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TVASIA
WWW.TVASIA.WS
DECEMBER 2018
ASIA TV FORUM EDITION
Kids’ Programming / Format Sales / Asian Drama / BBC Studios’ David Weiland / TV5MONDE’s Alexandre Muller MCI’s S Iswaran & IMDA’s Howie Lau / JKN’s Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip
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CONTENTS FEATURES
Lands of Promise Amid lots of dreary forecasts about cordcutting in Europe and the U.S., the pay-TV subscriber base in Asia is still growing, according to new data from Media Partners Asia (MPA). Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Anna Carugati Group Editorial Director Mansha Daswani Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Joanna Padovano Tong Managing Editor Chelsea Regan Associate Editor Victor L. Cuevas Production & Design Director Phyllis Q. Busell Art Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Nathalia Lopez Sales & Marketing Coordinator Andrea Moreno Business Affairs Manager
Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Asia © 2018 WSN INC. 1123 Broadway, #1207 New York, NY 10010 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Fax: (212) 924-6940 Website: www.tvasia.ws
The number of pay-TV subscribers across the region is set to increase from 645 million this year to 696 million in 2023, and pay-TV revenues are forecast to rise from $56 billion to $66 billion in the same time frame. This doesn’t mean that it’s a rosy picture for the pay-TV business everywhere in the region; in fact, the sector is contracting in Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. “Pay-TV stakeholders are adjusting to new realities as the industry shifts to IP-based distribution,” says Vivek Couto, executive director of MPA. “The growth of highspeed broadband and online video is driving fundamental changes in content consumption and investment across key markets. This, together with piracy, will continue to adversely impact pay-TV industry growth.” OTT also has its fair share of challenges as local upstarts face off against the big budgets of Netflix and Amazon. But the consensus among local, regional and global players alike is that there is still a wealth of opportunities available across Asia—if you know how to tap into them. That’s where events like the Singapore Media Festival come in, according to the island nation’s Minister of Communications and Information, S Iswaran. In this edition of TV Asia, he talks about Singapore’s ideal positioning as a gateway to the continent. We also hear from David Weiland, the executive VP for Asia at BBC Studios, about how the rising demand for local content has translated into a booming formats business at the company, particularly with high-end drama series. Alexandre Muller, the managing director of TV5MONDE AsiaPacific, reveals how he is expanding the presence of the French-language broadcaster on both traditional and digital platforms. And Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip shares how she is positioning JKN Global Media as both a leading importer and exporter of top-quality content. This edition also spotlights some of the companies heading to Asia TV Forum, exploring how they are finding homes for kids’ content and formats across the region. And we take a look at how companies from the Philippines, India and Korea are expanding the reach of their drama series to Europe, Latin America and beyond. —Mansha Daswani
GET DAILY NEWS ON THE ASIAN REGION
22 CHILD’S PLAY Leading kids’ content distributors weigh in on the opportunities they’re finding across Asia.
32 DRAMATIC SPARK Asian storytelling is in the spotlight as the region’s dramas find fans across the globe.
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36 EYES ON ASIA From twist-laden serialized drama to high-concept entertainment shows and intense competition series, the market for formats in Asia is busier than ever.
INTERVIEWS 42 BBC Studios’ David Weiland
45 MCI’s S Iswaran + IMDA’s Howie Lau
48 TV5MONDE’s Alexandre Muller
50 JKN Global’s Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip
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9 Story Distribution International Moon and Me / Dr. Panda / Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum From Andrew Davenport (Teletubbies) comes Moon and Me, a new preschool series being promoted by 9 Story Distribution International. “Inspired by well-loved tales of toys that come to life when nobody is looking, Moon and Me is the story of a special friendship between two characters from completely different worlds,” says Federico Vargas, the company’s VP of distribution. Another highlight is Dr. Panda, a preschool show based on an app franchise. “Aimed at children 3 to 6 years old, the series offers fresh storytelling and lots of charming moments,” says Vargas. There is also Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum, inspired by a book series that “tells the story of important figures in history like Amelia Earhart and Isaac Newton, but from the perspective of when they were kids,” adds Vargas.
“We have an exciting slate to present this year at ATF, across several styles and children’s demographics.” Moon and Me
—Federico Vargas
Cyber Group Studios Gigantosaurus / Taffy / Sadie Sparks After ranking as the most-screened show at MIPJunior, Gigantosaurus is being presented by Cyber Group Studios. “The series never stops catching the attention of broadcasters worldwide,” says Noémie Bourrié, international sales and digital content manager. Cyber Group is also offering up Taffy, Sadie Sparks and Ernest & Rebecca. “We are bringing [to ATF] a cute and edutaining preschool show (Gigantosaurus), a slapstick series targeted to kids and families (Taffy), a kids’ comedy-driven show (Sadie Sparks) and a lively and funny upper-preschool series (Ernest & Rebecca),” says Bourrié. “With this diverse content, we have the ambition to collaborate with different yet complementary players.” She adds: “These series are very different from one another and we strongly believe they will catch the attention of Asian buyers.”
Sadie Sparks
“We are at ATF to strengthen relationships with our historical partners, but our goal is also to collaborate with new ones both in sales and co-productions.”
—Noémie Bourrié
Entertainment One Family & Brands
Patrimonio mundial - Herencia de la humanidad
Peppa Pig / PJ Masks / Ricky Zoom Entertainment One (eOne) Family & Brands is heading to ATF with a slate of preschool programming that includes the animated hit Peppa Pig, “which has a huge fan base in Asia, particularly in China, where its popularity has soared in the past year,” according to Monica Candiani, the company’s executive VP of content sales. “There is also a very special Chinese-themed episode to celebrate Chinese New Year in February 2019.” Another highlight is the animated series PJ Masks. “We’re confident that more kids in Asia will embrace the strong storylines, catchy music score and bold visuals of this show, which has become a huge hit with audiences globally,” says Candiani. There is also Ricky Zoom, an animated series set in a town where all the inhabitants are bikes.
PJ Masks
“Asia is a strategic focus for the business, and we have some exciting plans in the pipeline that we’ll be announcing soon.” —Monica Candiani 46 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
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Global Agency Find My Body / Joker / Gulperi There’s a mix of formats and dramas on offer from Global Agency. In the way of unscripted entertainment, the company is presenting Find My Body, a hybrid of a dating series and a game show. There is also the quiz show Joker, which is being licensed as a format. A major new drama launch is Gulperi, which is the story of a woman who has been treated unjustly all her life only because she is a female. “With hit dramas and formats, our content has been in high demand in Asia, and we hope to continue this progress in the region,” says Işil Türkşen, Global Agency’s sales director for Asia. “ATF is a good place to meet new buyers as well as existing contacts, especially following MIPCOM, where we always launch new projects.” Another highlight from the company is the format Momsters, a cooking competition featuring brides and their mothers-in-law.
Momsters
“There is a demand for fresh, edgy ideas in Asia.” —Işil Türkşen
Gloob
Gigablaster
Anittinha’s Club / Gigablaster / Brainiacs This year marks the first time that Gloob will have a presence at the Asia TV Forum & Market. “We decided to attend the market since we have done excellent business in Asia,” says Beatriz Thompson, senior sales executive. “Despite the cultural boundaries, opportunities [in the region] grow due to the content consumption, especially through VOD platforms.” Gloob heads to the market in Singapore with a slate that includes the animated series Anittinha’s Club and Gigablaster, as well as the live-action show Brainiacs. “Both Anittinha’s Club and Gigablaster have high-quality production and universal storytelling,” says Thompson. “Brainiacs is focused on kids’ entertainment but also engages science and technology discussions in a funny way, which is what makes Brainiacs a unique show in the kids’ content field.”
“Gloob will be attending ATF for the very first time.” —Beatriz Thompson
GoldBee
The Athena Patrimonio mundial - Herencia de la humanidad
The Athena / School of Roars / Cleo & Cuquin According to Christophe Goldberger, the managing director of GoldBee, ATF “has been a consistently strong market” that “has grown substantially in the past five years as the economy picked up in the region and China opened up to foreign kids’ content.” GoldBee heads to Singapore with a slate that includes The Athena, a liveaction show starring Ella Balinska as one of the adolescent students attending a famous art school in London. “Just as our previous teen dramas, we expect this highend production to perform well in the region,” says Goldberger. GoldBee is also offering up School of Roars and Cleo & Cuquin. “In terms of animation, strong preschool with some educational content is still in high demand in Asia,” he adds.
