World Screen December 2023

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December 2023

WWW.WORLDSCREEN.COM

THE MAGAZINE OF INTERNATIONAL MEDIA

Bosch’s Henrik Bastin & Tom Bernardo / Fallen’s Matt Hastings Banijay Rights’ Rashmi Bajpai / GoQuest Media Showcase

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The January print edition of TV LATINA will be extensively dist The digital edition will be sent out before NATPE Global and The print edition will also be mailed to our circulation in Lati

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vely distributed at Content Americas. obal and Content Americas. on in Latin America and the U.S. Hispanic market.

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CONTENTS

DECEMBER 2023 WORLD VIEW By Mansha Daswani.

UPFRONTS Spotlighting new content on the market.

REINVENTING BOSCH Henrik Bastin and Tom Bernardo take World Screen behind the scenes of Amazon Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy.

FALLEN’S MATT HASTINGS Director Matt Hastings talks about crafting the book-based YA series Fallen.

QUEST FOR THE BEST GoQuest Media’s Rakesh Vasani shares the company’s acquisition ambitions for the coming year.

BANIJAY RIGHTS’ RASHMI BAJPAI The company’s executive VP for Asia weighs in on what’s driving its business today and what she is keeping her eyes on for 2024.

TRENDING ON The most-viewed clips on our video portals for the last 30 days.

Publisher Ricardo Seguin Guise Editor-in-Chief Mansha Daswani Editor-at-Large Anna Carugati Executive Editor Kristin Brzoznowski Associate Editors Jamie Stalcup Alexa Alfano Editor, Spanish-Language Publications Elizabeth Bowen-Tombari

AT A CROSSROADS Distributors heading to Asia TV Forum weigh in on the acquisition trends expected to define their businesses in 2024.

NIPPON TV’S YOSHIKUNI SUGIYAMA The representative director and chairman discusses the Japanese media group’s expansion efforts and its continued ratings success in Japan.

A TASTE FOR ASIA Our third annual TV Asia Screenings Festival spotlights hot properties across dramas, docs, formats and kids’ shows.

EXCEL ENTERTAINMENT’S FARHAN AKHTAR The actor and producer talks about the new Prime Video India series Bambai Meri Jaan.

REWIND NETWORKS’ AVI HIMATSINGHANI The channel operator’s founder and CEO shares what’s driving the success of its curated portfolio of services.

WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY’S JAMES GIBBONS The upcoming launch of Max in Asia and expanding its live-events business are among the priorities for the company’s new president for the region.

Production & Design Director David Diehl Online Director Simon Weaver Sales & Marketing Director Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Manager Genovick Acevedo Bookkeeper Daphne Menard

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP

PROGRAM LISTINGS Highlights from several distributors.

WORLD SCREEN is a registered trademark of WSN INC., 401 Park Avenue South, Suite 1041, New York, NY 10016, U.S.A. Phone: (212) 924-7620 Website: www.worldscreen.com ©2023 WSN INC. No part of this publication can be used, reprinted, copied or stored in any medium without the publisher’s authorization. For a free subscription to our newsletters, please visit www.subscriptions.ws.

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Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development

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WORLD VIEW

BY MANSHA DASWANI

The Big Shift Cord-cutting has been putting a damper on the pay-TV market for years, but the sector is set to see the first decline in its penetration rate next year, according to Ampere Analysis research, after peaking at 60.3 percent in the fourth quarter of this year.

The fall is being driven by North America, but all regions will be in decline by 2025, Ampere projects. But for those in that ecosystem, it’s not all doom and gloom, especially in Asia, where the business, while not growing, still serves as a robust contributor to the overall video sector. The Asia TV Forum edition of TV Asia, which you’ll find inside this edition of World Screen and on-site in Singapore, sees Warner Bros. Discovery’s James Gibbons and Rewind Networks’ Avi Himatsinghani discussing how they are working with platforms across the region to grow their businesses. The key, they say, is working with operators as they transition to new models.

Rory Gooderick, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, noted: “Cable and satellite platforms will remain a powerful force in the TV world and important distribution partners for streaming products, as evidenced by the recent distribution deal between Disney and Charter in the U.S., which saw select Disney streaming services bundled into Charter’s TV packages. This package structure, already increasingly common in Europe and parts of Asia, offers a framework for traditional cable-TV companies to transition their business into a streaming aggregation play and stabilize subscriber trajectories.”

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UPFRONTS

Banijay Rights Upside Down / Deal or No Deal Island / SAS: Who Dares Wins Upside Down

Banijay Rights has on offer Upside Down, a new studio-based game-show format that contains elements of comedy, skill and talent.

Deal or No Deal Island “is not just a spin-off but an evolved version of our highly successful format Deal or No Deal,” says Rashmi Bajpai, executive VP for Asia. SAS: Who Dares Wins features elements of patriotism and national pride as contestants take part in military training. “This is a fantastic pitch for clients who are looking to fill a physical, adventure reality show slot,” Bajpai says.

“In the Banijay catalog, there’s always something for everyone.”

—Rashmi Bajpai

Dori Media 15 a la Hora (Minimum Wage) / Lalola / Power Couple 15 a la Hora (Minimum Wage), an ATF highlight from Dori Media, follows three Hispanic women who unite to launch their own cleaning service business, forming a tight-knit family. In Lalola, womanizer Lalo wakes up on the day of a business meeting as Lola, a woman. Power Couple, an unscripted reality format, puts love to the test. “Power Couple is a different experience in the reality show genre, bringing a lot of humor, emotions and love to the screen,” says Haikal Jamari, sales manager for Asia and the Middle East.

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15 a la Hora (Minimum Wage)

“We eagerly anticipate the opportunity to engage with our valued clients at ATF.” —Haikal Jamari

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The fourth edition of the TV KIDS FESTIVAL, from January 30 to February 2, 2024, will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the major trends in the children’s programming business. It will be streamed live and available on-demand at TVKidsFestival.com.

You can sign up for your free registration here.

Gold, Silver & Bronze Sponsorship Packages Available!

For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or Dana Mattison at dmattison@worldscreen.com.

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Reinventing Bosch Henrik Bastin and Tom Bernardo take World Screen behind the scenes of Freevee’s Bosch: Legacy.

By Mansha Daswani

M

ichael Connelly’s beloved Harry Bosch character was first brought to viewers around the world in Prime Video’s Bosch, with Titus Welliver as the iconic, brooding L.A. detective. Over 68 episodes and seven seasons, the series adapted several of Connelly’s best-selling novels and became one of the platform’s biggest hits. When Prime Video’s sister adsupported service Amazon Freevee began expanding its roster of originals, it turned to the team behind Bosch to bring the brand back in a new iteration, Bosch: Legacy.

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The expanded universe follows its title character, now retired from the LAPD and working as a private detective, alongside attorney Honey “Money” Chandler and rookie cop Maddie Bosch. The second season of Bosch: Legacy premiered in October, with a third season already in the works.

“You want to bring the fans with you, but also create something new.” —Henrik Bastin “Doing an adaptation of books is always hard,” says Bastin, the CEO of Fabel Entertainment, who was a part of the team that first brought Bosch to Prime Video. “You want to bring the fans with you, but you also want to create something new. In Legacy, we’re reinventing that character somewhat. He has retired—how does that affect him? He’s not a spring chicken anymore. We have found our version of Harry Bosch and we can play with him and make him everything that he can be in a TV show.”

Bernardo, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner, was also excited about the prospect of taking Bosch in new directions. “It speaks to the layers that the character has—both as Michael has written in the books, but most importantly, as Titus Welliver has brought that character to life. Suddenly you have these new places to go. He’s at a different place in his life. To follow a character through 68 episodes in the original series and then to be able to turn over new dramatic cards is exciting.”

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Matt Hastings Fallen Director Matt Hastings talks about crafting Fallen.

F

rom Night Train Media and Silver Reel, Eccho Rights’ Fallen is based on the best-selling book series by Lauren Kate. The story follows the enigmatic Luce as she is sent to Sword & Cross, a cult-like rehabilitation facility, to serve time for a crime she cannot remember committing. Matt Hastings (The Handmaid’s Tale, Shadowhunters) directs the series.

“As the father of two daughters, it is very important to me to have a lead female protagonist who is strong and discovers the power of herself, despite adversity,” explains Hastings, noting that he wanted her to feel like “a real person,” regardless of the “heightened circumstances.”

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and why she has a connection with Daniel, another resident in the facility, that far precedes their time in the institution.

Hastings says that the show is “not a story about mental illness, although it talks about it. It’s not a story about oppression, but it deals with that. Most of all, it deals with [Luce] as a ‘Joan of Arc’ character.”

“I specialize in making sure the characters are grounded and relatable.”

Jessica Alexander (The Little Mermaid) stars in the lead role.

“When she walked in, I knew she was Luce,” remembers Hastings, noting that the actress “has the ability to emote in a way that I have not seen in a young adult in a long time.”

On working with known IP for Fallen, Hastings says that “honoring the initial text but also being aware that it’s an eightepisode television show” is important. For the second season, the team will continue to pull from various books in the series to create cohesion.

While YA can be a tricky genre to get right, Hastings insists that young audiences are still willing to tune in to TV, but they are “very smart, and they should not be undervalued.” He adds, “They know when something doesn’t feel authentic.

They know when they can’t see themselves in a character and when it feels artificial. I like to think I specialize in making sure the characters are grounded and relatable.”

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GoQuest Media’s Troll Farm.

QUEST BEST for the

GoQuest Media’s Rakesh Vasani shares the company’s acquisition ambitions for the coming year. By Jamie Stalcup

A

s 2023 nears its close, GoQuest Media continues to look ahead, with a focus on expanding its slate of international titles for the global stage and remaining committed to satisfying its existing partners.

“Over the past ten years, we have built great partnerships with networks across Europe, Africa and Asia,” says Rakesh Vasani, global head of content acquisition. “While expanding our catalog and finding new markets for our content is always the goal, providing our existing partners with new and fresh content and formats is very important to us.”

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At recent markets, GoQuest Media has gathered that audiences—and therefore broadcasters—are looking for lighter content, bordering on comedy. This desire is “probably a signal to coping with the times we are currently in,” Vasani explains.

These “lighter” titles make up a portion of the company’s wish list, but it is also “focusing on long-running series in the romance and family genres,” Vasani notes. “These are evergreen subjects that will always have an audience.”

