17-30 NOVEMber C NTENTASIA 2014
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Celestial picks up HKTV Canto drama for cHK channel Acquisition boosts Astro’s programme syndication plan
Regional channel operator Celestial Ti- ger Entertainment has added a slate of Ricky Wong’s Hong Kong Television Net- work (HKTV) drama to its cHK channel, giving yet another stamp of approval to the content ambitions of Hong Kong’s controversial would-be broadcast boss. The Singapore rights to shows from HKTV subsidiary, Hong Kong Media Production Company Limited, were acquired from Malaysia’s Astro. Astro said at the end of October that it had secured exclusive Southeast Asia rights to HKTV drama, including The Bor- derline, Paranormal Mind, Once Upon a Song, Love in Time, Hidden Faces and Beyond the Rainbow. The cHK slate airing in Singapore in- cludes The Borderline, which airs on cHK on SingTel Mio TV in Mandarin with the option of a Cantonese sound-track with- in 24 hours of its Hong Kong broadcast. SingTel is running a free preview of the channel until 1 December. The Borderline, the story of a disgraced undercover cop who partners with a criminal to correct wrongdoings, is stripped Monday to Fridays at 10pm. The series stars veteran actors, Liu Kai-chi and Dominic Lam. CTE’s HKTV acquisitions for cHK also in- clude Hidden Faces, Love in Time and Hakka Sisters, starring Prudence Liew and Maggie Cheung as two sisters through whom the changing relationship be- tween China and Hong Kong in the past 30 years is examined. HKTV’s reality series, The Challenge, will also air on cHK, along with documentary
More on page 2 c ntentasia 17-30 NOV 2014 Page 2.
Bloomberg Asia boosts events biz Nick West spearheads new push from HK
Financial info platform Bloomberg Media has tapped Nick West as head of live events for Asia Pacific. West, based in Hong Kong, reports to Asia Pacific managing director, Parry Ravin- dranathan. West previously worked for The Financial Times in Hong Kong for six years, where he was involved in events and cross-platform initiatives. Before that, he worked with Financial Times Conferences in London as well as CWC Group, Euromon- ey and Thomson Reuters.
From page 1: cHK picks up Canto drama slate
Liu Kai-chi in The Borderline series Gone with the Wind, which travels around the world on a hunt for stories of love, sacrifice and hope. In Malaysia, HKTVs drama titles air on Astro’s in-house Astro Shuang Xing channel running Sundays to Thursdays at 7pm. Astro’s acquisition of the Cantonese drama titles from HKTV underscores the Malaysian platform’s commitment to Asian content and marks a new phase in the company’s regional dis- tribution ambitions (ContentAsia, 3 November 2014). Astro’s rights for HKTV drama are exclusive for Southeast Asia, and non-exclusive for Australia and New Zealand. The acquisi- tion covers all media platforms, including Astro’s TV everywhere platform Astro on the Go (AOTG). Hong Kong, where HKTV launches its online platform this month, is excluded from the Astro deal. The platform will in- clude video on demand and live content, including in-house productions and drama and animation acquisitions from Ja- pan and Korea (ContentAsia, 8 October 2014), along with a strong e-commerce component. 17-30 NOVEMber page 3. c ntentasia 17-30 NOV 2014 Page 4. Lose Malaysia’s Astro adds 10 channels Yourself 8 new HD + 2 new SD channels bring total to 182 To Find Yourself
Richard Woo, A+E Networks; Vineet Puri, Fox International Channels; Catherine Nebauer, Zoo Moo; Avi Himatsinghani, Rewind Networks; Todd Miller, Celestial Tiger Entertainment; Henry Tan, Rohana Rozhan, Swee Lin Liew, Astro; Scott Mackenzie, NBCUniversal Channels
Malaysia’s leading platform, Astro, add- more people to Astro, we need to keep ed 10 channels to its platform on Sunday innovating and improving what we of- (16 November), bringing an end to more fer – through great content that’s worth than a year of nail biting over capacity paying for and to make it easy for our delays and kicking off a slew of new car- customers to watch their favourite con- riage and value-add deals expected to tent how, when and where it suits them,” continue well into 2015. Tan added. Astro also rolls out a new video on de- The new HD package also gives Astro mand platform, Astro Plus, on 1 Decem- its first HD subscription increase since HD ber, with more than 1,000 hours of Holly- was introduced with four channels in 2009. wood movies, complete U.S. seasons and The 25% rate hike takes the HD pack rate 100% first run, fresh kids content, and two new packs – Fans up RM5/US$1.50 to RM25/US$7.48 from 1 and exclusive original Pack (RM99/US$30 a month) and Astro December 2014. programming Super Pack Plus (RM178/US$53). The eight new HD channels are Fox, Fox While Astro is not confirming addition- Family Movies and Fox Action Movies, A+E al channel and service launches, the Networks’ FYI, Rewind Networks’ Hits, and amount of capacity it has secured on Universal Networks’ Diva Universal, plus new satellite Measat-3b indicates that two in-house Astro channels – Mandarin this month’s launches are just the begin- general entertainment channel Astro AEC ning of significant growth. and Astro Shuang Xing. These bring the to- “We know that to remain success- tal number of HD channels to 48 and the ful we can’t stand still,” said Astro chief total number of channels on the platform operating officer, Henry Tan, during the to 182. The two new SD channels are Ce- event announcing the new services. “To lestial Tiger Entertainment’s Celestial Clas- www.multichannelsasia.com satisfy existing customers and to attract sic Movies and Zoo Moo.
