C NTENT 1-14 June 2020 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com

Disney loses channels foothold in Singapore All sides say negotiations are ongoing; Fox channels now in the spotlight

Singapore’s two pay-TV platforms – - Hub and Singtel – dropped three Disney channels on 1 June after failing to reach agreement on rates. But all sides contin- ue to say carriage discussions are con- tinuing. The three channels are Disney, Disney Junior and Disney XD.

The full story is on page 2 q Malaysia upends film leadership Zakaria Abdul Hamid replaces Hans Isaac

Malaysia’s creative industry is keeping a close eye on the sweeping leader- ship changes at government-backed film and television agency Finas. The shift mirrors the country’s new political landscape, although attempts are be- ing made to highlight the non-political nature of the appointments.

The full story is on page 4 q Plus... • Sony India ditches AXN • Drama soars in India’s formats boom • U.K.’s slaps CGTN with bias ruling • GagaOOlala debuts Unlocked • does the right thing on sports • Who’s who in Japan • ContentAsia Recommends .... and a whole lot more C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 2.

Asian broadcasters boost Disney channels go dark in Singapore factual slates StarHub, Singtel drop three linear services

Asian broadcasters have picked up rights to three new factual titles from Ca- Singapore’s two pay-TV platforms – Star- quired . nadian distributor Blue Ant International. Hub and Singtel – dropped three Disney Industry attention is now focused on the The finished tape deals are part of new channels on 1 June after failing to reach renewal discussions taking place for the sales of 320 hours to platforms around agreement on rates. large bundle of Fox channels on both plat- the world, and come amid global pro- But all sides continue to say carriage forms. The Fox carriage agreements are duction disruption. Ludo Dufour, SVP, discussions are continuing. believed to run for another month or so. international co-productions and sales The three channels are Disney, Disney Singtel told ContentAsia that “our pri- talks about high demand for “escapist, Junior and Disney XD. ority is to ensure that quality content re- binge-worthy shows”. The Asia deals are The official sticking point is the defini- mains affordable for our customers and led by Thailand’s True Visions acquisi- tion of “fair value” for the three premium despite our best efforts, were unable to tion of Saloon Media’s seven-episode channels on platforms that have, be- reach an agreement with Disney on an The Bryk Retreat, which follows designer tween them, shed at least 170,000 sub- acceptable renewal offer”. Danielle Bryk renovating a family lake scribers over the past three years. StarHub said “we share our custom- house. Out of Singapore, regional net- The role – if any – of new streaming ers’ disappointment” at losing the three work A+E Networks Asia has bought platform, Disney+, in the haggling has channels, and that channel cessations Arrow Media/Saloon Media’s See No not been disclosed. Disney has not made were “always the very last resort”. Evil season five about how crimes are any announcements about Disney+’s Disney said it had worked hard to reach solved. In , ViuTVsix bought launch in Singapore. a fair agreement, and that its efforts new factual series Witches of Salem, The carriage negotiations were the first would continue. about a real-life witch hunt. renewals in Singapore since Disney ac- More at www.contentasia.tv

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Pakistan minister slams ABS-CBN franchise battle continues state network for Turkish Katigbak denies slew of allegations & accusations drama success

Philippines’ broadcaster ABS-CBN contin- but by greed and power. Pakistan’s minister for science and ues to fight for its life against a powerful Although he has denied meddling in technology, Fawad Hussain Chaudhry, lobby opposing a franchise renewal. the franchise renewal process, his ad- is hammering state-backed television Meanwhile, network execs are deter- vice to the National Telecommunications network, PTV Home, for taking pride in minedly fast-tracking a digital channel Commission (NTC) was not to grant a the success of Turkish drama Al-Tughral rollout. Announcements on the new ser- provisional licence. (Dirilis). vices are expected any minute. The provisional licence would have The series has been dubbed in Urdu for In the country’s corridors of power, kept ABS-CBN on air while the formal fran- local audiences and airs in a prime time hearings into the renewal continue this chise hearings were under way. Instead, slot on the national network. month with the country’s solicitor gen- the NTC issued a cease and desist order Chaudhry took to Twitter to reprimand eral, Jose Calida, insisting that ABS-CBN that forced ABS-CBN off air on 5 May. the network, saying management violated its previous franchise too many In another passionate plea to lawmak- should focus on domestic production times to even contemplate a renewal. ers, ABS-CBN president and chief execu- instead of foreign dramas. ABS-CBN has always denied the allega- tive, Carlos Katigbak, said on 1 June that The Pakistan Press Foundation news tions, including foreign ownership accu- “I believe there are many voices who will platform quoted him as saying that air- sations, and has spent months playing up speak out and assert that our service to ing foreign dramas would ruin Pakistan’s its service to the Filipino people amid the them has been genuine and real”. He production industry. Covid-19 crisis. also strongly refuted the claim that ABS- Meanwhile, PTV News has launched nine Calida has accused the broadcast gi- CBN had been illegally returned to the new shows in a broad content revamp. ant of being motivated not by service, Lopez family after martial law.

