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, the first-to-launch Citadel series will also feature Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games saga). Additional local-language Citadel productions are also in the works, including an Italian Original series starring Matilda De Angelis (The Undoing)

MX Player announces an interactive platform – MX Live

Award-winning television producer WTFN Entertainment has launched a new division to support its rapidly growing digital content network, Radar MCN

Radar MCN, headquartered in Melbourne and with an office in the UK, will bring together a network of owned channels with millions of subscribers across YouTube, Facebook and Snap, as well as a series of global FAST Channels. The network, which includes hit TV series Bondi Vet, generates 100s of millions of views per month, and will expand in 2023 with channel launches in the history, food and design space.

Radar MCN’s General Manager

Derek Dyson said that unlocking the

potential of WTFN’s owned library of content is just the start. Dyson leads a team of 10, with Wildbrain’s highly respected Bo Yee Leung joining this month as Radar’s new Senior Digital Rights Lead. She will sit in the UK team alongside Head of Channels Hannah Hopes, also a former Wildbrain – and Endemol – employee, responsible

for launching and growing the Mr Bean Facebook channel that has over 130 million subscribers, and Channel Manager Chiara Ronci Ronci joined the team in 2022. Radar MCN recently acquired the much sought-after YouTube Affiliate CMS status, which allows it to manage the rights and channels of third parties

Lionsgate+ launches on Samsung Smart TVs across UK, Ireland, and Latin America

LIONSGATE+, the international premium streaming service from STARZ, is now available on Samsung Smart TVs, smart monitors, projectors and other Tizen OS–powered devices through a recent partnership agreement spanning across the U.K., Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.

Samsung continues to set the standard for what viewers can expect from a Smart TV experience and with technology that enables

immersive sound and image quality, Samsung customers can enjoy a premium LIONSGATE+ streaming experience. To date, around 200 million people from 197 countries are using Samsung Smart TVs powered by Tizen, an open source, standards-based software platform powering multiple device categories, including smartphones, tablets, TVs, and netbooks.

Customers in the U.K., Ireland, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia can subscribe to

a library of exclusive, premium content that includes political thriller “Gaslit,” along with period dramas “The Great” and “The Serpent Queen” and the upcoming star-studded reunion of cult hit “Party Down”. In-app purchases on the platform are available via Samsung Checkout on 2017-2022 Models at launch.

LIONSGATE+ is home to some of the most sought-after series on television including Spanish Language Original series like “Senorita 89” in Latin America along with the time travel saga “Outlander” in the UK, plus a huge collection of blockbuster fan-favourite movies added to the platform every month.

Amazon launches Prime Video Mobile Edition in India

ZEE5 Global, brightened up the fun holiday season by offering the first episode of all its original titles released in 2022, free of cost! This offer gives viewers an entry into the world of ZEE5 Global’s original series across genres and languages. Viewers can watch the 2022 slate of originals including award winning

titles like espionage thriller Mukhbir, slice of life drama Tripling S3, Sonali’s Bendre’s newsroom drama The Broken News, social drama Saas Bahu Achaar and the smashing yearender, the most awaited Pitchers S2

ZEE5 Global in 2022 has brought South Asian diaspora audiences the latest and best of movies and

web series, from mega hit RRR in all South languages including the original language Telugu to Valimai, Karthikeya-2, Antim, Jhund and many more. Now, audiences across the globe will get a sneak peek into the range of exciting titles available to binge watch this holiday season.

Omens Studios Launches NFT, virtual reality, and interactive initiative Omens Multiverse

experience based on hit series Leo the Wildlife Ranger, coming Q2 2023.

