The Job Space The place to look for the jobs that count C NTENTASIA See page 4 www.contentasia.tv Issue 95: April 26-May 9, 2010 Strong pay-TV prospects June rollout for Food Network Asia in Asia-Pac, MPA Scripps ramps up local content acquisitions India’s pay-TV market is Scripps Networks International poised for long-term profitable is rumoured to be prepping for growth as media owners and a 1 June rollout of its HD Food atiger’seyes distributors expand market Network in Asia. share “with an eye on profits The Food Network Asia will de- What’s really going on rather than at the expense of but in at least two markets, and out there... profits”, Media Partners Asia’s possibly four. These almost certain- (MPA) new report, Asia Pacific ly include Singapore and Taiwan, Pay-TV & Broadband Markets Food, glorious food… with best bets that the other two and this year’s MIPTV 2010, says. will be Malaysia and Korea. But regulation, “which had a higher focus than ever Scripps has not confirmed the – both on and off screen – on continues to commoditise launches, saying the announce- and destroy industry value,” all things edible. ments will come from its carriage At the top of our culinary remains a major threat to partners. growth assumptions for India, fabulosity list this year are Meanwhile, the network has Scripps, AETN and Fremantle- a country poised to become picked up season one of Aussie the largest direct-broadcast Media. cooking show, Luke Nguyen’s And then there was Japa- market on earth in two years Vietnam, from SBS Australia for time, MPA says. nese public broadcaster NHK, the global food channel. which combined iconic sushi Released on the eve of More on page 11 MPA’s Asia Pacific Pay-TV Op- Luke Nguyen’s Vietnam images with knives/forks to erators Summit in Bali in early May, the report forecasts 446 Co-pros command top billing million pay-TV homes in Asia Pacific by 2014, growing to Major MIPTV focus on new alliances 513 million by 2020. More on page 6 Co-productions are taking a China’s state-owned agency, higher profile than ever on the China International Television international stage. Broadcasters Corporation (CITVC), as well as and producers acknowledge that, multiple alliances announced by National Geographic despite the higher hassle factor of government bodies in Singapore AETN’s green-pea remake Channel Asia more partners, big-budget pro- and Malaysia. symbolise the new relation- Military history, football and earth ductions are much more likely to Japan’s NHK, one of the ship NHK is fostering with the issues have taken top billing on happen these days with a broader world’s most powerful co-pro Western world. the National Geographic Chan- range of funding sources. partners, took the lead during Introducing their newly nel this year. This runs alongside Asia is at the centre of some the market. The public broad- merged NEP entity, NHK heads an increased focus on local of the highest profile alliances caster formally unveiled its new said the combination of im- production and co-production, announced at this year’s MIPTV global entity, NEP, during the ages “indicated the strong including global series such as programming market earlier this market. NEP was officially formed commitment to cultural diver- Megaquake with Japanese month. on 1 April by the merger of NHK sity and to bridging East and public broadcaster NHK. The slew of co-pros include a Enterprises and international West”. www.asiacontentwatch.com major Chinese telenovela pro- distribution arm MICO. page 9 duction between Televisa and More on page 11 More on page 6 Where could your programme be on in Asia? Follow us, we’ll show you Tracking what goes where on Asia’s television schedules Schedules, buyers, country and channel profiles. PLUS programme of the day, features and news. All at www.asiacontentwatch.com AsiaContentWatch... one more useful service from C NTENTASIA For subscription information, contact Leah at [email protected] (Americas/Europe) or Masliana at [email protected] (Asia) 01 ContentAsia Issue 95: April 26-May 9, 2010 02 April 26-May 9, 2010 AETN breaks Asia records thetweetlife AETN International has signed planned for January 2011. quarter, selling about 450 hours its largest-ever content deal – Sean Cohan, AETN’s senior of content across 25 broadcast- Waiting with baited breath to and its first local partnership – in vice president, international, ers in the region. see if yesterday’s clarification China. says the block, which premiered In addition, AETN has a new meeting on Singapore’s new The new agreement comes on in its first market in March, is output deal with Japan’s BS-TBS cross-carriage... http://bit.ly/ top of a record Asia quarter for beating Discovery and National for History content that will air as aGac75 the U.S.