8-21 February C NTENTASIA 2016

www.contentasia.tv l https://www.facebook.com/contentasia?fref=ts .com/contentasia l @contentasia l www.contentasiasummit.com

China’s talent show battle: Talpa vs Star China loses “The Voice of China”, premieres home-grown “Sing My Song”

An epic battle over The Voice of China, is raging across the mainland, with rights owner Talpa, owned by the U.K.’s ITV, demanding that Star China step away from the most lucrative competition se- ries ever after four seasons (and a start on season five) and backing up its fight with legal action. Star China, meanwhile, has premiered its home-grown song contest, Sing My Song, which is part of ITV Studios’ global formats catalogue.

Full story on page 4

HGTV beats 60 English channels in Singapore Av. 40 mins viewing a day in 2015, Scripps says

Scripps Networks Interactive’s HGTV channel recorded the highest average time spent – 40 minutes a day – among 60 English-language pay-TV channels in Singapore across 2015, including sports, movies and entertainment. The channel debuted on StarHub in December 2014. C NTENTASIA Full story on page 2 c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 2.

Scripps tops lifestyle channels in Malaysia, Singapore HGTV beats 60 channels in average daily time spent in Singapore in 2015

Scripps Networks Interactive’s Asian minutes a day on the channel in 2014. entertainment, on pay-TV platform Star- Food Channel (AFC) and HGTV move The ratings come on the back of a Hub. The channel debuted on StarHub into the Year of the Monkey at the top slate of original productions in 2015, fol- in December 2014. of the lifestyle category among Malay- lowed in 2016 by shows such as season Scripps expectations for HGTV in 2016 sia’s 25 to 54 year old female viewers as two of Family Kitchen with Sherson, Ili by are high, driven by the first local version well as among professional/business au- the Sea and Papa’s Kitchen, AFC’s first of U.S. format, House Hunters. The show diences (source: AGB Nielsen data pro- Japanese co-production. is scheduled to premiere before the end vided by Scripps Networks Interactive). In Singapore, Scripps’ HGTV was the of March. The long-running U.S. version This is the second year running that the top lifestyle channel in 2015 among fe- has been a staple in Asia along with regional food channel has topped life- male cable viewers between 25 to 54 Beachfront Bargain Hunt, Selling New style channel lists in Malaysia. years old (source: Kantar Media, data York and Family Under Construction. For full-year 2015, the average time provided by Scripps). Scripps Asia-Pacific managing direc- spent a day on AFC in Malaysia increased HGTV also recorded the highest av- tor, Derek Chang says the channels’ per- by 11% compared to 2014, the network erage time spent – 40 minutes a day formance in 2015 “give us great confi- said. Viewers spent an average of 21 – among 60 English-language pay-TV dence to pursue even more relevant minutes a day on AFC in 2015, up from 19 channels, including sports, movies and and local content”. c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 3.

Diva picks up Sony’s One tops int’l channels Chef in Your Ear AXN expands dominance, One commands prime-time

Sony Pictures Television Networks’ Ko- lish-language general entertainment rean channel, One, was the top-rated channel in Singapore, Malaysia and international channel in Singapore and the Philippines, more than doubling the Malaysia during prime time (6pm-1am, primetime ratings of the next English- combined SD/HD) in 2015, ahead of language general entertainment, SPT Chef in Your Ear movies, kids and other entertainment says. NBCUniversal’s Diva channel has channels (source: Kantar Media Singa- AXN’s ratings grew by 28% in Singa- picked up rights to Canadian cooking pore/Nielsen TAM Services Malaysia). pore, Malaysia and the Philippines, show, Chef In Your Ear, from Asian dis- In Indonesia, One was among the buoyed by Asia’s Got Talent and new tributor Bomanbridge Media. The show top entertainment channels on pay-TV FBI drama series Quantico. aired on The in Canada giant Indovision, ranking number two Female-focused Sony Channel, mean- last year. The finished programme sale among 120 channels, the Singapore- while, improved its ratings by 277% in follows format sales to South Korea’s CJ based regional network says, quoting 2015 in the Philippines, and Japanese E&M and Mongolia’s Mongol TV. data from Indonesian pay-TV platform anime channel Animax grew its fan Chef in Your Ear involves two chefs MNC. base to 11.2 million in 2015 up from 10 challenged to deliver meals by telling SPT Networks’ flagship AXN chan- million in 2014 in Southeast Asia (Animax someone else how to do it. Chef in Your nel, meanwhile, grew its market domi- full day channel reach ‘000 for 2014 Ear was created by The Format People. nance in 2015 as the top-rated Eng- and 2015).