Award-winning animation company Omens Studios is further expanding its creative offering to global audiences launching its new program, the Omens Multiverse to take animation and movie-based IPs into virtual reality and interactive experiences. The studio has two projects currently in development – Circle Line and Oasis – which will both be available as VR experiences and have NFT collections. Omens Studios is also creating a Roblox

The Omens Multiverse site launched on 12 December 2022 and comes with a web3 framework based on the Ethereum blockchain. NFT holders will be able to earn Omens’ special token, the Omens Multiverse Token (OMT), which can be used to claim a number of benefits as well as inworld items in the VR experience. The first project Circle Line, based on Taipan Film’s Circle Line movie, with visual effects created by Omens Studios, will offer an NFT collection produced with algorithmic generation and released in late December 2022, ahead of the movie’s release in Singapore and Malaysia on 5 January 2023.

Through the program, NFT holders will be entitled to benefits including movie tickets, access to exclusive membersonly content, promotional codes for merchandise, and whitelist spots for priority NFT access in other Omens Multiverse projects. In addition to these perks, the NFTs can be staked to earn OMTs, which can be used to claim a free download of the VR experience in Q4 2023 as well as other special in-world items. The immersive story-driven experience will allow audiences to step into the world of Circle Line, overcome obstacles and survive the night in a virtual reality experience that puts you in the thick of the action – face-toface with the Circle Line monster!

CJ ENM content now available on Tubi and the Roku Channel

Leading entertainment company CJ ENM announced that it has entered a content deal with Tubi(www.tubi.tv). The partnership will launch with over 75 Korean films, dramas and K-POP series, totaling 500 hours of content, to be added as a branded curation to Tubi’s robust non-English content offering beginning in December.

Titles to be made available starting this month include “Squad 38,” “Reply 1994,” “Hogu’s Love,” “The Chronicles of Evil,” “A Werewolf Boy,” “Hindsight,” and eight seasons of “M Countdown,” with additional titles to be added in 2023. CJ ENM’s premium content will be part of Tubi’s fastest growing categories for non-English content, as Korean programming

viewership has grown over 25% year-over-year on the platform. CJ ENM’s launch on Tubi is the latest addition to its partnerships to deliver premium entertainment to audiences worldwide. Recently, CJ ENM launched ‘K-Contents by CJ ENM’ on Pluto TV, ‘CJ ENM Picks’ on Peacock and ‘CJ ENM Selects’ on Apple TV app

Bomanbridge enters into Global Distribution on formats with Tencent Video

Rock Entertainment Holdings, a content and channel distributor has enhanced its entertainment offering with the launch of the New 24/7 Action Movie Channel, ROCK Action. ROCK Action was launched this morning across Asia-Pacific as a linear service in 12 countries (Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papau New Guinea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore) with

over 20 service platform providers.

Redefining what action movies mean to you, the channel will be packed with movies from action to adventure, horror to crime, Sci-fi, and more which will keep you in suspense.

At launch, viewers can expect a suite of star-studded action movies such as Allied, Monstrous, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom of Crystal

Skull, An Imperfect Murder, Battle In Seattle, Black Rain, John Grisham’s The Rainmaker starring Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Christina Ricci, Charlize Theron, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, and many more!

In the upcoming months, ROCK Action will also be showing SpiderMan: into the Spider-Verse before the theatrical release of the sequel.

Harbour Rights licenses a 90-hour package to Vietnam Television and more across Asia

Harbour Rights licensed a 90-hour package to Vietnam Television, including 30 episodes of FLAVORS – their flagship series that discover the magic and beauty of some of the world’s most enchanting destinations. With other titles arranging from wildlife, gastronomy, science and architecture.

True Vision from Thailand shared similar interest for wildlife, gastronomy, science, environment content and brought in a package of 30-hour content. Including MASTERS OF COFFEE, a new episode of MASTERS OF SAVOURS, a series men

and women who have learned how to magnify different ingredients to please the palates of discerning gourmets.

SEA Today from Indonesia on the other hand focuses on environmental issues picking up EARTH ON EDGE and HOPEFUL EARTH. The former series takes audience to different countries, where people are suffering from hurricanes, water floods, desertification. The latter focuses on tomorrow’s energy interviewing people who create the energies of tomorrow through unusual ideas. PCCW in Hong Kong picked up a 21-

hour package for their English channel ViuTVsix, covering a wide range of content form histories, environment protection issues as well as biographies of 90’s movie icon – WINONA RYDER, FIGHTING DEMONS and BRUCE WILLIS, THE UNBREAKABLE.

