13-26 June 2016
! s r a ye 2 0 c 016 g 1 ntent - Celebratin www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com
What’s inside Fox Nets best & worst week in Asia Mega series deal coincides with S’pore carriage woes MAIN COLOR PALETTE 10 GRADIENT BG GRADIENT
R: 190 G: 214 B: 48 R: 0 G: 0 B: 0 Take the green and the blue Take the green and the blue C: 30 M: 0 Y: 100 K: 0 C: 75 M: 68 Y: 67 K: 90 from the main palette. from the main palette. DW rolls out 1st Opacity: 100% Opacity: 50% R: 0 G: 80 B: 255 R: 138 G: 140 B: 143 Blending Mode:Fox Normal Networks Blending Group Mode: Hue (FNG) has just had C: 84 M: 68 Y: 0 K: 0 C: 49 M: 39 Y: 38 K: 3 Euromaxx Malaysia what could possibly go down in history as both its best and worst week in Asia. Malay edition debuts on Best because a content coup, pulled HyppSensasi HD off by Chinese entertainment head Cora Yim, gives FNG exclusive global rights (outside of China) to next year’s mega Malaysian IPTV platform operator, TM Net, mainland series – the epic Ruyi’s Love in has premiered the first local Malay edition the Palace. The series, a sequel to Em- of Deutsche Welle’s magazine show, Euro- presses of the Palace, is expected to be maxx, on HyppTV. the Chinese drama series of 2017. The half-hour weekly show premiered on Worst because, despite clear efforts local channel, HyppSensasi HD, coinciding to keep the news under the radar until with the start of this year’s Muslim fasting the last possible moment, word started month of Ramadan. spreading that Singapore cable platform, StarHub, is dropping eight FNG channels Full story on page 4 in the next few weeks. And, what’s more, hard-fought renewal negotiations for all the others are by no means settled. Roots breaks When it could be coaxed to issue a public statement, StarHub said dropping Philippines records channels was “always the last resort”. US$30m mini-series gives “Regrettably, when they do happen, it is usually due to pressing reasons which Zhou Xun stars in Ruyi’s Love in the Palace History highest 2-hour av- make carriage of the channels unsus- erage rating ever tainable, such as low viewership or Sure, on some level everything is con- prohibitive costs,” said Lee Soo Hui, nected. StarHub’s head of media business Industry leaders for the past few years A+E Studios’ epic series unit. have talked about an evolution that will Roots has given History FNG Singapore’s general man- see channels divided into two groups – in the Philippines its ager, Fion Yeo, said the network high-end premium and cheap/cheer- highest two-hour rat- was “doing our best to keep as ful/basic. Channels in the middle will be ing average ever. The many of our channels on air... squeezed out as the era of the skinny finale of the four-part we are currently in renewal nego- (some prefer to say “core”) bundle takes mini series was also the tiations with StarHub and while we hold. number one programme cannot comment on the specifics of If this is the start of the squeeze, it’s clear on English-language entertain- that discussion, we remain optimistic that that FNG has no intention of giving up ment cable channels (excluding sports, an agreement will be reached”. ground on the premium end of the scale movies, kids), according to Kantar Are the two – fewer channels in Sin- by dropping the ball on content invest- Media data (urban Philippines panel, gapore and higher investment in Chi- ment for its flagship services, such as Star Roots episode four, 3 June 2016, 9pm- nese content for global distribution – Chinese Channel. 11pm; averaged 81,427 P16+/Rtg% connected? More on page 10 1.13 in PTV homes). c ntentasia 13-26 June 2016 Page 2.