Your chance to be part of the next iconic moment

Deutsche Welle | 53110 Bonn | Germany [email protected] dw.com

Content Asia_190x120.indd 1 02.02.16 13:28 c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 4.

China’s talent show battle: Talpa vs Star China Star China loses “The Voice of China”, premieres home-grown “Sing My Song”

An epic battle over The Voice of China, is raging across the mainland, with rights owner Talpa, owned by the U.K.’s ITV, demanding that Star China step away from the most lucrative competition se- ries ever after four seasons (and a start on season five) and backing up its fight with legal action. Star China, meanwhile, premiered season three of its home-grown format, Sing My Song, on CCTV3 in a prime-time 7.30pm slot on 29 January. The studio- based singer/songwriter format is distrib- uted internationally by ITV Studios. Seasons five to eight of The Voice of China are switching to Zhejiang Tangde in a US$60-million deal announced as Sing My Song went to air. The new four-season The Voice of China agreement is part of a broad agreement Star China’s Sing My Song season three that also involves developing local Chi- nese formats Zhejiang Tangde has com- in its rights fees demands for new seasons The Talpa-Zhejiang Tangde deal in- mitted an additional US$50 million to the of The Voice of China. Star China Media volves developing and operating more development venture, bringing the total had hoped to premiere the show in the than 200 variety TV shows in China. The value of the deal to US$110 million. middle of this year. first series to air under the new deal is Talpa Media says Star China’s rights to Talpa rejects the allegations, saying celebrity dance contest, Dance Dance The Voice of China expired on 8 January, that Star China and its affiliate, Meng Dance. and that the company had gone ahead Xiang Qiang Yin Cultural and Broadcast Zhejiang Tangde has not said when “unlawfully” with production on season (Shanghai) Company, had expected it season five ofThe Voice of China will pre- five. to “accept a below-market license fee miere. ’s High Court granted Talpa that neither reflected the popularity” of The season four finale on Zhejiang Sat- an injunction against Star China Media the talent contest nor “the significant rev- ellite in October last year had an audi- and Meng Xiang Qiang Yin on 22 Janu- enues that the show has generated for ence share of 27.39% with an average ary – a week before the Zhejiang Tangde the defendants over the past four series”. rating of 7.11% in 34 major cities, ending deal was announced. Talpa also said the proposals did not re- a record-breaking 13-week run at the top Star China says it is being treated un- flect “the current value of the sponsor- of China’s ratings charts. fairly, and has accused Talpa of extortion ship rights to the programme”.

c ntent ContentAsia Formats Outlook @ MIP TV 2016 Formats Please contact Aqilah at [email protected] or +65 6846-5987 to add your formats deals and productions in Asia to Outlook ContentAsia’s Formats Leaderboard 2016 www.contentasia.tv @Contentasia Facebook/Contentasia 2-3 April 2016 CALL The Discovery Showcase for The Global Formats Community

FOR ENTRIES MIPFormats International Pitch New Ideas. New Talent. New Formats.

In Partnership with

Backed for the second time by all3media International, the distribution arm of the UK’s leading TV production group, the MIPFormats International Pitch PZ[OLPUK\Z[Y`»Z[VWÅPNO[WP[JOPUNJVTWL[P[PVUMVYJYLH[VYZHUKWYVK\JLYZVM innovative non-scripted entertainment formats.

Jury President Stephen Lambert

Submit your project on mipformats.com Deadline for entries: February 22

4-7 April 2016

25 January-7 February 2016 page 5. c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 6.

India’s Sun TV picks up new Sinbad series theJC NbTspaceENTASIA the place to look for the jobs that matter

Chief Sales Representative, Asia Pacific (Long-term consultant role, after trial period)