“Providing our existing partners with new and fresh content is very important to us.” —Rakesh Vasani The GoQuest Media wish list additionally includes short premium series that are contemporary, bold and set around presentday issues and long-running series that are entertaining. A program that fits these parameters and is able to cultivate an international fan base is ideal to fit in with its current catalog, which features the crime dramas Erinyes and Crusade; the spy thrillers Traitor and Civil Servant; and the dramedies Troll Farm and Divorce in Peace, among a wide array of others.

As 2024 approaches and gets underway over the next couple of months, GoQuest Media is going to take “a strong approach,” Vasani notes. “After visiting all the major markets and clients across the globe and building relations, we want to progress to the next stages where we are closing deals on content.”

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Rashmi Bajpai Banijay Rights

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cross tape sales and non-scripted formats, Banijay Rights has built a thriving distribution business in Asia, securing a significant presence for key brands like Big Brother, MasterChef and more throughout the region. In time for Asia TV Forum (ATF), World Screen caught up with Rashmi Bajpai, the company’s Mumbai-based executive VP for Asia, about what’s driving its business today and what she is keeping her eyes on for 2024.

By Mansha Daswani

WS: What’s driving your content licensing business in Asia?

BAJPAI: It’s clear there has been a significant shift in programming and acquisitions with greater emphasis on local content.

Our formats have been successfully adapted in every major territory because our catalog offers scalability and innovation.

With over 5,000 formats, we have content to suit different cultures, budgets and tastes. Super-brands like Big Brother, Fear Factor, Deal or No Deal and MasterChef continue to perform strongly. In India, we recently produced Temptation Island; MasterChef continues to dominate in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Cambodia; while LEGO Masters returned for a second season in China and launched in Japan earlier this year.

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We saw Million Dollar Minute and The Face in Vietnam and Your Face Sounds Familiar in Mongolia, and First and Last Thailand has recently been renewed for its seventh season. Smaller territories like Mongolia are also contributing to this success with the recently signed deals of Killer Karaoke and Spelling Star.

“We remain hopeful that AVOD and freemium services will continue to grow our business in 2024.”

WS: What potential do you see for scripted format adaptations?

BAJPAI: The momentum we are witnessing is encouraging. We adapted Bron in Malaysia and Singapore as The Bridge. We have adapted Humans in China and more recently launched season three of Aarya on Disney+ Hotstar, which is adapted from our Dutch drama Penoza. It is a great opportunity for our clients to have access to our writers, creators and developers and adapt a story locally at a subsidized cost. It also reduces the risk to some extent as they are buying a show that has proven success.

WS: What trends are you seeing among the streamers?

BAJPAI: Nearly all the streamers in Asia are focusing on local content. They are investing heavily in scripted dramas as it helps them in getting subscribers. We remain hopeful that AVOD and freemium services will continue to contribute to and grow our business in 2024.

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WS: Some of the panregional entertainment channels have been shut down; how has that impacted your business?

BAJPAI: The closing of these channels had knock-on effects for our business, and the situation is unlikely to change any time soon. That said, we have found new partBuddy Games, inspired by the movie of the same name, ners who have successheadlines Banijay Rights’ entertainment lineup for ATF. fully launched linear channels in this environment and are continuing to expand, such as Rewind Networks and Rock Entertainment. The linear TV landscape has changed dramatically over the last few years, and the growth chart is not as steep as online video platforms, but it cannot be ignored either. The adoption of online video streamers in markets such as India has also made up for this loss.

WS: What are your forecasts for 2024?

BAJPAI: We will have to be more flexible and creative in our approach. We have not rested on our laurels in India and have recently concluded regional format deals for MasterChef in Tamil and Telugu. The idea is to go hyper-local. We hope to offer more solutions in terms of sponsorship ideas, monetization opportunities and long-term strategies such as shared production hubs.

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TVASIA

WWW.WORLDSCREEN.COM

DECEMBER 2023

ASIA TV FORUM EDITION

Selling to Asia / Nippon TV’s Yoshikuni Sugiyama / Farhan Akhtar Rewind Networks’ Avi Himatsinghani / Warner Bros. Discovery’s James Gibbons

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CONTENTS

Rewriting the Conversation Asia may be a few years behind the U.S. when it comes to the state of the streaming wars and cord-cutting, but the region is not immune to the broader shifts in the business worldwide.

Ricardo Seguin Guise Publisher Mansha Daswani Editor-in-Chief Anna Carugati Editor-at-Large Kristin Brzoznowski Executive Editor Jamie Stalcup Alexa Alfano Associate Editors David Diehl Production & Design Director Simon Weaver Online Director Dana Mattison Sales & Marketing Director Genovick Acevedo Sales & Marketing Manager Daphne Menard Bookkeeper

Ricardo Seguin Guise President Anna Carugati Executive VP Mansha Daswani Associate Publisher & VP of Strategic Development TV Asia ©2023 WSN INC. 401 Park Avenue South, Suite 1041, New York, NY 10016 Phone: (212) 924-7620 Website: www.worldscreen.com

Indeed, convening the industry in Singapore for the Asia TV Forum (ATF), organizer RX Global has set “Re-writing the Business of Entertainment” as the theme of this year’s edition. “C-suite executives and decision-makers are set to descend onto the Marina Bay Sands with a focus on exclusive insights and strategic visions for 2024—what this means in the evolution of the industry today, its creative challenges and the ingenuity of business models,” says Hui Leng Yeow, group project director for ATF. As is the case in other parts of the world, there are pain points the industry needs to contend with. SVOD growth has slowed. Ad revenues are on the decline worldwide.

Inflation has meant producers must be more thoughtful about how they cobble budgets together. And yet, a sense of optimism permeated all of the interviews I conducted for this edition of TV Asia.

Yoshikuni Sugiyama, representative director and chairman of leading Japanese media group Nippon TV, acknowledged the softness in that territory’s ad market but is bullish on the company’s ability to remain at the forefront of marketers’ budgets thanks to its consistent ratings success. The company is also investing in bringing Japanese creativity to the global market, from scripted and non-scripted formats and tape sales to its landmark deal to take majority ownership of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli.

Bringing Asian content to global audiences is also a key priority for James Gibbons, the new president for the Asia-Pacific at Warner Bros. Discovery, which operates a successful animation studio in Japan. Gibbons is also excited about the 2024 launch of Max in the region, which will begin with the existing HBO GO territories in Southeast Asia.

While streaming continues to take up more and more time of audiences’ media diets, there’s still room for lean-back television viewing, as Rewind Networks has found with its expanding suite of pay-TV channels.

Building on the success of HITS and HITS MOVIES, the company, led by Avi Himatsinghani, is now building a footprint for HITS NOW, which delivers a slate of entertainment and scripted shows, many within 48 hours of their U.S. telecast. He shared with me the strategy forward for HITS NOW. And as challenged budgets put a squeeze on production ambitions, a raft of distributors heading to ATF are hopeful that buyers will expand their acquired slates or turn to reliable formats as they look for more innovative, savvier ways to entertain audiences in 2024.

—Mansha Daswani

FEATURES

AT A CROSSROADS Distributors heading to Asia TV Forum weigh in on the acquisition trends expected to define their businesses in the region in 2024.

A TASTE FOR ASIA Our third annual TV Asia Screenings Festival spotlights hot properties across dramas, docs, formats and kids’ shows.

INTERVIEWS

Nippon TV’s Yoshikuni Sugiyama

Excel Entertainment’s Farhan Akhtar

Rewind Networks’ Avi Himatsinghani

Warner Bros.

Discovery’s James Gibbons

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Picture Slam

All3Media International Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake / Angela Black / Picture Slam All3Media International’s factual slate features Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake, which sees astronaut Tim Peake tackle topics such as black holes, what stars are made of and life beyond Earth. On the scripted formats front, Angela Black centers on a woman whose life appears idyllic from the outside, but in reality, she is trapped in a toxic relationship with no escape. She is eventually approached by a private investigator who is able to spill all of her husband’s secrets. The non-scripted format Picture Slam “is universal, studio-based, perfect for viewers to play along at home and easy to understand,” says Amanda Pe, sales executive for the Asia-Pacific. Contestants face a series of pictures that are each worth money. The more they can name, the more cash they win.

“I am excited to be at ATF to meet our partners and to celebrate with them the deals we have done.”

—Amanda Pe

Safir

atv Distribution Safir / Street Birds Safir, leading atv Distribution’s slate, follows Feraye, a housekeeper for a wealthy family who falls in love with Yaman, one of the heirs. When Yaman is forced to marry another woman, Feraye sets the house on fire. Yaman’s brother Ateş saves her and agrees to marry her to unite his family.

Street Birds, meanwhile, centers on five kids who find an abandoned baby while working for a dangerous man. They desert their territory after the man kills the woman who comes looking for the baby. “Turkish dramas are captivating audiences across Asia, gaining popularity in regions like Pakistan, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” says Müge Akar, head of sales. “Known for universal themes, high production quality and cultural resonance, these shows connect with viewers.”

Cyber Group Studios

“We’re committed to growing in this market as we strengthen our ties with our customers.”

—Müge Akar

Press Start!

Press Start! / Alex Player / 50/50 Heroes Among the titles Cyber Group Studios is bringing to ATF, Press Start!, a comedy adapted from Thomas Flintham’s best-selling series of books, follows two siblings who end up playing inside their favorite video game, Super Rabbit Boy, and become best friends with the titular hero. The esports series Alex Player “mirrors Cyber Group Studios’ strong culture of innovation,” says Pauline Bérard, international sales executive, as it is produced with realtime animation. The cartoon comedy 50/50 Heroes centers on two siblings who have to share their powers evenly. “On top of finding families and homes in Asia for these three IPs, our goal is to promote the group’s commitment to expand its slate of content, widening the array of animation techniques and targeting a broader age range,” Bérard says.

“More than ever, we are looking at innovative, creative collaborations on the artistic and business fronts.”

—Pauline Bérard

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Eccho Rights Sandık Kokusu / Golden Boy / Ömer Sandık Kokusu, on offer from Eccho Rights, is a story about motherhood. It is a brand-new launch from the company.

Golden Boy, following two sisters whose paths cross with Ferit and change forever, “has become one of the most successful shows in recent years,” says Berkin Nalbantli, sales consultant for CEE and Africa, adding that “the show is licensed in more than 100 countries, and we look forward to introducing it to Asian buyers.” Ömer tells a love story between two people who come from completely different backgrounds: a younger man and an older woman. Life soon turns upside down, and although the man’s conservative father will never approve of the relationship, the couple has a love strong enough to overcome all obstacles and break taboos.

Golden Boy

“We worked diligently to establish our lineup for this year, and we are thrilled to introduce our catalog.”

