See who’s hiring C NTENTASIA The Jobs Space page 10 & 12 www.contentasia.tv l https://www.facebook.com/contentasia?fref=ts facebook.com/contentasia l @contentasia l www.asiacontentwatch.com Issue #200 Wishing you a wonderful 2015. happy holidays! C NTENTASIA SingTel’s Mio ups ties with Malaysia, Indonesia New carriage deals push regional exposure, boost premium potential A new cross-border content era begins on 15 December with carriage deals that take Malaysian and Indonesian content to unprecedented levels in Singapore. SingTel’s Mio TV IPTV platform will carry three channels – !nsert, Showcase, and Bioskop Indonesia – from Indonesian broadcaster TransTV. This is the first time the channels, which carry a mix of lifestyle and entertainment programming, are available in Singapore. Entertainment/celebrity and lifestyle channel, !nsert, offers day-and-date releases of titles airing on TransTV and Trans7 in Indonesia. Showcase airs comedy, reality and talk shows. This is the first time much of this content will be seen outside Indonesia, SingTel says. Bioskop Indonesia features quality In- donesian movies without commercial More on page 2 15 DECEMber 2014 - 11 JAnuary 2015 page 1. C NTENTASIA 15 DECEMBER 2014 - 11 January 2015 Page 2. From page 1: SingTel breaks. The three channels are being offered free to SingTel’s entire Mio TV subscriber base until 15 February. Pricing details have not yet been announced. The TransTV carriage agreement fol- lows a major on-demand Malay movie deal with Malaysia’s Astro First. SingTel says the deal gives it the largest on-demand movie catalogue, featuring movies from Skop Productions, Tayangan Unggul, Astro Shaw and Line Clear Films, among others. In line with industry trends, SingTel has also gone for shorter windows and says the Cine-Ekspres service now carries more GMA ramps titles that premiere within two weeks or Lam Chi Thien, IMC (Int’l Media Joint Stock Company) Vietnam; up Vietnam biz close to cinematic release. Roxanne Barcelona, GMA Worldwide Philippines Biggest deal ever Malay on-demand movie titles include Lagenda Budak Setan 3, Amir & Loqman sealed with IMC GMA Worldwide, the distribution arm of acquires Pergi Ke Laut and Mistik Syirik Tahyul. for 2015 Philippines’ broadcaster GMA Network, between Mio’s Malay offerings have also been has closed its first volume deal with Vi- four and six strengthened with box office hits such as etnam’s International Media Joint Stock titles a year, KL Gangster and Adik Manja Returns. Company (IMC). Barcelona says. Mio TV will also offer TV movies that The three-year deal was sealed by GMA Past acquisitions have are not available in cinemas. The first of Worldwide’s vice president Roxanne J. Bar- included drama series Losing Heav- these is Saloma, a two-part biopic about celona and IMC’s chief executive Lam Chi en, One Three Love and Lost Children. P Ramlee’s wife starring Nabila Huda. Thien at the ATF in Singapore last week. Drama drives much of GMA’s prime-time The IMC deal involves more than 400 and afternoon schedules, with the latest hours a year of GMA content starting in shows such as The Half Sisters and More 2015. than Words among the top performers in The package includes the latest drama Mega Manila, according to Nielsen rat- series such as Carmela (2014), The Bor- ings data. rowed Wife, which aired in the Philippines Like rival ABS-CBN, GMA Network has from January to May this year, and The ramped up its regional and global syndi- Secret of Annasandra, which premiered in cation efforts. October this year as part of GMA’s after- Figures released earlier this year showed noon prime-time block. GMA sales of 1,000 hours in the first quarter IMC, GMA’s first Vietnamese partner, to Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malay- started buying from the Manila-based sta- sia, Brunei, Singapore, South Korea and the Saloma tion two or three years ago and generally U.S. – by Malena Amzah C NTENTASIA 15 DECEMBER 2014 - 11 January 2015 Page 3. India’s Court dazzles SGIFF jury 10,000 people viewed 147 films, organisers say Indian director Chaitanya Tamhane’s first feature film, Court, about India’s justice system, won Best Film at this year’s Silver Screen Awards in Singapore. Tamhane also won Best Director award at the event, organised by the 25th Singa- pore International Film Festival (SGIFF). Studio Ghibli docu honoured Mami Sunada, director of The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness Japan’s Mami Sunada wins Japan’s Mami Sunada, director of The Grave of Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, was the Fire- at TheWIFTS Court director Chaitanya Tamhane (left) with one of four winners of this year’s TheWIFTS flies, M y producer Vivek Gomber Foundation International Visionary Docu- Neighbor To- The festival jury for Asian feature films, mentary Awards in Los Angeles earlier this toro and Princess headed by China’s Wang Xiaoshuai, month. Mononoke. described