Hatayama to head StarHub backs Asian studio Nippon int’l unit US$13 million investment in mm2 completes
Nippon TV has StarHub’s acquisition of an S$18-million/ appointed US$13.3-million stake in Singapore-based Atsushi regional film/TV production house mm2 Hatayama Asia has successfully closed. as president StarHub’s chief technology officer, of interna- Mock Pak Lam, has been appointed tional busi- to mm2 Asia’s board as a non-execu- ness devel- tive director, effective 10 June, as part opment. of the investment. Hatayama, The proposed acquisition of 44 million who joined Ah Boys to Men new ordinary shares was announced in Nippon TV as a Atsushi Hatayama March this year. and distributing titles such as Malaysia’s news reporter in 1984, replaces Yukiko mm2 Asia has co-produced and/or The Journey and Taiwan’s Café.Waiting. Kimishima, who shifts from Tokyo to New distributed more than 50 films across Asia Love. The company is headquartered in York on 1 July as president of Nippon TV since 2008, including co-producing Ah Singapore, and has a presence in Ma- International Corporation. Boys to Men and Long Long Time Ago; laysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China.
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13-26 JUNE 2016 page 2. c ntentasia 13-26 June 2016 Page 3.
Limbourg boosts global co-production DW boss talks about democracy and freedom @ Global Media Forum opening
German international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW) is ramping up inter- national co-productions with broadcast- ers from around the world, DW director general Peter Limbourg told delegates at the opening of this year’s DW Global Me- dia Forum in Bonn on Monday (13 June). “This is a first in international broadcast- ing. And an important step in recognising the value of the contribution of regional partners,” Limbourg said, highlighting lo- cal expertise and perspective. DW has more than 4,000 partners around the world, including more than 1,000 across all platforms in Asia. Limbourg said DW’s partners “will be playing a vital part in our new digital strategy. Mobile access of information is a growing factor. We want to grasp the opportunity and make sure that our con- tent is available for our users on all plat- forms”. More than 2,000 delegates from 100 countries are in Bonn for the three-day event. This year’s theme is “Media. Free- dom. Values.”. In his opening address at this ninth an- easier to distribute disinformation and to dia channels. nual event, Limbourg expressed strong manipulate. “Only when people are able to com- support for freedom of speech and free- “Therefore, we need to rethink the way municate freely, there will be change. dom of the press, which he said were in- in which we perceive, demonstrate and The possibility to share ideas and values creasingly facing limitations all over the spread our values. Delivering our journal- with others and the chance to inspire world. istic content to our audiences is calling those, who are still under the control of “We want freedom of speech to be a for a new approach,” he said. dictatorial regimes. universal right... We want journalists to be Reaffirming DW’s commitment to digi- “Nothing – and I stress – nothing – justi- able to be critical without having to fear tisation and multi-screen delivery, Lim- fies a limitation of the freedom of expres- retribution,” he said, adding: “Sadly this is bourg said a vast number of users was sion to be rooted within a democratic being impaired in more and more coun- already being reached via mobile and constitution,” he said to applause from a tries”. social media. He also said DW would packed auditorium. “All of us are working for the advance- continue to broadcast linear TV, produce Limbourg closed by saying that “the ment of open societies and the free ex- radio programmes and make content end of the freedom of expression is also change of information. available in 10 languages online. the beginning of the end of democracy. “But still, limitations on political action, “But the most efficient way of contrib- There are simply no more excuses when on human rights and the freedom of uting to the global debate, is to enable this point is reached. Each and every speech continue to threaten the values as many of our users as possible to join one of us is called upon to stand up and we expect to be universal,” he said. in directly with solid knowledge of the demand the freedom of expression loud In today’s digital age, “it has become facts through their preferred social me- and clear.” c ntentasia 13-26 June 2016 Page 4.