Role is responsible for all TV and Digital rights exploitation of all Miramax properties. Chief will work closely with management and manage members of the Asia Pacific team. Successful candidate will be an experienced sales manager within the media sales environment specifically and have experience in film/TV series exploitation including the contractual and rights procedures involved. Requirements: Must have at least 10 years of significant Sinbad and the 7 Galaxies in depth experience in a sales role, an understanding of Former Disney/KidsCo exec Paul Robinson’s Creative the Asian TV and production markets and territories. Sales Media Partners (CMP) has pre-sold original CGI HD series, experience must be for scripted Film/TV. Sinbad and the 7 Galaxies, to India’s Sun TV. The 26-part For details visit Miramax.com/Careers or email CV and 11-minute show, aimed at six- to 11-year olds, chronicles the cover letter to [email protected] and include “Chief Sales - Asia” in the subject line. intergalactic adventures of Sinbad, an extra-terrestrial who lives on earth in the guise of a 14-year-old boy. The show was created by CMP’s Raja Masilamani. The production is by Huhu Studios of New Zealand with animation in and . Click here to see more job listings

CCTV, Sesame celebrate New Year North Korea goads One-hour special welcomes Year of the Monkey

international community Mailand China’s CCTV with new launch Children’s Channel and Sesame Workshop China International communities are on high alert for North Ko- are running their one-off rea’s latest satellite/long-range rocket launch, reported to Chinese New Year spe- be scheduled by the end of February. cial through February to Fears are that Pyongyang is secretly testing ballistic missile welcome in the Year of technology that would allow the Hermit Kingdom to strike the Monkey. The one-hour the U.S. special, Let’s Celebrate North Korea insists that it is launching a regular observa- Chinese New Year, stars tional satellite. Sesame Street’s Big Bird, Let’s Celebrate Chinese New Year The U.S. has called for additional sanctions against Elmo and Cookie Monster and Children’s Channel hosts Ju Ping, Xiao North Korea for violating the United Nations ban on missile Lu, Huang Wei, Du Yue and Jin Dou celebrating in Singapore. Local launches in the country. production was organised by Singapore-based MyChinaChannel, North Korea’s last long-range rocket launch was in De- which will also syndicate a special version of the programme across cember 2012. the Southeast Asia region. c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 7.

Astro wins EPL Bloomberg TV switches to HD in Asia for Malaysia, Star takes India HD key in expanding TV partnerships, network says

Astro has won Malaysia rights for the Bloomberg Media Group launched its HD signal on cable networks in the re- English Premier League (EPL) for the next high-definition (HD) television feed in gion. three seasons from 2016/17 to 2018/19. Asia-Pacific at the beginning of Febru- The new HD signal is broadcast via the The platform will air all 380 EPL matches ary, saying it was the first business and AsiaSat-7 satellite at 50 frames per sec- live in HD and on all mobile devices via finance news channel to go live with a ond with 2,073,600 pixels resolution. Astro on the Go. In India, has renewed exclusive broadcast rights for EPL matches over the next three seasons. CTE, Indovision celebrate Miao Mi launch mm2 Asia expands with US$19m offer

Singapore-listed mm2 Asia has made a S$26-million/US$18.6 million offer for a 51% interest in the share capital of the UnUsUaL Group of Companies. If it goes through, the sale significantly expands mm2’s activities in concerts, adding marketing/ promotional services for performances of artists such as Andy Lau and Jacky Cheung. mm2 CEO, Melvin Ang, said the acquisition would make mm2 the largest entertainment group in Singapore.

From left: Andy Chang, Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE); Dhini W. Prayogo and Thai TV exits DTV Yudha Wibawa, PT MNC Vision; Ofanny Choi, Annie Chan and Shirley Cheong, CTE Hong Kong-based regional Asian enter- The Mandarin educational/entertain- Troubled Thai digital terrestrial channels tainment programmer, Celestial Tiger En- ment channel is carried exclusively on operator, Thai TV Co, is pulling the plug on tertainment, celebrated the launch of its Indovision’s Galaxy, Super Galaxy, and its two channels – Thai TV News and MVTV first kids channel, Miao Mi, on Indonesia’s Venus packs, as well as Okevision’s Family/Loca – and says it will not pay the PT MNC in January. The car- basic pack. The linear channel is also second licence fee instalment, which was riage deal is Miao Mi’s first in Asia. available on Play Media. due at the beginning of February.

MEET THE 15 17 MARCH 2016 ELITE sportelasia.com sportel SINGAPORE c ntentasia schedules 8-21 February 2016 Page 8.

Factual schedule analysis: in Asia Programming priorities for 2016 and what’s on for the first weeks of January and February prime time factual grids.