“We are looking for new partners to delve into the licensing and merchandising activity in the region.”
—Christophe Goldberger
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GMA Worldwide Family Jewels / Silent Shadow / Color of My Blood
GMA Worldwide is showcasing some of its newest dramas, including Family Jewels, at ATF. Family Jewels is about five sisters who have the same father but different mothers and are all battling for control of their father’s company. Another highlight is Silent Shadow, about a woman who finds love after a difficult separation, though her new man is seduced by another woman—who turns out to be her transgender ex-husband. There’s also Color of My Blood, an action drama about two brothers who are on opposite sides of the law. “We think these will appeal to viewers in Asia who are always looking for themes that are out of the ordinary,” says VP Roxanne J. Barcelona. “Stories that revolve around modern-day issues that affect society today…are appealing and pique the viewer’s curiosity.”
Color of My Blood
“While we continue to provide finished content to our clients, remake rights of GMA’s dramas are also available.”
—Roxanne J. Barcelona
IMPS The Smurfs and the Magic Flute / The Smurfs / The Smurfs: A New Touch of Blue The Smurfs: A New Touch of Blue This year marks the 60th anniversary of The Smurfs brand. The Smurfs and the Magic Flute is a movie based on the original book by Peyo that first introduced the characters to the world. “This feature film tells the funny and adventurous story of how a magic flute disappeared from Smurf Village,” says Nele De Wilde, business affairs manager for audio and audiovisual at IMPS. There is also The Smurfs classic television show. “The Smurfs TV series offers hours of timeless entertainment for the whole family to watch,” says De Wilde. Another highlight is The Smurfs: A New Touch of Blue, a brand-new show that “features original stories with more complex characters, snappier dialogue, joyful anarchy and irresistible global appeal for a contemporary audience aged 5 to 10,” adds De Wilde.
“The Smurfs are universally known and loved.” —Nele De Wilde
Infocomm Media Development Authority
Patrimonio mundial - Herencia de la humanidad
An Excavation Through Time / China at High Speed / Zee Force Five Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will lead a delegation at ATF of about 70 companies presenting more than 740 hours of content in a wide variety of genres. “We want to encourage our media companies to use technologies to create innovative content that will travel worldwide,” says Howie Lau, IMDA’s chief industry development officer. For example, the creative start-up iMMERSiVELY will present An Excavation Through Time, a new VR experience that allows audiences to take part in archaeology by “digging” for buried historical artifacts. In regard to co-productions, Oak3 Films and China Intercontinental Communication Center have collaborated on China at High Speed. Meanwhile, from the International Emmy-nominated series Oddbods by One Animation comes the 22-minute special Zee Force Five.
Zee Force Five
“IMDA is excited to stand at the forefront of Asian storytelling with our local content creators.” —Howie Lau 50 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
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Trace of Evil 18 TV ASIA
Rive Gauche Television Something ’s Killing Me / My Misdiagnosis / Trace of Evil Life-threatening medical mysteries are explored in the series Something’s Killing Me, which Rive Gauche Television is presenting. “Something’s Killing Me is a really well-made series that keeps viewers guessing until the very end,” says Jon Kramer, the company’s CEO. My Misdiagnosis, meanwhile, tells the stories of patients who were incorrectly diagnosed. “My Misdiagnosis delves into a subject that could happen to anyone in the world and therefore has a universal appeal,” says Kramer. Trace of Evil “takes viewers through sophisticated forensic criminal investigations using modern techniques to solve the crime,” says Kramer. “These cases will shock and horrify, but through their ultimate resolution, they demonstrate how modern technologies have shifted the balance of power back to the investigators.”
“Our attendance at ATF is increasing our universe of contacts and our knowledge base of what the region is looking for.”
—Jon Kramer
Studio 100 Media/m4e Arthur and the Minimoys / Wissper / The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill Based on the successful movie saga, Arthur and the Minimoys is one of the highlights being promoted by Studio 100 Media/m4e at ATF. “Visionary director and producer Luc Besson created a visually breathtaking universe and exciting stories with his Arthur movies,” says Anke Manthey, sales project manager at the combined company. “Now he is back on the TV screen with this new action-packed CGI series.” Also on offer is Wissper, about a little girl who can talk to animals, and The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill, which is inspired by the classic book character. “In general, we’ve had the experience that buyers are looking for shows that have a central character and friends, portray positive role models and are filled with humor,” adds Manthey. “All three shows certainly cover these aspects.”
“Despite its complex regulatory infrastructure, we hope to be able to build a solid foundation in China.” —Anke Manthey
Talpa Global
The Wild Adventures of Blinky Bill
The Voice Senior Patrimonio mundial - Herencia de la humanidad
5 Gold Rings / House of Talent / The Voice Senior Talpa recently closed a three-year deal with PPTV in Thailand for the entire The Voice franchise, including the new spinoff The Voice Senior. “The Voice now caters to all generations and has reached a total of 110 versions airing all over the world,” says Saskia van Lier, senior VP of Talpa Asia. “Looking at the stellar results The Voice Senior scored for its launch season in the Netherlands and Russia, we are sure it will also be a success in the Asian region.” The company is also presenting the daily music reality show House of Talent and game show 5 Gold Rings. “With House of Talent, we are bringing a multi-screen format to the market that targets the young and hard-to-reach audience with social, music and reality TV fully integrated,” van Lier says.
“Asia is a great launchpad for innovative content.” –Saskia van Lier 52 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
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Turner Asia Pacific I Am the Night / The Last O.G. / I’m Sorry
Turner’s programming spans a wide swath. “We have every genre available for every demo in every Asian market,” says Phil Nelson, managing director for North and Southeast Asia Pacific. From TNT, there is I Am the Night, a mystery miniseries from Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and starring Chris Pine. TBS originals include Miracle Workers, a new comedy with Steve Buscemi and Daniel Radcliffe, and The Last O.G., created by Jordan Peele and John Carcieri and starring Tracy Morgan. Adult Swim hits include Rick and Morty and Robot Chicken, while truTV’s roster features I’m Sorry and Misfits & Monsters. Cartoon Network originals on offer include the comedy Summer Camp Island, as well as Ben 10 and We Bare Bears. Also available from Turner are a number of Japanese original series from the brands TABI Channel and Mondo TV.
The Last O.G.
“Turner’s content offering at ATF this year is almost certainly its biggest and most diverse to date.” —Phil Nelson
TV5MONDE Asia-Pacific
Les seigneurs
TV5MONDE Asie / TV5MONDE Pacifique / TV5MONDE Style HD
TV5MONDE has been available in the Asia Pacific since 1996 and has grown its subscriber base to over 100 million this year. There are HD feeds of both TV5MONDE Asie and TV5MONDE Pacifique, as well as an SD feed of TV5MONDE Asie. TV5MONDE Style HD was launched in 2015 and is dedicated to showcasing French culture and lifestyles. “Apart from providing operators with additional rights such as catch-up and VOD, we also created our own OTT service, TV5MONDE+ Asie, both as a B2C and authenticated service for B2B,” explains Alexandre Muller, managing director of TV5MONDE AsiaPacific. Upcoming programming highlights for December include the football film Les seigneurs, the animated feature Tante Hilda! and classic crime movie Maigret et l’affaire SaintFiacre, as well as the doc Sur la piste des senteurs: Japon.
“To remain relevant and attractive to our partners, TV5MONDE has been very active with nonlinear and OTT initiatives since 2002.”