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U.K.’s Ofcom calls out Malaysia upends gov’t film/TV leadership CGTN bias in Hong Kong Zakaria Abdul Hamid replaces Hans Isaac at Finas pro-democracy protests

Mainland ’s state-backed English- language news channel, China Global Television Network (CGTN), says it is “dis- appointed” with U.K. regulator Ofcom’s ruling on issues of bias. The response follows Ofcom findings that CGTN repeatedly breached Britain’s broadcasting standards with its coverage of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests. Sanctions could include a fine, which Ofcom is entitled to impose because CGTN holds a U.K. broadcasting licence through Star China Media Limited. The Chinese broadcaster may also have its licence revoked. CGTN has reafirmed its commitment to “providing accurate, timely and objective news and information with diverse and balanced views for our global audience”. Zakaria Abdul Hamid, Chairman, Finas “As a Chinese media network that has been broadcasting in the U.K. for over 17 Malaysia’s creative industry is keeping sia’s legion of content creators in the years, we have responsibility to present a close eye on the sweeping leadership post-lockdown environment. Chinese viewpoints and perspectives changes at government-backed film Details of the support measures were in our news reporting, which is what our and television agencies. not immediately available. viewers expect,” the network said in a The shift mirrors the country’s new po- During his tenure, Isaac was a supporter statement on 29 May. litical landscape, although attempts are of developing a stronger support network Three days earlier, on 26 May, Ofcom being made to highlight the non-political and ecosystem for Malaysia’s creative called out a “serious failure of compli- nature of the appointments. industry. This included setting up a provi- ance” in the late 2019 coverage, which The end-May reorg, announced by dent fund for freelancers and transpar- failed to present all sides of the situation Communications and Multimedia Min- ency in allocating funding. in Hong Kong and actively promoted a ister Saifuddin Abdullah, puts one-time More recently, he pushed for relief pro- pro- viewpoint. politician Zakaria Abdul Hamid, former grammes for producers and creators CGTN defended its position by saying, Pahang PKR division leader, in as chair- hard hit by Covid-19 containment mea- among other things, that anti-Beijing man of the National Film Development sures, but says he met with little success activists were reluctant to speak to them Corporation (Finas). and had not been allowed to make pub- on camera. Hamid replaces actor/producer Hans lic statements. Ofcom’s investigation focused on news Isaac, who held the role for a little over a In a social media post announcing his magazine show The World Today and year. Isaac was fired on 23 May. exit, Isaac said he had “tried the best for China24 between August and November The letter, signed by Abdullah, was this industry despite facing the proce- last year. titled “Pembatalan Pelantikan Sebagai dure and bureaucratic challenge in gov- CGTN said it had “noticed that some Pengerusi Perbadanan Kemajuan Filem ernment agencies”. media are not objective in reporting Nasional Malaysia (Finas)”. (“Revocation He also apologised for any offence he violent protests in the HKSAR. CGTN has of Appointment as Chairman of National may have unintentionally given “some provided more voices to the global audi- Film Development Corporation of Malay- parties”, whom he did not name, and ence and made it possible for them to sia (Finas”). promised that “my struggle to defend this understand the whole picture”. Hamid’s new deputy is KRU music chief industry will not end here”. “CGTN has attached importance to executive Norman Abdul Halim. Both roles “Without the position as Finas chair- complying with the local regulations ... run for two years to May 2022. New board man, i am to speak,” he added. and looks forward to continuing to coop- members have also been appointed. In a later post, he congratulated the erate in a just, fair and transparent way The new leadership comes along with new Finas chairman and he hoped Finas with Ofcom,” the network said. promises of financial support for Malay- “does not make the same mistake again”. C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 5.

Sony pulls the plug on GagaOOlala debuts 1st Covid-19 series AXN in India/S. Asia Adolfo Alix’s Unlocked premieres 19 June

Sony Pictures Television is pulling the plug on its high-end English-language entertainment network AXN in India and the subcontinent at the end of this month after more than two decades. Sony confirmed the move to Indian media, describing the decision as part of a channel portfolio realignment. The India decision might be linked to the sale of Sony channels in the rest of Asia to KC Global Media, owned by Andy Kaplan and George Chien. Sony’s India business was not part of the sale, but the AXN feed for is believed to have come through the Singapore-based regional opera- tion. Sony’s India business continues to be managed through Los Angeles. Neither nor KC Global Media have commented yet. q Unlocked Astro sweetens HD upgrades with upsized -based global LGBTQ+ streaming in Manila inspired his return to the theme. platform GagaOOlala premieres its first “I thought of how this situation can be Tamil offering post Covid-19 drama series, Unlocked, a catalyst for dramatic situations,” Alix on 19 June, with new episodes released says. Malaysia’s Astro is pushing HD up- every Friday. “There are a lot of parallel themes that grades, this month boosting Tamil HD The six-part anthology series, co-pro- can be discussed given the times in the content with pop-up channel Rajini70, duced by Philippines’ filmmaker Adolfo context of a relationship. The lockdown Zee Tamil HD from Indian program- B. Alix Jr and GagaOOlala, looks at how will act as a purgation of sorts to unlock mer Zee Entertainment, and in-house quarantine has affected gay couples’ issues on their relationships in different service Astro Vaanavil HD. The three relationships. levels,” he adds. brands increase Astro’s Indian HD “Each episode deals with issues of Implementing safe production proto- channels to nine. Rajini70, which runs love, heartbreak and uncertainty in the cols meant a series of virtual auditions to end June, celebrates the 70th time of the pandemic,” he says. and discussions, as well as a skeleton birthday of Indian superstar Rajinikanth, Episodes run between 15 and 20 min- crew of four. and will feature 70 of his movies, in- utes. The production budget was ap- “Shooting with a crew of four is not cluding the first – Apoorva Raagangal prox US$5,000 per episode. usual, but it’s like working with your fam- – and the latest – Darbar. Astro is offer- Unlocked is not the first isolation- ily to create something special,” he says. ing HD box upgrades at no extra cost. themed content Alix has produced. Alix says the challenges presented “In 2012, I did a film with Ananda by safety protocols “enabled us to be Everingham called Kalayaan (Wildlife), more creative” in order to get the series which dealt with the isolation of soldiers made, with new processes applied to stationed in the Spratlys. They’re alone familiar production steps. contentasia and they start to experience things Unlocked will be distributed worldwide which they cannot explain. Are these by Jay Lin’s Taipei-based Portico Media, even real or a product of their imagina- except in the Philippines, which will be tion,” he explains. managed by Alix’s production compa- Eight years later, the Covid-19 lockdown ny, Noble Wolf ABAJ Productions. C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 6.