Outdoor_Vertical_2C.indd 1 26/2/14 10:07:28 c ntentasia 17-30 NOV 2014 Page 5.
Media Prima sheds headcount Voluntary exit plan rolls out, target 10% cut
Malaysian media group, Media Prima Ber- that the plan was designed to make the had, is rolling out a voluntary exit scheme company “more resilient against intense between now and mid-December this industry competition and increasingly chal- year following a sharp drop in third quar- lenging operating environment”. ter revenue and profit and a challenging Media Prima also said the scheme ena- market environment “where advertisers bled enhanced productivity and efficiency are more cautious and holding back ad- “by reorganising its manpower strength in vertising spending”. The company also line with its business objectives”. cited “the tragic incidents involving flights News of the scheme coincided with the MH370 and MH17” as contributing factors release of Media Prima’s financials show- to softer sentiment. ing a 30% drop in profit for the first nine The “Mutual Separation Scheme” (MSS) months of this year. Revenues were down announced this month is “part of the 12% for the year to end September. For the Group’s rationalisation and consolidation third quarter, Media Prima reported a dip plan,” Media Prima said. Insiders say the in after-tax profit to RM42.6million/US$13 aim is to cut about 10% of the workforce. million. Revenue dipped 13.6% to RM379.6 Media Prima stressed that the scheme million/US$113 million from RM439.28 mil- was “strictly on a non-obligatory basis” and lion/US$131 million last year.
Revenge, MasterChef Junior win Singapore women
MasterChef Junior U.S.
The season four premiere of Revenge ond place in its time slot (7.50pm-8.45pm) put general entertainment channel Star- among international cable channels’ World in number one spot among west- female viewers (18-39 years old) in Singa- ern GE cable channels’ female 18-39 au- pore. MasterChef Junior U.S. premiered dience for its timeslot (10.35pm-11.30pm). on Wednesday (5 Nov) and was the title’s Revenge premiered on Monday (3 Nov). highest-rated episode ever in Singapore Data provided by Fox International among women 18-39 years old (source: Channels also shows that StarWorld’s pre- Kantar Media, Singapore). miere of MasterChef Junior U.S. season two Both shows air date-and-date/exclu- earlier this month put the channel in sec- sive with the U.S. c ntentasia 17-30 NOV 2014 Page 6.
MNC back in headlines in Tutut tug of war Court stands by Tutut claim to free-to-air channel
The question of who actually owns Indo- been running since 2002, when Tutut ap- nesia’s free-TV station MNC TV is back pointed Tanoesoedibjo’s Berkah Karya in local headlines after the country’s Bersama to help her deal with her debts. Supreme Court reaffirmed a claim by Siti She claims the appointment was misused “Tutut” Hardiyanti Rukmana, daughter of to appropriate a 75% ownership of TPI. former president Suharto. Berkah’s position is that it took a con- In the latest ruling, the court denied an trolling stake in TPI in 2005 as part of a application for a judicial review of a 2013 debt settlement of about Rp1 trillion/ decision that granted Tutut’s claim to a US$82 million. The following year, Berkah’s majority stake in the station. stake was acquired by MNC. The new legal twist in this long-running Meanhile, Tanoesoedibjo is being quot- saga came to light this month, although ed in local paper, The Jakarta Globe, as the ruling was made at the end of Octo- saying that MNC TV is not impacted by ber, according to local news outlets. The the recent ruling because the company review request was made by a company is not part of the dispute. owned by Hary Tanoesoedibjo. MNC TV is one of three free-TV stations The tug of war over MNC TV – formerly operated by publicly listed PT Media Nu- known as TPI – has been raging for about santara Citra (MNCN). The other two are nine years. But the drama has actually market leader RCTI and Global TV.