—Berkin Nalbantli

GMA Network Royal Blood / Love Before Sunrise Royal Blood, an ATF highlight from GMA Network, is a crime and family drama about the illegitimate son of a business tycoon who struggles to make ends meet for himself and his daughter. When the man’s long-lost father shows up after years of neglect, his life takes an unexpected turn. Love Before Sunrise follows the story of ex-lovers who regret losing each other, each having entered unhappy marriages. After a long separation, they rekindle their relationship despite the circumstances. The shared themes between the two series of love, family and struggle “transcend cultural boundaries and resonate with people from various parts of the world, making the content relatable and emotionally engaging,” says Roxanne J. Barcelona, VP of the worldwide division.

Nippon TV

Love Before Sunrise

“We want to establish and strengthen relationships with key industry players.”

—Roxanne J. Barcelona

The Greatest Teacher

The Greatest Teacher / Koso Koso Nippon TV’s scripted format The Greatest Teacher follows Rina Kujo, a teacher who is pushed off the school balcony on graduation day. As she falls, the last thing she sees is the sleeve of a student’s school uniform, only to find herself back one year ago with a chance to unveil the truth. “The Greatest Teacher recorded the highest streaming viewing record of our company, and we look forward to more Asian productions to follow,” says Yuki Akehi, director of global business. Koso Koso is a new game-show format from the company, co-developed and co-produced with BBC Studios and Empire of Arkadia.

The game, which has a cash prize element, features a team of celebrity secret agents who must prank members of the public.

“Our creative team produces trending series that resonate deeply with young audiences.”

—Yuki Akehi

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Pingo Entertainment Shasha & Milo / PimPim Series / Bboong-Uh Café Global launches have started for Pingo Entertainment’s Shasha & Milo, and the company is looking to meet with buyers and partners from Japan and Southeast Asia for the show. The series centers on shape-shifting guardians—with the power to transform between human, cat and a formidable hybrid form—tasked with preventing dark magic from taking over their home. Pingo Entertainment’s PimPim Series features bright and fun children’s songs, while Bboong-Uh Café is a non-verbal web animation about when a fish-shaped pastry unexpectedly comes across a coffee bean. PimPim Series has previously been broadcast on KBS2 in Korea. Bboong-Uh Café is based on a snack that is familiar within nations of Asia, which Pingo Entertainment believes will help it garner the attention of buyers in the region.

PimPim Series

Rewind Networks HITS / HITS MOVIES / HITS NOW Rewind Networks’ HITS channel brings timeless classics back to television, including shows such as Little House on the Prairie, I Dream of Jeannie and Poirot. On HITS MOVIES, the focus is on iconic blockbusters, featuring titles such as Rumble in the Bronx, Rush Hour and Donnie Brasco.

HITS NOW, which provides current content, features LEGO Masters, Hell’s Kitchen, Survivor and Shark Tank, among other hit series. “Each of our channels has been carefully curated to meet the diverse tastes of the Asian audience,” says Sandie Lee, executive VP. “Our content offerings have consistently stayed true to the brand proposition of ‘The Best TV, Movies and Newest TV Hits—All in One Place.’ Our channels showcase only the best shows—classic, popular and current—anytime and every time you tune in.”

LEGO Masters

“Our participation at ATF this year is centered around three key objectives: content, community and collaboration.”

—Sandie Lee

Studio 100 Media Vegesaurs / 100% Wolf—The Book of Hath / FriendZSpace Studio 100 Media’s Vegesaurs follows unique dinosaurs based on vegetables, including Tricarrotops and Pea-Rexes. A third season with 20 additional episodes has been commissioned and will be completed in summer 2024. 100% Wolf—The Book of Hath, the second season of 100% Wolf, centers on a fluffy pink were-poodle as he proves that he is really a wolf.

“The overall concept of 100% Wolf underlines that heroes come in many forms, displaying diversity by strength in difference and self-confidence by standing up for what you believe in,” says Vanessa Windhager, sales executive. The comedy FriendZSpace sees a group of children travel into outer space to locate new planets, find alien kids and befriend them. “It’s about embracing our differences and getting into exciting trouble in the process,” Windhager says.

Vegesaurs

“Our mission in the kids’ entertainment world is to bring brands to life that are contentdriven and entertain kids and families.”

—Vanessa Windhager

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TV Asahi Ossan’s Love Returns / Hayabusa Fire Brigade TV Asahi’s Ossan’s Love, which gained popularity in Japan and other Asian countries, is returning after a years-long hiatus as Ossan’s Love Returns. It follows a love triangle between three men: Haruta, who is in his 30s and desperately seeking true love; Kurosawa, his married boss; and Maki, his handsome colleague and roommate. “Japan is a developed society, but we continue to face many social issues, and such issues are often the backdrop of our stories,” says Yukie Uwakubo, sales executive for finished content and formats. Hayabusa Fire Brigade is based on the latest novel written by Japanese novelist Jun Ikeido. The story explores a series of arson cases and suspicious deaths in a quiet village. Having aired recently in Japan, the show features twists, turns and an unexpected ending.

Hayabusa Fire Brigade

“TV Asahi is focusing on finished programs and scripted format sales.”

—Yukie Uwakubo

Warner Bros. Discovery The Sympathizer / Tom and Jerry / True Detective: Night Country Spanning all genres—from scripted dramas to factual and lifestyle, kids and reality—there’s a diverse selection from Warner Bros. Discovery, including HBO originals, Max originals, Warner Bros. TV and Warner Bros. Animation titles.

“For those in Asia, The Sympathizer—an HBO original drama set in Southeast Asia—already has people talking,” says Jae Chang, head of content licensing for Southeast Asia, India and Korea. There’s also the brand-new Tom and Jerry series, House of the Dragon season two and True Detective: Night Country, starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis. Further highlights include The Regime, The Penguin, Dr. Wolf and Found. “After the success of Barbie, and with Wonka and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom premiering in December, there will also be a keen interest in the Warner Bros. theatrical slate,” adds Chang.

True Detective: Night Country

“At ATF, Warner Bros. Discovery has its usual presence on the market floor, showcasing one of the broadest and most compelling portfolios of new content.”

—Jae Chang

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GMA Network’s The Cheating Game.

AT A

CROSSROADS

Distributors heading to Singapore for Asia TV Forum reflect on the trends they expect will reshape their businesses in the region in 2024.

By Mansha Daswani

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orean content still dominates viewing trends across Asia; per a Media Partners Asia report this summer, shows from that country accounted for a whopping 50 percent of SVOD viewing and 42 percent of freemium views in the first half of the year.

Across Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, 58 million VOD users streamed Korean content in Q1.

“We expect Korea to maintain its stronghold as the top-traveling content category online in the region as total online video investment in Korean content is estimated to top $1.9 billion in 2024,” observed Dhivya T, MPA’s head of content insights, in the report. “Beyond Korea, strong engagement with Chinese and Thai content in the region is promising, pointing to potential further diversification in impactful Asian entertainment with regional travelability.”

Indeed, the rising prominence of Asian content emerged as a key theme in this pre-ATF distributors’ survey, building upon trends seen as the global business convened in Cannes in October for MIPCOM. With China feted as the country of honor and a raft of co-development and co-production agreements both within the region and externally, companies are eager to tap into the region’s creative expertise.

All3Media International has seen a surge in its scripted formats business across Asia, particularly in India, according to Sabrina Duguet, executive VP for the region. “The success has been a mix of the market needing it in terms of more local productions in Asia, and all the VOD platforms wanting to attract new audiences and needing a lot of scripted series as quickly as possible; adapting formats is a way to fast-track that,” Duguet observes. “Our offering has never been better, and the demand has never been higher. That has created a great business opportunity.”

LOCAL FLAIR All3Media International has expanded that opportunity by retaining the rights to several remakes, allowing it to add compelling, high-quality Asian fare to its distribution lineup.

“The first big success was with Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, which we adapted in China for Tencent,” Duguet says. “The international sales have been pretty incredible. A lot of the Indian series we’ve done recently, we’ve had offers from several territories around the world. So it’s a double opportunity here. First, in adapting the formats, creating and helping create a fantastic local version for our clients and partners, and then, on the back of that, selling that local version, sometimes in collaboration with the partners.”

The team at GMA Network has seen steady increases in interest in Filipino content since it cracked the Indonesian market in 2007. “Filipino dramas slowly gained popularity

in the region because of the engaging storylines,” says Roxanne J. Barcelona, VP and consultant at GMA’s worldwide business division. “Following the success of GMA dramas in Indonesia, GMA aggressively pushed its content to other ASEAN countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Myanmar. As GMA increased its production of local content, more dramas were exported and shown in other countries. At present, our market has increased to include sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and even Russia.”

Beyond further global expansion, aligning with SVOD operators is a crucial growth opportunity for the com pany. “The Cheating Game, a GMA-produced feature film, was acquired by Netflix for worldwide SVOD rights,” says Reena de Guzman Garingan, who oversees business development and strategic content partnerships at GMA Network. “This is a first for GMA since most of the GMA content acquired by Netflix is limited to the Philippines. We are currently discussing with other streaming platforms in the region for possible co-productions and collaborations.”

JAPANESE TREASURES Japan’s TV Asahi Corporation is also aggressively building its international footprint, arriving in Singapore with highlights such as Ossan’s Love Returns, marking the return of the popular 2018 series. “The Hong Kong version was produced and aired on ViuTV in 2021,” says Yukie Uwakubo, sales executive for finished content and formats. “Ossan’s Love has been commissioned in Thailand and will be produced by GMMTV.” Both scripted formats and tape sales are on the agenda for TV Asahi, Uwakubo notes. “We are finding that stories with strong characters tackling universal social issues attract much interest. Japan is a developed society, but we continue to face many social issues [that] are often the backdrop of our stories. Our storytelling techniques not only do justice to the serious social issues but also incorporate comedic, cynical or sometimes farcical depictions that shed light on the human condition.”

Universal values are also driving sustained interest in Turkish series across the region, according to Müge Akar, head of sales at atv Distribution. “Turkish dramas are captivating audiences across Asia, gaining popularity in regions like Pakistan, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Known for universal themes, high production quality and cultural resonance, these shows connect with viewers. The accessibility of dubbed or subtitled versions and strategic international distribution have fueled their success.”

Malaysia and Indonesia have been among the bright spots for atv in Asia, Akar reports, and new opportunities in India and Vietnam are high up on the agenda for 2024.