While NHK prefers current affairs content, acquired HAWAII, THE NATIVE RESURGENCE where an anti-American and independence sentiment is on full display since the annexation of Hawaii by the United States in 1893.

HITS NOW makes its debut in Indonesia with First Media

Rewind Networks is thrilled to enthrall audiences in Indonesia with the launch of HITS NOW on First Media, one of the leading providers of fixed broadband internet and cable TV in Indonesia operated by PT Link Net Tbk (LINK). The channel will be the perfect destination for

viewers looking to be entertained, amused and captivated by a wide range of first and exclusive premium content, fresh from the US. From exhilarating dramas to side-splitting comedies, thrilling game shows to immersive reality shows, HITS NOW’s programming will provide viewers with unmatched quality and variety. HITS NOW debuted in Indonesia last February 6th with First Media and will be available in High Definition on Channel #324. At launch, the channel will be available for free to all First Media’s

cable TV and FirstMediaX subscribers until February 20th. Rewind Networks’ flagship channels HITS and HITS MOVIES are currently available in 14 countries and more than 24 million households, showcasing the greatest hit shows and movies of all time. With its newest offering, HITS NOW, the network is all set to fill a critical need gap in the market & bring the most sought-after entertainment experience to Indonesia as well as other parts of Asia.

A+E Networks® Appoints Deborah K. Bradley Executive Vice President of Global Content Sales

A+E Networks® announced that Deborah K. Bradley has joined the company as Executive Vice President of Global Content Sales. The announcement was made by Mark Garner, EVP of Content Sales and Business Development, to whom she will report.

In this newly formed role, Bradley will oversee the team responsible for licensing original and existing content to A+E Networks’ global streaming partners and all U.S. linear and non-linear platforms. While leveraging the entirety of A+E’s content output, she is responsible for expanding A+E’s presence across multi-media third-party platforms. She will also be charged with expanding the distribution of A+E’s growing FAST channel portfolio. Based in Atlanta, Bradley will work across the company to achieve growth and revenue targets.

Bradley comes to A+E Networks from The Amherst Group, a financial advisory firm specializing in real estate with $22B in assets, where she most recently served as President of their Retail division and Head of Corporate Marketing and Brand Reputation. Before joining Amherst, as a media executive with 20+ years of experience, Bradley served as Executive Vice President, Networks Optimization, Content Strategy and Commercialization at Turner Entertainment (now Warner Bros. Discovery).

Deborah K. Bradley

TheSmallBigIdea announces key elevations for senior management

In an endeavor to strengthen its leadership team, TheSmallBigIdea recently announced toplevel elevations in its senior leadership team.

The agency has announced the elevation of Sanmesh Sapkal and Hima Bulusu as Associate Director, Key Accounts (Media and Entertainment) and Kruthika Ravindran as Associate Director, Key Accounts (Non-media). The three executives have been critical in establishing and strengthening TheSmallBigIdea as a leading digital marketing agency.

Commenting on the elevations, Harikrishnan Pillai, CEO and co-founder, TheSmallBigIdea,

said, “TSBI is made up of a fine balance of home-grown leaders and those who get the outside perspective. Between, Sanmesh, Kruthika, and Hima, they have over 15 years of ‘TSBI experience’. They understand the craft and the culture and are some of the best in the business. We have seen them grow in the organization and now as we see them take leadership roles, it is truly fulfilling.”