—Alexandre Muller
Viacom18/Indiacast
Unfaithful Patrimonio mundial - Herencia de la humanidad
The Serpent / Unfaithful / Beyond Boundaries
There is a third season of The Serpent (Naagin), a saga of love and revenge, on offer from Viacom18/Indiacast. The mythical tale of vengeance plays out after the wedding of a shapeshifting serpent is marred by a group of drunken youngsters. Another highlight from the company’s ATF slate is Unfaithful (Silsila), which centers on two best friends, one broken marriage and a dangerous affair. Meanwhile, Beyond Boundaries (Bepannah) is a romantic thriller mystery about spousal betrayal. “While our content is symbolic of the core culture and diversity of India, our approach has always been global,” says Debkumar Dasgupta, the senior VP of international business and syndication at Viacom18/Indiacast. “Our series are a perfect blend of emotion, drama and variety, which are synonymous with almost all cultures in the world.”
“Viacom18/Indiacast brings unique stories of love, relationships, drama and mystery.” 54 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
–Debkumar Dasgupta
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Leading kids’ content distributors weigh in on the opportunities they’re finding across Asia. By Mansha Daswani
Studio 100 & m4e’s Wissper.
reschoolers in China will be able to celebrate the start of the Year of the Pig in 2019 with the globally beloved pink piglet Peppa. The first co-production between Entertainment One (eOne) Family & Brands and Chinese film giant Alibaba Pictures Group, Peppa Celebrates Chinese New Year arrives in cinemas February 5. Incorporating Chinese New Year traditions, the film will also feature new characters, Panda twins, who will be the basis of a slate of merchandise just for the local market. The initiative reflects the growing importance of China to kids’ content distributors, and their willingness to try new models to crack a notoriously challenging market. The country of more than 250 million kids 15 and under has a booming streaming sector that has opened up new opportunities for distributors. There are also strict regulations in
P
place, competition from an active, well-supported local animation sector and piracy concerns.
BEHIND THE WALL “China is becoming a more and more important market and we are making a lot of progress with many different partners,” observes Ulli Stoef, the CEO of Studio 100 Media and m4e. “With partners like UYoung (Mia and me) and WeKids (Wissper, Tip the Mouse) we will launch full licensing programs soon. Also, via our sister company Little Airplane and our feature-film distribution department, we are very active in the market. Despite the new rules from SARFT we hope to be able to build a solid foundation in China.” Stoef adds, “For us, China is not only a one-way street. We think that some of their content has the [potential] to be more international and we’d like to be a partner to distribute Chinese content to the world.”
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9 Story recently scored the distribution rights to Dr. Panda, which is based on a popular app.
and pricing for animation. The challenge still is communiMonica Candiani, the executive VP of content sales at eOne cation and an understanding of the cultural differences. Family & Brands, is of the belief that there are “fantastic Our goal is to develop a show that resonates in the Asian as opportunities to co-produce shows with Chinese production well as international markets.” companies and platforms. This is something we’re already doing with different platforms in Asia, and you can expect to see some more announcements about this from us very soon.” Exporting Chinese IP is also on the agenda at 9 Story Distribution to traditional and digital platforms, meanwhile, Distribution International, which has Luo Bao Bei, a Chineseremains the bread-and-butter business for kids’ content comWales co-pro, and Dr. Panda, a Chinese-Dutch collaborapanies heading to Asia TV Forum this year. And by all tion, on its slate. Federico Vargas, VP of distribution at the accounts, it has been a very good year. company, says he’s open to deeper content partnership “This last year has been very lively in the Asia-Pacific opportunities in the region as a whole. “In terms of coregion,” reports Cyber Group’s Bourrié. “Year after year, producing with animation partners in Asia directly, we are we have to adapt to the market evolution. While a paybeginning to explore the potential for select projects with TV partner has shut down its kids’ channel, other partuniversal sensibilities.” ners are coming to the market with a stronger and bigger Noémie Bourrié, international sales and digital content manpolicy oriented to kids. Asia is a keystone market for us, ager at Cyber Group Studios, is also open to co-production with and we are more than glad to bring high-end productions Asian players. “We know this market has a lot of skills and expertise in the animation field. Aside from co-production, we would also be glad to partner on a distribution model with Asian producers.” Escapade Media is already exploring co-pro opportunities out of its home base in Australia and is “talking to different animation studios in Asia to see what are the best options,” says Natalie Lawley, the company’s managing director. “There appear to be lots of opportunities for co-productions.” Studio 100 and m4e’s Stoef is also bullish on collaboration opportunities region-wide. “We feel that there is a lot of talent in the markets and we’d like to share our know-how in terms of distribution and international appeal of shows. I think that the region offers a lot in terms of animation Escapade’s children’s slate includes the live-action preschool series Jay’s Jungle.
SELLING TIME
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Entertainment One’s Peppa Pig is resonating with preschoolers across Asia.
to it and see the strong and faithful interest of the broadcasters grow.” Escapade’s Lawley says the last 12 months have seen some of the company’s clients “restructuring or reducing their channel output. Whether this has been due to mergers or rebranding their business to appeal to a more specific demographic, there has certainly been a lot of change. We feel this is a very positive position for the region, resulting in new opportunities and hopefully a more stable outlook.” “Traditional broadcasters remain our most important clients in terms of value in the region, except in China where nonlinear rights generate most of the revenues,” states Christophe Goldberger, the managing director of GoldBee. “But our business with nonlinear platforms keeps growing every year.”
ON-DEMAND “We’ve invested a lot in our AsiaPac business,” says Stoef, noting a recent deal that brought Wissper to India on Nick Jr. Digital opportunities are increasing, he adds, with a slew of the company’s shows on platforms like iQiyi, Youku and Tencent in China. “Free TV is more regulated and it is very difficult to have significant reach for our programs,” he says. “The SVOD side of the business is becoming more important. Thanks to SVOD, we are able to distribute our catalog much wider in the region than before.” Candiani at eOne reflects a similar sentiment, noting, “The rising popularity of VOD platforms, particularly in China, has ruffled traditional content consumption, and investors are increasingly seeking new original content to make available on these platforms. Consumers now have multiple touchpoints to access their favorite shows at a time that suits them, but there’s also increased competition due to the volume of content available.” Candiani has also noticed, in the last year, greater requests from linear channels for digital rights to shows. “This is more commonly the case in Australia and New Zealand, but it is also happening in Asia.” Cyber Group’s Bourrié has also witnessed this development. “We are of course ready to take this turn and are open to new business models, but these new partnerships need to be fruitful for both parties and we need to work to
structure new models. Working only on revenue share, as many OTT players are suggesting, is not the best option for an independent production and distribution company like ours.” 9 Story’s Vargas references the company’s “considerable business” with the global streamers present in Asia, and with well-established platforms in China. Outside of those players, “We’re seeing quite a few OTT start-ups pop up and try to find their market positioning. In the mix of all that, our traditional partners continue to be an important part of our territory-specific strategies. In many cases, our longstanding partners are still the optimal homes for some of the big brands and franchises that we’re bringing to market.”
GENRE APPEAL Distributors indicate that there’s a broad range of kids’ content striking a chord with Asian buyers. For Candiani, “nondialogue-based slapstick visual humor is popular with kids in Asia and, of course, our very own Peppa Pig and PJ Masks are performing well with audiences in each territory where they are given good exposure by the local platform. The universal themes in those shows translate well across all markets and good storytelling will always be appreciated by children.” Bourrié stresses that market demands differ by country, but broadly “comedy-driven shows and CGI productions are performing well. We also notice that some broadcasters are looking for more arts and educational content. This is what makes this market so interesting and dynamic: the plurality of genres and diversity of needs.” For Vargas, “established brands that have a strong pedigree” are faring particularly well. “This includes classic series like Garfield and Friends, which is why we invested in remastering to 4K HD. It also includes classic series being reimagined with new content, like the new Clifford the Big Red Dog, which we acquired from Scholastic. Shows with brand awareness are resonating in AsiaPac right now.” He also points to the popularity of curriculum-based series such as Let’s Go Luna! and Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum. Escapade’s Lawley references the importance of volume when dealing with broadcasters and platforms in the region. “Our titles that have more than three seasons have
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Cyber Group arrives at ATF with the animated comedy Ernest & Rebecca.