8 June debut for new Astro rolls out sports rebates Gordon Ramsay series “It’s the right thing to do,” Malaysian platform says

Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted

Season two of Gordon Ramsay: Un- charted premieres on National Geo- graphic on 8 June in a simultaneous release with the U.S. The show will air in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singa- pore, Thailand and Vietnam with back- to-back episodes on Monday mornings and a same-day encore at 10pm. Asian Premier League live match on Astro SuperSport stops on Ramsay’s route are Indone- sia and India. The Indonesia episode, which follows Ramsay to Sumatra, airs As sports events emerge from Covid-19 the world. on 29 June. The episode also features lockdowns, Malaysian platform Astro The platform offered TV customers Indonesian chef William Wongso. has rolled out a one-off rebate for sport a four-day free preview of Bundesliga pack subs who didn’t get what they matches from 15-19 May. paid for over the past few months. Sports pack subs are also able to q The RM20/US$4.60 rebate will apply switch to a choice of six entertainment over the June and July billing cycles, the packs – including movies – at no charge. Japan’s SkyPerfecTV platform said. StarHub’s Sports Pass plan costs S$29.90/ extends Bundesliga rights Given Covid-19’s disruption to the US$21 a month/24-month contract. global sports calendar, “the rebate is In the Philippines, TV has re- Japanese platform PerfecTV has the right thing to do,” Astro’s head of sponded to Covid-19 measures by giv- extended its Bundesliga broadcast/ sports, CK Lee, says. ing subscribers premium channel blow- digital rights for five years from the Sports subscribers have also been giv- outs – including sports channels, says 20/21 season. The deal includes a plan en complimentary viewing of all chan- Vitto Lazatin, vice president – content to work with third parties to boost value nels on the platform. acquisition, management & strategy. in Japan and to promote relations Platforms in neighbouring Singapore Cignal’s a la carte sports offering in- between Germany and Japan. SkyPer- are not following suit – for now. clude beIN Sports Pack for Ps350/US$6.90 fecTV has broadcast Bundesliga for the Singtel says Premier League has taken monthly, One Sports HD at Ps150/US$2.95 past two seasons. the first steps towards restarting the cur- monthly and Fox Sports 2 HD for Ps40/ rent season, which could return to TV US$0.80 a month. One Sports Plus and screens “in the next month or so”. Fox Sports 2 are already bundled in most q “In the unfortunate event that Premier packs while beIN’s channels are in the League is unable to resume the season’s premium tier. Pops Thailand ups anime matches, we will provide customers with Philippines’ pay-TV platform SkyCa- options such as offering more channels ble opened some of its sports chan- The Thai platform of Vietnamese ser- or rebates on their subscription,” the tel- nels for free from 3-16 April and from 19 vice Pops has added a slate of anime co told us. Mar-30 April. titles to its streaming line up, including Singtel’s seven-day sports pass costs SkyCable sports packages range from iconic superhero series One Punch S$19.90/US$14 a month. The sports plus Ps150/US$2.30 a month for the Fox Sports Man, revenge story Demon Slayer and pack is S$49.90/US$35 a month. Pack to Ps550/US$11 a month for Fox family tale Crayon Shin-chan. All are StarHub also said it was encouraged Sports 3, Outdoor Channel HD, Fight being offered for free. by the resumption of live sports around Sports HD and Eurosport HD. C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 7.

Drama soars in India’s formats boom Streamers drive scripted2018 take up 2019

Talkshow 2018 2% 2019

Singing Singing contest Drama contest Drama 17% 22% 14% 26%

Reality 22% Game Show Reality 28% 33% Game Show 36%

2019201920182018 16 India’s streaming wars have driven format16 15 adaptation to record levels, with game 15 14 shows and drama the biggest winners.14 Reality took a hit though, dropping from 12 12 12 12 titles in 2018 to nine in 2019, according12 11 11 10 to ContentAsia’s Formats Outlook. 10 10 9 The country has registered growth ev-10 8 9 ery year for the last four years, ending 8 8 8 2019 with 42 formats on air or commis- 6 6 6 sioned – an increase of six titles com- 6 6 6 pared to 2018’s 36 titles. 4 This put India in third place among the 4 16 markets tracked for ContentAsia’s 2 1 Formats Outlook for 2019. 2 0 Drama increased by 38% from eight 0 1 Drama Game Show Reality Singing contest Talkshow 0 titles in 2018 to 11 in 2019. 0 Singing contest remained the same Drama Game Show Reality Singing contest Talkshow with six titles and one talkshow title was credited with kicking off India’s multi- April 2019. introduced in 2019. channel television industry in the 1990s. Endemol Shine Group sold the most Game shows are by far the most popu- When most markets in Asia have moved formats in India last year. The 11 titles in- lar titles, with 36% share. on from their Millionaires, India had six cluded six versions of Big Brother (known In 2019, game show adaptations were versions – Kashmiri, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, as Bigg Boss) in Hindi, Kannada, Malay- 50% up on 2018. Marathi and Malayalam in 2019. The only alam, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu. The 15 game show titles include Boman- other country with its own version of Who Sony Pictures Television and Talpa sold bridge’s DNA, Endemol Shine Group’s Wants to be a Millionaire in 2019 was six titles each, followed by BBC Studios with Fear Factor, Fremantle’s Distraction Ben- Vietnam. five; Keshet and Fremantle, which had four gali, Red Arrow Studios’ Anti Social Net- The 11th season of the Hindi Who Wants titles each; Armoza Formats and Boman- work and Sony Pictures Television classic, to be a Millionaire premiered in August bridge, with two titles each; and all3media Who Wants to be a Millionaire – a format 2019. The first Kashmiri version debuted in and Red Arrow Studios, with one title each. C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 8.