Date 4-Jan-16 5-Jan-16 6-Jan-16 7-Jan-16 8-Jan-16 9-Jan-16 10-Jan-16 Day/ Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Time First Time Filmmakers: Singapore 6pm Catching Monsters: Bluefin Catching Monsters: Titan Catching Monsters: Feast Catching Monsters: Tug Catching Monsters: Last Running Wild With Bear Grylls Story: Man Vs. Birds Battle Tuna or Famine of War of the Giant Bluefin S2: Kate Hudson 6.30pm Korea Next: Shaman of the Sea Man, Woman, Wild S2: Bear Body Bizarre S3: Full Face 7pm Man, Woman, Wild S2 E6 Man, Woman, Wild S2 E7 Man, Woman, Wild S2 E9 Man, Woman, Wild S2 E10 World's Biggest Ship Ep1 Encounter Transplant: Body Bizarre North America: Outlaws & Mythbusters S6 E101: Alaska You Have Been Warned S3: Home 8pm Survive That! S2 E7 River Monsters: Killer Catfish S3 E9 Big Fish Man Ep3 Skeletons Special Hacks Chaos Caught on Camera: 9pm S11: I'm the Terrifying Tornado, Free-Fall Medical Anomalies: My Deadliest Catch S11: I'm the Big Fish Man Ep3 World's Biggest Ship Ep1 Belief: God Help Us Captain Fireball, Molten Metal 40-Year Old Child Captain 9.30pm Deadly Dilemmas Ep1 The Gadget Show: World 10pm Tour: Mediterranean Running Wild with Bear Grylls World's Top 5 S2: Super Body Bizarre S3: Full Face Part1 Running Wild With Bear Grylls S2: Pacific Warriors Ep5 Pacific Warriors Ep5 S2: Kate Hudson Helicopters Transplant: Body Bizarre The Gadget Show: World Kate Hudson 10.30pm Tour: Mediterranean Part2 First Time Filmmakers: 11pm Singapore Story: Man Shaanxi: China's Great You Have Been Warned S3: Surviving the Cut S2: Army Ice Cold Gold S2 E2 S3 E8 Vs. Birds Gateway: Return of the Manhunt: Before the Chase Home Hacks Sapper School Korea Next: Shaman of Silk Road 11.30pm the Sea

Action/Adventure 13 hrs/31% Buildings/engineering 3 hrs/7% Science 4 hrs/9.5% Technology 1 hr/2.4% Travel 1 hr/2.4% Faith/Spiritual 1 hr/2.4% Investigative 1 hr/2.4%

Survival 10 hrs/23.8% Medical 3 hrs/7% People 1 hr/2.4% Character-led 1 hr/2.4% Military 1 hr/2.4% Nature/disasters 1 hr/2.4% Culture/tradition 1 hr/2.4%

Date 1-Feb-16 2-Feb-16 3-Feb-16 4-Feb-16 5-Feb-16 6-Feb-16 7-Feb-16 Day/ Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Time Manhunt With Joel Lambert Manhunt With Joel Lambert Manhunt With Joel Lambert Manhunt With Joel Lambert Manhunt With Joel Running Wild With Bear Grylls 6pm Taiwan's Military Elite S2 E1 (S2) - New Zealand (S2) - Mongolia (S2) - Florida (S2) - Mexico Lambert (S2) - Scotland (S2) - Michelle Rodriguez One Car Too Far - One Car Too Far - Under Body Bizarre (S3) - Living Treehouse Masters (S4) - Sunrise Day 7pm One Car Too Far - Volcano One Car Too Far - Rainforest One Car Too Far - Desert Mountain The Hood Statue: Body Bizarre Camp Clubhouse Ed Stafford: Into The Mythbusters S6 E105: Blind Castro: World's Most Bering Sea Gold (S3) - You Have Been Warned (S3) - Win 8pm S3 E3 Big Fish Man - Unknown - Siberia Driving Watched Man Episode 13 Or Fail Chaos Caught On Camera How Do They Do It? 9pm Treehouse Masters - Icy Impact, Flash Flood, Bering Sea Gold: Under The S11 E7 Bering Sea Gold: Under The The Great Wall Of China: The Big Fish Man - Amazon (S4) - Sunrise Day Camp Deadly Deer Ice - All For Naught Ice - All For Naught Hidden Story Clubhouse How Do They Do It? 9.30pm Deadly Dilemmas Ep5 S11 E8 The Gadget Show: World 10pm Running Wild With Bear Grylls Strip The Cosmos - Killer Body Bizarre (S3) - Living Tour - UK (Part 1) Running Wild With Bear Grylls (S2) - Abalone Wars S4 E2 Abalone Wars S4 E2 (S2) - Michelle Rodriguez Asteroids Statue: Body Bizarre The Gadget Show: World Michelle Rodriguez 10.30pm Tour - UK (Part 2) 11pm Running Wild With Bear Grylls You Have Been Warned Ghost Asylum (S2) - Fenwick Taiwan's Military Elite Pandamonium - You You's Ice Cold Gold S2 E6 Manhunt - Arizona - Tom Arnold (S3) - Win Or Fail Plantation S2 E1 Tale