“Simultaneously, we are actively engaged in ongoing business negotiations with several other countries,” she adds. “Our objective in entering these new markets is to broaden our sphere of influence, extending our reach to

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All3Media International’s successful scripted formats track record in Asia includes Liar in Malaysia.

additional countries and concurrently fostering relationships with new clients.”

Cyber Group Studios is also keen to expand its well-established presence across AsiaPac, highlighting franchises such as Gigantosaurus, now heading into a fourth season, and the esports series Alex Player, which taps into the technical expertise of Scrawl Animation in Singapore.

“Having set foot in the region thanks to our close partnership with Scrawl Animation, a Singapore-based cutting-edge studio directed by Choon Meng Seng, we benefit from the Singaporean team’s experience and market knowledge,” says Pauline Bérard, international sales executive at Cyber Group Studios, who oversees the com pany’s business in Asia. “We work hand in hand to identify our opportunities in the region. This year, ATF is a time to meet as many partners as we can from all over the region. Then, on an IP

by IP basis, our main objective for Gigantosaurus is to find homes in the Philippines and Malaysia, where we’ve witnessed tremendous growth in awareness on YouTube.”

STREAM ON

Cyber Group Studios tapped into the expertise of Scrawl Animation in Singapore for Alex Player.

atv Distribution is seeing increased interest in Turkish dramas like A Little Sunshine across Asia.

Digital is indeed powering gains for numerous distributors in Asia despite the seismic shifts happening in the streaming business at present.

“Strategies have to be more intentional as it is no longer the traditional way of thinking or doing business,” says Barcelona at GMA Network.

“Windowing is crucial; granting rights and creating content specifically for streaming platforms and not necessarily for mass free-to-air audiences are key factors. Collaborations with streaming or linear platforms are forged, doing business never done before. We need to bring the expertise of both companies together, whether it be in creating content or having technological expertise and having a platform.

It is all about finding the right fit for a partnership and making a story in the region.”

De Guzman Garingan adds that a key initiative for GMA Network in 2024 is ensuring that its shows “are widely available on various streaming platforms across Asia and the rest of the world. This approach helps create more awareness of GMA’s content to a wider audience, which, in turn, drives GMA’s thriving syndication business.”

All3Media International is positioning itself for further gains region-wide following the expansion of its Asia-Pacific team under Duguet. “At the beginning of the year, we created three new roles, so we have more resources to cover the new business. We hired Jaenani Netra to oversee India. Amanda Pe covers all of Southeast Asia. Tony Ziran Tang joined us from BBC Studios, and he covers North Asia. It’s a great reflection of the growth of the business.”

“We are truly happy to be back in Singapore to meet our partners,” Cyber Group Studios’ Bérard adds. “2024 will be a time for change, and it’s thrilling to meet with our partners and discuss the various opinions about the market evolution.”

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Yoshikuni Sugiyama Nippon TV

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apanese media giant Nippon TV has long been a supporter of anime luminary Hayao Miyazaki. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which would kick off a string of feature film successes for the famed animator, aired on the broadcaster shortly after its theatrical release. Nippon TV also contributed to the financing of the 1989 release Kiki’s Delivery Service and supported the establishment of the Ghibli Museum. This year, the longstanding relationship between Nippon TV and Miyazaki was formalized when the group acquired a majority holding in Studio Ghibli. For Yoshikuni Sugiyama, representative director and chairman of Nippon TV, the transaction forms part of the media group’s efforts to expand its influence and reach in Japan and globally. International expansion has certainly been vital for the group as it rides the wave of success it has seen with scripted and non-scripted remakes and tape sales. TV Asia caught up with Sugiyama to hear more about Nippon TV’s expansion efforts and its continued ratings success in Japan as it marks its 70th anniversary this year.

By Mansha Daswani TV ASIA: What’s driving Nippon TV’s continued ratings momentum as it marks its 70th anniversary?

SUGIYAMA: I believe the support we receive from our viewers is driven by the stellar in-house production expertise of Nippon TV’s creators, who produce approximately 90 percent of our titles. What sets Nippon TV apart is that we have numerous long-running hit shows that have had success for over 10 to 20 years, some even 30 years, like Old Enough! However, it is worth pointing out that these shows have not stayed the same throughout. As times change, so does what viewers want to see, and our creators have constantly sought to address this. They have a relentless desire to evolve, which could mean that even for the same show, there might be a drastic change in the cast and what is presented in it. Our content creators are tremendously creative and brilliant in promoting their works—a talent continuously passed down from the veterans to the young creators to the point that it has become a part of our DNA. It is what has compelled our viewers to keep supporting Nippon TV over many years, which is something that I am immensely proud of.

TV ASIA: You restructured this year to accelerate your digital transformation. Tell us about the thinking behind the restructure and how you plan to boost your streaming and international businesses.

SUGIYAMA: In May 2022, Nippon TV announced its MediumTerm Management Plan 2022-2024, in which one of the goals stated was to emphasize the content-oriented approach. Specifically, we established a content strategy headquarters to achieve that objective. During the company

reorganization in June of this year, we distributed our digital-related human resources and functions across the departments to enable the entire organization to tackle digital initiatives. The way content is consumed is diversifying, and we are advancing our digital transformation so that Nippon TV works can be enjoyed not only on the linear platform but also on various media. In addition to our linear broadcast, we are optimizing our AVOD, SVOD and TVOD businesses to formulate a comprehensive broadcasting and streaming strategy. Not to be left out are the various platforms, such as YouTube and TikTok, on which we will proactively seek to roll out our content to capture new users and opportunities to expand into related businesses. Another aim of the last company reorganization was to bolster our international businesses. Within the content strategy headquarters is the global business division, which oversees the new studio strategy arm. It is responsible for producing drama series, anime and films with both owned and external platforms in mind from the get-go. One of Nippon TV’s assets is its superb creativity and armed with this, we challenge ourselves every day to expand the international fan base for our content.

The team specializing in global business strategically attends various content markets worldwide to network and negotiate with international clients and analyze the latest trends. This enables them to construct sales strategies tailored to the global market where streaming has become mainstream.

Of late, in particular, Nippon TV has invested great efforts in co-developments with overseas partners, and at MIPCOM 2023, we unveiled Koso Koso, a format we co-developed

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My Neighbor Totoro is among the raft of acclaimed titles from Studio Ghibli, which Nippon TV acquired a majority stake in this year.

with BBC Studios and Empire of Arkadia. The hilarious game show was received with huge applause, and we aim to realize a global version in 2024.

TV ASIA: The ad market globally is under pressure. How is the situation in Japan, and how is Nippon TV positioned in this landscape?

SUGIYAMA: With digital transformation affecting various aspects of our daily lives, we have seen a diversification of how people spend their spare time. Even in Japan, we are witnessing a trend of decreasing real-time television viewing, although not as drastic as abroad. Consequently, television ad expenditures are in a downward [trend], but thankfully, out of the five commercial broadcasters in

SUGIYAMA: Ever since Nippon TV aired Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984, directed by Hayao Miyazaki) on television in 1985, we have shown Studio Ghibli works on our weekly program Friday Road Show. Nippon TV has a long history of partnership with Studio Ghibli, starting from when it provided funding to produce the film Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989, directed by Miyazaki) and including its support for the opening of the Ghibli Museum, Mitaka. Studio Ghibli has spawned works loved by people from Japan and the world over. Nippon TV decided to acquire the shares of Studio Ghibli due to its conviction that supporting this world-class studio to a greater extent than ever before will contribute to the corporate value enhancement of the entire Nippon TV group. In so doing,

“One of Nippon TV’s assets is its superb creativity, and, armed with this, we challenge ourselves every day to expand the international fan base for our content.”

Japan, Nippon TV has captured the most viewership from our core target, who are viewers in their mid-teens to 40s—those who the sponsors of television commercials place substantial importance on for their purchasing power.

We have accomplished this feat consecutively for the last 12 years, and as a result, we have posted the highest broadcasting revenue out of all our competitors for nine years running. We indeed enjoy an overwhelming presence in the industry.

TV ASIA: What motivated the acquisition of Studio Ghibli, and what does that deal bring to Nippon TV?

we expect synergies that will come in two forms. First, the share acquisition allows us to provide management support, which enables Studio Ghibli to exert unprecedented efforts in the creative process. Second, as a partner who has always respected Studio Ghibli’s belief in cherishing its works, Nippon TV is well-positioned to provide lasting protection to the studio’s brand value.

TV ASIA: There is stiff competition in the Japanese streaming sector. How is Hulu Japan positioned?

SUGIYAMA: As you pointed out, streaming platforms in Japan indeed face fierce competition, with Netflix,

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SUGIYAMA: The Hulu Disney+ bundle we launched in July leverages both platforms to deliver exceptional works from Japan and the world to more users in Japan. This bundle plan is available for a monthly cost of 1,490 yen ($9.80) and is cheaper than subscribing separately to both services. It expands the SVOD options that are currently available, which we expect will translate to growth in our subscriber base. Nippon TV and The Walt Disney Company (Japan) entered a strategic collaboration in 2022, and this is one of the fruits of that effort.

Nippon TV’s acclaimed drama Mother has been remade in several territories across the globe.

Prime Video and Disney+ on the foreign-owned side, going against domestic players like U-NEXT and our very own Hulu. Meanwhile, users are not limiting themselves to single subscriptions. There is a tendency for them to choose a streaming platform depending on the title and genre they want to watch, and they consume that content at the time that is right for them. In actuality, users are subscribed to about three streaming platforms.

Netflix, with its abundance of original content, and Prime Video, which comes as an ancillary service to its e-commerce subscription, have large subscriber bases.

The way we need to compete is to get users to choose us along with our competitors. We launched a Hulu and Disney+ bundle plan and are bolstering our original content lineup to distinguish ourselves from our competitors and emerge victorious.

TV ASIA: Tell us about the Disney+ bundle partnership for Hulu. What are the benefits?

TV ASIA: What’s driving the gains in your international business division across formats and tape sales? What are your overall goals for Nippon TV’s international business in the challenging year ahead?

SUGIYAMA: Nippon TV’s very own Shark Tank (Dragons’ Den in the U.K.), our iconic format, and Mother, the most internationally adapted scripted format from Asia, continue to go strong throughout the world. In addition, Old Enough!, Masquerade and Silent Library, poster formats that have attained success in Japan, have been receiving numerous localization requests from various countries. What we are seeing might be a trend where well-known titles garner more attention as the global market becomes challenging. That said, new works are also enjoying remarkable success, like Rebooting, the drama series and scripted format that Nippon TV debuted in 2023 that received high acclaim in Japan and abroad, ultimately winning numerous awards. It features an elaborately constructed story that has captivated audiences not only in Asia but also in Europe and North America. Indeed, unique ideas such as this one boost Nippon TV’s international formats and tape sales.

