Disney-ABC Clinches Asian FlashForward Deals

HONG KONG: Disney-ABC International Television (DAIT) Asia Pacific has licensed the new ABC series FlashForward to ten broadcasters across the region for broadcast in 44 countries, including to Australia’s Seven Network and Singapore’s MediaCorp.

Both Seven Network and MediaCorp will air the show within two weeks of the U.S. premiere on September 24: Seven Network launches it September 28 at 8 p.m. and MediaCorp rolls out the series October 4 at 10 p.m. Other broadcasters that have picked up the highly anticipated series in Asia are TVB (Hong Kong), Media Prima (Malaysia), TVNZ (New Zealand), ABS-CBN (Philippines), Fox International Channels (for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan), Zee Cafe (India), OCN (Korea) and Singtel (Singapore).  FIC will be broadcasting FlashForward on dates staggered around Taiwan and all Southeast Asian markets, launching first in Philippines on Star World on December 10.

“We are thrilled by the interest that FlashForward, the buzz show of the new U.S. TV season, has had across the region,” said Rob Gilby, the senior VP and managing director of Disney-ABC International Television (Asia Pacific). “With the show’s global themes and relatable characters, our partners have been aggressively marketing FlashForward as a key show in their programming schedule.”

The show will also be available as part of catch-up TV services in Australia and Singapore within 12 hours of the local telecast. “We continue to innovate and work with our partners across the region to create compelling consumer options that get hit shows to consumers sooner," Gilby said. "We are extremely pleased to announce that broadcasters in Asia Pacific will be offering some of the first international catch-up services for this highly anticipated show.”