What Recommendsstarted as our celebration of women-centric storytelling for International Women’s day has continued into #lockdownlife, with all its soaring viewership and demands of stay-at-home audiences. What are you watching and why would you recom- mend it to others? We’re partial to stories with strong female characters and storylines, but all suggestions welcome. What is the ContentAsia team watching at the moment? Apple TV+ Defending Jacob, all3media’s Liar season two on BBC First, Viu’s Pretty Little Liars, surrogacy documentary Made in Boise on GagaOOlala and Video India’s action drama The Family Man... We’re gearing up to tell you what we think and why in a new Instagram review series we’re preparing... meanwhile, send your recommendations to Malena at [email protected] Happy viewing!

Who Title Company Recommends Why...

“The series may seem to be a revenge plan on a cheating hus- band, but the emotional arch delves much deeper. At its core, this is a story of obsession, and how destructive it can be to a SVP, Content CJ ENM family and relationships. The characters are well-rounded, and Jangho Seo Doctor Foster Business Korea the plot is unpredictable. Since there is a strong demand for content which has a strong female character, it will appeal to many countries specially after the huge success that the Korean remake enjoyed.”

Head of “The resilient and courageous main character, Sophia, grows on Marketing, Dolby Cheryl Koh Girlboss you. The show depicts the bane of entrepreneurs and how one de- South / Singapore rives self-worth and stays true to herself.” ANZ

Associate Pub- “With major talent in front of and behind the camera, Insecure is lisher (Americas, proof that diverse, female-driven programming does not come at a Europe) and VP, cost to quality. Funny and fresh, the series follows a modern, millen- Leah Gordon ContentAsia Insecure International nial heroine navigating career/family/friends/love/life through less- Business er-known parts of L.A., owning her mistakes, overcoming obstacles, Development and striving to better the world around her.”

“An engaging, entertaining comedy-drama spy thriller television Chief Market- series centering on two smart female characters: intelligence in- ing Officer - OTT TVB Hong vestigator Eve Polastri (played by Sandra Oh) and psychopathic Winnie Ngai Content & Killing Eve Kong assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The takeaway is, it’s all about Digital making the right choices because everything in life is a reflection Marketing of choices made.”

Zainir Chief Executive Revolution “Charming alternative-what-if-could’ve-been-me relationships told Modern Love Aminullah Officer Media in an intertwined way. And makes us want to move to New York.”

Marketing “I love how the series places strong female characters front and Communica- Primeworks Parks and centre. Also, the Leslie Knope character is very fun. Her unique Trina Tan tions Studios Recreation brand of earnest positivity, drive to make the world a better place Manager and her willingness to fight for her values is something to aspire to.”

“Based on a true story about a girl from New York who flees her Or- thodox Jewish Community because she struggles with the pressures General Nor Shahila Primeworks of her faith and marriage. Shira Haas is stunning, with boundless Manager, Film Unorthodox Harun Shah Studios inner resources and power. As a miniseries, the ending leaves us & Drama hanging, but watch it. You will be enthralled to watch her rebirth as an independent woman.”

Note: Table above is arranged alphabetically by programme title

contentasia C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 programmingpicks Page 9.

Quiz Quiz tells the story of Charles Ingram, a former Brit- ish army major, who caused a major scandal in the early 2000s after being caught cheating his way to winning £1 million on the game show, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Digging beneath the splashy news coverage, Quiz explores how Ingram, his wife Diana, and an accomplice, Tecwen Whittock, who was sitting in the audience, pulled off the on-screen heist before being caught and standing trial. Length: 3x60 mins Sony Pictures Television 2/F, 14 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong T: +852 2913 3788

Heirs of the night Living to Love Europe, 1889: the Heirs of the five Irene, the lead singer of the market remaining vampire clans in Europe are place band Los Milagrosos, meets brought together on the ship, The Elisa- Joaquin the mechanic when he ar- betha, to attend the newly created rives in the city carrying nothing but vampire school. Unlike their the clothes he is wearing. Both are parents, they need to join forces and fighting for their dreams. Soon they become stronger than ever in order to survive. Length: 26x26 mins ZDF Enter- realise they can’t live without each The Frankenstein Temptation prises Erich-Dombrowski-Str. 1, 55127 other, although their struggle to be Science Mainz, Deutschland T: +49 06131 991 0 together will be intense and pain- The Frankenstein Temptation Science lets F: +49 6131 991 1552 ful. Length: 60x60 mins people dream, and yet can also be inexo- Caracol Television 150 Albambra rably cruel, just as young Frankenstein’s Circle, Suite 1250, Coral Gables, pursuit of the ideal man created a tragic, Fl. 33134, U.S. T: +1 305 960 2018 hideous creature... This series presents incidents buried in history’s shadows in a thrilling, intelligent way to reveal the irresist- Hard ible temptations of science. Backed by An adaptation of the French series of exhaustive research and featuring VFX for the same name, Hard follows the a unique and stylish visual tone, each epi- story of Sofía, a dedicated sode delves into the stories of scientists who housewife who is re- ended up leaning towards the dark side. cently widowed. After Length: 5x44 mins NHK Enterprises Daisan the sudden death Kyodo Bldg., 4-14 Kamiyama-cho, Shibuya, of her husband, Tokyo, Japan 150-0047 T: +81 3 3468 6984 Sofia watches as her perfect life falls apart upon Ghost Dolls discovering that The power of a family heirloom – a valuable he lied through- Jade doll – reaches across time and space out his whole life to protect seven-year-old Pangrum, who is about his profes- adopted by relatives when her mother dies sion and that the and leaves her all alone. Pangrum, trauma- inheritance he leaves tised when she witnessed her father’s murder comes in the form of and her mother’s ill-fated marriage to lawyer a production company for Pichit, hides the Jade on her own precious doll, pornographic films. Now she must Wawa, to keep it safe. In doing so, Wawa becomes not only adapt to her new life. Length: 6x30 mins her sole confidant but also a magnet for spirits that will protect (season 1) HBO Latin America 396 Al- them both from evil. Length: 15x105 mins JKN Global Media hambra Circle, Suite 400, Coral Gables, PLC. JKN Gallery Salaya, 45/14 Moo 1 Songkanong, Sam Phran, FL 33134, U.S. T: +1 (786) 501 8317 Nakhon Pathom, Thailand 73210 T: +66 34 310 569 C NTENTASIA countryprofile 1-14 June 2020 Page 10.

