#GreatJobs C NTENT page 4 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com Next Animation countdown to kids channel launch Suharjono returns Duntemann to Asia Taiwanese animation house Next Anima- tion Studio (NAS) launches its nxTOONS channel this Friday (30 June), moving into original digital edu-tainment con- tent for kids for the first time. The initiative will be driven by veteran creative exec, Matthew Duntemann, who has returned to Asia from New York to join CEO Indra Suharjono’s Taipei-based team. You’ll find the whole story on page 3 True’s Thai drama on track for 500m China views Princess Hours Thailand breaks streaming records Thailand’s leading pay-TV platform, True Visions, expects to hit 500 million views in China for its original scripted series, Prin- cess Hours Thailand, by the time the show airs its final episode on 3 July. True adapt- ed the 20-episode Princess Hours Thailand from the Korean drama. Episodes stream day and date on China’s Tencent Video. The day-and-date deal with Tencent is a first for Thai drama in China. You’ll find the whole story on page 5 www.contentasia.tv 27 June-9 July 2017 page 1. the C NTENTASIA #keepcalmandstreamon This year’s ContentAsia Summit takes a long deep breath, channels its inner Zen, and then dives right into the twists and turns of Asia’s latest content story, an epic tale of drama, separation, destruction, reflection, creativity, innovation, technology and – ultimately – transformation and growth. www.contentasiasummit.com 7-8 September 2017 PARKROYAL on Pickering • Singapore Contact CJ Yong at [email protected] for details 27 June-9 July 2017 page 2. C NTENTASIA 27 June-9 July 2017 Page 3. Next Animation countdown to kids channel 30 June launch Suharjono returns Duntemann to Asia, kids creative kicks off with Out of this Word Taiwanese animation house Next Anima- tion Studio (NAS) launches its nxTOONS channel this Friday (30 June), moving into original digital edu-tainment content for kids for the first time. The debut original series for the YouTube channel is Out of this Word, which follows two characters – adopted siblings Max the cat and Moon the rabbit – as they explore the meaning of commonly used words and idioms such as “sleep tight” and “big wig”. Out of this Word season one consists of 52 one-minute episodes. Three will be uploaded to launch the channel. This will be followed by two new episodes a week. The series is being produced using NAS’s news animation Moon the Rabbit in Out of this Word pipeline, which can create one episode every two days. and develop the nxTOONS ating value through our own IP,” she Max is voiced by Nathan platform, as well as oversee says. Sung and Moon is voiced by the development of NAS’s “The beauty of the digital platform is Sonia Fan, both out of Taiwan. four-year-old online news initia- that we can create and operate our own Matthew Duntemann The channel will be advertising tive, TOMONEWS creative and channel and work with YouTube to grow supported. other projects for the Ta i p e i - b a s e d and interact di- rectly with our au- Additional shows are in development, studio. dience and respond to their along with a series of social media stick- The studio cur- demands quick- ers to test characters ahead of new show rently operates 25 ly,” she adds. roll-outs. TOMONEWS chan- NAS’s ultimate Driving expansion into kids content nels in five active g o a l i s t o b e takes the studio to where young audi- languages (English, able to produce ences are consuming content and adds Japanese, Indone- 500 episodes of an educational, long-tail element with sian, Thai and Ko- animated shorts timeless content to NAS’s business, says rean). These include a year targetting chief executive, Indra Suharjono. the one-year-old kids. NAS also has nxTOONS launch coincides with the I n d o n e s i a n its first man- arrival of veteran kids creative exec, Mat- channel and g a s e r i e s , thew Duntemann, who was most recently the U.S. serv- Karen Senki, senior vice president/creative director ice, which has in produc- of Nickelodeon brand design based in 1.74 million tion with a New York. YouTube subscribers. target release date at Duntemann relocated to Taipei this Suharjono is determined end 2018. month to become NAS’s chief creative to ramp up original content officer, reporting to Suharjono. creation rather than priori- Part of Star TV’s original creative team tise OEM projects. in the 1990s, Duntemann returns to direct The focus is on “cre- Max the Cat in Out of this Word C NTENTASIA 27 June-9 July 2017 Page 4. “I was trying not to cry” – So says over Page 4. decision to deny the C NTspaceENTASIA HKTV a TV licence the placeJ to look for theb jobs that matter HK’s outgoing