C NTENT 6-19 March 2017 www.contentasia.tv l www.contentasiasummit.com CNN’s Zucker FOX+ debuts in the Philippines talks truth Streaming platform kicks off with Cignal, PLDT, Smart under Trump Trump campaign cover- age “wasn’t the right call” If he had it over, CNN Worldwide presi- dent, Jeff Zucker, probably wouldn’t have given U.S. president Donald Trump the kind of extensive cover- age that the news network did during the presidential campaign last year. Speaking during this year’s INTV 2017 conference, organised by Keshet Me- dia Group in Jerusalem on 6-7 March, Zucker said that devoting so much air- time to unedited campaign coverage without enough commentary “prob- ably wasn’t the right editorial call”. The full story is on page 5 Zubin Gandevia, President, FOX Networks Group Asia FOX Networks Group (FNG) has debuted FOX+ will also stream Chinese series and its much-anticipated streaming platform movies, live sports and documentaries. in Asia, kicking off a new era in the com- In a bold move clearly designed to Asian shows pany’s 24-year history in the region. drive take up, FNG said the window for FNG chose the Philippines as its launch titles would often be a full year before take 50% of pad for FOX+, showcasing the multi- other subscription services. Top 10 list genre service at a function in Manila on Movie titles mentioned so far include Tuesday, 7 March. Deadpool, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Japanese & Korean FOX+ in the Philippines is available and The Revenant. titles in high demand through Cignal, PLDT and Smart. There is no TV series include The Walking Dead, stand-alone direct-to-consumer access. Homeland, The Young Pope and 24 in Hong Kong The service costs Ps390/US$7.75 a month. Legacy. The branded app can be downloaded FNG Asia president, Zubin Gandevia, Half of Hong Kong’s top 10 TV titles from the Apple App Store or Google Play said the new platform offered “a user online – including two of the top three Store with an initial 30-day free trial. experience that defines intuitive”. on the list – are from Japan and Korea, The rest of the region will follow over “FOX has always been focused on pro- according to Parrot Analytics’ demand the coming months. FNG has not con- viding the best stories, through TV shows, expressions data for the week of 23 firmed a roll-out timetable. movies, documentaries and sports to its February. The five shows include NBCU- The FOX+ app offers about 11,000 hours fans. FOX+ is the evolution of this philoso- niversal’s Korean drama co-production, of original FOX, FOX+ exclusives and third- phy and will upgrade the TV viewing ex- Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. party programming, including TV series perience by giving our viewers freedom shown on the same day as the U.S., and and choices never seen before on any The full story is on page 17 movies shortly after theatrical release. internet streaming service,” he said. FIGHT FOR YOUR FUTURE SEASSEOASNON 2 P RPERMEIEMREIERE MSOUNNDDWAAITYYH I NM MAINRU 1T9ES 1 O0F/P9 MUc.S. BROADCAST MONDAY 20 MARCH SAME DAY ENCORE 9AM BKK/ JKT | 10AM HK 9PM BKK/ JKT | 10PM HK www.amctvasia.com @amctvasia 6-19 March 2017 page 2. C NTENTASIA 6-19 March 2017 Page 3. hmv rolls out on-demand in HK New streaming platform offers 1,500 films for HK$88 a month Entertainment brand hmv has from Europe, the U.S., Hong Kong and launched its first direct-to-consumer Asia. streaming platform in Hong Kong, of- hmv has had a presence in Hong fering 1,500 movie and television titles Kong for more than 22 years, and said for HK$88/US$11 a month with a one- the platform had been curated spe- month free trial. cifically for Hong Kong audiences. The app-based platform, hmvod, hmvod “truly belongs to the Hong plans to increase titles to 5,000 by 2018, Kong people”, the company said, with a multi-genre mix that includes adding that it was “committed to ex- kids, concerts and documentaries. tending its rich in-store entertainment Programming is being acquired experience to the Internet”. Evelyn Raymundo, head of integrated acquisitions and international sales and distribution, ABS-CBN ABS-CBN kicks off 2017 Korea fest Love in the Moonlight premieres in late prime time Philippines’ broadcast network ABS- Broadcasting, will follow. CBN kicks off its 2017 Korean drama Other titles in the new Korean slate, fest this week with the premier of rom- announced at the 11th Pinoy Media com, Love in the Moonlight, in a late Congress, are MBC’s Weightlifting prime-time slot on weeknights. Fairy, KBS’s Hwarang, MBC’s webt- CJ E&M’s mermaid love