2nd Mongolian TV Forum set for Feb 2015
The second annual Mongolian Television “The first Mongolian TV Forum was a true Forum takes place on 5-6 February 2015 in success, helping to start bringing funda- the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbataar. mental changes to Mongolian broadcast- The theme this year is “The Promising Fu- ing, ensuring better rights management ture of Mongolian Television”. for companies who want to sell their pro- The event is organised by Mongol TV grammes to Mongolia as well as introduc- and The Format People, and supported ing some of the best international television by, among others, the Association of programmers to Mongolian TV profession- Broadcasters in Mongolia. als,” Mongol TV CEO, Nomin Chinbat, said.
Forevermore ratings love grows
New local free-TV prime-time drama Forevermore hit 30.2 on 11 November – the highest rating since its premiere last month, Philippines’ broadcaster ABS-CBN says (source: Kantar Media). The series debuted at the end of October with a nationwide rating of 27.1%, making it the top scripted series in the Philippines for the day. Forevermore is the story of the unlike- ly romance between the reckless son of a hotel owner and a devoted, strawberry picking daughter. Forevermore 17-30 NOVEMber page 7. c ntentasia 17-30 NOV 2014 Page 8. iQiyi boss heads to Singapore Ma Dong follows Sohu’s Zhang & Youku’s Koo on global stage
Fascination with China online during Mipcom in Cannes in early continues in December with October and Victor Koo, CEO a keynote address by Ma of dominant platform Youku Dong, chief content officer Tudou, during Casbaa in of mainland Chinese online Hong Kong in October. platform iQiyi, at this year’s iQiyi is planning seven local ATF in Singapore (9-12 films in 2015, one Hollywood December). movie and 15,000 hours of Ma’s address, “Digital Chi- internet drama. iQiyi is said to na: The New Storyteller”, follows be looking at spending at least keynotes delivered by Charles RMB300 million/US$49 million on its Zhang, Sohu’s founder/chairman/CEO, own content.
No word on HK free-TV licence renewal Comms authority recommendations submitted
Hong Kong’s media authorities may have to disclose any of the recommendations completed their free TV licence renewal at this stage. recommendations – but they’re keeping Ho also said the authority had not re- results under wraps for now and aren’t ceived any application from ATV for giving any clues about a deadline for a changes in shareholdings. This follows final decision. widespread speculation about a new The licences for Hong Kong’s two exist- owner for the ailing station. ing free-to-air TV broadcasters – Televi- The paper also quoted Secretary for sion Broadcasts Limited (TVB) and Asia Commerce and Economic Develop- Television Limited (ATV) – expire on 30 No- ment, Gregory So, as saying that factors vember 2015. being taken into account included the According to local reports, the Com- broadcasters’ “performance in fulfilling munications Authority submitted its re- their legal duties, regulations for the li- newal proposals to the Executive Council cence and Codes of Practice”. earlier this month. So also said the government would Local daily, The Standard, quoted Com- “also look at their operation capacity, munications Authority chairman Ambro- technology level and programme ar- se Ho as saying it was “not appropriate” rangements in the future”.
DQE launches kids channel duo on YouTube
India-based kids’ content creator DQE the channels are part of DQE’s digital has launched two YouTube channels – strategy to monetise its library, which in- Power Kids for children older than five and cludes The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Lassie, Tiny Toonz for younger children. Iron Man, Robin Hood and Casper, across Created in association with multi-chan- screens and devices. DQE will add made- nel network Whacked Out! Media (WOM), for-online educational content. c ntentasia 17-30 NOVEMBER 2014 Page 9.
Lift off... ContentAsia’s satellite update
Choi secures Americas Asia-based global satellite company, ABS, has appointed Dolores Martos as managing direc- tor of the Americas. Martos is based in Washington DC and reports to ABS chief executive Tom Choi in Asia. Martos was previously VP of sales responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean at Europe- an satellite operator SES. She also spent 18 years at Intelsat, including a stint as regional sales VP for Latin America.