With a clear vision of building a truly integrated digital agency that deepens linkages between creativity, media, and data, TheSmallBigIdea has grown to become a preferred partner for clients across segments

TheSmallBigIdea

Q&A with BBC Studios’ Caroline Stone

By Mathew Chan

Caroline, you oversee the indie and inhouse slate for both drama and comedy for BBC Studios – Can you tell us a little about the work you are doing at the moment at BBC Studios

Absolutely – we make it our mission to work with some of the world’s best creatives, from our inhouse talent, to our independent labels and third party relationships. We currently sit at the heart of Britain’s creative conversation and this is something that we truly try to take to all of our offices across the globe as well. We actually have relationships with over 200 independent partners

across the globe, but beyond the creation of content, BBC Studios is actually also the biggest distributor in the world, outside Bollywood and Hollywood, and all of the great content that I mention above is content that we continue to sell globally. We’re finding that British content is having a fantastic surge in popularity, particularly in Asia, where we have seen strong growth for our BBC First SVOD channel. BBC First is the home of premium British Drama in Asia and is continuing to grow for us, with new partners taking on the channel and we’re seeing it growing through BBC Player, our digital offering across Singapore and Malaysia.

Caroline Stone, BBC Studios Commercial Director for Scripted

We spoke to Caroline Stone, BBC Studios Commercial Director for Scripted, ahead of BBC Studios’ annual Showcase Event held in London 27-28 February. From talking about her current work to what it takes for an IP to work both locally and globally, we got an inside look at the inner workings of BBC Studios.

What do you look for in a format that you think will make it work globally?

With our scripted portfolio it really is all about the power of storytelling. Our slate currently offers twisted love stories, chaotic female friendships, compelling crime, alternative period dramas, dark comedies. The scripted genre is just getting more and more exciting and we’re seeing this really thrilling moment happen for scripted across the world. For example, look at the recent global peak in interest for Korean dramas – this is down to the strength and unique style of their storytelling and it shows that scripted really can transcend geographic boundaries and tell us something about the human condition.

How do you balance being such an iconic British brand with making sure that you continue to create content that people across the globe want to see?

We have a fantastic distribution team in offices across every region of the world, but we are also driving the growth of formatting British content for local audiences. In Asia, iconic British shows with scripted formats such as Doctor Foster have been successfully adapted in Korea, the Philippines and Indonesia, with production in Thailand underway. In India we have a successful production business, headed up by Sameer Gogate, which has been extremely prolific in producing new series, including Rudra – The Edge of Darkness, the adaptation of the hit BBC series Luther, and Criminal Justice S3, an original script for the Indian market, both produced with Applause and break out hits for Disney+ Hotstar last year; Broken News, which was adapted from Press and has been a success for platform ZEE5; Gaalivaana, based on One of Us produced in Telugu for ZEE5, which was the first time production had entered the regional scripted market.

with an Indie production company?

BBC Studios has a successful history of adapting international IP primarily from novels. With our wholly owned production partners at Lookout Point, we have successfully adapted the iconic Indian novel A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth for the BBC and Netflix India the classic Russian novel War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy for the BBC, and this year we are also adapting one of South Africa’s most popular crime novel series from Deon Meyer – Devil’s Peak -

for the African

broadcaster MNet. We are very excited about the Japanese novel Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama, that our partners at House Productions have adapted for ITVX in the UK. Unlike the Lookout Point series, which were more faithful adaptations to the novel and setting, our series Six Four is very much inspired by the plot of Six Four but has been reworked and relocated to be based in Glasgow, Scotland. This is a very interesting way of using international IP and reenvisaging it to bring a new angle to a popular story and bring a new audience to it. We are very excited to see how audiences in Japan and across Asia enjoy this.

What are your targets for the scripted slate for BBC Studios for the next year?

2023 has already got off to a fantastic start for us at BBC Studios and Lookout Point, with the ratings hit and critically acclaimed final series of Happy Valley –series three is now available on BBC First across Asia. Our target every year across the scripted portfolio is to produce the very best shows that showcase the high calibre of British storytelling. Our hit returning series Call the Midwife and Death In Paradise have seen standout ratings. Both series have been sold to over 240 territories in the past ten years. and this month we are launching a spin off series from the makers of Death

In Paradise – Beyond Paradise

As well as popular returners, we are launching new series in the coming months. We also have confirmed that the global hits Sherwood from James Graham and TIME from Stephen McGovern will both be returning for a second series, supporting another target of continuing to work and create standout series with established and celebrated talent.