Japan

In numbers Population...... 125.90 million Households...... 58.52 million Avg. household size...... 2.23 Cable TV households...... 30.7 million Pay TV households...... 15 million Pay TV penetration...... 27% Internet users...... 118 million Fixed-line broadband...... 40.25 million Wireless broadband...... 202.88 million Mobile phone users...... 170 million Mobile phone penetration...... 130%

Source: Statistics Japan (population as of May 2020), Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (households as of Jan 2019; cable TV, broadband in 2018)

Free TV ​​​ Fuji Television Fuji TV was established in 1957 and start-

ed broadcasting in 1959. The general Woman – My Life for My Children, Nippon TV entertainment schedule includes drama, news and sports. Fuji TV continues to ex- pand its international agenda, including business show format that has sold into animation. Internationally, TV Asahi is drama co-production/development in more than 30 territories. Drama series, best known for manga series Doraemon, and Korea. Mother, has opened up a scripted for- Crayon Shin-chan, Masked Rider Wizard mats pipeline led by Turkey and Korea, and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. NHK and new formats Block Out and Red NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) Carpet Survival are opening up fresh TV Tokyo was founded in 1926 and became a regional and global opportunities. The Established in April 1964, TV Tokyo pro- public broadcaster in June 1950. NHK company also has interests in interna- vides terrestrial, BS and CS broadcasting operates two terrestrial TV channels tional content/format sales, TV shop- as well as online (TV Tokyo Play) and (General TV, Educational TV), two satel- ping, media apps and events. mobile content services. TV Tokyo trans- lite TV channels (BS 1, BS Premium) and mits via six stations in Tokyo, Osaka, Na- three radio channels (Radio 1, Radio TBS goya, Okayama, Sapporo and Fukuoka, 2, FM). Funded by receiving fees from Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) was es- and claims reach of about 70% across Japanese households, NHK also offers tablished in 1951, and broadcasts news, Japan. The daily line-up is mass market international TV stations (NHK World TV, information, entertainment and variety. general entertainment content, includ- NHK World Premium) and radio services The station is also involved in satellite/ca- ing news and sports. (NHK World Radio Japan) under the ble TV (BS-TBS, TBS News Bird), VOD (TBS NHK World brand. The network has 54 On Demand, geo-blocked), programme domestic broadcasting stations and 30 distribution (including original formats Sa- Pay TV overseas offices. suke and Takeshi’s Castle) and radio. Hikari-TV Nippon TV TV Asahi IPTV over IPv6 platform, Hikari-TV, was Nippon TV began broadcasting in Aug TV Asahi Corporation was founded in Nov launched in March 2008 by NTT Plala. 1953 as Japan’s first commercial ter- 1957 as Nippon Educational Television The platform offers 80+ channels and restrial broadcaster. Producing about (NET) and launched in Feb 1959. The ter- more than 80,000 VOD titles. Monthly 90% of its content in-house, Nippon TV restrial station shifted from educational subscriptions range from ¥1,620/US$15.10 broadcasts news, documentaries, sports, to general entertainment in Nov 1973, of- for 10+ channels (Kihon-housou plan) to drama, entertainment and animation, fering news, infotainment, animation and ¥4,320/US$40.30 for 50+ channels and and has won the “triple crown” ratings entertainment. The group also operates 19,000 VOD titles (Oneuchi plan). The (all day, prime time, golden time) for six BS and CS broadcasting, The Asahi Shim- service is available via set-top box and years running (2014-2019). Its best-known bum (newspaper) and Toei, a producer smart TV with the Hikari-TV function, as title internationally is Dragons’ Den, a and distributor of movies, TV dramas and well as via the Hikari-TV Dokodemo app. OUT NOW!

C NTENT C NTENT

Channels Programming & Tech Syndication & 2020 Licensing 2020

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

0. TBL_DIGITAL_COVERS.indd 4 13/02/2020 14:37

ContentAsia’s The Big List directory Asia’s definitive content and services directory

For editorial info, contact Janine at [email protected] To advertise in any of ContentAsia’s publications or online, contact Masliana at [email protected] (Asia, Australia and ) or Leah at [email protected] (Americas and Europe)