NewSat celebrates Measat-3b The successful launch of Measat-3b was great news for more than Malaysia and programmers who want onto Astro. The satellite is also home to Australia’s NewSat, and its Jabiru-2 payload, which provides Ku-band capacity over Australia, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solo- 18 kids titles mon Islands. As the payload came into head for operation, NewSat’s chief technology Eighteen animation concepts from six Asia-Pacific mar- officer, David Ball, spoke about working kets have been selected for the 2014 Asian Animation Vietnam with Malaysian satellite operator Measat Summit showcase in Vietnam in December. Asian Animation “to design the beam exactly the way we The shows are from Australia, Malaysia, Korea, Thailand, Summit kicks off wanted it to look, the coverage area, the Singapore and New Zealand. on 3 December power focus and the peak performance All will be presented live in Hanoi to an audience of broad- area”. Ball also said it was a “a good exer- casters, co-producers, distributors and investors from Asia and cise for us to go through as we approach the international marketplace, events organisers Kidscreen said. launch of Jabiru-1”. The showcase includes six programmes each from Korea and Malaysia, three from Jabiru-1, scheduled to launch in 2015, Thailand, and one each from Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. is Australia’s first commercial Ka-band The sole selection from Singapore is Insectibles from One Animation. Korean satellite and will provide flexible Ka- companies involved include Studio Gale (Journey of Long) and Synergy Media (Beat band coverage to meet demand from Monsters). government and enterprise across the This year’s Asian Animation Summit takes place in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi Middle East, Asia and Africa. from 3-5 December.
.!40% -IAMI IS THE FIRST MUST ATTEND MARKET OF THE YEAR $)6% ). 3!6% 4/$!9 2EGISTER NOW WITH CODE $ISCOUNT. c ntentasia 17-30 NOVEMBER 2014 Page 10.
New lifeline for Singapore’s Channel 5 MediaCorp promises real commitment to higher-quality content
The last chance is nigh for Singapore’s The long-expected revamp of the ail- drawn from a rich pool of U.K. expertise in English-language Channel 5. Come Jan- ing service comes at a complex time for shaping its local drama, which is set in a uary 2015, monopoly broadcaster Medi- traditional broadcasters, particularly in middle-income neighbourhood and re- aCorp activates a resuscitation plan that Singapore, where the audience is highly flects back at local TV audiences all the includes, among other lifelines, a new lo- connected and overserved with both le- real-life multi-racial, multi-generational, cal (hopefully long-running) daily soap, a gal and illegal options. topical issues of the day. weekday magazine show, a new talent/ One of the pillars of the latest strate- The reality box is ticked with new reality reality show, and an increase in local cur- gy is half-hour weekday magazine pro- talent show, The 5 Search (4 January to 1 rent affairs and infotainment shows. gramme, The 5 Show (8.30pm, Mondays March 2015, Sundays, 9.30pm-10.30pm), Broadcast bosses are clearly hoping to to Fridays), followed by a 9pm slot for which MediaCorp says is part of its “con- boost engagement and relevance. Bor- daily news show News 5. tinual development of local talent”. rowing from Singapore pay-TV platform Another programming pillar, scheduled Another reality show (1 February to 29 StarHub’s “upsize” concept and brand- to premiere in June 2015, is a prime-time March, Sundays, 10.30pm-11pm) is The ing, MediaCorp says that the “fresh local local soap/drama (name undisclosed), Proposal, which looks at “unique and cre- upsize” line up “will celebrate the Singa- which “will feature local and regional ar- ative” wedding proposals in Singapore. pore identity and connect more closely tistes and weave in social issues relevant The new Channel 5 also includes a with Singapore families than ever”. to all”. MediaCorp is believed to have weekday pre-school belt from January. Returning series include Code of Law season 3 and Zero Calling season 2. 2015 MediaCorp TV managing director, SCHEDULE ON CHANNEL 5 Jan - Jun Bernard Lim, said the broadcaster had Day Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Time “made a real commitment” to higher 7pm quality content. Wheel of Fortune [Variety] The big question is: Is all this enough