DW rolls out 1st Euromaxx Malaysia Malay edition debuts on TM Net’s HyppSensasi HD channel
Malaysian IPTV platform operator, TM Net, has premiered the first Malay edi- tion of Deutsche Welle’s (DW) magazine show, Euromaxx, on HyppTV. The half-hour weekly show premiered on home-grown channel, HyppSensasi HD, coinciding with the start of this year’s Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Hosts of the Malaysian edition are local person- alities Nina Nadira and Hunny Madu. This is the fourth localised edition of DW’s lifestyle flagship show in Asia. Local editions are on air in China (World Geo- graphic Channel on CCTV Digital Pay-TV/ CDP), Vietnam (VTC) and India. Another few territories are in the works for 2016. Hunny Madu Nina Nadira
NBCUni celebrates Singapore Pink Dot Team turns out for local LGBT movement under OUT@NBCUniversal alliance
NBCUniversal’s Singapore-based team turned out en masse on Saturday, 4 June, to support this year’s Pink Dot 2016 and the “freedom to love” movement. NBCU International, which sponsored the Singapore event for the first time this year, was among 18 sponsors of the event along with Google, Twitter, Bloomberg, Apple and Facebook. Craig Robinson, NBCUniversal’s EVP and chief diversity officer, said NBCU “has long helped increase awareness for the LGBT community through our content, programming and philanthro- py and we have great admiration for the courage of those who fight for the rights of the community... we are proud to be the home of OUT@NBCUniversal, the company’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Straight Ally Employee gapore’s LGBT community. the freedom to love. With openness and Alliance”. Pink Dot SG describes itself as a “group acceptance, we hope to bring LGBT The non-profit Pink Dot SG was estab- for everyone, straight and gay, who sup- Singaporeans closer to their family and lished to promote greater visibility of Sin- port the belief that everyone deserves friends,” Pink Dot SG says. c ntentasia 13-26 June 2016 Page 5.
ABS-CBN’s licence renewal woes Philippines’ net dismisses claims as “purely speculative”
Philippines’ broadcaster ABS-CBN has dis- missed “purely speculative” claims that its We believe that our government TV/radio broadcasting license will not be will uphold the ideals of democracy renewed when it expires in March 2020. including the rights to freedom of speech “We believe that our government will and expression.” uphold the ideals of democracy, includ- ing the rights to freedom of speech and expression,” ABS-CBN says, highlighting fore the 16th Congress ended on June 6”. “looking down a more difficult road to its commitment “to be in public service ABS-CBN responded by saying that it getting a new, 25-year congressional fran- by providing news and information that had opted for an early renewal applica- chise from the 17th Congress, especially matter to the Filipino, as we have been tion in September 2014. “But due to time in the face of its spat with President-elect doing for the past decades”. constraints, ABS-CBN later decided to Rodrigo Duterte”. The current fuss emerged earlier this withdraw the application with the intent The paper added that Duterte and his month when local daily, The Inquirer, said of seeking renewal in the 17th Congress,” supporters were “unhappy about ABS- ABS-CBN was “in a bind” after failing to the corporation said. CBN’s attacks against him during the have its legislative franchise approved be- The Inquirer said ABS-CBN was now campaign season”. c ntentasia 13-26 June 2016 Page 6.