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J:Com OTT/Online/Mobile tional cost. The new platform goes live Established in 1995, J:Com provides ca- with more than 500 films and 1,000 series, ble television (J:Com TV), high-speed acTVila including Disney+ originals, from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geo- internet access (J:Com Net), telepho- acTVila was established in July 2006 graphic. Japan is the fourth market to ny, mobile and electric power services and launched in Feb 2007. The VOD launch Disney+ in Asia Pacific after India, to 5.54 million subscribing households service, geo-blocked for Japan, offers Australia and New Zealand. (21.73 million homes passed, Mar 2020). more than 82,000 titles across a range The cable TV service offers more than of genres from ¥756/US$7 a month. acT- Dogatch TV 90 channels with multi-channel broad- Vila launched its first 4K video service in Online portal Dogatch TV, lauched in casting, dual simultaneous recording Aug 2016 for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Dec 2006, offers about 5,000 video clips, feature and VOD/4K online services Games. Actvila Corporation is owned by including drama and news in a combo to 3.92 million subscribing households appliance manufacturing companies free/pay offering. Premium plans cost (Mar 2020). J:Com also offers on-de- Panasonic, Sony Corp/Sony Network ¥324/US$3 a month. Dogatch TV is oper- mand viewing via J:Com On Demand Communications, Sharp, Toshiba and ated by TVer (formerly Presentcast), a JV and Milplus, an IP-based VOD service. Hitachi Consumer Marketing. J:Com produces and distributes films established in April 2006 by five commer- and other content, and operates 17 (Japan) cial terrestrial networks (Nippon TV, TBS, Fuji Television, TV Asahi, TV Tokyo) and BS/CS thematic CATV, DTH and IPTV Amazon debuted its Prime Video service four ad agencies (Dentsu, Hakuhodo channels. in Asia in Japan in Sept 2015, more than DY Media Partners, Asatsu – DK, Tokyu a year ahead of its Dec 2016 rollout in In- Agency). SKY PerfecTV! dia, with a catch-all offering for the rest Sky Perfect JSAT (est Nov 1994) is the of Asia at the same time. The Japanese Dplay sole provider of both multi-channel platform offers local/foreign movies, TV Dplay is a video streaming service pay-TV broadcasting and satellite shows, anime series, music concerts, launched in Japan in 2019 by Discovery. communications services in Japan. variety shows and Amazon originals. Dplay offers channel content such as The Sky PerfecTV! multi-channel pay-TV Amazon Studios has a robust multi-genre Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and service offers more than 150 TV chan- original production slate for Japan. An- ID as well as original Japanese program- nels/services bundled in three monthly nual membership costs ¥3,900/US$36.34 ming for free. packages (basic, premium, premium a year. Hikari), delivered via satellite and fibre- dTV optic networks, to 3.14 million subscrib- Dazn Japan Launched on 11 Nov 2011 as d-Video/ ers (April 2020). The company is deeply Part of global sports media group Perform, BeeTV, dTV is a video content distribution committed to ultra-HD quality, and in Dazn is a sports streaming/on-demand service owned and operated by Avex Oct 2016 became the world’s first to service offering about 8,000 live events Broadcasting and Communications, a telecast in 4K HDR (via dedicated 4K (including matches from MLB, NBA, NFL, subsidiary of Avex Group Holdings. The channel, Sky PerfecTV! 4K Experience). PGA Tour) a year. Dazn launched in Ja- platform offers about 120,000 local/ pan in Aug 2016. and holds the rights to int’l titles on 30 channels, geo-blocked Wowow the Japan Professional Football League (J. for Japan. Accessible via internet-con- Wowow has 2.85 million digital sub- League). The 10-year ¥201 billion/US$1.87 nected devices, including smartphones, scribers (409,910 with multiple services, billion all-rights deal was signed in 2017. computers and television sets, monthly March 2020). The platform owns/oper- Dazn’s monthly subscription (without con- subscription is ¥500/US$4.65 for unlimited ates three full HD 24-hour channels – tract) is ¥1,750/US$16.30. Wowow Prime (movies, documentaries, viewing. int’l/original drama); Wowow Live (live Disney+ Japan Fuji TV on Demand (FOD) sports & events); and Wowow Cinema Streaming platform Disney+ debuts in Ja- The multimedia entertainment service (approx 1,400 movie titles). Streaming pan on 11 June in an exclusive launch alli- of Japanese commercial broadcaster, service Wowow Members On Demand ance with long-term partner NTT Docomo. Fuji TV, offers videos, live channels and offers live events, sports, drama series, The monthly subscription fee is ¥700/ e-books. FOD is free with limited con- and movies. Founded in Dec 1984 as US$6.50. Consumers can subscribe either tent and premium subscription is ¥888/ satellite broadcast company, Japan through Docomo’s retail/digital network, US$8.30 a month. FOD has about 800,000 Satellite Broadcasting, Wowow began or at disneyplus.jp with a Docomo d Ac- paying subscribers and five million its BS analogue pay-TV business in April count. Existing subscribers to Disney Deluxe monthly users. 1991 and started BS digital broadcast- – the entertainment service launched ing at the end of 2000. jointly by Disney Japan and NTT Docomo GyaO! in March 2019, will have their subscrip- GyaO Corporation, an online content tions upgraded to Disney+ at no addi- provider and Yahoo! Japan subsidiary, C NTENTASIA 1-14 June 2020 Page 13.