been reacquired by the same channels, which has been fantastic for those brands. We are still seeing the same challenges with selling live-action content, where animation remains the very dominant need.” GoldBee has found solid business with the high-end teen dramas it represents on behalf of ZDF Enterprises, such as Mako Mermaids, Wolfblood and Dance Academy, in Southeast Asia. The Athena will be on offer from the company at ATF. “In terms of animation, preschool with some educational content is still in high demand,” such as School of Roars and Cleo & Cuquin, “which seem to resonate well with the audience all over Asia,” says Goldberger.
likely that [in the medium term] we will set up our own business or office in the region in order to have a better understanding of the culture and all other aspects. We hope to be able to announce some additional co-productions with partners in the region very soon.” Candiani at eOne has her eye on sustained success in China and new opportunities in Korea following EBS’s pickup of PJ Masks this year. “Asia is a strategic focus for the business and in the next year, we will aim to place PJ Masks on additional free-to-air channels across Asia, including the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Hong Kong. We’re also excited to be introducing our new show Ricky Zoom in AsiaPac very soon. The CGI series follows the adventures of a little red motorbike. We think it will be a big hit with kids and parents alike.” Southeast Asia is a key focus for Cyber Group’s Bourrié— “we have the ambition to build new partnerships with Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia,” she says, adding, “Of course Japan is a key market that we are working to strengthen our relationship with. We also notice several strong new growing developments in Myanmar and Mongolia.” She will also be committed to sustaining the French company’s robust business with pan-regional platforms and operators in China, Taiwan, Korea and India. Korea, Indonesia and India are on Lawley’s wish list for expansion at Escapade, but she cautions that there could be a slowdown in the region’s kids’ business in 2019. “I think that there could be reduced options for kids’ content over the next 12 months as budgets decrease and the focus on local productions continues to grow.” Goldberger, meanwhile, is feeling optimistic as he heads to ATF this year. “We expect AsiaPac to remain a good territory for kids’ and teen content, with stronger local nonlinear platforms maturing and competing with the likes of Netflix and Amazon.”
RIPE FOR EXPANSION Goldberger is bullish about his company’s continued prospects in Asia— despite some looming challenges on the horizon. “China has been our most important market again this year. With the change in regulation approaching, the market will surely become more selective, which might be good for us as most of our content is high-quality series produced for public broadcasters. Indonesia remains a challenge, especially for animation programs, and we are actively looking to partner with local companies for this particular territory.” For Stoef at Studio 100 and m4e, South Korea and China remain the company’s best territories in the region, and Japan continues to be a “tough market with its own rules,” he says. “It is very
Preschool animation like GoldBee’s Cleo & Cuquin is doing well across the region.
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Asian storytelling is in the spotlight as the region’s dramas find fans across the globe. By Mansha Daswani etflix’s Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos made a splash in Singapore last month as they unveiled 17 new original productions from Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, India and South Korea. “Asia is home to the world’s great creative centers producing some of the most compelling films and series of today,” said Sarandos, chief content officer, at the streamer’s first-ever content showcase in the region. “The beauty of Netflix is that we can take never-seen-before stories from South Korea, Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan or elsewhere, and easily connect them to people all over Asia and the world. More than half of Asian content hours viewed on Netflix this year are viewed outside the region, so we have confidence that our upcoming slate of Asian productions will find fans in their home countries and abroad.” Netflix certainly has raised the bar for original scripted in Asia, but it’s not the only game in town. The likes of HOOQ, iflix and Viu are making waves pan-regionally, as is HBO Asia with properties like the horror anthology Folklore and the Indonesian thriller Grisse. Elsewhere in the pan-regional space, FOX Networks Group Asia has been investing heavily in Mandarin-language scripted, recently picking up the worldwide rights, outside of China, for the period drama series The Legend of Hao Lan from Huanyu Film. “Staying on top in the entertainment industry means constantly listening to what consumers want, and we have seen again and again that viewers today are voracious for the most exciting and dramatic Chinese series,” said Cora Yim, the senior VP and head of Chinese entertainment at FOX Networks Group Asia, in announcing the agreement at MIPCOM. “Our strategy is inspired by the FX network series production model, where success comes from developing relationships with the best creative talent,” Yim says. “In terms of original Chinese content collaborations, we also strive to partner with the best talent, top filmmakers and producers to create premium content. We also see this strategy as empowering storytelling and taking our relationships to the next level. The recent expansion of Fox Creative Lab to Taiwan is helping us create a pipeline of 360-degree creative
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talent for FOX in Asia. As well, it enables us to increase the diversity of ideas in the region’s film and TV industry, providing a platform for up-and-coming talent hailing from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia and beyond. Working collaboratively to groom new talent in front of and behind the camera is also helping FOX Networks Group Asia to spearhead an evolving trend we’ve been witnessing for the past few years, in which entertainment from the East is reaching new viewers in the West.” Turner Asia Pacific is also stepping up its regional scripted efforts, sealing a multi-year pact with mm2 Asia that includes the film Killer Not Stupid, from the multimillion-dollar box-office director Jack Neo. “We are [also] discussing a TV drama with a Taiwanese producer, based on an award-winning script,” notes Marianne Lee, VP of content for general entertainment. Meanwhile, broadcasters and distributors in the Philippines, Korea and India are finding a slew of additional opportunities to license their drama series, produced for their local markets, within the region and across the globe.
RIDING THE WAVE Korea remains the region’s biggest licensor of drama, with CJ ENM among those leading the charge. “CJ ENM introduces three to five new dramas every month, and the diversity and competency of the lineup leads to their popularity throughout Asia,” says Linda Lee, head of global content marketing at the Korean conglomerate, which arrives at ATF with highlights such as Encounter, Quiz from God: Reboot and Priest. “The Asian territory is one of the most important markets for CJ ENM. The new markets we wish to [enter are in] Europe. We believe we have potential there with both our finished shows and scripted formats.” GMA Worldwide in the Philippines is also finding interest in its scripted-format slate, according to VP Roxanne J. Barcelona. “We have received inquiries for drama formats from production companies in Korea, India, the Middle East and Thailand and we hope to unlock new territories through format sales in the future,” she says, adding, “Scripted format sales are doing well in Latin America.” 12/18 WORLD SCREEN 67
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In terms of finished programs, meanwhile, Barcelona cites Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa as key territories. “We are slowly opening up Europe, Central Asia and China.” For fellow Filipino media group ABS-CBN Corporation, Asia and Africa have been the strongest markets for drama sales, according to Macie F. Imperial, VP/head of integrated acquisitions and international sales. “We are aggressively strengthening our ties with the Latin American and European markets. We are also actively pursuing countries like China and Korea. We are hoping that we will have a strong foothold in these big markets soon.” Imperial adds that ABS-CBN has become active in the format-sales sector, previously licensing The Two of Us to Cambodia and The Promise to Mexico. “We are in talks with our partners in Asia and the Middle East for format adaptations of our dramas,” Imperial says.
PASSAGE FROM INDIA
New Asian dramas being showcased this ATF include, from the top, GMA’s Silent Shadow, CJ ENM’s Encounter and Viacom18’s Bepannah.
Dramas from India have been steadily expanding their reach worldwide over the last few years. Debkumar Dasgupta, senior VP and business head of syndication and digital at Viacom18/Indiacast, says his company’s shows have reached Central and Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia and the Americas, among other markets. “We are looking at introducing our series in China, the Philippines and Japan,” he says. One Life Studios cracked the Japanese market this year when it licensed its period epic Porus to Hulu Japan. “Now we are aiming to venture into the Latin American market and also Africa,” reports Siddharth Kumar Tewary, founder and chief creative officer at the Indian distribution house. Digital platforms are beginning to create new opportunities for distributors, but the executives surveyed here note that there are challenges in working with ondemand services. “Indian dramas are typically long-running, airing for many years,” Dasgupta says. “Digital platforms are looking at shorter series. We have syndicated our series to digital platforms geo-blocked to a specific territory. We are now awaiting the feedback on the performance of the series.” For ABS-CBN’s Imperial, “Digital platforms have created a dynamic business environment for our drama distribution. It has led us to reexamine our operations to be able to supply the demands of this emerging digital trend.” GMA’s Barcelona notes that digital platforms often prefer different kinds of dramas than the ones sought out by linear services. “We find that heavy dramas are preferred by free TV while the romantic comedies are preferred by the pay and OTT markets.” Barcelona has also observed a willingness for “new, even risqué drama storylines,” such as the one in Silent Shadow about a transgender woman. Regardless of platform, compelling storytelling will travel, One Life’s Tewary says. “Today, language is not a barrier—if the content is good, it travels globally. Indian dramas are very family oriented and high on drama, which is something that travels all around the world.” “Our shows capture the celebrations, the trials and tribulations and the joys of our culture well,” says Viacom18’s Dasgupta. “While our content is symbolic of the core culture and diversity of India, our approach has always been global.”