Can you give us some examples of any international IP (particularly from Asia) that you have adapted to work for global audiences either inhouse or

The Rise of Big Budget Asian Television Series

by Mathew Chan

Blockbuster Series of the West

Big budget television series in the West has almost become the norm. Everyone seems to be focusing on creating their own Game of Thrones, in an attempt to replicate the massive success of the show.

With the rise of streaming, other shows started to come out of the wood work to spark their own Game of Thrones moment. Netflix in particular saw success with breakout hits Stranger Things (original IP) and Bridgerton, based on the popular regency romance novel series.

Amazon also came in big another known IP, Rings of Power, the Lord of The Rings prequel that cost them almost $500 million to produce the first season alone. The streamer also has another big fantasy series based on popular IP, with Wheel of Time, based on the

series of the same name. Even Apple TV+, the relatively newbie of the bunch, has Foundation, another epic series based on a book. And that’s not even close to how much Disney+ has on the pipeline. Aside from their Marvel Cinematic Universe series like WandaVision, Loki, SheHulk to name a few, they have even more on the way.

Big Budgets Asian Series on Streaming

While the standard of series these days aren’t restricted to Game of Thrones’ levels of budget to become successful, it hasn’t stopped the industry in making them in an effort to stand out in an already saturated market. And while a lot of these big budget shows are based on Western IP, there’s a big bet in Asian content and Asian produced material that could shift the balance.

Academy ® Award-Nominees and Golden Globe winner Michelle Yeoh in upcoming Disney+ series, American Born Chinese

Starting off with Disney+, there are a sting of Japanese and Korean content that are prime and ready to take over the conversation. They have the much anticipated series, American Born Chinese, that will bring Chinese mythology to a diaspora born Jin Wang. While the series may cater or target a younger audience, it has a chance to emulate Stranger Things success thanks to the caliber of great stars and guest stars of the show. The series will star Academy ® AwardNominees and Golden Globe winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan, along with other international Asian stars. Guest stars will also be aplenty with Academy® Award nominee Stephanie Hsu, which will reunite the three Oscar nominees since starring in Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. Other notable guest stars include Ronny Chieng, Jimmy O. Yang, and James Hong. The series comes form Emmy ® Awardwinning writer/producer Kelvin Yu serves as executive producer and showrunner with Destin Daniel Cretton set to direct and serves as executive producer as well.

Another much buzzed about anticipated series comes from Prime Video entitled Citadel. The spy-thriller series which stars Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas will launch the Citadel universe to become a global franchise with local language spin-offs currently in the works. The Italian version was already announced

to be in production late last year. Meanwhile, an Indian series was also announced which will star prolific actress S amantha Ruth Prabhu alongside Varun Dhawan

Gaurav Gandhi, Vice President, Prime Video India, is confident and enthusiastic of the series stating that “The Citadel universe from the Russo Brothers’ AGBO is a truly innovative and ambitious approach to storytelling, and we are super excited to begin production on the Indian chapter. With this project, we are building on our mission of borderless entertainment to produce local Original content that can be enjoyed by audiences across the world. Citadel is a truly global franchise, with local productions, across countries, that build back to an inter-connected storyline—a first-of-its-kind innovation in storytelling.”

The series comes from the Russo Brothers, best known for helming the Avengers Infinity War and Endgame movies for Marvel. The series will be international spy dramas and Prime Video is heavily investing in the series with more local language series to come. This would be a big win should the mothership series be a hit which could see other Asia-set Citadel series.