7:30pm to bring mainstream audiences back to Channel 5? Possibly, if MediaCorp and The Flash / Arrow 1, 2 & 3 / Movie Movie Nikita 4 / Agents of SHIELD [Family] [Mass] its content teams don’t blink. Now all the 8pm [Drama] rest of the industry needs is an accom- panying new structure that breaks the 8:30pm Comedy The 5 Show monopoly broadcaster’s stranglehold on Telemovies [Info-tainment] Theaudience Noose mea- New telemovies on Channel 5 from the School, Romance and Heartland genres. Heartland Hubby Spouse for House Series 2 24 Jun – 16 Sep 2015 7 Jan – 11 Mar9pm 2015 1 Apr – 17 Jun 2015 Wedsurement in We d Wed 9:30pm – 10pm School 9:30pm – 10pm 10pmNews – 10:30pm 5 TheSingapore. Noose team, armed with an Channel 5 goes back to school in January with three heartwarming Heartland Hubby is a family sitcom Spouse For House is a sitcom about free- insatiable hunger to knock other telemovies. revolving around9:30pm the Lims, a middle-class spirited musician, John (Alaric Tay) who fell news channels off their lofty perch, Singaporean family consisting of Dad Heartland Hubby inCommon love with straitlaced bankerTales ofJessica 2 Cities (Selena 2025 / is back to cement its position In Spelling Armadillo, the life of Tom, a student with a special talent (Encik) Teh Peng, Mum Molly, their three Li). It was a whirlwind romance[Info-ed] that/ SG50 led to Serangoon The 5 Search / as the country’s most in spelling gets turned upside down when he becomes an unwilling Koji Cooks / The Noose Cents contestant of a spelling competition. In Two Boys and a Mermaid, a children Cathy, RobbieCode and Winnie. of Law 3 7 Jan – 25 Mar 2015 [Comedy] a[Current HDB BTO A airs] flat-applicationDocu within series three Road [Drama] Throwback: fearless, peerless and Talking Point months of their first date. Before they knew it, clueless newsroom. teenage rebel, Aron, gets sent to a prestigious school to get his act We d Balik together. In his new school, Aron clashes with the school bully, falls in The main character, Encik,/ Zero is a decorated Calling [Current10pm – A airs] 10:30pm however, the heady flush of impetuous love Kampung / army warrant10pm officer who retired[Drama] early due Koji Cooks / faded and the attraction soon paved way to Whispers Of The Dead The Noose team love and betrays a friend. The Learning Curve is a powerful portrayal of On The Red Dot Dance Floor 2 the pressures and challenges teachers and students now face in schools. to health reasons and decided to start a Koji Cooks is the first TV show to tap repulsion. Despite their aversion towards one [Docu-drama] / Serangoon continues to dish minimart business with his pension funds. Spouse for House another,[Current neitherA airs] was willing to give up the flat. [Variety] Through the eyes of the principal, the telemovie offers an insight into into two different genres [Comedy]of comedy Road [Drama] out more factless, The series follows Encik as he transitions inaccurate, what it takes to run a school where teachers struggle on a daily basis to and cooking. In this comedy-cum- nurture and groom unwilling and rebellious students. into his second career as a civilian and cooking-show hybrid, viewers will Following a successful first season, irreverent and shows the10:30pm difficulties and challenges he Spouse for House returns for more adventures Verdictpick up(Local) cooking / How tips from Koji as Body & Soul (Local) TV Movies / Meet My Family/ The irrelevant now faces as a small business owner. and misadventures of (fake) married life with nuggets of to heGet attempts Away with to revive The his father’s Mysteries / Unbroken SG50 Docu Proposal (Local) [Info-tainment] Spelling Armadillo restaurant after losing his job as an John and Jessica. Spouse For House Series 2 American news. True to 2 Jan 2015 Hawaii Five-O Murder (Acquired) [Drama] (Acquired) [Info-ed] Series Britain’s Got Talent (Acquired) [Variety] Starring: Lim Yu Beng, Petrina Kow, Denise investment analyst. of Laura / also stars Desmond Tan, Irene Ang and RichardHorror Story 3 their inventive Fri Tan, George Young and/ ChuaAllegiance En Lai / Jane the Low as the family members of the couple. [Drama] / [Movies] / best, viewers 10pm – 11:30pm 11pm can look Gotham While Koji tries to scheme Virginhis way into Constantine [Drama] the kitchens of top chefs and hawkers forward to Forever / [Comedy] [Drama] Your Face Two Boys and a Mermaid to steal their secret recipes, his Sounds more returning How to Get Be The Boss segments like Top Complaint, 9 Jan 2015 misadventures and the hard knocks he Familiar USA / Fri Awayfaces along with the way eventually teach and Noose of the World / Survivor Criss Angel 10pm – 11:30pm 11:30pm him valuable life lessons and the value [Reality] The Vampire exposés. Murder About a Boy/ BeLIEve Burn Notice of family[Drama] and friendships. Memento Diaries 4 Friends with [Variety] Starring: Alaric Tay, [Drama] [Docu] [Drama] / [Movies] The Learning Curve Starring: Daren Tan,Better Adam Chen,Life [Comedy] Silver Suhaimi Yusof, Chua En Lai, 16 Jan 2015 Ang and Fauzie Laily Judee Tan and Siti Khalijah Fri 10pm – 11:30pm Local
Acquired Acquired (after local series ends) Romance Information correct at time of printing It’s the season of love on Channel 5 with four romantic telemovies. In The Circle House, a group of men get together every day at a mystical magic mansion to practise magic tricks together. A teenage girl learns about the magic circle and longs to be a part of it. She introduces herself as ‘Woon the Wanderer’ and soon gets sucked into a mystical world of deceit and murder. In the midst of it, she meets the love of her life.