story, Leg- oon-based fantasy series W and SBS’s end of the Blue Sea, and Goblin, medical drama Doctors. which ABS-CBN acquired from Turner MIPTV Stand www.hasbrostudios.com R7.D32 ©2017 Hasbro Studios. All Rights Reserved 6-19 March 2017 page 4. C NTENTASIA 6-19 March 2017 Page 5. India’s Hotstar ups CNN’s Zucker talks truth under Trump mobile analytics in new Trump campaign coverage “wasn’t the right call” commercial drive Indian streaming platform, Hotstar, has tied up with Bangalore-based Zapr Media Labs in a partnership it says will drive the next wave of mobile audience analytics in India. The deal includes a mi- nority stake by Hotstar parent, Star India, in Zapr. The aim is to “create personalised communication and offers” for brands. Hotstar had more than 60 million users in January. China’s Bili Bili licenses 60 factual hours Hong Kong-based distribution company Harbour Rights has sold 60 hours of fac- tual programming to mainland Chinese online platform Bili Bili in China, along with smaller deals in Thailand, Vietnam CNN’s Jeff Zucker at the Keshet-organised INTV 2017 and India. In Thailand, Thai PBS has licensed three series of Somewhere from If he had it over, CNN boss Jeff Zucker He also said CNN was having “our best Earth. Vietnam’s The Defence Channel probably wouldn’t have given U.S. presi- years” and described the current cable bought the 50-episode Firing Range. dent Donald Trump the kind of extensive news environment as “in its heyday”. coverage that it did during the presiden- Zucker said CNN’s audiences on both tial campaign last year. TV and online were at record highs. Speaking during this year’s INTV 2017 Talking about future proofing the Dasheng Toh joins conference, organised by Keshet Media brand, Zucker said CNN’s millennial au- Group in Jerusalem on 6-7 March, Zuck- diences dwarfed other news sites, in- Mediacorp in new er said that devoting so much airtime to cluding Buzzfeed and Vice. commercial role unedited campaign coverage without “They wish they had the millennial au- enough commentary “probably wasn’t diences that CNN has... that’s how we Former StarHub/Singtel exec Dasheng the right editorial call”. are future proofing CNN,” he said, ac- Toh has joined Singapore’s monopoly “You make these decisions in real knowledging too the ageing audience free-TV broadcaster Mediacorp as head time... it’s not always perfect. Going for the traditional cable network. of commercial planning and solutions. back, I don’t think we would have done “It is true that the average age of the Mediacorp said the newly created role it in the same way,” he added. cable news audience is older, but that was “aimed at strengthening the plan- In a session entitled “The War on Truth”, happens to be the largest growing part ning and innovation of Mediacorp’s Zucker said there had “never been a of the audience, and will hold us in good solutions to trade partners”. The broad- more important time” and that many stead for a few years to come,” Zucker caster has also appointed Jennifer Chase news organisations in the U.S. had never said. The average age of a CNN viewer as head of its digital media solutions unit. done better work. at the moment is 58. Chase was most recently with Singtel’s “It’s really the Renaissance of journal- At the same time, CNN was “investing Amobee. She previously worked for CBS ism in America because of the nature of heavily in and prioritising digital,” Zucker Interactive for 11 years. what’s going on,” he said. said. C NTENTASIA 6-19 March 2017 Page 6. Malaysia’s tonton expands VIP offer, new opps for linear Rewind’s HITS joins NHK, DW on 3rd-party linear bundle Asia’s newest linear partnership – be- tween regional channel operator Re- wind Networks and Malaysia’s biggest free-TV broadcaster, Media Prima – is being closely watched for the expand- ed distribution potential it opens up to linear channels in Asia. In addition, the alliance, announced on 21 February 2017, is on the industry’s radar for its ability to help build a viable subscription tier on online/streaming platforms that have, until now, been predominantly free. Rewind’s HITS linear channel debuted on Media Prima’s home-grown online platform, tonton, on 24 February, giving the Singapore-based regional network HITS debuts on tonton with George Clooney, ER; Will Smith, Fresh Prince of Bel Air access to tonton’s 6.6 million registered users for a free preview period of two weeks. In addition to channels, Media Prima’s Big Mac meal costs more than a month After the free window, HITS, subtitled in expansion plans include taking tonton of pay-TV.