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From twist-laden serialized drama to highconcept entertainment shows and intense competition series, the market for formats in Asia is busier than ever. By Mansha Daswani
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he scripted-formats business in Asia isn’t new—Korean and Latin American dramas have been remade across the region for years. But something is different this year, judging by the variety of dramas being adapted in Asia, and the markets they are being produced in. Look at Korea, the biggest exporter of drama in Asia; international shows being formatted there include BBC’s Mistresses and Doctor Foster. China, long an insular market, has made big bets on Endemol Shine’s Broadchurch and Humans. Japanese platforms in the last year have signed up for versions of Orphan Black and Suits. Even Singapore and Malaysia have gotten in on the scripted-format action, commissioning the firstever Asian version of The Bridge. “We’ve found that broadcasters are now willing to experiment with scripted formats in order to get access to writers, story developers and scripts that can be localized,” reports Rashmi Bajpai, executive director for Asia at Endemol Shine International. “Over the last year, we’ve seen an increased demand for our scripted formats and we are engaging in a lot of conversations with players in the region,” agrees Haryaty Rahman, the senior VP of distribution for Asia, International, at Fremantle. The surging demand for scripted formats is part of an overall expansion of the format business in Asia, with broadcasters and platforms opening up to a wider range of ideas. “We have seen an inspiring atmosphere this year in the region in terms of co-productions and local adaptations of big international brand-name formats,” says Işil Türkşen,
sales director for Asia at Global Agency. “There is also a taste for original ideas.”
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT! Türkşen observes that “big shiny-floor formats are always in demand in the region—however, the channels are now looking for more edgy and different ideas. There is also a shift to game shows and reality formats.” Andrew Sime, VP of formats at Banijay Rights, agrees that entertainment formats, in general, are faring well in the region. “Killer Karaoke has returned to Asia after a couple of years away,” Sime reports. “We’ve just licensed the show in Indonesia and expect it to return in Thailand next year. It’s a flexible studio-based show. In India, more cultural boundaries are being pushed with programs such as Dating in the Dark finding homes where they wouldn’t have done previously. It’s such a distinctive, fun show that it works well as a flagpole title that allows channels to stand out. It’s strippable and helps to reinforce a channel’s daily brand, which is something an increasing number of channels are looking for.” Rahman says that Fremantle has had a “phenomenal year” with its portfolio of non-scripted formats, noting the company had 55 series on air in the first half of the year. “Our shiny-floor entertainment talent shows such as Idols, Got Talent and The X Factor continue to do incredibly well across the region,” Rahman says. “The shows are highly successful and clients are renewing them for multiple seasons. In addition, we’re seeing the opportunities to bring these franchises to territories that have never done them before or bringing them back after a long hiatus. An example of this is Idol Philippines. The Idol format last aired 12/18 WORLD SCREEN 71
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shows with original tricks in our catalog,” he says, referencing the game shows Guess Who? and The Box Challenge. Interactive formats are also key, he notes, mentioning Join Instant. “We believe that among our various types of game-show formats, the ones that have interactive twists and technological mechanisms fit the audiences’ needs the most.”
DIGITAL SHIFT
Survivor is among the formats being showcased by Banijay Rights.
Exploring opportunities in the digital space is a key growth area for many format distributors doing business in Asia. Sime notes that Banijay is “actively exploring” new developments with SVOD platforms in the region. “We have strong relationships with players such as Amazon and Netflix in Europe and the U.S., and we’re already working to replicate those with the emerging Asian SVOD platforms,” he explains. “The region has a strong demographic of young, middle-class audiences that readily engage in both digital and mobile content. This makes the likes of interactive game shows such as All Against 1, which has its own app, more appealing. The increase in OTT platforms has also led to linear broadcasters now working harder than ever to develop, produce and acquire genre-defining programming to make their channels stand out in a crowded marketplace.” Endemol Shine’s Bajpai says that the biggest trend affecting the industry is “finding ways to extend the viewing experience from traditional linear to nonlinear, including social media—i.e., spin-offs and extensions produced as additional content, the linear series being simulcast or even premiered on nonlinear, and repacking of the shows to provide an extended audience once the linear run has completed. Most broadcasters are eyeing the advertising revenue that’s now available on these platforms and finding ways to engage with what the audience wants to watch on these platforms.” The consensus among format distributors heading to ATF is that opportunities are emerging everywhere in the region.
in the Philippines over ten years ago and we’re excited to see it return to the country again and this time around on a different network, ABS-CBN, in 2019.” Endemol Shine is also seeing strong traction on returning brands, with MasterChef commissioned for a fifth season in Indonesia and the renewal of Million Dollar Minute in Vietnam. “Talent shows continue to garner interest in countries like India and most of Southeast Asia,” says Bajpai on what’s working well in the region. “Game shows are always welcomed by the broadcasters and we’ll be able to announce a few more deals soon. We’re thrilled with the success of MasterChef Singapore and Myanmar. Big Brother dominates our reality slate in India and the Philippines. What is important to note is that any format that offers sponsorship opportunities will be seen favorably by the client due to the growing loss of subscription revenues and therefore advertising revenues.” Game shows have been one of the main categories for Talpa Global, according to Annelies Noest, director of formats and global network at the company, with recent commissions on Divided and 5 Gold Rings. “Our talent format The Next Boy/Girl Band is also gaining a lot of traction in this region, reaching the hard-to-reach millennials and an even younger demo,” Noest says. The other talent behemoth on Talpa’s slate is The Voice. “We recently closed a fantastic three-year deal with PPTV in Thailand for the entire The Voice franchise, bringing not only The Voice and The Voice Kids to PPTV, but also the latest addition to the brand, The Voice Senior,” Noest says. “In Indonesia, The Voice Kids has been renewed for a third season and has been scoring amazing ratings.” Can Okan, founder and CEO of Inter Medya, says his company is eager to tap into interest in entertainment formats region-wide. “When we take into account the strength and domination of Korean formats in the region, we think that it’s an advantage for us to have studio Inter Medya is looking to sell game shows like Guess Who? into Asia at ATF. 72 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
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platforms,” she explains. “Thailand, Vietnam and the rest of Southeast Asia are also always focus points. It would be great to see markets like Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh open up to international adaptations of formats.” For Talpa’s Noest, “Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam are becoming more important, with an increased appetite for local content across the free-to-air channels and different OTT platforms. In other territories in Asia, we are also doing business and see great potential for our formats. India is also a very interesting market with lots of opportunities for great content.” This year Banijay Group established Banijay Asia in India under the leadership of Deepak Dhar, which “triggered a clearer pipeline into the entertainment market there alongside [Banijay-owned] Sol Production,” Sime says. “The group has been able to focus attention on format sales, production and original IP development in India and has strengthened its position across the region. In the last 12 months, we have also succeeded in expanding into new territories, selling Psychic Challenge to Mongolia. Meanwhile, we continue to foster strong relationships in territories such as Indonesia, with the format sale of Killer Karaoke; Vietnam, where we have most recently sold Wonderkids; and South Korea, where we have been working with producers to acquire new formats.”
ASIAN INSPIRATION
FOX Life has had tremendous success with Asia’s Next Top Model.
“Talpa is currently the number three player in the Asian format sales market, with 29 formats confirmed for 2018 so far, and counting,” Noest notes. “Format distribution volume almost tripled over the past three years, with Talpa shows reaching new markets like Singapore, Malaysia and Mongolia, to name a few. With our Asian headquarters in Hong Kong and recent expansions in the local production and sales team, Talpa has increased its focus on the region.”