Love is Love, a 3-part anthology series, features multi-generational love stories which reflect the Singapore way of life and love. The series takes viewers through a cycle of journeys – of self-discovery and fulfillment, of marriages and break-ups, and of treasured promises and long-lost memories.
The Circle House 23 Jan 2015 Fri Info-ed News Current A airs 10pm – 11:30pm
News 5 Talking Point Love is Love (3-part anthology) From 1 Jan 2015 6 Jan – 31 Mar 2015 30 Jan – 13 Feb 2015 Mon – Sun Tue Fri 9pm – 9:30pm 9:30pm – 10:30pm 10pm – 11:30pm
From 1 Jan 2015, News 5 will start at the top of the hour Hosted by producer and co-anchor of at 9pm. The daily evening news programme features Singapore Tonight Steven Chia, Talking Point highlights and coverage of both local and international is a one-hour talk show which discusses Heartland news. and debates key national issues affecting On The Red Dot Singaporeans. The programme features Based on written work by well-known and award-winning writers comes From 1 Jan 2015 studio guests ranging from politicians and a 3-part anthology of uniquely Singapore stories which are warm, witty Thu CEOs to civil activists and academics. Viewers and engaging. The stories featured include a young boy faced with 10pm – 10:30pm can share their opinions via LIVE call-ins, the responsibility of making the right decision; an unlikely relationship Body and Soul Series 2 Google Hangouts or through the on-screen between two pet-loving neighbours and a group of squabbling neighbours 1 Jan – 1 Apr 2015 Presented by Cheryl Fox, display of Twitter and Facebook posts. who sort out their differences and agree on a truce as their HDB block Thu On the Red Dot is a goes through upgrading. 10:30pm – 11pm weekly current affairs magazine programme Straight from the Heart (3-part anthology) Hosted by Daniel Martin, Body and Soul is which focuses on the Common Cents 6 Mar – 20 Mar 2015 a lifestyle TV programme which leverages little red dot we call From 1 Jan 2015 Fri on the popularity of 938LIVE’s daily radio home. With SG50 as Thu 10pm – 11:30pm health chat show by the same name. The radio edition has been its theme for the year, 9:30pm – 10pm airing every week day since 2006, with host Daniel Martin conducting the show offers weekly interviews with medical specialists and health and fitness professionals in-depth analyses and Presented by Steven Chia, Common Cents to find out more about the latest medical procedures and fitness discussions on key issues presents a range of financial issues each regimes. and events that matter week with topics ranging from investment to Singaporeans and and healthcare to education and retirement. Body and Soul’s in-depth discussions will help viewers gain a better seeks to showcase the Each episode shadows a worker in understanding of common health issues affecting them and what they people and communities Singapore as he seeks the expertise of should do to address these concerns. that form a vital part of financial and industry experts to uncover the Singapore. truth behind complicated financial issues. Information correct at time of printing c ntentasia 17-30 NOVEMBER 2014 Page 11.