Among the big steamers, Netflix has the most upcoming big-budget original Asian series, on top

Samantha Ruth Prabhu & Varun Dhawan, stars of the upcoming untitled Indian Citadel series.

of some of its many successful ones already. Squid Game made headlines when it debuted and was an awards darling when it premiered, eventually breaking viewership records on the streamer. Alice in Borderland, another Asian Netflix series coming from Japan this time, had similar success, which set a new record as the most-watched Japanese series ever on Netflix in just four days.

and Wi Ha-jun Gyeongseong Creature is written by Kang Eun K and directed by Chung Dong-yoon.

And one of the biggest projects from Netflix Japan is the live-action adaptation of iconic mange (which also has an equally iconic anime), Yu Yu Hakusho The story revolves around Yusuke, who dies and is given a chance to be revived, and after passing a trial, becomes an Underworld Detective. From there, Yusuke becomes entwined in a mystery that envelopes the human, demon and spirit worlds.

With success stories like these, it’s no surprise Netflix has even more big budget Asian series in the pipeline that are set to release later this year. From Indian filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the upcoming epic series Heeramandi, which will explore stories of courtesans and the hidden cultural reality of Heeramandi, a dazzling district, during pre-independent India. Netflix also has 2 big Korean Originals coming that have all-star casts. The first being Black Knight from director Cho Ui-seok, based on the award-winning webtoon of the same name. The series set, in 2071, where people depend on respirator masks to live due to air pollution, tells the story of a legendary delivery rider, who has an important role in society. The series will star Kim woo-bin, Kang you-seok and E Som

The other Korean series to look out for is Gyeongseong Creature. The thriller series follows individuals going up against monstrous creatures that were born out of human greed set in the spring of 1945, in the city of Gyeongseong. The series stars Park Seo-jun, Han So-hee, as well as Claudia Kim

It’s always a gamble to create live-action versions of beloved anime/manga, with Netflix’s recent attempt with Cowboy Bebop getting cancelled after one season. But according to director Sho Tsukikawa, Netflix was able to convince him. “When I first heard about Yu Yu Hakusho receiving a live-action adaptation, I honestly wondered if it would even be possible--but after being presented with the producer’s vision and possibilities with Netflix, my expectations grew and I found myself burning with passion to make this project come to life”, he reveals.

If these streamers let their creators have the freedom and resources to tell the story they want, the chances are they can succeed, especially now at a time when Asian content is in high demand all around the world. Only time will tell if anyone these will be a hit, but with any luck, more than one could end up being a new cultural phenomena.

Netflix’s Alice in Borderland Season 2

Takumi Kitamura as Yusuke Urameshi in the upcoming Netflix series Yu Yu Hakusho

From Thanos to She-Hulk: How Digital Domain Brought the MCU’s Latest Superhero (and Attorney) to Life

by Mathew Chan

its own machine learning-powered facial capture systems. The rest — including a new way to create CG clothing and muscles — would need to be invented along the way.

Introducing: She-Hulk

To help bring Marvel Studios’ latest superhero to life in She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Oscar-winning VFX studio Digital Domain sought inspiration in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) greatest villain: Thanos. Building on the technology it developed for the Avengers’ foe, Digital Domain transformed the five-footfour Tatiana Maslany into a six-foot-seven green giant, without sacrificing the nuance of the Emmy-winner’s performance. But despite some similarities, She-Hulk is a character unlike anything seen before, requiring machine learning facial capture, face swapping and a handful of tools created specifically for the show that will redefine how CG characters and clothing interact.

“If you have enough time and resources, a VFX studio can generally come up with a way to create even the most incredible effects for any medium, including TV. But in the case of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the first thing we had to do was determine if the project was even possible,” said Jan Philip Cramer, Digital Domain VFX supervisor.

The VFX studio spent months testing the technology to determine how it could deliver such an ambitious character on an episodic schedule. To bring the ambitious project to life, Digital Domain determined that it would need to approach the character on multiple fronts, starting with a handful of practical filmmaking tricks and

In total, Digital Domain contributed nearly 1,000 VFX shots to She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, including 660 shots of She-Hulk alone. The filmmakers began with the live-action performances from Maslany, who wore a head-mounted camera and a full set of active markers.