-based distributor, AETN Geographic content in similar part of the networks’ dedicated 16:07 PM Apr 24th via web International execs say. distribution environments. history slot, BS History Hour. The ramped up China initiative The structure of the output A second Japan deal was We’re told there were fireworks revolves around an output agree- deal with local partner, Yuan signed with Nippon TV for the Life at S’pore govt’s clarification ment for a one-hour daily Man- Chuan, has not been disclosed, After People series. briefing on new anti-exclusive darin-language factual block as but Cohan said the company Cohan attributed robust region- regulations yesterday. What well as a new trial partnership to had “high hopes of realising al activity this year to the strong did they expect? launch AETN content on China’s revenue inherent in the China performance of AETN’s channels 15:56 PM Apr 24th via web cellular mobile platform. market”. in the U.S., and the significant on- The New Horizons-branded The mobile agreement signed going investment in content. BooHoo on World Cup (or TV block combines History, Bio between AETN International Moving into the second quar- none) in S’pore. Gov’t says and Crime and Investigation and CNG (Chinese National ter, AETN also “has more feet on we should take a leaf out of content, including Cities of the Geography) puts AETN content the street”. The expanded sales young people’s books for “al- Underworld, How the Earth was – including clips from Biography, force includes Joanne Lim, who ternative” access. Hmmm. Made and Crime 360. BioBites and Need to Know – on has joined AETN’s International 10:13 PM Apr 20th via web The block has a technical China’s cellular mobile platform. office in Singapore as content reach of 18 million subs at the AETN says the content “will serve sales executive, Asia. Lim will Today’s FAQ: What’s there to moment in a handful of territo- as an educational tool to help take care of Southeast Asia, do in Cannes on a non-mar- ries. These include Shanghai, subscribers to learn English”. Hong Kong and Taiwan, and ket weekend while stranded Tianjin, Guangzhou and Liaon- Speaking during MIPTV, Cohan reports to Asia content sales TV people wait for the skies ing. A Beijing launch is being said AETN had had a record first director Ling Sze Gan. over... http://bit.ly/bLEWhV 7:30 AM Apr 16th via Facebook Sisimpur season 6 slated for summer airdate No way Al Jazeera quit Sin- gapore because of restrictive Sesame Workshop and Dhaka- of Merit for the Sisimpur season A 2009 study, “Understanding license conditions, minister based production house Nay- four episode, “Rhythm is Every- BTV’s Audience”, supported said in Cannes. No viewers, antara Communications are where”. by the BBC World Trust Serv- no carriage. That’s it. filming a sixth original season of Sisimpur’s sixth season, sched- ice, found that among all BTV 1:43 PM Apr 13th via web award-winning children’s series uled to air this summer on Bang- programmes, across all demo- Sisimpur, the Bangladeshi version ladesh Television (BTV), focuses graphic groups, Sisimpur ranks Singapore info minister took of Sesame Street. on increasing positive attitudes third among the most watched questions at MIP yesterday. The announcement this towards nature, increasing chil- programmes. The study also Brave. As promised, we put month followed the Hugo Televi- dren’s knowledge about the showed that Sisimpur is the Al Jazeera & pay-TV regs on sion Award’s natural world and encouraging most watched educational pro- the... http://bit.ly/aYW8D3 Certificate behavior that demonstrates gramme on BTV, and BTV is the 1:38 PM Apr 13th via Facebook respect and care for the environ- most watched channel in the ment, Sesame Workshop says. country. Missing: 1 “I made it in Singa- “Research shows that intro- Season six also highlights the pore” poster from the rooftop ducing young children to the culture of indigenous people of the Cannes Palais. Naughty natural world is the first step from Shreemongol and Dur- naughty wind. No word on a towards helping them develop gapur as well as coastal areas reward for its capture. a caring attitude towards the where residents need to take 6:34 AM Apr 12th via web environment,” said psychologist specific measures such as storing Dr. Mehtab Khanam, director of essential items, listening to radio Great sports excitement in education and research. announcements, and perform- Singapore over StarHub’s 50% “Environmental education ing safety drills to prepare for the price cut and 4 new chan- for preschoolers, through the sometimes unpredictable forces nels. But, no, pathetically, still lens of exploration, pro- of nature.