#GreatJobs C NTENT page 6 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com 22 July-8 September 2019 Jakrajutatip takes top woman in media award Thailand’s JKN Global Media CEO, Anne Jakrajutatip, is ContentAsia’s Asia Media Woman of the Year 2019 Happy Summer We’re taking our usual Summer break in August! Our next newsletter will be in your inbox on 9 September. See you then! A+E Networks unites North, Southeast Asia Too early to talk about other Anne Jakkraphong Jakrajutatip, JKN Global Media changes, new boss says The CEO of Thai-listed JKN Global Media, change in November 2017. A+E Networks Asia moves into the second Anne Jakkraphong Jakrajutatip, has been The company today has four subsidiaries half of 2019 with new bosses and a new chosen as this year’s Asia Media Woman – JKN Channel Co., Ltd, which produces structure that unites North and Southeast of the Year. the talk series, Anne Show, and a range Asia under newly appointed Asia manag- Now in its seventh year, the ContentAsia of other content as well as organising ing director Saugato “Shoggy” Banerjee award recognises the outstanding events; JKN IMC, which focuses on adver- reporting to newly appointed group achievements of female leaders in the tising sales and integrated marketing; JKN managing director for international, Pat- media industry across Asia. The award will Knowledge, which provides leadership rick Vien. be celebrated during the ContentAsia and training; and JKN News, which has Banerjee, who joined A+E Networks Summit in Singapore on 28-29 August. a 10-year licence to produce a CNBC- in 2011, was most recently managing ContentAsia’s editorial director, Janine branded block for Thailand. director of the North Asia (Korea, Japan, Stein, said Jakrajutatip was selected for her In 2018, Jakrajutatip was instrumental in China), based in Seoul. The new structure commitment to expanding the footprint founding the non-profit Lift (Life Inspired also makes Banerjee the point person for of Thai content as well as for her proven for Transsexuals) Foundation, an associa- India, where A+E has a 49% stake in a joint success in opening up new markets in Thai- tion to promote acceptance and inclu- venture with TV18. India was previously land for a range of Asian content. sivity for transsexuals in Thailand. Lift’s key overseen directly out of the U.S. In addition, Jakrajutatip leverages her vision is gender equality, regardless of the Former Southeast Asia MD, Leena Sin- position as a media leader to promote gender with which people are born. garajah, has left as part of the changes. gender diversity issues – including this Past recipients of the award are Ellana So far, the company says it’s too early month’s launch of the Lift Foundation – Lee (CNN International); Jane Jimenez- to talk about adjustments (if any) to the making her even more of an inspiration, Basas (Cignal TV, Philippines); Janice Lee U.S.-based network’s operations in Asia Stein said. (PCCW Media); Tham Loke Kheng (Medi- beyond the geographic and manage- Jakrajutatip founded JKN Global Media acorp/Now TV/StarHub); Charo Santos- ment restructure unveiled on Friday (Con- as an independent company five years Concio (ABS-CBN, Philippines); Rohana tentAsia Insider, Friday, 19 July). ago and listed on the Bangkok Stock Ex- Rozhan (Astro Malaysia). ASIA summitthe C NTENT 28-29 August 2019 ParkRoyal on Pickering, Singapore ContentSPOT players in AsiaON are marking their spots in a radically changing universe. This year’s ContentAsia Summit is all about the humongous, super-charged effort to tell a whole new story. #goalsAF The Sacred Riana Gaurav Banerjee Ariya Banomyong Anne Jakkraphong Sameer Nair Chris Oliver Taylor Jakrajutatip Fotini Paraskakis Louise Pedersen Johan Buse Deepak Dhar Sabrina Duguet Mark Francis Varavuth Jentanakul Vanita Kohli-Khandekar Marianne Lee Leslie Lee Redgie Magno Vuthithorn Milintachinda “Woody” Keynotes and speakers are listed in alphabetical order by family name Shabir Momin Doreen Neo Anna Pak Burdin Sakti Parantean Quill Potter Gary Pudney and others... Thawatvongse (Oh) Willam Tan Sari Trisulo Emily Wee Dominic Zapata Silamanonda For information, please contact CJ @ [email protected] www.contentasiasummit.com /contentasia contentasia.tv /contentasia @contentasia /company/contentasia C NTENTASIA 22 July-8 September 2019 Page 3. tvN picks up express rights iflix adds US$50m funding ahead of IPO to new Korean fantasy New round brings total raised to almost US$350 million Korean channel tvN Asia has confirmed express rights to new fantasy drama, Streaming platform iflix went public on in April/May with Indonesia’s MNC (stra- When The Devil Calls Your Name. The Monday with a combined group of exist- tegic partnership involving 10,000 hours series premieres on the regional chan- ing and new backers that has poured of content), Japan’s Yoshimoto Kogyo nel on 1 August and will air Thursday