BOOM TIME One territory that has been particularly active in the last year is Thailand, Fremantle’s Rahman says. “Our X Factor and Got Talent formats are on air on Workpoint TV. Our Price is Right Thailand continues to be a hit on True4U, as is our Take Me Out Thailand, which has been on Ch3 for over ten seasons. Family Feud Thailand enters into its fifth season on one31 this year and we’re excited to grow our relationship with the channel with their recent acquisition of Thank God You’re Here Thailand for 2019.” Thailand has also been a strong territory for Endemol Shine, alongside the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia, Bajpai says. As for where she’d like to be doing more, she lists Indonesia, Myanmar and Mongolia. India has been key for Global Agency, Türkşen reports, referencing interest across its lifestyle, reality, shiny-floor and scripted slate. “India is a very important market, with a large television audience both on the traditional and new-media 74 WORLD SCREEN 12/18
The potential for taking Asian concepts global is emerging as a growth area. Nippon TV, for example, is looking to replicate the success of its hit Dragons’ Den, which is represented worldwide by Sony Pictures Television. Shigeko “Cindy” Chino, senior director of international business development at the leading Japanese broadcaster, notes, “Working together with international partners allows us to widen our perspectives and scrutinize our products from a global standpoint.” Chino says that Nippon TV brings to the international market its understanding of the kinds of concepts that will work with audiences, given that it produces more than 90 percent of its programming slate. “Our creators are now set to exercise their creative expertise not only in our local market but internationally,” she says. Successes include its dramas being remade in Turkey and Korea and pickups in Thailand and Mongolia for its game show Silent Library. Endemol Shine has taken on locally developed formats, such as The Society Game and Perfect on Paper from Korea and China’s The Nation’s Greatest Treasures from CCTV. “However, we see demand for imported formats outweighing the demand for local,” Bajpai says. Sime says that Banijay Rights has been working with Japanese and Korean outfits “to find innovative new ideas with international potential. At MIPCOM we launched Yes, Let’s Discover the World, based on a comedy segment that aired on Nippon TV in Japan. Our Italian company DRY has also been working with South Korean broadcaster CJ ENM on a new entertainment format called Cooking Box.” Asia remains a “great launchpad for innovative content,” observes Talpa’s Noest, citing the use of AR in the Thai version of Dance Dance Dance. “We are known for bringing big, innovative content that’s more than just a TV format, but that activates and engages users across multiple touchpoints, while at the same time triggers new revenue streams. Given the large number of millennials in this region, we see big potential for our formats that engage these target groups.”
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By Mansha Daswani
Speaking at MIPCOM, BBC Studios CEO Tim Davie discussed the company’s focus on bold British creativity across all genres, from natural-history epics to premium drama, prime-time entertainment to kids. That commitment was strengthened by the recent merger of BBC Studios and BBC Worldwide, which is already starting to create a wealth of new opportunities, according to David Weiland, executive VP for Asia. Weiland chats with TV Asia about BBC Studios’ content-licensing, format and brandeddestination businesses across the region. TV ASIA: What have been the most significant developments in your Asian business over the last 12 months? WEILAND: The biggest development as an organization has been the merger [of BBC Studios and BBC Worldwide]. That’s going to have a significant positive impact on our business going forward, particularly in the area of production. We’ve seen a real development in our scripted-format business. In the last year, we managed to license 12 different formats across mostly North Asian markets and India. In Korea, we’ve licensed five. At MIPCOM we announced
Doctor Foster going to JTBC. We’ve also had a lot of success there with Life on Mars on CJ. In China, our continued relationship with Tencent and CCTV around our natural-history titles is developing. Tencent is co-producing our next landmark, Dynasties. And on the back of that, we’re trying a new online community with Tencent, playing to their strengths as a big digital player. We’ve just launched BBC Earth Tribe, with long-form content, short-form content and real interaction with our onand off-screen talent in the premium factual space. We just had the executive producer of Dynasties in China doing press and talking to fans in Beijing. We’ve been live streaming from some of our locations for Tencent subscribers. We’re doing some really innovative things in Asia because it is so mobile first, digital first—things you possibly wouldn’t do in more mature markets like Western Europe. BBC Player has launched into a much wider base. It’s now available to Telekom Malaysia’s broadband and pay-TV subscribers in Malaysia. We’re trying lots of different methods to get our content to consumers in different places. TV ASIA: What’s driving the expansion of your scriptedformat business? WEILAND: We have had a strategic aim to refocus on that side of the business. That was partly because in North Asia, with regulations in China, entertainment formats were becoming harder. We started in Japan and South Korea and we hired some script-editing and production expertise, so we weren’t just selling based on the original version and a one-page flyer about it. We were almost pre-adapting it and saying, Here’s the original version, this is the storyline, these are the characters, and this is how we think it could work in Korea. It’s not that we were giving them the finished product, but we were able to make that leap so that they could absolutely see how it could be relevant to their audience. [Similar efforts in] China and India followed. And in India, we’ve got our own production unit, so we have that talent within the team. In South Korea, it also felt like there was a bit of a move away from the classic K-drama formula of boy meets girl. They were looking for slightly edgier content, maybe skewing more toward the crime genre, and there possibly were not quite enough writers who could write that type of content. The ones we’ve licensed—Life on Mars, Orphan Black, Luther, Criminal Justice, Doctor Foster—all have that slight edge. So the market has changed slightly. TV ASIA: Is your Indian production team creating original ideas for the local market, or is it focusing on adapting existing IP? WEILAND: It’s always had a twin track. We have production units in a number of markets around the world and the main focus is on producing our own formats. India has been very successful with Dancing with
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the Stars (Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa) for many years on Colors, and other formats. But when you have a production company, it makes sense for them to also develop original ideas. In India, we’ve done some quite long-running dramas and original entertainment shows. With the introduction of digital in the Indian market, they’re looking more at shorter runs of edgier scripted dramas. Criminal Justice falls into that. And The Office offered the opportunity to try something different from the usual formula of scripted content. TV ASIA: What are the trends you’re seeing on the entertainment format side? WEILAND: We just announced we’re doing Stupid Man, Smart Phone in Singapore for Mediacorp. That’s a slight innovation where we are working with Singapore and our India production team. They are also making programs for our own branded services, like Got Science? with a Malaysian stand-up comic named Harith Iskander. It was made for BBC Earth channel in Asia and for BBC Player. Going back to the merger, we have new heads of the factual entertainment and entertainment divisions at BBC Studios, Suzy Lamb and Hannah Wyatt. They are working on more big Saturday-night shiny-floor entertainment shows, as well as very accessible, strippable, quiz and factual-entertainment shows. So I think we’re going to see more coming out next year. The one big format disappointment I have had is with Bake Off, which has been a monster hit for us all around the world, but in Asia, the only place we’ve done it is Thailand. There isn’t necessarily such a baking culture here in Asia. We are always trying to look at what resonates and what’s relevant. That’s why the breadth of our catalog is useful. TV ASIA: How has the finished-program-sales business been? WEILAND: Content licensing is still our biggest business. We have a lot of different lines of business and market-by-market we look at our best route in. In Southeast Asia, we’re probably more focused on our branded services, in North Asia more on content licensing. We certainly license more to digital players than TV— AVOD, SVOD, any type of on-demand is probably about 70 percent of our content licensing and 30 percent is TV. We still have very big free-to-air relationships, particularly with NHK, KBS, Thai PBS, Mediacorp and to a certain degree TVB. But there is a lot of activity going on in that digital space, led by China. There’s been a lot of growth—Amazon is quite active in Japan and India, there’s HOOQ, iflix, myVideo [in Taiwan]. We’re working with all of them. Factual is probably our lead genre— it’s easy to localize, it travels and it’s where BBC Studios has a bit of an edge. Some of these big shows, like Dynasties, the natural-history landmark with David Attenborough, are four years in making, with multi-million-pound budgets. That needs a degree of commitment. Preschool is a positive story for us. Drama works well, particularly in that digital space. Certainly free-to-air broadcasters are focusing more on local content, and then possibly other Asian content. The slots for international drama on free-to-air TV are diminishing. But that’s where digital has really come in—they have unlimited shelf space, and they’re tapping into potentially a younger audience that wants to explore different types of content from around the world. We’re seeing a real boost in packages of drama.