all3media ATF I want... formats pitch A quick look at some of Asia’s buyers’ shopping list for this year. picks shortlist Who Buying Rights Nina Elavia Jaipuria Action* Linear broadcast judges Executive Vice President and Animation rights and on-de- Business Head (Kid’s Cluster), Comedy* mand rights for all Nickelodeon Entertainment platforms, includ- all3media America’s chief executive, Viacom 18 Media Kids ing TV channels, Greg Lipstone, heads up the panel of Japanese anime websites, applica- ... buys local and internation- tions and/or any four judges who will select the shortlist for al content other platforms or this year’s first ATF Formats Pitch Compe- services tition in Singapore on 8 December. The panel also includes Rachel Glaist- er, all3media International’s U.K.-based Anil Nihalani Arts Digital Head, Connected Media/Toggle Documentary Mobile EVP, press and marketing; Asif Zubairy, Mediacorp, Singapore Drama/Korean drama Online ITV’s commissioning editor, entertain- Education OTT ment; and Deborah Sargeant, chief Entertainment creative officer, Second Star. Feature film Food/Lifestyle/Travel The winner of this year’s inaugural Formats/Reality contest will receive a S$20,000/US$14,700 Kids/Youth prize from all3media International, com- Japanese anime prising S$3,500 cash and S$16,500/worth Music News of consultancy. Entries for the contest, Sports which is open to all formats creators, Sci-Fi close on 31 October 2016. Sun Young Moon Documentary Cable Vice President, Programming Drama Satellite (National Geographic Channels Education and English Entertainment channels) General entertainment* TeamTO opens Fox Networks Group (FNG) Asia Factual* Feature film Beijing office Formats Lifestyle Food Travel Reality ... buys only international content
Didi Cao Animation Digital International Content Acquisition Documentary Mobile Director Drama Online Sohu, China Entertainment Feature film Formats Angelo Rules
French CGI studio TeamTO has opened Sophia Yuen Documentary* Linear its first office in Beijing. Feature film exec Programming Manager Drama* Catch-up Shu Ye, who has worked on movies ITV Entertainment* (Programme strategy and acqui- Food such as Seven Swords and Curse of the sition for Asia, Middle East and Lifestyle/Travel Golden Flower, will head the new China Africa) Reality operation. TeamTO productions include ... buys only international Angelo Rules, eOne’s PJ Masks, Disney’s content Sofia the First and Activision Blizzard’s *Buying more this year. Source: Buyers, ContentAsia Skylanders. c ntentasia INTERVIEW 13-26 June 2016 Page 7.
Clip art Nickhil Jakatdar is working towards a time when the company he founded is no longer necessary. Meanwhile, he says, there’s loads he can do to make video magic in bandwidth-challenged markets.
Vuclip Studios is ramping up original official description is “dynamic content production to about 10 hours adaptive transcoding technol- a month, building on a maiden effort in ogy”) and micro-transaction India earlier this year with online series savvy have been proven. What the Duck. Vuclip has 10 million paying sub- A second season has been commis- scribers and 270+ content partners sioned from a local production house in across Asia and the Middle East. Users India and three or four new shows are in in Malaysia and Indonesia are watching development right now. Founder and chief executive, Nickhil Jakatdar, says the success of the cricket- based comedy show What the Duck has 20% of people in emerging markets been encouraging. use mobile data. Between 70% and “We wanted to see whether we had the capability to produce,” he says of 80% have no clue what data even means.” the move into originals. Part of the effort to create its own intel- lectual property is using data insights to between 300 and 400 minutes of video with mobile data newbies and starter keep risk and costs low. on their smartphones a month. And new smartphones remain Vuclip’s sweet How low? Low. Jakatdar says online markets are being added at a rate of spot. video budgets are way lower than televi- one a month. “The reason Vuclip will still be valid over sion budgets, perhaps by a factor of 10. Vuclip runs PCCW’s Viu services in five to seven years is because the pen- The production initiative is built on emerging markets such as Malaysia and etration of data in these markets is low,” data-based insights gleaned from the Indonesia, where Viu launched at the Jakatdar says. Today 20% of people in thousands of hours of third-party content end of May. Vuclip also offers video/con- emerging markets use mobile data. “Be- that video delivery platform Vuclip – now tent services to telcos across the region tween 70% and 80% have no clue what majority owned by Hong Kong’s PCCW as either Vuclip-branded value-adds or data even means,” he says. Media – is already streaming, says Ja- as white label services. Things will change – slowly. “They will katdar. PCCW Media operates Viu in markets get into data, but they will start with Vuclip Studios was established eight with high-speed broadband/mobile and something simple. Data is still not afford- and a half years ago after Jakatdar and high smartphone penetration, such as able for them, and affordability will not a few of his best tech friends came up Singapore and Hong Kong. go through the roof in five years. It will with a “problem statement” – “How do At the same time as eyeing the enor- take time,” he adds. you provide the best possible mobile mous potential, Jakatdar is open about Vuclip’s challenges are the same as video experience for consumers for the end game: an environment in which everyone else’s, including how much emerging markets?” – and started figur- Vuclip, with all its promises of “an elegant, to charge (answer: micro sums, five or ing out possible answers. unbuffered user experience regardless of 10 cents rather than five or seven dol- Today, Jakatdar leaps nimbly over the device or network” to lower-end users, is lars), how to bill (answer: carrier billing), holes currently being poked in Asia’s no longer necessary. keeping users coming back, making the OTT growth story because of challenges Over time, as consumers in developing combo free/paid model work, such as under-developed broadband/ markets grow comfortable with apps, they For now and maybe the next 10 years, network infrastructure and consumers will migrate from Vuclip to Viu, he says. the winds will be behind Vuclip’s back. ability to pay for streaming video. The migration could be a decade “There is still,” he says, “a lot of penetra- By now, his compression solutions (the away. Meanwhile, emerging markets tion to be had”. 13-26 JUNE 2016 page 8. 13-26 June 2016 Page 9.