operates GyaO!. The platform offers The subscription-based online video form tving in Japan in December 2016, 80,000+ drama, animation, music, mov- venture carries content across a range giving the Korea-based service its first ies and comedy clips via multiple con- of genres, including drama and news berth in Asia outside of its home market. nected devices on a freemium basis. as well as original content. Majorly tving offers real-time live TV channels and The company also sells videos via its owned by TBS Holdings (31.5%), Nihon video on-demand content. All content GyaO! Store app. GyaO! was estab- Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei, 16.6%), TV Tokyo produced for CJ E&M’s 16 channels is lished in Oct 2008. Holdings (14.9%), Wowow Corporation available on-demand/online. tving also (14.9%), Dentsu (14.8%) and Hakuhodo carries movies from Hollywood and Korea. Japan DY Media Partners (7.3%). Hulu Japan is operated by HJ Holdings, U-Next Inc., a majority owned subsidiary of Rakuten ShowTime Established in Feb 2009, U-Next offers Nippon Television Network Corporation Rakuten ShowTime offers about 180,000+ 140,000+ titles (movies, drama, anima- (Nippon TV). Over two million paying video titles, ranging from Japanese tion, kids, variety, karaoke clips and subscribers (April 2020) have access drama to Korean drama/movies and documentary series) from local, regional to 60,000 videos. The line up ranges anime series, for ¥2149/US$20 a month and international studios, including Hol- from U.S. studio blockbusters to Hulu for a Premium Unlimited Pack. A la carte lywood majors. Subscription is ¥1,990/ Japan originals such as drama series starts from ¥108/US$1 a title for 72 view- US$18.54 a month for unlimited viewing. Miss Sherlock and The Head. Monthly ing hours. subscription costs ¥933/US$8.70. Hulu Video Pass Japan launched in Sept 2011 and was Tsutaya TV KDDI’s video streaming service, Video Pass, acquired by Nippon TV in early 2014. T-Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Ja- offers local and international content, in- Besides Nippon TV, the shareholders pan’s Culture Convenience Club (CCC), cluding movies, drama series, anime and include Hulu LLC, Yahoo Japan, TOHO, launched Tsutaya TV in August 2008. music, for a flat monthly charge of ¥562/ Yomiuri TV and Chukyo TV. The platform offers about 72,000 local/ US$5.23. Video Pass launched in May 2012. regional and international titles (of which 50,000 are HD), consisting of movies, dra- Netflix launched in Japan on 2 Sept ma, animation and adult series for ¥933/ Production/ 2015, ahead of its global rollout in Jan US$8.70 a month. Post Production 2016. Monthly subscriptions range from ¥800/US$7.45 for the basic, single-stream TV Tokyo On Demand Access Television standard-definition plan to ¥1,800/ TV Tokyo offers mostly catch-up shows, Access Television (ACTV Japan) was es- US$16.80 for the premium four-stream 4K available for free a week after the origi- tablished in June 2005 offering production ultra-HD family plan. nal free-to-air broadcast. The broad- services ranging from planning to content caster also operates TV Tokyo Biz On De- sales for local and international partners. NHK on Demand (NOD) mand, a VOD service offering business/ The company produces documentary, re- NHK’s NOD is a fee-based, VOD service news content for ¥500/US$4.65 a month. ality programming, news/event coverage offering mostly catch-up NHK shows and music videos, among others. (available after two weeks the original TVer free-to-air broadcast) as well as NHK’s TVer was established in Oct 2015 by Asia Documentary Productions library titles. Monthly subscription costs Tokyo-based commercial TV stations Indie production house, Asia Documen- ¥972/US$9.05. A la carte starts from ¥108/ (Nippon TV, TV Asahi, TBS, TV Tokyo and tary Productions, was established in 1997 US$1 a title. NOD launched in Dec 2008. Fuji TV). The online video catch-up ser- to produce documentary films for NHK’s vice offers 300+ select titles, including golden-time slots and feature-length Niconico drama and variety series, from the five documentaries for theatrical release. Launched in Dec 2006, Niconico is a networks and their affiliate companies, The Tokyo-based company is also in- video sharing website formerly known as free of charge. Each network supplies volved in international co-productions. Nico nino Dauca or Nico-do. The service about 10-15 programmes a week. Shows offers UGC, interactive live streaming are available for a week. The service, AX-ON content, and VOD (drama, movies, which reported 16.42 million MAU in Nippon TV’s content production arm, anime, docus, sports content) for ¥540/ March 2020, is managed by TVer Co Ltd AX-ON, produces hundreds of hours of US$5 a month. (formerly Presentcast), a joint venture programmes a week across all genres. between the five networks and four ad From large-scale international live sports Paravi agencies set up in 2006 to run online broadcast to entertainment shows, AX- Premium Platform Japan, formed in July video portal Dogatch. ON caters for foreign broadcasters and 2017 led by TBS and six media com- studios producing in Japan. AX-ON also panies, launched Paravi in April 2018. tving provides access to Nippon TV’s archive CJ E&M launched video streaming plat- of over 200,000 hours of footage. C NTENTASIA countryprofile 1-14 June 2020 Page 14.

Collaboration Virgin Earth Japan SoftBank Corp Established in June 2003 with offices in Established in the late 1970s in Northern Launched in Sept 1981 as a software Tokyo, Japan and New York, Collabora- California and operating in Japan since distribution company, SoftBank Corp, a tion produces entertainment TV content 1979, Virgin Earth provides full TV/film post/ subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp, pro- for major networks, and produces/ production services in HD and SD for for- vides mobile/fixed-line communication distributes original content and formats eign and Japanese broadcasters, produc- and internet services. with a strong Japanese identity. tion houses, corporations and ad agencies. Clients include BBC, Disney, National Geo- Fuji Creative Corporation (FCC) graphic, NBC and Warner Brothers. Regulators/Associations Fuji Television’s production subsidiary Fuji Creative Corporation (FCC) provides Association of All Japan TV content production and distribution ser- Telcos Program Production Companies vices for domestic and overseas markets. ATP is made up of about 120 TV pro- Genres include animation, drama, variety J:Com duction companies from Tokyo and show, documentary, formats and HD. Established in 1995, J:Com’s telco opera- Osaka. Launched in 1982, the associa- tion has 3.727 million telephony subscrib- tion was created to boost the quality of Japan Video Production ing households and 3.861 million high TV programming and to enhance the Founded in 2012, Japan Video Produc- speed internet subscribing households broadcasting environment and cultural tion is a Tokyo-based production house in Sapporo, Sendai, Kanto, Kansai and life in Japan. specialising in video production and Kyushu-Yamaguchi regions (21.732 mil- coordination in Japan for overseas cli- lion homes passed, Mar 2020). Japan Cable Telecommunications ents. Services cover video production Association (JCTA) with bilingual technicians, casting, green KDDI JCTA was established in Sept 1980 by screen studio facilities, interpretation KDDI was formed in Oct 2000 when DDI, operators to promote and subtitling. KDD and IDO merged. With 45+ million cable ethics through mutual enlighten- subscribers, KDDI provides a range of ment and cooperation. NHK Enterprises (NEP) services for consumer and corporate cli- Founded in April 2005, NHK Enterprises ents. Value-added services include Vid- Japan Commercial Broadcasters (NEP) is the production affiliate of public eo Pass, which offers Western/Japanese Association (JBA) broadcaster NHK, creating more than movie, drama and anime titles. From the JBA is a private, non-profit association 10,000 TV and radio programmes a summer of 2018, KDDI began offering with 206 commercial TV & radio broad- year. The company also co-produces Netflix users the new dedicated pay- cast members tasked to enhance local with broadcasters, production compa- ment plan “au Flat Plan 25 Netflix Pack”, broadcasting industry development. nies and distributors around the world. which is a package of content services JBA was established as a voluntary Genres cover news, documentary, talk and smartphone communications ser- organisation called NAB in July 1951 show, kids, education, music, drama vices offering discounts for watching by 16 commercial radio companies, and animation. Netflix’s content on au smartphones. and in April 1952 became a non-profit incorporated association. Tohokushinsha Film Corp (TFC) NTT Established in 1961 as a dubbing house Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT) Ministry of Internal Affairs and for foreign-language TV programmes, was founded in 1952 as a government- Communications Tohokushinsha Film Corporation (TFC) owned entity and became a private The Ministry of Internal Affairs and started producing original TV drama limited company in 1985. The telco offers Communications (MIC) covers the series in 1963 and expanded to full pro- fixed-line, mobile and broadband services information communications technolo- duction services in 1981. via subsidiaries NTT East/NTT West, NTT Com- gies (ICT) sector. munications, NTT Docomo and DTT Data. Adapted from ContentAsia’s The Big List 2020