Survival 16 hrs/38% Action/Adventure 7 hrs/16.7% Science 4 hrs/9.5% Buildings/Engineering 3 hrs/7% History 2 hrs/4.8% Medical 2 hrs/4.8%

Military 2 hrs/4.8% Investigative 2 hrs/4.8% Technology 1 hr/2.4% Character-led 1 hr/2.4% Mythological/Supernatural 1 hr/2.4% Animals/Wildlife/Pets 1 hr/2.4%

Source: Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, schedules are correct as of 13 January 2016

Discovery Channel heads into the Year in the January 2016 reorg. ship channel. of the Monkey with a mandate to rethink Kwan, like everyone else, is on the hunt “There will be greater investment and and re-imagine everything – tone, con- for max brand engagement across all focus on digital but we are not rush- tent, reach.... touch points. ing into anything just yet,” Kwan says, Expanding beyond linear is a key goal, “Our content should not always have to adding that “consumer insight is key in as is re-positioning the content offering for premiere on the linear platform as there shaping our product palette in the digital millennial audiences. may be instances where it is better suited space”. “There is a need for us to refresh the for an online audience,” she says. This is “well underway across all our key channel – from its tone of voice to con- Other than that, it’s not yet clear how markets,” she says. tent as we position ourselves to millenni- the strong digital mandate ordered by “We will be relying heavily on digital als,” says veteran Discovery programmer, Discovery Networks Asia Pacific’s new analytics to curate content and track Charmaine Kwan, who has been given president/managing director, Arthur the level of Discovery’s brand resonance the position of head of products for South- Bastings, will be translated for the flag- More on page 9 c ntentasia schedules 8-21 February 2016 Page 9.

From page 8 with millennials,” she adds. Kwan is eager to dispel the “miscon- ception” that Discovery’s local original production slate in Asia has been hi- jacked by sponsor-funded content. “From Abalone Wars to Taiwan’s Mili- tary Elite to Sabah Earthquake Decoded, more than half of our original produc- tions in 2015 were not advertiser led,” she says. This year so far, the channel has greenlit a series on Borneo and has several other projects in development. The new Discovery under Bastings is also promising to boost local acquisitions in Asia rather than drawing so heavily from the Discovery U.S. pipeline, Kwan says. Taiwan‘s Military Elite “With greater emphasis on the inter- national markets and the expansion of New titles on the channel for February- The week of 4-10 January is made up of Discovery’s production teams outside of June 2016 are survival series Men, Wom- 31% (13 hours) action/adventure, 23.8% U.S., the majority of our content whether en, Wild (March) and blue-chip historical (10 hours) survival reality, 9.5% (4 hours) commissioned or acquired now comes documentary The Great Wall of China: science, 7% (3 hours) medical and 7% from producers and vendors from around The Hidden Story. (3 hours) building/engineering, 2.4% (1 the world,” she says. Returning titles for the first half of this hour) people, 2.4% (1 hour) technology, Kwan says a priority is to ensure “a year include a new season of extreme 2.4% (1 hour) character-led, 2.4% (1 hour) robust offering, with a mix of global, job series Gold Rush (March) and Ber- travel, 2.4% (1 hour) military-based reality, regional and local content to fulfill the ing Sea Gold (May); the final season of 2.4% (1 hour) faith/spiritual, 2.4% (1 hour) network’s international promise”. science series Mythbusters (April); and a nature, 2.4% (1 hour) investigative and Discovery Channel has 10 news series new season of The Island with Bear Grylls 2.4% (1 hour) culture/tradition. and specials in February and March, (June). For the week of 1-7 February, the including new survival series, Kings of The schedule is 38% (16 hours) survival real- Wild; Discovery’s big return to forensics, What’s on the prime time grid: Prime time ity, 16.7% (7 hours) action/adventure, 7% Killing Fields; a special to commemorate on Discovery Channel differs from market (3 hours) science, 7% (3 hours) building/ the people’s revolution in the Philippines, to market but in general, starts at 6pm engineering, 4.8% (2 hours) history, 4.8% Marcos: 30 Years On; and The Great and ends at midnight, with core prime of (2 hours) medical, 4.8% (2 hours) military, Wall of China: The Hidden Story, which 9pm-11pm for the Southeast Asia feed. 2.4% (1 hour) technology, 2.4% (1 hour) premieres this month. Prime time is also dominated by action/ character-led, 2.4% (1 hour) animals/ The biggest programming challenge adventure, survival and science (weekly wildlife, 2.4% (1 hour) mythological/super- remains serving a wide pan-regional audi- schedules, January and February) pro- natural, 2.4% (1 hour) investigative and ence, Kwan says. gramming. 1.2% (0.5 hour) nature/disasters. c ntent