10 Years Ago This Week... ContentAsia celebrated its 10th anniversary inSchedule March Watch: 2016. ATV Among • other things, we’re marking the occasion by lookingContent: back Mobile (and • maybe marvelling a bit at everything that’s happened since)Programming: at what HD • C NTENThappened this weekASIA in 2006.... Tech: Content Protection • www.contentasia.tv Issue 8: June 12-25, 2006 NEWS Telco power turned on over Asia
• News Corp and China Mobile tie Eight Asian telcos unite to offer one-stop content carriage up in global media play Programmers’ way into the mo- across the region – opens up a on what will work. Right now we • Jakarta speculation mounts bile market may have just got a one-stop route to mobile users in believe that a lot of the content about Trans TV sale little easier. up to eight Asia Pacific markets. that we are working on will work The full scale launch of Bridge This means access to up to 80 better if it comes from a brand • Product placement in China Mobile – an alliance of eight million subscribers with one set of recognisable by the end user.” worth almost US$125m telecommunications companies negotiations, a single deal, and a Will it pay minimum guarantees lead time of about five months. for content? No, but commercial • Bloomberg revamps morning Bridge Mobile – like much of the models are open to negotiation, block as regional viewers rise Shorts stand tall telecommunications world – isn’t with revenue share the telco indus- in global hunt for necessarily described in language try’s preferred option. • CNN’s Tom Mintier leads UBC’s new content common to traditional video con- Is it a content aggregator? “Yes news ambitions in Thailand tent rights negotiators. With the ex- and no,” says Seow Yoke Kong, ception, perhaps, of the content vice president of technology and • Doubts greet Vietnam’s first they think will work best on mobile service development. home shopping channel – sports, entertainment, news. “Functionally, we perform like Is it a platform provider like As- an aggregator but we like to think • New film law may make life tro, Hong Kong Cable or StarHub of ourselves as a service enabler tough for Vietnam’s TV stations Cable Vision? No. allowing rights holders to work Will it produce or commission its through us to the eight operators,” • Giga offloads ADSL biz to Iron own mobile content from inde- Seow says. Webs-TV in US$18m deal pendent production houses? Not This means content owners do Short-form content, tradition- right now. “We’re not saying no,” not have to negotiate – or inte- PLUS MORE IN ... ally confined to niche and/or Bridge Mobile says. “It depends Continued on page 9 beginner filmmaker status, is the flavour of the moment as com- panies and corporations ramp Singapore leads SE Asia into HD future up the quest to drive traffic to new platforms. Singapore pulls Southeast Asia mercial HD launch for year end. The headlines above along with “This is the renaissance of the into its digital future this month The two channels will feature the full news stories and more short film,” says Doug Williams, with the region’s first high-defini- documentaries and entertain- were delivered during May to Fremantle Media Japan MD tion television trial. Commercial ment. Programming details for subscribers to ContentAsia’s and co-founder of the eight- services are being scheduled for the new channels have not Insider – a Blackberry-friendly year-old Tokyo-based Short year-end. been released. StarHub, which is service that gets you your Shorts Film Festival and the Hopes are clearly that the FIFA believed to be planning a total Asian media news first, fast- three-year-old Short Shorts Film World Cup, which is being aired channel revamp after the World est and more frequently. Fully Festival Asia. Both