commerce minister comes clean on 2013 decision If Hong Kong’s television history is ever written, a banner of regret will be hung SALES DIRECTOR, ASIA over the decision not to grant would-be broadcaster HKTV a free-to-air licence. Endemol Shine International, a leading global distributor of finished television That’s according to outgoing com- programming, is seeking an experienced Sales Director for Asia to be based merce minister, Greg So, whose parting in their Singapore office. shot this month included up-close-and- We are seeking a candidate with a minimum of three to four years direct personal insights into what went on for selling experience. Exposure to format licensing in addition to finished him in the run up to his 2013 announce- programming will be advantageous, along with local language skills. ment. So exits at the end of July. Key responsibilities include setting and achieving annual and monthly sales In a recent interview, So told govern- forecasts, growing revenues from new market streams and all aspects of ment-funded broadcaster, Radio Televi- commercial negotiation. The successful applicant will also work closely with sion Hong Kong (RTHK), that he almost the Endemol Shine local production companies to leverage distribution and cried when he had to announce the production relationships in the territory. decision not to grant a free-TV broad- To apply for this position or for further information please contact: cast licence to outspoken entrepreneur [email protected] Ricky Wong. The decision – supported by So’s boss at the time, chief executive Leung Click here to see more job listings Chun-Ying – put about 300 people out of work, not to mention crushing Wong’s ambitious video plan. So said he had argued hard for three licences in the name of competition. ITV Studios Weibo, Nielsen tie Only two were granted, to i-Cable’s Fantastic TV and to PCCW’s Hong Kong renews Seven deal up for China Television Entertainment Company. into 2021 digital ad ratings PCCW has since rolled out two chan- nels – ViuTV (Cantonese) in April 2016 ITV Studios Global Entertainment has ex- Research agency Nielsen is partnering and ViuTVsix (English) in March this year. tended its long-running first-look agree- with Chinese microblogging site Weibo Fantastic Television launched a Canton- ment with Australia’s Seven from July this in an initiative the two promise will “take ese service in May this year; the English- year. The new deal runs into 2021. digital audience measurement one language service follows by May 2018. Titles over the next few months include significant step further... [bringing] a new So didn’t go as far as to disclose the drama series Little Boy Blue, Hell’s level of calrity and granularity to the reasons behind the controversial HKTV Kitchen USA, Inside Kings Cross, Diana – measurement of online audiences”. decision. Those remain undisclosed to A Love Affair and Billy Connolly and Me. Weibo, which has more than 340 mil- this day. Widespread response at the The renewal was brokered by Augustus lion monthly active users and 100 million time was that the outcome was politi- Dulgaro, ITV Studios Global Entertain- messages posted every day, joins Ten- cally motivated. ment’s Asia Pacific executive vice presi- cent as a data provider for Nielsen Digi- So hasn’t said what he will be doing next. dent/COO for ITV Studios Australia. tal Ad Ratings measurement in China. C NTENTASIA 27 June-9 July 2017 Page 5. Globo expands Thai drama on track for 500m China views Middle East biz True’s Princess Hours Thailand breaks China records Above Justice Dubai-based MBC has added two Globo drama productions – telenovela Time After Time and series Above Justice – to its line up for audiences across the Middle East. Both will be dubbed into Arabic. Time After Time is the story of true love overcoming the barriers of time. Above Justice involved four independent but connected stories asking questions Princess Hours Thailand about what’s fair and acceptable in extreme situations. Thailand’s leading pay-TV platform, True True Visions sells about 80 hours of con- The new deals follow MBC’s acquisition Visions, expects to hit 500 million views tent a year. Most of this is drama picked up of Total Dreamer and Hidden Truths. in China for its local remake of Korean by channels and platforms in China, Hong drama Princess Hours by the time the Thai Kong, Macau, Cambodia, Singapore, Ma- series airs its final episode on 3 July. laysia, Myanmar, Vietnam and Brunei. Louis Boswell joins The 20-episode Princess Hours Thailand True’s slate includes original drama se- (20x45 mins, Mondays and Tuesdays) ries such as The Master, Snap and A Gas Da Vinci Asia premiered in Thailand in April.