6-19 April 2015 C NTENTASIA #TheJobsSpace pages 7 www.contentasia.tv l https://www.facebook.com/contentasia?fref=ts facebook.com/contentasia l @contentasia l www.asiacontentwatch.com FreeView gears up for Thai launch New platform promises subscription free HD New Thai-owned satellite platform FreeView soft launches in Thailand by May with plans for more than 110 free- TV channels – including 40 HD channels – over the next three years as well as ex- pansion to neighbouring markets in the following phases. Story on page 2 Celestial Tiger launches 1st original production Double Vision to make new reality show for Kix Hong Kong-based channel operator, Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), has launched its first original production initia- tive. Malaysian production house Double Vision has been commissioned to pro- duce the 12-part reality show, Story on page 4 HK Filmart closes on 7,100+ visitors ATV drama plays out against vibrant backdrop As Hong Kong free-TV broadcaster Asia Television (ATV) faced a dramatic end, Hong Kong’s media bosses played host to the most vibrant Filmart ever, with a re- cord 7,100 attendees at the 19th annual event. More on page 18 C NTENTASIA 6-19 April 2015 Page 2. A+E greenlights new FreeView gears up for Thailand launch photo format season New satellite platform promises subscription-free HD History Asia to air New Thai-owned satellite platform Step’s Philipp Heussen, who is leading the Photo Face-Off 2 this year FreeView soft launches in Thailand by FreeView project. May with plans for more than 110 free- He describes FreeView’s content policy TV channels – including 40 HD channels as “mass niche”, divided into about 25 – over the next three years as well as ex- categories ranging from travel and food pansion to neighbouring markets in the to kids and news. Channels will be curat- following phases. ed to deliver tightly targetted audiences. The platform, owned by 15-year-old About 70% of Thailand’s TV revenue goes Thai media company Next Step Co Ltd, to mass-appeal channels. For starters, Next rolls out with six original channels and Step is going after the other 30% – approx the 36 digital terrestrial (DTT) channels li- US$463 million of the total TV spend of censed last year. THB50 billion/US$1.5 billion – that goes on The service, carried on an Intelsat satel- specialist channels. Photo Face-Off season one, lite, is delivered free. The only cost is the The six in-house Next Step channels A+E Networks Asia/History set-top receiver and a 60cm Ku-band include a documentary service, primar- A+E Networks Asia has greenlit a second dish, which will be available in about ily programmed with wildlife and nature season of original competition series 2,000 outlets across Thailand. Local com- shows; HD wildlife/nature channel New Photo Face-Off. pany InfoSat is supplying the boxes. The Explorer; science/tech channel MySci; The show, expanded to one-hour epi- hardware and installation costs are maxi- lifestyle channel Real Metro; and a Thai sodes from last season’s half-hours, will mum THB2,000/US$62. arts, music and culture channel. A sixth air on History later this year. Box penetration forecasts in year one channel, Thainess TV, carrying Thai-made Season two is being produced by are 500,000, increasing to one million in docs, is already on air. Singapore-based Beach House Pictures, year two. Projections are for 60% pen- “These channels are very easy to un- which has just completed Asia’s Next etration of Thailand’s 22 million homes in derstand,” Heussen says, adding: “We Top Model for Star World. eight to 10 years. have carefully selected content for Thai Season one, produced by Fremantle- FreeView channels will be 70% local audiences, so they can expand their Media Asia, ran on Tuesday nights from 23 and 30% international, all language knowledge”. September 2014 to 28 October 2014. The customised and targetting middle-class Next Step is going to both the local and series won its timeslot in Singapore, Malay- upcountry audiences. The new HD DTT international markets to bring the total sia and Thailand (Source: Nielsen Malay- channels will be broadcast in HD, giving number of channels on offer up to 111. sia/Thailand; Kantar Singapore, Period: 23 FreeView a quality advantage over the Heussen believes Thai media need to Sep – 28 Oct 2014, Tuesdays, 10.30pm). majority of satellite channels available in step up to fill the gaps created by con- Professional photographer Justin Mott Thailand at the moment. stant political change, the absence of returns for season two. The open casting “The objective is content that is infor- a long-term education strategy for Thai- call for amateur