festivals ran in HD on Singapore’s sole pay-TV Cup, said it was still talking to dis- searchable archive access to earlier this month. platform, StarHub Cable Vision, tributors about HD content. all ContentAsia magazine and For the first time, the film fest will drive penetration of HD sets. MediaCorp, the country’s only ContentAsia Insider articles is in- has tied up with Jupiter TV in a StarHub will follow the World licensed free-TV broadcaster, cluded in your paid subscription. broad partnership that includes Cup with two HD channels, is using Lord of The Rings: The For more information, please email Continued on page 10 and has scheduled the com- Continued on page 9 [email protected] 5/8/06 5:31 PM Page 3 C M Y CM MY CY CMY K
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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] Design Rae Yong
Associate Publisher Wallace Huo (Americas, Europe) and VP, From page 1 low out the door on 30 June. International Business Development Financials for the Ruyi acquisition have StarHub has been talking to program- Leah Gordon not been disclosed. Insiders say the show, mers about winding down some chan- [email protected] Sales and Marketing (Asia) starring Zhou Xun and Wallace Huo, will run nels since the end of 2015. Masliana Masron to about 90 episodes. Revenues so far out StarHub’s decision is part of a broad [email protected] of China are rumoured to have topped re-negotiation of carriage agreements US$200 million. Speculation is that main- that has taken place in other Southeast To receive your regular free copy land OTT rights alone may have reached Asian markets, such as Malaysia and In- www.contentasia.tvof ContentAsia, please email RMB9 million/US$1.4 million per episode. donesia. [email protected] Among other original content invest- In Indonesia, the MNC Group’s In- ments, FNG is involved in a remake of dovision slashed an entire satellite tran- Published fortnightly by: My Date with a Vampire (2017) as part sponder, leaving a dozen or so chan- Pencil Media Pte Ltd of a broad production/co-production nels scrambling for a new home. Terms 730A Geylang Road initiative that involves films, drama and for many of the other channels were Singapore 389641 Tel: +65 6846-5987 TV series with both Chinese and Korean renegotiated. contentasia.tv angles. Yim says the goal includes pro- For FNG’s Chinese group, the in- creased investment in Chinese content ducing high-concept mini series with U.S. MCI (P) 091/11/2015 studio-equivalent production values. for distribution outside China coincides As important for the broader industry with massive investment in original con- Copyright 2016 Pencil Media Pte beyond FNG is that StarHub is believed tent creation by China’s online plat- Ltd. All Rights Reserved. to be cleaning house for new services, in- forms, including iQiyi and Youku Tudou. cluding, possibly, a reorg and bump up of Korea continues to be the other signif- its HD offering. Details have not yet been icant content force, with KBS series De- disclosed. scendants of the Sun being cited as the Meanwhile, the six FNG channels going perfect example of content distribution dark from 16 June are Nat Geo Music, Chan- harmony between China and Korea. c ntentasia nel V, Channel V Mainland China, Channel The Descendants success is push- Daily news with V Taiwan, National Geographic Channel ing the industry into new habits, such ContentAsia Insider HD (the SD version remains) and Mandarin as delivering the complete series well email [email protected] for subscription details entertainment channel Xing Kong. ahead of time to accommodate Chi- Another two FNG-distributed channels – nese censorship regulations and still BabyTV and Hindi service Life Ok – will fol- ensure a simultaneous release.