Attendance Up at ATF

SINGAPORE,
December 10: The Asia TV Forum (ATF) opened in Singapore today in a new venue,
with organizer Reed Exhibitions hailing a 15-percent increase in attendance.

Almost
700 participating companies are on hand from 50 countries, with a total of 138
sales outfits represented at the market for the first time. In its ninth
edition, the annual event has moved to the Suntec exhibition center with
distributor stands replacing the hotel-suites format used in previous years.

Highlights of
the three-day event include pavilions from France, Malaysia, Singapore, South
Korea, Spain and Taiwan, and strong representation from Chinese and Japanese
companies. In addition, the ATF this year
features the "i-Screener" initiative, developed in partnership with
Ascent Media and Microsoft, with the support of the Infocomm Development
Authority of Singapore (IDA). The streaming portal allows buyers to screen
clips at the Ascent Media and IDA booths, or on a wi-fi-enabled laptop at the
market. Buyers can continue to view the screeners up to one month after the
event via the ATF website.

Michelle Lim, the general manager of Reed Exhibitions Singapore,
noted at the opening ceremony here in Singapore today: "The growth in ATF
is an encouraging sign for Asia's entertainment industry. Despite the economic
uncertainty, the entertainment and media market in Asia Pacific is still
estimated to be collectively worth $508 billion in 2012, according to a
PricewaterhouseCoopers report. ATF will continue to play a key role in Asia's
growing entertainment industry as a must-attend market to convene and forge new
business deals."

Lee Boon Yang, Singapore's Minister for Information, Communications and
the Arts, reflected a similar sentiment in his address at the opening ceremony.
"With a competitive cost structure, a growing audience of young and
affluent middle class, as well as greater connectivity to digital content, Asia
will continue to attract investors in search of opportunities. Furthermore, the
rich historical heritage and colorful diversity in Asia provide a wealth of
unique and interesting story ideas that are waiting to be tapped."

He concluded: "Notwithstanding the economic gloom, the next few
years will be an exciting time as we capitalize on emerging trends made
possible with technology, and invest in world-class facilities for the benefit
of media players in Singapore and around the world."

—By Mansha Daswani