Be included!

ContentAsia’s directory listings are updated continuously. If you would like to be included, send your details to Malena at [email protected] C NTENTASIA events 1-14 June 2020 Page 15.

What’s on where...

June 2020 29 June - 3 July AVIA OTT Summit Virtual Conference

July 2020 21-23 APOS 2020 Virtual Series Virtual Conference

August 2020 26-28 AVIA Thailand in View Virtual Conference

27-28 ContentAsia Summit - The Social Distance Edition Virtual Conference

27-29 Hong Kong Filmart Hong Kong

September 2020 1-3 APOS 2020 Virtual Series Virtual Conference

8-11 BCWW Seoul, South Korea

9-10 AVIA Future of Video India Virtual Conference

17-20 Gwangju ACE Fair Gwangju, South Korea

17-19 Vietnam Telefilm Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

28-29 AVIA Satellite Industry Forum Virtual Conference

29 Sept-1 Oct BroadcastAsia/CommunicAsia Virtual Conference

October 2020 6 AVIA Taiwan in View Taipei, Taiwan

9-14 Canneseries Cannes, France

10-11 MIP Junior Cannes, France

12-15 MIPCOM Cannes, France

21-22 SportsPro OTT Asia Singapore

31 Oct-9 Nov 33rd Tokyo International Film Festival Tokyo, Japan

November 2020 4-6 TIFFCOM Tokyo, Japan

9-11 AVIA Asia Video Summit Singapore

18-20 Asian Animation Summit Bali, Indonesia

December 2020 2-4 Asia TV Forum & Market Singapore

7-8 Dubai International Content Market Dubai, U.A.E.

January 2021 19-21 Natpe 2021 Miami, U.S.

April 2021 10-11 MIP Doc 2021 Cannes, France

10-11 MIP Formats 2021 Cannes, France

12-15 MIP TV 2021 Cannes, France

June 2021 14-15 DW Global Media Forum 2021 Bonn, Germany

* As of Wednesday, 3 June 2020 The full list of events is available at www.contentasia.tv/events-list C NTENTASIA data 1-14 June 2020 Page 16.

HBO’s Westworld tops China rankings Netflix rules digital originals, but misses top spot C NTENT

Editorial Director HBO original series, Westworld, was way the top three digital originals with fam- Janine Stein ahead of demand for video content in ily/legal drama, Defending Jacob. [email protected] China for the week of 20-26 May, com- Overall, the digital list was dominat- Assistant Editor ing in 21.9% ahead of demand for the ed by Netflix with six of the top 10. Malena Amzah average TV show being measured in [email protected] China by data science company Par- Note: We’ve shifted from listing raw Events Manager rot Analytics. demand expressions to showing how CJ Yong Only one show from the digital origi- much more in demand the top series [email protected] nal universe – CBS All Access’ The Good are than the average TV show in any Editorial Research Aqilah Yunus Fight – could compete with demand for given market. The data is still calculat- [email protected] originals on traditional platforms. ed using Parrot Analytics’ proprietary The newest of the direct-to-consumer demand expressions measurement/ Design streamers – Apple TV+ – made it onto tracking platform. Rae Yong

Top 10 overall TV shows: China Associate Publisher (Americas, Europe) and VP, Rank Title Average Demand International Business Development Expressions® Leah Gordon 1 Westworld 21.9 [email protected] 2 The Last Dance 16.5 Sales and Marketing (Asia) 3 The Good Fight 15.3 Masliana Masron 4 Rick And Morty 14.7 [email protected] 5 The Blacklist 14.7 To receive your regular free copy 6 The Big Bang Theory 14.7 of ContentAsia, please email 7 Killing Eve 14.5 [email protected] 8 Billions 14.5 Published fortnightly by: 9 Game Of Thrones 14.4 Pencil Media Pte Ltd 10 The 100 14.2 730A Geylang Road Singapore 389641 Top 10 digital originals: China Tel: +65 6846-5987 www.contentasia.tv Rank Title Platform Average Demand Expressions® Copyright 2020 Pencil Media Pte Ltd. 1 The Good Fight CBS All Access 15.3 All Rights Reserved. 2 La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) Netflix 13.2 3 Defending Jacob Apple TV+ 12.4 4 The Last Kingdom Netflix 12.3 5 Ozark Netflix 12.3 6 Narcos Netflix 12.1 7 Lucifer Netflix 11.7 8 Harley Quinn DC Universe 11.6 9 Stranger Things Netflix 11.5 C NTENT 10 Devs Hulu (FX on Hulu) 11.0 Daily news with ContentAsia Insider Date range: 20-26 May 2020 email [email protected] Demand Expressions® (DEx): The global TV measurement standard devel- for subscription details oped by Parrot Analytics, which represents the total audience demand being expressed for a title, within a market. Audience demand reflects the desire, engagement and viewership, weighted by importance; so a stream/ download is a higher expression of demand than a ‘like’/comment.