PlatformHyppTV Everywhere
Comedy Central On Demand, Cinema World HD On Demand and sports Fox Football Channel HD On Demand. VOD titles are kept available from one to six months or within the content’s validity period. Price Free for HyppTV Value Packs subscribers. Monthly plans for HyppTV cus- tomers cost RM5/US$1.52 for two devices and RM10/US$3 for five devices. Offered as a la carte or via Everywhere Pack for non-members at RM15/US$4.50 a month for any three channels Most watched WarnerTV. Others are Universal Channel HD, SyFy HD, Comedy Central HD and Cinema World HD Social media HyppTV is very much de- pendant on online connectivity and In a regular section looking at up-and-coming OTT/online platforms presence “so we have expanded the in Asia, Malena Amzah speaks to Jeremy Kung, EVP, new media and service’s awareness via: website, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as well as a chief executive officer of telco Telekom Malaysia’s TM Net. YouTube channel.” Accomplishments “In 2014, we added What is HyppTV Everywhere? An OTT offerings. Offers 40+ local and in- several new live channels such as service launched in August 2013 by ternational live TV channels, with Universal Channel HD, SyFy HD, Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) offering features including time shift and HyppSensasi, Comedy Central HD, select IPTV HyppTV content via multiple de- catch up. Premium channels Cinema World HD, NHK World HD, vices such as tablet, PC and smartphone. include BBC Knowledge, MotorVision HD. We also added Available in Malaysia and exclusively for Outdoor Channel HD, CBeebies, Cinema World HD On Demand HyppTV customers Nick Jr, Discovery Kids and RTL and Comedy Central HD on De- Who's who Jeremy Kung, Executive Vice CBS Entertainment HD. VOD Jeremy Kung mand in the VOD category.” President, New Media/CEO, TM Net is bundled into categories, including Why go Everywhere? ”TV is no longer the Active users 130,700+. Targets young, FriedChillies Food (food, travelogue), main source to catch programmes nowa- internet-savvy users. Hypp Variasi (Malay drama series, variety days... watching TV on portable devices The offering HyppTV Everywhere mirrors shows), Hypp Flicks Plus (Hollywood provides users the mobility convenience TM’s existing IPTV service, HyppTV, carrying blockbusters, Malay/Asian movies), Hypp and keeps them updated wherever they almost similar features and licensed key Flicks (evergreen Hollywood movies), are.”
Where Asia’s best new animation starts.
December 3-5, 2014 • Hanoi, Vietnam Join us & discover it first! c ntentasia formats 17-30 NOVEMBER 2014 Page 12.
ContentAsia’s regular section, ContentAsia Formats, looks at formats and format development in Asia, including new seasons, series and trends and what these mean to channels, producers and the overall formats industry in the region.
Family Secrets, Korea
Korean cable programmer CJ E&M’s new drama adaptation, Family Secrets (Gajokui Bimli), debuted in a prime morning slot in October, becoming the 2014 choice of series to premiere in the stripped weekday slot on general entertainment channel, tvN. The 100-episode revenge melodrama is stripped Mondays to Thursdays at 9.40am (KST), with encores at 7.50pm and four- episode omnibus sessions on Fridays at 9.30am. The series runs to the end of April 2015. Previous local dramas to play in this morning slot have included Glass Mask in Family Secrets, CJ E&M 2012-2013 and Ice Adonis in 2012. The slot singer Hyo Young and veteran TV stars Sin For instance, the lead actress changed also carries reruns of drama series such as Eun Gyeong and Ryu Tae Joon. her clothes as many as 80 times in the first Crazy Love. The Korean version has been slightly week of filming. Family Secrets is the Korean remake of improvised to fulfil local preferences. Brokered by Telemundo International, Chilean telenovela Where is Elisa?, which Local adaptations included having more Family Secrets is but one of many CJ E&M is distributed by Telemundo. The drama outdoor shots, which “raises the dramatic acquisition deals for tvN. format has also been made in Indonesia on effects”, says Kim, adding that the ultimate After Korea’s Got Talent in 2011, tvN SCTV (Di Mana Melani) and the Philippines aim is “to maintain the original plot and at made Saturday Night Live Korea, based on ABS-CBN (Nasaan Ka Elisa?). the same time being able to reflect the on the Saturday Night Live format as well Family Secrets is about a mother from Korean society and culture of the gentle as romantic comedy A Witch’s Love, a a well-off family who loses her son to a and yet strong Korean motherhood”. remake of Taiwan’s hit drama series My tragic accident and later finds her only tvN’s morning slots, mostly scheduled Queen. daughter is missing. Her world is turned with local drama series, target housewives Scripted formats continues to be on the upside down when she discovers that her in their 30s-40s. The network generally Korean network’s shopping list. “We are daughter was kidnapped by someone targets the middle-aged and the 10-20- interested in scripted formats... we hope from her own family. year old demographics. to find a couple of other good formats The Korean series was produced by Production challenges include making to adapt for Korea,” says Jang-ho Seo, drama producer Jiyoun Kim, directed the cast look appropriate to the story/ CJ E&M’s head of international sales and by Sung Do-Joon and written by Lee script. Kim says the team pays a lot of acquisitions. Do-Hyun. The cast includes former K-Pop attention to the style of each character. c ntentasia FORMATS at the ContentAsia Summit 2015 September 2015. Be included. Contact Malena at [email protected] c ntentasia 17-30 NOVEMBER 2014 Page 13.