Going forward, I hope to see more collaborations between creators and be more proactive about codeveloping with overseas partners to create content for Japan and the world. The process might be different depending on the idea and project, but we at Nippon TV have a track record of flexibly adjusting to our partners, and we look forward to hearing from interested companies. Of course, we are not limited to content creation—whether it be merchandising or event businesses, we welcome the challenge across various realms.

Silent Library, a popular game-show format on Nippon TV, was adapted in Finland this year.

TV ASIA: Beyond the Studio Ghibli deal, are you looking at other M&A opportunities to grow Nippon TV’s business?

SUGIYAMA: We announced our strategic investment policy in May 2022 through our Medium-Term Management Plan 20222024. It lays out the four areas where we are looking to make investments—media content businesses, new businesses, life and health-related businesses and sustainable investments.

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Farhan

Akhtar

F

arhan Akhtar has emerged as one of India’s most prolific multi-hyphenates.

He made his directorial and writing debut with the award-winning 2001 film Dil Chahta Hai and first appeared on-screen in the hit Rock On!!, which he also wrote and produced—while also singing several songs for the film’s soundtrack.

With Excel Entertainment, the production company he founded with Ritesh Sidhwani in 1999, Akhtar has also extended his storytelling flair into the television space. The company first made its mark in the episodic sphere with the critically acclaimed Inside Edge, set in the world of cricket, for Prime Video. Excel’s partnership with Prime Video has grown to include the crime dramas Mirzapur and Dahaad; Made in Heaven, about high-end wedding planners in Delhi; and, most recently, Bambai Meri Jaan (Bombay My Beloved). The ten-parter, co-created by Shujaat Saudagar and Rensil D’Silva, was inspired by S. Hussain Zaidi’s nonfiction book Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia. A sprawling crime saga, it stars Avinash Tiwary as Dara Kadri, an aspiring crime lord, and Kay Kay Menon as his father, a law enforceBy Mansha Daswani ment officer, against the backdrop of 1970s Mumbai.

TV ASIA: How did Bambai Meri Jaan come about?

AKHTAR: S. Hussain Zaidi is a well-known, world-renowned crime journalist. He put this story together. He’s drawn from many things he’s written about, read about and experienced in his life and created this amazing fictional story.

It’s a classic story of good versus evil, of questioning morality. Does getting rich define you as successful, or does your integrity being intact define you as successful? I was so drawn to the questions that the story was raising. And, of course, beyond that, the writing was engaging. It was immersive and entertaining. These characters were unique in this world, and I loved the way they spoke to each other and the way the screenplay unfolded. It felt like it would make for good, compelling viewing. That was the reason to do it.

TV ASIA: Tell us about the arc of the story you wanted to tell in the first season.

AKHTAR: If you look at this family as one body, you see the heart and the mind being torn apart. They are one, but by the end of it, the father and the son are on opposite ends of the spectrum. It was about that journey. That’s what the

writing was focused on—telling that relationship story. It’s a story of feeling the lack of validation from a parent, and the parent feeling that the child is beyond understanding anything they are trying to impart. And how that gap keeps growing and growing. At the same time, there is this unrequited love almost from both sides to each other. It deals with all of that. To me, that’s what gave this series a beating heart. There’s a lot of style. There’s a lot of substance. But what’s going on with these two characters is the beating heart of the story.

TV ASIA: Excel has a wide-ranging deal with Prime Video.

How has that relationship enabled you to tell the types of stories you want to tell?

AKHTAR: We have a partner that empowers us to be able to go out there and make what we want to make. There’s a vision a filmmaker or writer comes to us with. [Prime Video], when they recognize that you believe in something, they back your belief and then multiply that ten times when they put it out for you. It’s great creative synergy.

We’ve created some really good work together. I hope we continue to do that.

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All3Media International’s Kitchen Nightmares USA

A Taste for Asia

Our third annual TV Asia Screenings Festival spotlights hot properties for Asia TV Forum (ATF) across dramas, docs, formats and kids’ shows.

D

riven by strong traction across the region, All3Media International expanded its Asia-Pacific team under Executive VP Sabrina Duguet this year. It arrives at ATF with a mix of titles that speak to the breadth of its catalog. Highlights include two shows fronted

by Gordon Ramsay: Kitchen Nightmares USA, back for an eighth season, and Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars. “Gordon Ramsay is loved all across the globe, and that most certainly includes Asia,” Duguet notes. The company is also showcasing new premium factual such as Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake. The buzzy game show The Traitors is a key focus on the non-scripted formats front. Rounding out the highlights is a second season of Trigger Point.

TV Asahi’s Ossan’s Love, which gained popularity in Japan and other Asian countries, is returning after a years-long hiatus as Ossan’s Love

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TV Asahi’s Ossan’s Love Returns

Returns. It follows a love triangle between three men: Haruta, who is in his 30s and desperately seeking true love; Kurosawa, his married boss; and Maki, his handsome colleague and roommate. Hayabusa Fire Brigade is based on the novel by Jun Ikeido. “Viewers were captivated by the unexpected twists and shocking ending,” says Yukie Uwakubo, sales executive for finished content and formats. TV Asahi is also showcasing the romance drama Yuria’s Red String of Fate, based on an award-winning comic.

Also looking to benefit from the surging interest in Asian drama across the region is the Philippines’ GMA Network, which arrives at ATF with highlights such as Love Before Sunrise and Royal Blood. The shared themes between the two series of love, family and struggle “transcend cultural boundaries and resonate with people from various parts of the world, making the

GMA Network’s Royal Blood

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Cyber Group Studios’ Gigantosaurus

content relatable and emotionally engaging,” says Roxanne J. Barcelona, VP of the worldwide division at GMA Network.

Turkish drama is also proving to be relatable across the Asia Pacific, according to Müge Akar, head of sales at atv Distribution, which will be showcasing series such as the brand-new highlight Safir at ATF. “Turkish dramas are captivating audiences across Asia, gaining popularity in regions like Pakistan, India, the Middle East and Southeast Asia,” says Akar.

There will also be an abundance of kids’ fare on offer at ATF, including Cyber Group Studios’ Alex Player, which mirrors the company’s “strong culture of innovation,” says Pauline Bérard, international sales executive, alongside Gigantosaurus.

Studio 100 Media’s 100% Wolf

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Rewind Networks

Studio 100 Media is promoting a slate that includes its returning hits Vegesaurs, with season three arriving in 2024, and 100% Wolf. “The overall concept of 100% Wolf underlines that heroes come in many forms, displaying diversity by strength in difference and self-confidence by standing up for what you believe in,” says Vanessa Windhager, sales executive.

“Our mission in the kids’ entertainment world is to bring brands to life that are content-driven and entertain kids and families.”

Among the wealth of buyers descending on the Marina Bay Sands will be Rewind Networks, which now operates three channels across the Asia Pacific. “Each of our channels has been carefully curated to meet the diverse tastes of the Asian audience,” says Sandie Lee, executive VP.

All3Media International’s The Traitors

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Avi Himatsinghani Rewind Networks

By Mansha Daswani

ver the last few years, as the Hollywood studios shifted their emphasis to their owned-and-operated direct-to-consumer businesses, their channels across Asia-Pacific became far less of a priority. Indeed, many retrenched, shuttering services across the region.

For Rewind Networks, that was less of an alarm bell about the future of the pay-TV channels business and more a flashing sign of opportunity. Founded by Fox Networks Group Asia veteran Avi Himatsinghani a decade ago, Rewind Networks had built a successful business on curating back catalog U.S. fare for two now well-penetrated services, HITS, focused on classic series, and HITS Movies.

This February, Himatsinghani added to that portfolio with HITS NOW, dedicated to first-run general entertainment series that no longer had a home in the pay-TV ecosystem.

Rewind quickly shored up anchor affiliate partners in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines for HITS NOW, which delivers a mix of entertainment, reality, game shows, dramas and comedies, largely from the U.S., many within 48 hours of their original telecast. Himatsinghani talks to TV Asia about what’s driving Rewind Networks’ success.

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TV ASIA: What led to the launch of HITS NOW? HIMATSINGHANI: HITS was an aspirational bet that we took on the idea that there’s a place for curated destinations. It goes back to the roots of who we are as a company. We have always wanted to be in a place where we fill real consumer need gaps. A “me first,” not a “me too.” HITS plugged that gap ten years ago.

Even though Netflix had already launched in the U.S. and the signs of the disruption in the linear space had started, we still went out with HITS because we knew there was no place curating the best TV series from the last 40 years. That turned out to be a success. There was a clear audience for that easy-to-watch comfort TV. Fast forward five years, we saw the same gap and opportunity with HITS MOVIES. The HBOs and FOX Movies were curating from the last 15 years, at best. No one was curating from the previous 40. We said those are the golden years of Hollywood, so we went and curated for HITS MOVIES. It filled such a clear need gap that it performed. HITS NOW emerged from Disney’s retreat in the channels business [following its acquisition of the FOX-branded assets]. They wanted to pivot to streaming. All the big media companies did. Of these linear services that Disney-Fox offered in the region, the majority of that content was not owned by Disney; it was third-party licensed content. All of their own content goes onto Disney+, but then there’s a vacuum in the pure general entertainment space. We saw there was a gap developing. No one else was picking up that other content; no streamers, no other linear networks.

There are phenomenal long-running franchises— American Idol, Survivor, America’s Got Talent, Britain’s Got Talent, Hell’s Kitchen, Shark Tank, Project Runway—that people love but no one was curating.

The opportunity fell in our laps. We’re known as HITS, we’re known for curating the best of, why don’t we do the best of now? A year ago, we started talking to all the platforms. Some were proactive. They said there’s a gap, why don’t you fill it? These are pop culture, relevant shows that people want to talk about, but no one’s curating them. I was very fortunate to have the foundation support of several of our affiliate partners who said, If you launch a service like this, we will take it. I knew there was a ready audience. We have a proven track record with HITS and HITS MOVIES. There’s a trust level already in place.

We launched HITS NOW on February 6, live with the Grammy Awards. We pivoted from running library channels and being used to getting content weeks or months in advance and having enough time to subtitle, censor and put it in our system to starting with live. Nine months have gone by, and the traction continues. We are getting phenomenal feedback on our performance.

Three markets, 5 million-plus homes, nine months since launch. At APOS, we announced the launch on Cignal, the largest pay-TV operator in the Philippines. We are in conversations with platforms in Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Thailand and Hong Kong and plan to roll out in these markets soon.