Digital Domain was then able to analyze that footage using its proprietary machine learning powered tool, Masquerade 2.0, a facial capture system. As Masquerade’s precursor did with Josh Brolin, Maslany’s nuanced mannerisms were analyzed by the software to generate a 3D, photorealistic CG mask, down to the pores in the skin.

With She-Hulk’s CG face built, artists began adding the finishing touches, including her hair. In another first for the Digital Domain team, the green-skinned She-Hulk wore several different applications of makeup. Given the character’s unique skin tone, artists went through countless variations to find looks that fit. All scenes were then animated in Maya and rendered in V-Ray.

Emmy Award Winner Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk

Along with Masquerade, Digital Domain also employed its face-swapping tool Charlatan to help capture the transition from Jennifer Walters to She-Hulk, as well as creating digidoubles for both Maslany and Jameela Jamil’s Titania.

Body Moving & the All-New “ShapeWear” System

Along with She-Hulk’s face, Digital Domain also needed to create her body, which presented challenges unique to this series. The team began by using a PolyStrip system — containing several smaller segments that form the body’s contours — then employing Houdini to create the muscles and skin. To capture her movements, Maslany frequently wore an inertial Xsens mocap suit, and also spent a significant amount of time under

Vicon optical cameras. Next came the clothing, and that’s where things became a little more complicated.

It was a first for the team at Digital Domain, and it required them to create a new proprietary solution known as the “ShapeWear’’ system. ShapeWear was able to take the CG garments created in Houdini — everything ranging from She-Hulk’s professional suits to her casual wear — and then adjust the character model to subtly and realistically augment the muscles to match.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law marks the latest in a collaboration between Digital Domain and Marvel Studios that spans more than a decade and includes recent blockbusters like the Academy award-nominated Spider-Man: No Way Home & Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Its work with Marvel Studios will next appear in several projects scheduled for 2023, 2024 and beyond.

ABS-CBN Bets Big on Content

by Mathew Chan

Once considered as the biggest and most successful television network in the Philippines, ABS-CBN has always set its sights on bigger things and expanding to different platform in part of the ever-changing landscape of television and broadcast. But 2020 brought more than COVID19 problems to the network. After lengthy and several hearings and applications, the Philippine Congress decided to not renew their franchise after 25 years, leaving thousands of people unemployed and creating a big hole in Philippine content.

While the idea of a network losing their franchise and signal to broadcast in free tv would strike fear into anyone in the entertainment business, the network didn’t stop and found ways to keep going. From block timing with other channels, to launching a fast growing and successful YouTube channel to livestream their content, ABS-CBN’s resilience and fast-forward move to digital has kept the network growing and it’s not stopping there.

“The past couple of years saw a huge boost in the streaming industry. Around this period, ABS-CBN has taken massive steps to dominate the digital landscape through partnerships among the OTT sectors across the globe.” shared Maribel Hernaez, Asia Pacific managing director of ABS-CBN Global. And one of these OTT services is PT Vidio Dot Com, which is the largest VOD platform in Indonesia as of 2022. Through their partnership several series like Love Thy Woman, Mea Culpa, A Mother’s Guilt (Hanggang Saan), and select episodes of anthology series Maalaala Mo Kaya & Wansapanataym will be available to Indonesian audiences on top of another ABS-CBN series that began airing in Indonesia’s free TV station ANTV in January, Mars’ Ravelo’s Darna, dubbed in Bahasa Indonesia.

Content Localization

ABS-CBN has thousands of hours of high-quality content in their midst and one strategy they have is to continue to sell them around the world. Currently they have over 50,000 hours’ worth of content airing in over 50 international territories, including Indonesia, Africa, and more. But in just the start of 2023, the network has already announced a slew of their shows making way across the world.

A Mother’s Guilt (Hanggang Saan)

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