TV ASIA: What new opportunities is the merger creating for your Asian business? WEILAND: The BBC in-house production machine is now part of a combined distribution-production company, and it is making content for [third-party broadcasters]. We’re starting to have conversations with commissioners in Asia who are interested in engaging directly with our producers. Some may end up becoming co-productions and some may be direct commissions. We’re having conversations in markets like Japan, China and Korea about what more we could do. There are lots of local producers commissioners can call on, so why do they want to engage with the BBC? It’s in areas where we can offer something different—big-scale documentaries, natural history, science shows—where we have that heritage, that expertise, that global reach. A lot of companies, particularly in China, want to get involved in shows much earlier. I think in the next year that is going to start to be a really interesting development. 12/18 WORLD SCREEN 77
BBC Studios has stepped up its format activity in Asia with recent deals that include a Korean version of Mistresses for CJ ENM.
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By Mansha Daswani
Singapore’s new Minister for Communications and Information, S Iswaran, was at MIPCOM this year touting the country’s proposal to the global content community: “Make with Singapore.” The shift in thinking from the “Made in Singapore” tagline comes on the heels of Crazy Rich Asians, the blockbuster Warner Bros. film that is largely set in the island nation. With Asian storytelling in the global spotlight, Iswaran tells TV Asia, Singapore is keen to entice more international media companies to work with local talent to create globally appealing titles. TV ASIA: What potential do you see for the Singaporean production sector in the global market today? ISWARAN: I came on board [as Minister] in May. The first thing that struck me about this space was the convergence of media and technology. You see the tech giants, Amazon and so on, increasingly moving into the media space and acquiring content, because they recognize that’s going to drive some of their other businesses. And then the media companies are increasingly going towards the technology side, trying to acquire new kinds of capabilities. The telcos and the cable guys are also migrating into the media space. From my perspective, this convergence creates a unique opportunity for Singapore. Facebook, Amazon and Google are present in a significant way in Singapore. We have media companies like Disney, HBO and Netflix. And then we have Singaporean companies. That’s one reason Singapore has a unique positioning and value proposition in the context of the current shifts we see in the global media landscape.
The second thing that struck me, and in a way, it’s an extension of what we’ve been seeing in the more general economic space, is the rising interest in Asian markets. It’s not just about Asia as a market with a few billion consumers; the interest in Asian storytelling has picked up significant momentum, not least because of Crazy Rich Asians. Not that that [film] encapsulates all that we are or what we can do, but it’s emblematic of what is possible in terms of partnerships and capabilities. The third piece is talent, both in Singapore and in the region as well. We have people who are very capable. Collaborations are becoming more common between our own and international players. And our own talent is making an impact on the international scene. It’s a good convergence of factors—industry trends, market relevance and our own capabilities. When you put them together, we have a more than even chance of carving a niche position for Singapore in this exciting space. The tagline is, “Make with Singapore.” Come to Singapore and work with us to address the larger opportunity in the region. TV ASIA: What’s your sense of the biggest challenges Singaporean creatives face in tapping into opportunities in the global landscape? ISWARAN: The biggest challenge is that, if you’re a content creator or content owner, you need to be able to think in a platform-agnostic way and not get locked into any one platform. It’s not just cable, not just free to air, not just a subscription model, not just mobile and internet—it’s all of the above. The same content can be adapted to different channels because they reach different market segments. Of course, you have to start with a focal point. You can’t say, I’m all things to all [platforms]. You could start by saying, I have a piece of content I am gearing towards the youth and for that, maybe optimizing for the mobile platform makes a lot of sense. But you should also be looking at, How can I leverage this for some of the other platforms? This is the big challenge—understanding this diversity. With the OTT and direct-to-consumer business gathering momentum, the temptation would be to focus on that. While that could be an interesting and lucrative area, you do need exposure in other aspects. And if you’re in the business from the other side of it, let’s say a Mediacorp, the key is to start thinking about how you can have more collaborative models for generating content. If you’re a telco you have a different challenge—it’s no longer about just having the pipes, it’s what you put through the pipes and how much of it you have influence over and ownership of. I don’t think these challenges are unique to Singapore. TV ASIA: In what ways are you supporting talent development to help create the next wave of media entrepreneurs and storytellers in Singapore? ISWARAN: Singapore is very good at developing programs—so things don’t just get talked about, they get done. The government can create the
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enabling conditions, but ultimately the talent has to run with it. You can’t hothouse this. We have various programs and are talking about what else we can do, working with different parties, to give our talent more exposure. But first and foremost, you must have the spark; you must want to tell a story. Then all these [programs] become relevant. But if you don’t have the inner spark, then it’s a very different game. There are a lot of people in Singapore who are very excited about storytelling and getting their perspective out. Our key challenge is to create different platforms for them to [find partners] and also to showcase their work. So we had 19 companies at MIPCOM, with 460 hours of content. This is one angle—bringing Singaporean companies to the world. The other aspect is the Singapore Media Festival, where we’re trying to bring the world to Singapore, and to Asia through Singapore. So to answer your question, it’s about developing people, trying to create opportunities for them to work on their own, showcase their work and partner with others. It’s about working with our companies to bring them abroad, and also bringing the industry to Singapore.
TV ASIA: I’ve been covering the IMDA’s presence at MIPCOM for a long time and was struck this year at the huge range of content being showcased by Singaporean companies, from traditional animation and docs to short- and longform drama and entertainment formats. ISWARAN: That goes back to the whole point about the way the world is seeing Asia as a source of content. It’s not just about cartoons or anime; it’s not stereotypical content anymore. The appreciation for Asian stories and narratives [is growing]. That creates a window of opportunity. TV ASIA: What other developments do you see that will impact the Singaporean media industry? ISWARAN: Funding models will change. Everyone is talking about different ways of funding. This is all very reminiscent of venture-capital funding. This could be interesting in our context because Singapore is a business and financial center. There could be funding solutions in the private sector, maybe helped along by some government initiatives.
By Mansha Daswani The Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) plays a significant role in fostering the country’s content sector through a variety of initiatives. The government agency organizes the Singapore pavilion at trade shows like MIPCOM and hosts the Singapore Media Festival (SMF), which encompasses the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and ScreenSingapore and SMF Ignite. Howie Lau, chief industry development officer at IMDA, talks to TV Asia about the organization’s key content-promotion initiatives and the importance of SMF. TV ASIA: Tell us about IMDA’s role in strengthening Singaporean content creation. LAU: The IMDA has a role as a catalyst in both the tech and media spaces. Tech has been a really buoyant industry and Singapore is known as a tech hub, in Asia and across the world. In the media space, a lot of things are shifting, a lot of new models are being tested. From the IMDA’s perspective, we’re looking to continue our holistic approach across tech and media to create more opportunities for the industry, for its constituents, for the ecosystem. The spotlight is now brighter than ever before on the Asian marketplace. The nice part about being in a hyper-connected world is that you no longer just look at the domestic market. If you do something awesome, it can travel, it can go across the rest of the world. Infrastructure has opened the doors in terms of what’s possible. For example, payment options if you’re going directly to the consumer. We’re saying, we can
create connections so the storytellers can focus on telling great stories, but the rest of the pieces are naturally there for them. TV ASIA: Does IMDA have a role to play in helping producers bring the funding together for shows? LAU: There are a couple of aspects to that. One is trying to create more opportunities for the ecosystems to connect, whether it’s [at MIPCOM] or the Singapore Media Festival. The other aspect is, we have created a number of different programs and funding [schemes] to help start the engine a little bit. It’s important to create the platforms and the engines, but at the end of the day, it is about opening the connectivity between the different stakeholders. At the same time, [it’s also about] exposing the different stakeholders to new models. We have to take an active and yet in-the-background role to try to get everyone to come to the same dance floor and then hopefully the sparks will come from that. TV ASIA: What are some of the new highlights for Singapore Media Festival this year? LAU: One is the [Asian Academy Creative Awards] to recognize creative excellence. As you know, commercial viability is important, but at the same time, so is recognizing talent. Having a strong awards [event] is important. The other aspect is SMF Ignite, which is creating a platform for new formats, next-generation storytelling. We’re pretty excited to have Nas Daily coming in to do workshops, exposing what’s possible in making short-form, telling a story in a different way. We have folks who know the conventional storytelling route; SMF Ignite will expose what else is possible. At ATF, one of the unique things is a pitch for Chinese-language content. There is a lot of interest in the Chinese market, so there’s a pitch event focused on trying to get different genres—thrillers, sci-fi, horror. Everyone wants to understand how to get into the Chinese market.