Our networks are growing in an environment with headwinds of declining content budgets, the fragmentation of linear audiences and the growth of streaming

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services. Our services must continue to deliver value in a new world where our affiliate and telco partners distribute both streaming and linear. That makes curation even more important. It’s essential to ensure little to no overlap with the streaming services because the consumers are the same. If you look at all our franchises—HITS, HITS MOVIES, HITS NOW—there’s little to no overlap with any streaming services. That is the starting point of conversations we have with our studio partners. If any streamers want [a show], we don’t want it. Our first customer is the business-to-business partner, which is the affiliate. For them, we want to ensure that we are giving a unique, curated destination in a quintessential Rewind style, which is you can’t find this content anywhere else, and it’s the best.

TV ASIA: How have you evolved your marketing strategies to inform consumers that HITS NOW is a home for first-run content?

HIMATSINGHANI: Both HITS and HITS MOVIES are significant in promoting cross-channel because we are already deeply penetrated. HITS is in 13 countries, 23 million homes. HITS MOVIES is in nine countries with 10 million homes. We have to put a disclaimer—selected territories only—but we get the message out. There’s a buzz created in the marketplace naturally through our own network.

On top of that, we are very close to all the affiliate partners. We use their marketing tools and cross-channel promos. We make bespoke spots for the affiliates to put on their channels. We use social media. We have superb shout-outs. When we launched American Idol, we had Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan doing shoutouts for HITS NOW. Same for America’s Got Talent with all the judges. Our studio partners have been super supportive.

TV ASIA: How much is day and date?

What’s been the approach to scheduling?

HIMATSINGHANI: Ultimately, it’s about the currency and the curation.

Because it’s not live voting, day-anddate has no impact. We’re doing “Express from the U.S.” A lot of our shows are within 48 hours of the U.S. airing. We subtitle where necessary.

Almost all of our reality/talent shows are express from the U.S. We have Entertainment Tonight daily, 12 hours after the U.S. broadcast. For [scripted] shows like Ghosts and Fire Country, when we launched, it was already February, so they were first in Asia but not express. We did the same with the current seasons of Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire. As time goes on, we will get closer to the U.S. broadcast schedules and sync that. Having said that, there’s no real urgency to make these dayand-date. The only place to watch them is on HITS NOW.

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We’re programming it as a quintessential general entertainment channel. We are taking the best of U.S. broadcast TV. Because there’s a mix of sitcoms, dramas, reality, talent, daily celebrity news and game shows, we are comfortable programming it like the popular terrestrial networks. You switch it on, and there’s always something fantastic to watch.

TV ASIA: And the flagship HITS turns ten this year.

HIMATSINGHANI: We’re bringing in Frasier, Perfect Strangers, The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk, the original Hawaii 5-0, Mission: Impossible and The Waltons.

There are enough great super-hit series from the past that still haven’t debuted on our network. HITS MOVIES, we have 45 years to curate from, just nothing from the last 15 years. We can add something to the slate every year—now we’re going right up to 2008 and before. Five years ago, it was until 2003. We keep that 15-year filter quite strict. There’s so much hit blockbuster movie content we can curate.

Our original thinking of playlists and curation is playing well in this new world, which is about playlists.

That’s turning out to be our biggest strength. It’s our belief in brand promise, curation and execution with finesse and passion that keeps us going. We have a competitive edge. We have relationships on the ground and listen to our partners constantly. We are listening to our consumers constantly. We use social media as a listening board. This puts together an excellent ability to work for the consumer. And at some point, I want to take this beyond Asia. How do we replicate this magic in Africa or Eastern Europe?

HITS NOW is home to a range of first-run entertainment shows from the U.S., including Paramount Global Content Distribution’s hit reality series Survivor.

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James Gibbons

Warner Bros. Discovery

A

fter almost two years of restructuring and realignment, the leadership at Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) has been stressing the firm’s “one-company” mindset as it looks to best position itself for the challenging times ahead. James Gibbons, the recently installed president for the Asia-Pacific at Warner Bros. Discovery, is aware of the pain points amid a difficult economic climate and weakened ad market, but remains confident in the company’s ability to bring its wealth of popular brands and franchises to consumers wherever they are, be it on linear, streaming or via in-person experiences. In his first interview since taking on oversight for a merged regional operation, Gibbons discusses the upcoming launch of Max in Asia in 2024, the continued importance of third-party distribution, investments in local content and the potential to expand its live experiences business.

By Mansha Daswani TV ASIA: What’s your overall strategy for the combined AsiaPac operation you now oversee?

GIBBONS: The point of bringing the region together is to have one team working toward a common goal: to grow the region to the potential that we believe it deserves. We have country managers for the key markets and vertical specialists in charge of streaming, strategy, marketing, theatrical, consumer products and games. We are working toward a common goal: to reach all possible fans of our IP within a healthy business model. Whether you’re delivering a game, a streaming service, a network or a consumer product, we’re trying to ensure that we’re reaching everyone who loves that IP in a way that makes commercial sense. That’s the big picture.

We believe that next year, we can grow all segments. Our theatrical slate has fully bounced back from the pandemic.

This year, we put a strong foot forward with releases like Barbie. Next year, we have a full slate with great new movies and fantastic returning franchises. Streaming is huge for us because next year is the launch of Max in AsiaPac. And then consumer products and themed experiences. The best example is Wizarding World. That franchise is living and breathing every day as a themed experience and in consumer products. The Warner Bros.

Studio Tour Tokyo—The Making of Harry Potter launch in Japan this year was amazing.

TV ASIA: What can you tell us about the Max AsiaPac expansion?

GIBBONS: We’re committed to rolling out in AsiaPac. Converting the regional HBO GO service is a starting point. We’ll

ensure those consumers are fully transitioned to the new product, so Southeast Asia will be a key part of the rollout. We have also talked about our ambitions in Australia and New Zealand. We’ve consciously postponed the rollout of Max in India. We have a partnership with Reliance there, so we won’t be launching direct-to-consumer within this time frame. But all the rest of the markets in the region are part of our ambition.

TV ASIA: What’s your message to clients heading to ATF this December about WBD’s position as both a content supplier and a global streamer?

GIBBONS: We’re open for business as far as content licensing is concerned. We’re a content company, and we reach consumers by different means. Reaching those consumers via third-party relationships is key. We have Warner Bros.

International Television Production in Australia, which produces some shows for us, all the local broadcasters and Foxtel. We announced a movie with Binge recently. Our core output may go on our networks, our streaming platform and third parties. The streaming service is the place where consumers can expect to be able to enjoy the content that we produce. At the same time, we will be working with third parties to ensure that content reaches consumers wherever they are. We will continue to license, whether we do this co-exclusively, or we may do exclusive deals like the one in India. It’s not binary because the distribution system isn’t binary in terms of where the consumers are and how to reach them.

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a few years back, and have announced that we’re working on a new Suicide Squad ISEKAI series. That’s an important part of how we can build for the future.

We recognize in Korea, we have yet to be an active player directly in the scripted production. That’s an area of interest. The other is Chinese-language content. We want to explore the possibility of developing that sector and working with Chinese partners to build a market for that content.

The Chinese-language drama series Scent of Time premiered on HBO GO in October.

TV ASIA: Tell us about the investments you’re making in producing across the region, whether for your services or third parties.

GIBBONS: We have a commitment to independent production in Australia. There are key franchises we produce for our platforms around the world, like Aussie Gold Hunters. We’ve produced a number of Thai titles, reality shows like The Bachelor Indonesia, and kids’ series in India, including Little Singham.

We’ve just rolled out a Chinese drama on HBO GO that is doing well called Scent of Time. Going forward, we see the role of AsiaPac not only as a distribution market but as a source of content for our company globally. There are three areas where this is certainly true. One is Japan, where we have an animation studio that produces five or six series a year.

Those series are mainly with third parties right now. We are committed to growing and expanding that business. You can expect to see more activity on the anime front, especially taking our IP and localizing it. We had a Batman Ninja anime movie

Warner Bros. Studio Tour Tokyo—The Making of Harry Potter opened in Japan this year.

TV ASIA: Let’s talk about the pay-TV channels space. I know revenues are declining, but the landscape still seems pretty robust.

How are you working with your affiliate partners as they navigate cord-cutting and a shift to streaming?

GIBBONS: We’ve kept our channels in business. Our portfolio is an integral part of pay TV. We also believe that once the streaming model settles down, aggregators will still be an important way consumers get their content. No one knows the aggregation business better than the pay-TV companies.

And there are going to be linear channels in the streaming world. This is not a world where linear channels vanish.

They’ll be delivered by IP and bundled differently. Since we share that belief with our pay-TV partners, we can craft partnerships built on mutual interest to help the whole aggregation package transition to the future. We are not the only ones transitioning; it’s also the pay-TV companies. We aspire to work with them to achieve that. You see that in our relationships with many of the key operators around the region.

We’re coming up with solutions that may be a little different from our competitors.

TV ASIA: By all accounts, next year is going to be a difficult one, everywhere. What growth opportunities are you most excited about in AsiaPac? And what are the most significant challenges you expect to have to overcome?

GIBBONS: The theatrical slate is strong, and people are returning to the cinemas, so that’s a good opportunity. We are seeing some trends toward domestic movies in markets like Japan and China, and we have a domestic movie slate in both. On streaming and networks, we expect to see growth with the launch of Max. One of the challenging areas is the advertising business, which we can see globally. But our exposure to advertising is limited in AsiaPac. We do need to pivot to digital ad sales. For example, we are seeing some positive signs in New Zealand, where we have a free-to-air broadcaster. The BVOD product there, ThreeNow, has seen double-digit growth in reach and revenues. The development of the digital advertising market is there. We must be quite tactical about where we go for it, and it will take time to build up.

That’s also an opportunity. There are geopolitical risks that always exist in AsiaPac and can have an impact. One of the biggest opportunities for us is rolling out our franchise experiences. In Japan, we see that it continues to grow steadily. Our ability to roll that out in other high-potential markets like China will be an interesting space. Overall, even though 2024 will be a dynamic year, for AsiaPac, I’m looking at more opportunities than challenges.

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All3Media International

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atv

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Banijay Rights Cyber Group Studios

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Dori Media Group

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Eccho Rights

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GMA Network LEONINE Studios

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Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars (Factent., 16x60 min. & format) A competition that sees Gordon Ramsay on the hunt for the most exciting and innovative food and drink entrepreneurs.