and another US$50 million into the business, (strategic investment/joint venture) and Friday nights in Singapore, Malaysia and bringing the total amount raised since South Korea’s JTBC (strategic investment 2015 to about US$350 million. involving content supply). The bulk of the new investment comes iflix, which has been offering rights hold- from asset manager, Fidelity International, ers/distributors debt for equity swaps, did in what looks like bridging funding ahead not attach dollar amounts to the deals of a hoped-for IPO, and also includes con- with MNC, Yoshimoto Kogyo and JTBC. tinued investment by founders Catcha As iflix continues its migration from SVOD Group, and strategic shareholders Hearst, to AVOD, it says its active userbase has Sky and EMC. swelled from nine million at the end of When The Devil Calls Your Name iflix says the new money will “drive 2018 to 17 million in May. Indonesia. The series stars Jung Kyung-ho growth ahead of a prospective IPO”. The company’s last (and biggest) fund- as Harib, a songwriter who sells his soul to The time frame of the IPO has not been ing round was in August 2017, when it the devil in exchange for 10 years of youth confirmed. iflix cited regulatory restrictions raised US$133 million from a group led and success. As the deal nears its end, he and said prospective IPO rules prevented by Hearst. begins to bargain for an extension and disclosure. This closely followed the US$90 million discovers the harsh truth behind the Monday’s US$50-million announce- March 2017 round led by Liberty Global Faustian pact. ment bundled agreements announced and the Zain Group. WILL IT BE LOVE AT FIRST DANCE? AVAILABLE AS FINISHED AND FORMAT @all3media_int all3mediainternational.com C NTENTASIA 22 July-8 September 2019 Page 4. Philippines’ Workpoint, Facebook debut new series ABS-CBN quiet on 19 August premiere for The Social Icon Thailand licence renewal March 2020 expiry looms, Duterte threats hang heavy Philippines’ broadcaster ABS-CBN has issued no public comment on the looming renewal of its broadcast franchise, which expires in March 2020. A 25-year re- newal application is pending. The media environment in the Philippines has grown increasingly hostile with repeated criticism by Philippines’ president Rodrigo Duterte against media outfits – including ABS-CBN – he sees as critical of his administration. Opinion is split on whether Duterte will carry out his threat of not renewing the franchise, particularly if Congress ap- proves the application. Korea’s KCC boss steps down Lee Hyo-seong calls for a The Social Icon Thailand unified regulatory body, says Facebook’s newest Asia series, The Social Masked Singer Thailand. current split is ineffective Icon Thailand, premieres on 19 August in The Workpoint series with Facebook a deal with local production powerhouse follows Facebook Watch’s first commis- The chairman of Korea’s Communications Workpoint. sioned reality original in Asia – a Thai ver- Commission (KCC), Lee Hyo-seong, has The Social Icon Thailand is a compe- sion of MTV reality show, The Real World: stepped down after two years ahead of tition show that searches for the best Bangkok – which premiered on 13 June. the Moon Jae-in government’s expected video creators across a broad swathe of The series’ Facebook page had just cabinet shuffle. Lee, appointed in August genres, including eating and product re- over 30,500 followers on 22 July. 2017 for a three-year term, had been views, for Facebook. The 12-episode show in Thai with Thai and expected to talk about the KCC’s annual The winner receives a cash prize of THB1 English subtitles runs until 29 August. New results during a media briefing in Seoul. He million/US$32,000. episodes release at 9am on Thursdays. said his decision was in support of the new The show, which Workpoint opened for Facebook Watch commissioned The cabinet and reform efforts. He also came entries in April this year, will air on Mon- Real World: Bangkok from the Banijay- out in support of a unified entity to over- days on Workpoint Group’s digital terres- owned Bunim/Murray Productions in the see the country’s communications and trial channel, Workpoint Channel, with a U.S., as part of a reboot trio for Thailand, broadcasting environment, including pay- stream on Facebook. Mexico and Atlanta. TV, terrestrial broadcasting and telecom- Contestants were asked to send in short The Mexican version, El Mundo Real: munications. The role is currently split with videos of between three and five min- México, has 150,000 followers so far. The the Ministry of Science and ICT, a situation utes. Entries for the competition closed Real World: Atlanta has 161,000 followers. Lee described as illogical and inefficient. on 10 May. Bunim/Murray worked with the Sin- The roles were split in 2013 under the previ- Earlier this month, Workpoint said com- gapore-based MTV Asia and Bangkok- ous government.