OUT NOW!

2016

C NTENT C NTENT C NTENT

Asia’s definitive media content and services directory

CHANNELS2016 PROGRAMME SATELLITE2016 SYNDICATION & LICENSING 2016

Asia’s definitive media content and services directory Asia’s definitive media content and services directory Asia’s definitive media content and services directory

1_TBL_DIGITAL_COVERs.indd 1 21/12/15 11:07:52 1_TBL_DIGITAL_COVERs.indd 2 18/12/15 13:25:46 1_TBL_DIGITAL_COVERs.indd 3 21/12/15 11:08:48 http://www.contentasia. http://www.contentasia.tv/ http://www.contentasia.tv/ tv/tbl2016channels/ tbl2016syndication/ tbl2016satellitestudiotech/

25 January-7 February 2016 page 10. c ntentasia 8-21 February 2016 Page 11.

Tien Truyen wins Project Runway Vietnam 3 C NTENTASIA

Editorial Director Janine Stein [email protected] Assistant Editor Malena Amzah [email protected] Research Manager CJ Yong [email protected] Editorial Research Aqilah Yunus [email protected] Online/Digital Design Rae Yong

Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, International Business Development Leah Gordon [email protected] Sales and Marketing (Asia) The new Project Runway Vietnam winner, Nguyen Tien Truyen (second left), walked off Masliana Masron with prizes including US$15,000 cash, in the season three finale on 30 January. The finale [email protected] in Ho Chi Minh City aired live on VTV3. The series is produced by Trang Le (second right), managing director of Vietnamese production house Multimedia JSC, photographed To receive your regular copy with season three hosts Tùng Leo (left) and Truong Ngoc Anh (right). www.contentasia.tvof ContentAsia, please email [email protected]

Published fortnightly by: Pencil Media Pte Ltd New Thai PBS head under fire 730A Geylang Road Singapore 389641 Krissada unqualified to lead pubcaster, critics say Tel: +65 6846-5987 contentasia.tv The new head of Thailand’s Thai Public understanding of journalistic work”. Broadcasting Service (Thai PBS), Krissada Thai PBS Policy Board has said the MCI (P) 091/11/2015 Ruang-areerat, is coming under fire for be- changing media landscape meant a ing unqualified for the role. professional media background was no Copyright 2016 Pencil Media Pte Local media report that Krissada, a den- longer necessary to head the station. Ltd. All Rights Reserved. tist and former manager of the Thai Heath “Thai PBS, as a public service chan- Promotion Foundation appointed as sta- nel, is funded by taxpayers, and faces tion director last month, does not have high expectations from Thai society. We the media skills or experience required in need someone with a vision who can terms of the Thai PBS law passed in 2008. help Thai PBS earn credibility and view- Quoting employees and media aca- ers’ trust,” Thai PBS reporter, Hathairat c ntentasia demics speaking about public service tele- Phanoltap, was quoted as saying. Daily news with vision, local daily The Bangkok Post, said She added that if the board wanted ContentAsia Insider Krissada’s appointment set a “new stan- to set a new direction for the channel, email [email protected] dard” for the channel’s future, one that it must explain itself to employees and for subscription details highlights management skills above “a real the public.