Philippines cuts local production costs ABS-CBN, GMA report lower spend for 2014 C NTENTASIA
Editorial Director Philippines’ broadcasters have cut local continue to use different audience meas- Janine Stein production costs this year in the face of urement systems. ABS-CBN uses Kantar Assistant Editor sliding domestic revenues and lower prof- Media. GMA uses Nielsen Media. Malena Amzah its. Drama appears to have suffered most, According to Kantar Media data pro- [email protected] although last year’s election-related ex- vided by ABS-CBN, the network took all Research Manager penses caused some of this year’s savings. top 10 free-TV programming spots for the CJ Yong ABS-CBN said production costs were first nine months of this year. [email protected] down 3.6% to Ps7,939 million/US$177 mil- The top show in the third quarter was Editorial Research Aqilah Yunus lion in the first nine months of this year from The Voice Kids Sunday (34.9), followed [email protected] Ps8,234 million/US$184 million in the same in second place by The Voice Kids Satur- Design period the previous year. day (34). Local drama Honesto was third Rae Yong Amid fierce speculation that Ramon (31.7), with Mars Ravelo’s Dyesebel (30.1) Ang is buying a 30% stake in the com- in fourth spot and Boses Ng Bulilit Kami Ulit! Associate Publisher pany, rival GMA said production costs for (28.9) taking fifth place. (Americas, Europe) and VP, the year to end September were Ps4,034 The free-TV broadcaster said its flagship International Business Develop- million/US$90 million, down by Ps223 mil- Channel 2 continues to lead, with prime- ment lion/US$5 million – 5% – compared to the time audience share at 49% nationally Leah Gordon same period the previous year. and 37% in Metro Manila. [email protected] At the same time, GMA said programme However, Kantar Media data also shows Sales and Marketing (Asia) Masliana Masron rights amortisation was up to Ps482 million/ that Channel 2 still trails rival GMA in the [email protected] US$11 million, up 19% from a year ago. This high-value area of Mega Manila, with 34% was caused by revised programming grids prime-time share against GMA’s 40%. To receive your regular free copy that replaced some original production The lead is even wider in total day rat- of ContentAsia, with canned programming as well as air- ings, with GMA 7 at 40% in Mega Manila please email ing more costly movies. against ABS-CBN 2’s 31%. Nationally, [email protected] GMA said most of its programme time- Channel 2 has a total day share of 44% blocks incurred lower costs than last year, against GMA’s 34%, and TV5’s 10%. Published fortnightly by: led by the daily prime-time block, which GMA Networks, meanwhile, says its inter- Pencil Media Pte Ltd recorded a decrease in production cost national business has “propelled” growth, 730A Geylang Road mainly due to the absence of the high- making up for the domestic dip following Singapore 389641 Tel: +65 6846-5987 budgeted epic-serye Indio. last year’s mid-term election highs. contentasia.tv In addition, the weekend afternoon Subscriptions revenues for the past nine asiacontentwatch.com block registered lower costs with the con- months moved ahead of last year by 9% clusion of in-house productions that were ending at Ps792 million/US$18 million. Copyright 2014 Pencil Media Pte replaced by canned content. Another GMA attributed this to hikes in subscriber Ltd. All Rights Reserved. factor was the shift at the beginning of count for both Pinoy TV and Life TV, par- MICA (P) 111/06/2013 this year, when three daily in-house soaps ticularly in Canada by more than 30% were replaced by canned shows. GMA compared to last year. said this influenced the decline in cash Overall, GMA’s net income for the nine production costs. months barely broke the Ps1 billion mark, At the same time, high-cost local shows, a 33% dip compared to Ps1,488 million in c ntentasia such as weekend prime time titles Picture, the same period last year. Daily news with Picture, Ismol Family and Marian, negated ABS-CBN’s net income for the nine ContentAsia Insider some of the savings. GMA said, however, months was Ps1.54 billion/US$34 million – email [email protected] these generated better profit margins a drop of 14%, but about 29% above last for subscription details than lower-cost titles last year. year if election-related ad spend was Ever fierce rivals, the two broadcasters stripped out, the company said.