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MULLER: On both traditional and OTT distribution, the Indian subcontinent remains the biggest market for TV5MONDE in the Asia Pacific (and worldwide), representing over 70 percent of the channel’s global reach in the region. Nevertheless, out-of-home distribution (i.e., hotels and universities) represents a substantial source of revenue with over 160,000 hotel rooms (the vast majority in China) officially carrying at least one of our channels. On the distribution front, the team is active in all markets, including smaller countries, and recent successes include Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Maldives and Sri Lanka, among others. Malaysia remains a work-in-progress market, as well as Australia and New Zealand, where our reach remains poor and which represent a priority in the coming years. TV ASIA: What initiatives have you engaged in off-screen to further build the brand? MULLER: On the marketing front, the team has been very active and engaged with viewers off-screen, through both traditional and digital means. TV5MONDE has supported a vast number of French film festivals all over the region. TV5MONDE also supported the second edition of the Seoul Pride Film Festival this year, with a special screening of the French award-winning web TV series Les engagés. TV5MONDE’s “Teach & Learn French” online language-training program has also been a real asset in the region. We partnered with a large number of learning centers. Social media is a must where we engage with 2.5 millionplus fans in four languages (French, English, Japanese and Korean) on Facebook, Twitter, Kakao and Instagram. TV ASIA: Tell us about how TV5MONDE is making its content available on as many platforms as possible to expand your reach. MULLER: To remain relevant and attractive to our partners, TV5MONDE has been very active with nonlinear and OTT initiatives since 2002. Apart from providing operators with additional rights such as catch-up and VOD, we also created our own OTT service, TV5MONDE+ Asie, both as a B2C and authenticated service for B2B.
By Mansha Daswani
For French citizens living abroad, TV5MONDE has long served as a link back home, delivering French-language sports, news, drama and entertainment to 200-plus markets. The global broadcaster has built up a significant presence in the Asia Pacific with two feeds, TV5MONDE Asie and TV5MONDE Pacifique. Alexandre Muller, managing director of TV5MONDE Asia-Pacific, tells TV Asia about the growth of the broadcaster’s regional presence and his plans for tapping into the continued demand from Francophiles across the continent. TV ASIA: What are the major developments you’ve seen in your AsiaPac business over the last year? MULLER: TV5MONDE has been available in the Asia Pacific since 1996 and moved its [regional] headquarters to Hong Kong 11 years ago. Since then, the development of TV5MONDE’s portfolio has seen a continuous growth from 18 million subscribers in 2007 to over 100 million this year. The overall distribution has grown by 9 percent since last year on traditional cable, satellite and IPTV, and has boomed to over 200 million mobile users on OTT, mostly driven by India (including Reliance Jio and NexGTv), but also by new players like OONA in Indonesia. TV ASIA: What new markets are opening up for you? And where has your business been the strongest?
TV ASIA: Are there particular types of content—sports, lifestyle, drama—resonating most with your viewers? MULLER: The unique format of TV5MONDE regional channels resonates well in the region. If sport (French football’s Ligue 1 Conforama and rugby) and drama series are the most popular genres in most countries on pay-TV services, news and documentary are essential to out-of-home operators. The recent addition of TV5MONDE Style, a full HD thematic French lifestyle channel, to our portfolio, 100 percent subtitled in both traditional and simplified Chinese as well as English, serves as a firm offer in this part of the world, allowing us to enlarge our proposal to the public, and progressively help our partners to switch from SD to HD. TV ASIA: What do you see as the greatest challenges and opportunities for TV5MONDE Asia-Pacific in 2019? MULLER: The SD/HD transition has been nearly [completed] in the Pacific region; the switch to HD will remain a challenge in most countries in Asia over the coming years. To continue being relevant to the market, we will, therefore, need to reinvent ourselves, adapting our offers and services to the growing needs of both traditional and new players. That surely represents a challenge, but if we manage to do so, I believe this will open plenty of further opportunities.
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for this content to the local broadcasters, channels and other [platforms]. On the other hand, JKN has changed its role to be a content exporter to the world. We produce documentaries related to the King and the Queen of Thailand, collaborating with super brands like National Geographic and HISTORY to help our company to broadcast JKN’s original content worldwide. In June 2018, JKN became the sole distributor for BEC World, selling Thai series to the global market. This year, JKN attended several markets such as FILMART, Vietnam Telefilm and recently MIPCOM. JKN is also having a stand at ATF [and is presenting the] Thailand: Fresh Content panel. We will bring two Thai superstars, Ken Phupoom and Taew Natapohn, to showcase our featured Thai content Nakee, which is an epic franchise that consists of a drama series and a theatrical movie. TV ASIA: Tell us about your recent deal with ABS-CBN Corporation. JAKRAJUTATIP: We closed an output deal with ABS-CBN to acquire more than 200 hours of Filipino content to distribute to the Thai market. JKN and ABS-CBN also collaborate on marketing campaigns, such as bringing ABS-CBN’s artists Daniel Padilla, Kathryn Bernardo, Jericho Rosales and Maja Salvador to our JKN Mega Showcase 2018: Diamond Blue [event in August]. All of them got a good response as their series have been broadcasting in Thailand. We are also in discussions with ABS-CBN for an upcoming drama series co-production to feature superstars from [both] countries. TV ASIA: What other kinds of partnerships are you pursuing?
By Mansha Daswani
With its tagline of “The Pride of Thai Excellence,” JKN Global Media is on a mission to bring the country’s unique storytelling to global audiences. Long known as a leading importer of content—licensing shows from around the world for distribution to TV and digital platforms in Thailand—the outfit is also a prolific producer and is offering a range of content to the international market. Anne Jakkaphong Jakrajutatip, the CEO of JKN Global Media, tells TV Asia about the company’s business locally and its worldwide aspirations. TV ASIA: Tell us about JKN’s positioning within Thailand. JAKRAJUTATIP: JKN is the number one global content management and distribution company in Thailand. JKN is both an influencer and a trendsetter in the country. Our company brings in new content that Thai audiences have never seen before—JKN is the window to the world for Thai audiences. JKN is also collaborating with BEC World to distribute premium Thai drama series worldwide. TV ASIA: What are your international aspirations for JKN Global? JAKRAJUTATIP: Previously, going to the global content markets around the world, I acquired a lot of good programming covering all categories in fiction and factual. JKN expects to be the sole global content importer and distributor
JAKRAJUTATIP: JKN is looking for content that we can represent and distribute into Thailand and worldwide. We also are looking for partnerships in the area of co-production to produce our own series. Right now we have several projects in collaboration with big production houses and broadcasters in India and the Philippines. TV ASIA: What makes JKN’s content distinctive in the global marketplace? JAKRAJUTATIP: The Thai content that we represent and distribute contains good scripts with good production [values] and they can travel internationally. In addition, our drama series feature Thai artists who already have an international fan base, such as Nadech Kugimiya and Yaya Urassaya, who has already become popular in Southeast Asia with over a million followers on Facebook and Instagram. TV ASIA: What are your goals for the company in the next 12 to 18 months? JAKRAJUTATIP: Our goal now is to focus on the East Asian markets and to penetrate other markets such as the Middle East, Africa, the U.S. and Latin America as the next step. Our ultimate goal is to bring the pride of Thai excellence worldwide.
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