photographers across mative, educational and entertaining land, and an un-curated free-TV envi- Asia went out this week. The series pits at the same time. Once the concept ronment. “People need alternatives... to amateur photographers against Mott in is proven in Thailand, we will duplicate be educated in an entertaining way for a series of photography challenges. it in other countries as well,” says Next long-term benefit,” he says. contentasiasummit.com facebook.com/ContentAsia @contentasia C NTENTASIA Singapore 2-4 September 2015 creating whole new conversations about content in Asia Programme info from Janine Stein at [email protected]. Sponsorship info from Masliana Masron at [email protected] or +65 6846-5988 6-19 April 2015 page 3. content_asia_GOT.indd 1 11/3/15 11:19 am C NTENTASIA 6-19 April 2015 Page 4. Sazzy Falak picked Celestial Tiger launches original productions for Diva style show Malaysia’s Double Vision to produce 12-part reality series How Do I Look? Asia debuts mid-2015 Hong Kong-based channel this month. operator and distributor, The series is based on a mar- Malaysian actress and Celestial Tiger Entertain- keting campaign and com- designer Sazzy Falak ment (CTE), has launched petition that CTE launched will host the Asia its first original production for Kix in 2014 in Malaysia version of NBCU- initiative. to search for “Malaysia’s niversal’s How The three-year old com- Toughest”. Do I Look? The pany will premiere home- Betty Tsui, CTE’s vice presi- series airs on Diva grown reality series, R U Tough dent, programming – Kix and later this year. Enough?, on action entertain- Thrill, says the decision to turn a Falak (Gol & ment channel Kix/Kix HD in late Aaron Aziz marketing campaign into a reality Ginku) will “comple- May with a one-hour special entertainment series was based on scheduled for July. Sazzy Falak ment” Jeannie Mai, host strong stories of “endurance, resilience of the U.S. version, the The 12-part series (11 episodes of up to and tenacity” that emerged as a result of Singapore-based regional network says. 30 minutes each plus 60 mins) by Malay- last year’s contest. Mai is making special appearances; sia’s Double Vision, goes into production Actor Aaron Aziz will host the show. NBC hasn’t said whether these are live in Asia. Sources in the U.S. say Mai’s daily show, The Real, means she probably 7 April premiere for Food Wars Asia won’t make it out here in person, but the network in Asia hasn’t confirmed one Food Network kicks off original content plans way or the other. The eight-part series is being produced Scripps Networks Interactive new on-air faces. by NBCUniversal’s Matchbox Asia. premieres its first original The series, adapted from a Food Network Asia produc- Scripps’ format in the U.S., tion, Food Wars Asia, on is being produced by En- Tuesday, 7 April, at 8pm demol Southeast Asia. ABS-CBN retires The (HK/Singapore). Food Wars Asia pits res- Buzz after 15 years The six-part half hour series taurants in Singapore and Showbiz news “will is hosted by newbie Michele Malaysia against each other Lean, who won a regional tal- to see who makes the best never die”, Philippines Michele Lean network promises ent contest Scripps ran to find version of local dishes. Philippines broadcast network ABS- CBN has retired long-running showbiz FIC Content Sales debuts NHNZ Archive talk show, The Buzz, after more than 15 years. The last episode was on Sunday, Fox International Channels Content Sales 5 April. is offering the first batch of programming The network said in the announce- out of NHNZ’s new Archive Unit at this ment that “The Buzz deems it a neces- year’s MipTV (13-16 April). sary step to reinvent to start anew” but The first three titles are natural his- promised that “showbiz news will never tory specials Fur Seals: Battle for Survival, die. The showbiz talk genre remains.” Japan’s Wild Year and Madagascar’s There’s no word yet on when or if the Legendary Lemurs. NHNZ launched The show will return. Thanking viewers for Archive Unit in 2014 and signed 16 hours of sticking with the show, ABS-CBN said co-production with National Geographic Madagascar’s Legendary Lemurs only: “See you again soon”. Wild U.S. and International. C NTENTASIA 6-19 April 2015 Page 5. Schult joins Tan to head Videofashion Asia Pacific Imagine Group Fashion brand expands global footprint Former FremantleMedia Asia manag- U.S.-based Videofashion has panding its client base and cover- ine director, Patrick Schult, is joining Riaz opened its first base in Asia Pa- ing fashion on a local level. Mehta’s Imagine Group to head up new cific. The new regional joint Tan was most recently chief business development.