Joan (Drama, 6x60 min.) Starring Sophie Turner, set in the aspirational world of 1980s London and inspired by the life of the U.K.’s most notorious jewel thief, Joan Hannington.

Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Stars

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Pingo Entertainment Studio 100 Media

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TV Asahi Corporation

Kitchen Nightmares (Food, S8: 10x60 min. & format) An iconic chef helps struggling restaurants across a nation.

Lingo (Game-show format, 30/60 min. eps.) The wordplay game keeps innovating with its mix of skill, tension, humor and the chance to win big cash prizes.

Secrets of Our Universe with Tim Peake (Factent., 3x60 min.) As one of only 602 people ever to have traveled into space, astronaut Tim Peake

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offers a compelling perspective as he embarks on an incredible journey through our universe.

Trigger Point (Drama, S2: 6x60 min.) A year on from the Crusader’s attacks, Lana Washington has returned to EXPO after helping train bomb disposal teams in Ukraine.

Picture Slam (Game-show format, 60 min. eps.)

In this shout-along quiz show, eager contestants face a series of pictures that they’ll need to name: logos, films, celebrities, flags and more.

Shakespeare: Rise of a Genius (Doc., 3x60 min.) Depicts the life of the world’s most famous playwright as it’s never been told before, brought to life by an A-list cast of actors.

The Traitors (Format, 60 min. eps.) A global format phenomenon commissioned in 25 territories, where treachery and deceit are the names of the game.

The Underdog (Ent./game-show format, 60 min. eps.) A larger-than-life cast competes in a popularity contest, unaware that a stable of celebrities has set up next door and will be playing their own game to make sure the underdog in the group emerges as the winner.

Street Birds (Drama, 67+x45 min.) Five street kids discover a baby, Gülayşe, in the trash. Years later, as adults running a café, everything falls apart after a policeman comes looking for Gülayşe.

Safir

A Little Sunshine (Drama, 117x45 min.) Hakan and Elif were a happy couple until Hakan’s accident shows all the lies. Güneş brings Elif’s dark life a bright light, and Elif takes Güneş under her wing with the support of Fırat, who was responsible for the accident.

The Father (Drama, 113+x45 min.) A secret service assassin fakes his own death for the sake of his family and the government. He starts a new life, but everything starts to fall apart when he is discovATV ered and forced to return to Istanbul.

(90-212) 354-3701 For My Family (Drama, 315+x45 min.) Kadir takes m info@atvdistribution.com responsibility for his siblings’ care after the sudden w www.atvdistribution.com death of their parents. Despite poverty and homeStand: L20 lessness, they always stick together.

Safir (Drama, 45 min. eps.) Feraye, a textile design The Ottoman (Drama, 422+x45 min.) The young student and housekeeper at a wealthy Gülsoy fam- and brave Osman will fight both internally and ily mansion in Cappadocia, has a flaw in her affec- externally to defeat his enemies and empower the tion for Yaman, one of the family’s heirs.

Kayı tribe in Anatolia.

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Domina (Drama, S2: 8x60 min.) Follows the rise of Emperor Augustus Caesar’s third wife, Livia Drusilla.

Picasso (Factual, 3x60 min.) A look at the life of the artist, whose art and problematic personal life spanned seven of the most tumultuous decades in history.

Eva Longoria: Searching for Mexico (Factual, 6x60 min.) The award-winning actress, producer, director and activist explores the lands of her ancestors to see how Mexico’s rich culture, landscape and history have helped shape its cuisine.

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Buddy Games (Ent. format) Based on the smash hit movie, unites six teams of four deep-rooted friends who met at various stages of their lives at a stunning lakeside location for a nostalgic adult summer camp adventure.

Language of Love (Ent. format) A group of Brits and a group of Spaniards pair up at a dreamy Spanish country estate to see if they can find romance— despite not speaking each other’s language.

Rush Australia (Ent., 9x90 min.) Deprived of all sight and sound, three teams will be dropped into cultural festivals and exotic locations and must navigate their way through each country to an extraction point.

The Summit (Ent., 1x60 min., 9x90 min.) In the rugged alps of New Zealand’s southern island, 14 strangers with backpacks containing an equal share of $1 million must reach the peak of a distant mountain in 14 days to win the cash they’re carrying.

SAS: Who Dares Wins (Ent. format) An elite group of ex-Special Forces soldiers puts a group of civilians through an extraordinary series of physical and psychological tests, each used in the real selection process.

CYBER GROUP STUDIOS

Domina

Secrets in the Sand (Factual, 6x60 min.) Violent sandstorms and erosion are reshaping the arid regions of the Earth, and as they do, astounding discoveries are being exposed.

Three Little Birds (Drama, 6x60 min.) Follows three young Jamaican women who travel to Britain to start anew in the Midlands.

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Press Start! (Bridge CGI comedy/adventure, 52x11 min.) Eight-year-old Sunny and his younger sister, Rue, are all about the exciting, fast-paced world of the Super Rabbit Boy video game series.

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The fourth edition of the TV KIDS FESTIVAL, from January 30 to February 2, 2024, will feature keynotes and panels with leading executives and creatives discussing the major trends in the children’s programming business. It will be streamed live and available on-demand at TVKidsFestival.com.

You can sign up for your free registration here.

Gold, Silver & Bronze Sponsorship Packages Available!

For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise at rguise@worldscreen.com or Dana Mattison at dmattison@worldscreen.com.

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“Having the opportunity to talk with and hear from the kids’ TV industry regularly is important to all of us, but it’s also often hard to get to all events. It was very valuable for us to participate in last year’s TV Kids Festival. It gave us the chance to share our strategy and needs as well as to hear directly from others. The fact it was virtual gave us even more flexibility and meant it was easier to fit into our busy schedules.”

—Patricia Hidalgo, Director, BBC Children’s & Education “Participating in the TV Kids Festival is always an easy yes for me. World Screen does a fantastic job of bringing our industry together to celebrate and share all the incredible creative being done to entertain global audiences.”

—Peter Gal, Chief Creative Officer, Television, DreamWorks Animation “TV Kids Festival brings together some of the most influential people in the kids’ content business for invaluable insights on some of the significant changes, challenges and opportunities we are all facing in the industry.”

—Benoît Di Sabatino, CEO, Banijay Kids & Family “TV Kids Festival is a great addition to my yearly market-intelligence agenda!

Very professional, very focused, straight to the point. A must-attend event!”

—Sebastian Debertin, Head, International Content, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, KiKA “What do I love about the TV Kids Festival? It’s insightful, inspiring, accessible to everyone and, as a Pioneer Award recipient, so uplifting to be recognized for the work we do.”

—Francesca Newington, Director, POP Channels, Narrative Entertainment “It’s a highly informative event that gives a good overview and insight into topics that the children’s media sector is facing. The lineup of professionals is impressive. The access is very comfortable and only requires an investment of time.”

—Kerstin Viehbach, Commissioning Lead, Kids Fiction, SUPER RTL “Taking part in the TV Kids Festival was a rewarding and informative experience. It offers invaluable industry insights, gives space to important dialogue around industry challenges and the opportunity to come away feeling inspired by the forward-thinking perspectives of people equally as passionate about creating the very best in kids’ TV content.”

—Cecilia Persson, Managing Director, BBC Studios Kids & Family “Great event! I love that you did a focus on particular countries and their acquisition strategies as well as their trends. I especially like that the videos were available afterward since it’s hard to watch everything live.

I liked receiving the schedule of the talks of the day.”

—Magali Boccaccio, Pre-Buys, Acquisitions & Co-Productions, TFO “The TV Kids Festival is simply becoming a must-attend for the kids’ media industry. The richness and depth of the sessions make it a critical element of market intelligence and knowledge advancement in kids' media.

Well done World Screen!”

—Gregory Dray, Co-Founder, Animaj “As an animation producer, I find all the speeches and interviews very useful!”

—Mar Gaya, Animation Executive Producer, Brutal Media

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TV LISTINGS

Alex Player (Kids adventure/esport, 26x22 min.)

Camille, Amy and Mike founded the Mongooses esports team. Forced to replace their captain, they meet Alex, a passionate and charismatic football player.

Press Start!

Droners (Kids adventure/comedy, S1-2: 52x22 min.)

Young droners Corto, Mouse and Enki put their skills together in order to save their island. But help from scientist and genius Wyatt Whale might be needed.

Gigantosaurus (Upper preschool comedy/adventure, S1-3: 156x11 min./78x26 min.) Four young dinosaur friends are about to leave the family and explore a world full of mysteries and danger.

50/50 Heroes (Kids comedy/adventure, 52x11 min.) Mo and Sam are half-siblings and have powers— well, half-powers. Managing their abilities isn’t easy when they need to do everything together.

Taffy (Kids/family comedy, S1-2: 156x7 min.) Follows the nonstop, slapstick extravaganza faced by loyal hound dog Bentley when his billionaire old lady owner, Mrs. Muchmore, takes in a raccoon imposter posing as a wide-eyed, fluffy Angora cat.

Chloe’s Closet (Preschool 2D edutainment, 104x13 min.) Chloe discovers a magical world

while playing dress-up in her closet. With each new costume, she is swept up in a fantastical journey.

Nefertine on the Nile (Bridge animated comedy, 52x13 min.) Nefertine is endowed with intelligence, inexhaustible curiosity and great courage. She aspires to be the first female scribe in the history of Egypt.

Zak Jinks (Kids adventure/comedy, S1-2: 104x13 min.) The hilarious life of a mischievous and lovable 8-year-old boy.

Orange Moo Cow (3-6 2D comedy, 78x7 min.)

Follows the daily life of Zoh, an energetic 6-yearold cow, and her little brother Boh, a sensitive and curious 4-year-old bull.

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Minimum Wage (15 a la Hora) (Drama, 10x30 min.) Three Latina women in Los Angeles, each carrying a difficult past and an even harder present, open their own cleaning services business.

Lalola (Comedy, 20x30 min.) Lalo wakes up turned into Lola and learns to be a woman while seeking to reverse the spell.

Power Couple (Reality format) Puts love to the test as eight couples face extreme challenges that will test how well they really know each other.

The Best of All (Game-show format) Is the average answer from a large group of people always closer to the right result than the answer of one?

Indal (Action drama, 8x45 min.) A group of Ethiopian Israeli youth kidnap the police officer who peppered

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their adolescence with abuse and murdered their closest friend.

Amia (Political/action drama, 8x45 min.) A Mossad agent hooks up with a local Argentinean journalist to find those responsible for a terrorist attack.