Court as a “glittering gem” The 2014 Women’s International Film The other three winners were Amy Glick- that “dazzles with its simplicity, elegance Television Showcase (TheWIFTS) celebrat- man Brown (U.S.) for The Green Girl, a and breathtaking naturalism. Every facet ed 20 women from 11 countries and six documentary about Susan Oliver, Mona of this film shines, from the humanity of its continents. The awards honour filmmakers Friis Bertheussen (Norway) for Twin Sisters, screenplay, to the originality of its struc- “whose stories reflect artistic and creative an international documentary about twin ture, to the assuredness of its direction. A brilliance, family ties, and self-discovery in sisters from China who were separated brilliant achievement”. today’s ever changing world,” TheWIFTS and adopted into two different corners Kirsten Tan’s Dahdi (Granny) won Best Foundation says. of the world; and Holli Rae and Sara Film in the Southeast Asian Short Film The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness Landas (U.S) for The Goddess Project, a category. goes inside Japanese animation studio, documentary about two women on a 11 feature films and 19 short films com- Studio Ghibli, and explores the work of journey of self-discovery who traveled peted in the awards. The SGIFF ran from producer Toshio Suzuki and filmmakers 10,000 miles across America interviewing 4-14 December. Organisers said 10,000 Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Stu- incredible women about their paths to people saw the 147 festival films. dio Ghibli classics include Spirited Away, self discovery. contentasiasummit.com facebook.com/ContentAsia @contentasia C NTENTASIA Singapore 2-4 September 2015 Creating whole new conversations about content in Asia save the date Sponsorship info from Masliana Masron at [email protected] or +65 6846-5988 C NTENTASIA 15 DECEMBER 2014 - 11 January 2015 Page 4. Multi-screen rights top Asia TV Forum asks Vietnam soaks up Philippines drama, thumbs up for new location This year’s Asia TV Forum (ATF) wrapped The new environment “pushes PHILIPPINES DRAMA ROCKING on Friday (12 Dec) with Vietnam as one the need for everyone to acquire Vietnamese broadcaster IMC of the three-day market’s top buyers and better, quality content,” said Benn has gone big on drama from the optimism about potential syndication and Watson, vice president of inter- Philippines, acquiring hundreds format deals in Thailand, Indonesia and national sales at U.S.-based GRB of hours from both ABS-CBN and Cambodia. Entertainment. GMA Network. Leng Raymundo, The Singapore-based annual television As the industry moves deeper ABS-CBN Philippines ABS-CBN’s head of international market retained its reputation this year as into the multi-screen environment, distribution, Leng Raymundo, said a place to follow up discussions started at opinion is strengthening around online Vietnam had become one of the Manila- Mipcom in October as well as a meeting media as additive. based national network’s biggest buyers. ground for buyers and sellers who don’t “Our biggest business in Asia is still with Thailand was also rising, with the first vol- necessarily attend the European markets. the TV networks, but digital is grow- ume deal for ABS-CBN drama, and First timers included Japanese broad- ing,” said Richard Goldsmith, The more interest from Cambodia and caster Nippon Television, which celebrated Jim Henson Company’s EVP, Myanmar, she said. its win of Youku Tudou’s youth award for global distribution and interna- Demand for variety and real- Parasyte – The Maxim at the Young tional consumer products. ity formats as well as finished Choice Carnival 2014. The event N e x t A n i m a t i o n ’ s drama was strong in Indonesia, in Beijing coincided with the ATF Lee said the traditional Raymundo added. Richard Goldsmith, in Singapore. “Our presence here 22-minute episode “will The Jim Henson Strong story lines were driving increases our visibility. It has been always be around and Company sales across the region, she said. useful to keep in touch with peo- that’s not going to change. The ABS-CBN’s top shows at the moment in- ple,” said Shigeko Chino, Nippon Vincent Lee, Next content at the end of the day has clude Two Wives, Forevermore and Dream TV’s senior director, international Animation Taiwan to fit the platform and not the other Dad. ABS-CBN makes about 600 hours of business development. Nippon TV was at way round”. drama a year and is pushing to do more. ATF as part of the Japanese government- MONEY TALKS... OR NOT budgets across BUY & SEEK GRB’s Watson said he’s seen backed Japan country pavilion. much of Asia are tight, and disappointing more demand for one-off documentaries Exhibitors in Singapore said a notice- advertising revenue growth in some mar- from buyers out of Korea, Philippines, Tai- able – if predictable – trend across the kets in 2014 has enforced caution for now.