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ECCHO RIGHTS

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Arak (Drama, 85x45 min.) Arak’s father dies in a robbery gone wrong. Years later he seeks to uncover the truth about that night, unknowingly putting his love to the test.

Sandik Kokusu (Drama, 80x45 min.) Karsu’s son Kuzey disappears only to be found three years later with a new family. Karsu fights to win Kuzey back.

Fallen (Drama, 8x50 min.) Live, love, die, repeat. Each time Luce falls in love, she dies. But this is her last life, Minimum Wage (15 a la Hora) and there are controlling forces she must battle.

300 Seconds Ride (Studio game show) Three The Inheritance (Drama, 8x22 min./4x45 min.) hundred seconds, eight questions to be answered After the unexpected death of their father, three sibon the “Time Track,” a moving platform that runs back lings are left reeling, desperately trying to claw back and forth from one side of the studio to the other. the inheritance that they have lost.

The Selfie Challenge (Reality game show) Reality game show that draws its inspiration from the selfie phenomenon through a competition between two groups of three friends performing selfies.

5 Stars (Las Estrellas) (Romantic comedy, 120x60 min.) The death of Mario Star leaves his five daughters facing a challenge (successfully managing a boutique hotel), which they will have to fulfill in order to claim the inheritance.

The Salvadors (Los Hermanos Salvador) Sandik Kokusu (Comedy, 10x30 min.) Five eccentric siblings who Golden Boy (Drama, 249x45 min.) Ferit is shot inherit an antique and magic shop embark on supernat- after saving Seyran from marrying Tarık. Although ural adventures as they battle the forces of evil and his family opposes, Ferit’s love for Seyran is undeband together as a family to protect their legacy. niable, and the two get married.

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Ömer (Drama, 148x45 min.) Ömer falls in love with an older woman, a relationship that his conservative father will never approve of.

Redemption (Drama, 480x45 min.) Hira, who was presumed dead, reappears, living a new life with amnesia. When Orhun finds Hira, he desperately tries to remind her of their past.

Chrysalis (Drama, 253x45 min.) The story of a young woman making her way in the world and the experiences she must go through to find her true self.

My Home My Destiny (Drama, 138x45 min.)

Zeynep is born into a poor family. However, her fortunes change when the family that employs her mother as a maid offers to adopt the young girl.

Legacy (Drama, 1,115x45 min.) An innocent little boy’s future is at the heart of a bitter struggle between two families. Can love save him and his family’s legacy?

GMA NETWORK

O (632) 8333-7633/34 w www.gmaworldwide.tv Stand: FB-03

Royal Blood (Crime/thriller, 35x45 min.) An illegitimate son reunites with his business tycoon father. Things get complicated when his father is murdered, and he becomes the primary suspect.

The Missing Husband (Drama/mystery, 40x45 min.) A man becomes a victim of a pyramid scam and goes missing. His wife searches for him and discovers that he vanished on purpose.

Voltes V: Legacy (Drama/action, 45x45 min.) Depicts the battle of five young pilots against the Boazanian empire, uniting in their giant robot to protect Earth.

The Write One (Romance/fantasy, 20x45 min.)

An unsuccessful writer is given a chance to rewrite his life with the help of a mysterious typewriter.

LEONINE STUDIOS

O (49-89) 999-513-0 m worldsales@leoninestudios.com w screenings.leoninestudios.com/en/ The Seed (Eco-thriller, 6x45 min.) Two detectives searching for a missing journalist in Norway’s Arctic wastes uncover a conspiracy of global proportions.

Love Before Sunrise (Romance/drama, 35x45 min.) Ex-lovers accidentally meet again after several years. They give in to their rekindled feelings and choose to continue their forbidden love.

Juliet

Love Before Sunrise

Bonn (Period drama, 6x48 min.) A young woman’s struggle to find her own place in the midst of the battle between Germany’s intelligence agencies after WWII. Troppo (Crime drama, S1-2: 8x60 min. each) An ex-police detective who left Sydney in disgrace to

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TV LISTINGS

find redemption in a Queensland rainforest town finds himself drawn into the criminal cases of an eccentric private investigator, herself a convicted murderer.

SurrealEstate (Supernatural drama, S1-2: 10x45 min. each) Real estate agent Luke Roman and his team specialize in investigating and closing haunted houses.

Juliet (Police drama, 6x60 min.) After a heartbreaking loss, detective Juliet Dumon leaves Brussels for De Haan, joining a local police team and seeking a foster family for niece Chloë.

Herzogpark (Comedy/drama/thriller, 6x45 min.)

The perfectly polished existence of a glamorous, champagne-fueled world is on the brink of chaos, as carefully hidden secrets threaten to surface.

Professionals (Blue-sky action, 10x48 min.) A security operative hired by a billionaire futurist to investigate a medical satellite explosion uncovers a conspiracy involving corporate rivals and corrupt officials.

The Name of the Rose (Thriller, 8x50 min.) A suspenseful crime thriller set in a medieval world.

Bellevue (Crime/suspense/thriller, 8x45 min.) In a small town, a detective must unravel the disappearance of a bullied teen while confronting her past.

Flashpoint (Action, S1-5: 75x40 min.) Follows a team of elite cops who handle high-risk incidents, using their training in tactics and psychology.

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Shasha & Milo

STUDIO 100 MEDIA

O (49-89) 960855-0 m distribution@studio100media.com w www.studio100group.com Stand: E28

Vegesaurs (CGI comedy/adventure, S1-2: 40x5 min., S3: 20x5 min.) Each episode follows Ginger, the young Tricarrotops, and the baby Pea-Rexes on adventures that lean into relatable themes for upper preschoolers.

100% Wolf (CGI comedy/adventure, S1-2: 52x22 min.) Strange creatures and a powerful sorceress threaten Milford and the werewolves, so Freddy, the fluffy pink were-poodle, must lead his friends through another series of hilarious action adventures.

FriendZSpace (Comedy/adventure, 52x11 min.) An animated comedy about three human kids committed PINGO ENTERTAINMENT to making friends with alien kids all across the superO (82-2) 400-5409 cluster of stars—and sharing cool selfies. m shanneljpak@pingo.kr Mia and me (Fantasy/adventure, S1-4: 104x23 min.) w www.pingo.kr The adventures of Mia and her friends in Centopia, Stand: L08 where they must protect unicorns from villains.

Shasha & Milo (Action/adventure/comedy, 25x22 Game Keepers (Live-action, S1-2: 20x25 min.) min. & 12x2 min.) Shasha and Milo are tasked with pro- Mats and Sari have to enter an unknown digital tecting Crescent Island from dark forces while navigat- gaming world, play a game and defeat the mysteriing the complexities of preteen life. ous GameMaster.

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TV LISTINGS

Vegesaurs

Heidi (CGI adventure, S1-2: 65x22 min.) Heidi is a happy and communicative orphan girl. She lives with her grandfather in the scenic idyll of the Swiss Alps.

Tip the Mouse (CGI preschool comedy, S1-3: 104x7 min.) The exciting and funny stories about the little mouse Tip appeal to the youngest kids.

Wissper (CGI preschool adventure/comedy, S12: 104x7 min.) Wissper is a curious little girl who can talk to animals.

Maya the Bee (CGI preschool adventure, S1-2: 130x13 min.) A young bee named Maya has left her hive to discover the beauty and mysteries of nature.

TV ASAHI CORPORATION

O (81-3) 6406-1952 m ml-international@tv-asahi.co.jp w www.tv-asahicontents.com/en Stand: B12-12

Yuria’s Red String of Fate (Romance, 9x60 min.)

Yuria’s husband, Goro, falls unconscious. She realizes that her husband has a boyfriend and a girlfriend with two kids. She decides to live together with them.

Legal Enforcement (Drama, 9x60 min.) A drama about a woman who aspires to become a “marshal,” seizing a debtor’s property by forced execution.

THE TRAVELNURSE (Drama, 9x60 min.) A drama depicting travel nurses as they face patients and struggle to reform the chaotic medical practice.

Roppongi Class (Drama, 13x60 min.) A series based on the same webtoon as the Korean drama hit Itaewon Class.

OVERDONE (Reality format, 30 min. eps.) A team of overqualified experts goes above and beyond to solve daily dilemmas.

License to Cheat: Ex or Next (Dating/reality format, 32x60 min.) Seven couples divided in two places have the license to cheat for one week. Exes are not watching them. Will they choose the ex or go to the next?

Obocchama-Kun (Animation, 26x22 min./52x11 min.) A comedy about a “crazy rich” boy. Scheduled to launch in 2024, targeted for kids 6 to 11.

Gregory Horror Show -Save Our Souls- (Animation) Seeking co-producers. Jack must save the souls of the monster guests of a supernatural hotel after he makes a bet with the evil hotel owner, Gregory.

Ossan’s Love Returns (Comedy/romance) A pure love comedy that will have you cheering for a man’s love for a man. The drama that took social media by storm will return in January 2024.

Hayabusa Fire Brigade (Crime/mystery, 9x60 min.) Taro moves to a quiet village called Hayabusa and enjoys his life in the great outdoors. One day a villager is found dead. He notices that this village is Legal Enforcement full of suspicious people.

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Book your Exclusive Showcase in

For a full list of benefits and examples of previous Exclusive Showcases, please visit WorldScreenings.ws.

World Screen has totally redesigned its flagship video portal, WorldScreenings.com, offering a slew of improvements and a sleek new look. In addition, we have unveiled four new targeted screenings destinations:

• TVKidsScreenings.com • TVDramaScreenings.com • TVRealScreenings.com • TVFormatsScreenings.com For more information, please contact Ricardo Guise (rguise@worldscreen.com) or Dana Mattison (dmattison@worldscreen.com)

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Trending On The most-viewed clips on our video portals in the last month.

Searching for Satoshi From the award-winning Paul Kemp Productions, an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of the inventor of Bitcoin. (All3Media International)

Ancient Apocalypse In six new episodes, examines archaeological remains across the world and uncovers the scientific reasons why history’s greatest empires and civilizations collapsed. (ZDF Studios)

Love at First Night Mueang, an outspoken eco-warrior geologist, and Apo, a distressed architect, share a passionate night. Later, Mueang learns she’s his father’s fiancée. (BEC World)

Press Start!

Eight-year-old Sunny and his younger sister, Rue, are all about the exciting, fast-paced world of the Super Rabbit Boy video game series. (Cyber Group Studios)

Shasha & Milo Shasha and Milo are tasked with protecting Crescent Island from the dark forces that lurk beneath while navigating the daily complexities of preteen life. (Banijay Kids & Family) 68 WORLD SCREEN 12/23

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