All Eyes on Asia

December 2008

What a difference a decade can make. It was only about ten years ago when Asia was left battered by its own financial storm, and yet today the region is looking vibrant amid the economies of other media markets. It’s for this reason, in large part, that distributors are heading to the Asia TV Forum (ATF) in Singapore with relative optimism, and are doing so in record numbers.

Nearly 700 companies from more than 50 countries are expected to attend the ninth annual conference and its associated events, already topping last year’s attendance by 15 percent. And a good handful of these are new attendees. Some are first-time exhibitors hoping to make headway in the region, while others are brand-new buyers on the lookout for programs that will give them the most bang for their buck.

In particular, SevenOne International has noticed a strong appetite for drama, and has a catalogue of catastrophe and event movies to satisfy this demand. “At a time when broadcasters need to look at the profitability of their schedules, acquired fiction is doing pretty well,” says Jens Richter, SevenOne’s managing director. “And there is big demand for movies: event catastrophe movies and high-budget movies for prime time, romantic comedies and volumes of movies for regular afternoon TV-movie slots. Series are also in very high demand, like The Medical Intern, a Dutch hospital series. Demand for fiction is high all over Asia. Whether it’s China, Indonesia, Malaysia, it’s catastrophe movies and big-event movies. There is good demand for Gaping Abyss, for movies like Crash Point: Berlin, and also The Sea Wolf has very good awareness. Those are doing very well in Asia.”

The company has prepped for buyers a range of entertainment titles, a genre that typically performs well during trying times like these. There are some concerns about how to make these big prime-time entertainment shows in a cost-effective manner, but SevenOne has some new formats that it believes can offer big entertainment at a minimal cost. “There are two main issues for broadcasters to solve in the entertainment genre,” Richter explains. “The first is the need for big prime-time entertainment brands, like Uri Geller’s The Successor, or like Beat your Host! These are expensive shows, you cannot do them cheaply. On the other hand, buyers want fresh entertainment ideas—shows that can be produced at reasonable cost levels. These are shows for prime time or access prime time that are somehow different, have great ratings potential while at the same time might not be too expensive to produce.” SevenOne’s new formats The Wedding I Did(n’t) Have and Cut-Club, Richter says, both fit the bill.

ENTERTAINMENT FOR ALL

Entertainment also tops the slate at Comcast International Media Group (CIMG), which features everything from signature countdown specials to new reality programming. Christine Fellowes, CIMG’s managing director for the Asia Pacific, explains, “With divergent cultural differences between Asian countries, programming tastes differ. The most popular genres overall from E! are the celebrity-documentary, entertainment-news and countdown specials. Long-running franchises and signature programs such as True Hollywood Story and E! News are consistently strong throughout the region. From The Style Network, lifestyle programs that tell great stories with an uplifting message do well across the region. Popular franchises include Clean House, Peter Perfect and Style Her Famous. From G4 we’ve recently released Human Wrecking Balls, a young male-skewed show about two brothers who break things with their bodies, and this has done exceptionally well everywhere.”

Following the trend toward celebrity fare, Victoria Silvstedt: My Perfect Life takes a look into the glamour-filled life of the Swedish supermodel, while Keeping Up with the Kardashians follows the happenings of this Hollywood family. Ruby, from The Style Network, adds feel-good programming to CIMG’s slate. The series follows a 500-pound woman who is on a journey of weight loss and discovery. If buyers are looking for something a little more male-centric, G4 programs like Hurl!, Attack of the Show, X-Play and Code Monkeys are on offer.

HOLLYWOOD CALLS

“E! Entertainment Television’s programs provide our viewers with an inside look into the fun, glamorous world of Hollywood and celebrity,” says Fellowes. “Young audiences in Asia follow what’s happening at the movies and with their favorite Hollywood stars. They come to E! for the latest scoop and for an entertaining insight into the world of celebrity. As Asian markets have become more global and local tastes more international, this is a growing trend. The Style Network’s programs deliver inspirational and relatable content with an emotional undertone that truly resonates to the target demographic of upscale women 18 to 49, regardless of their nationality. Women love that The Style Network gives them access to trends and lifestyle information in an entertaining and inspirational way, through compelling characters and hosts. G4 presents programming that the coveted young male 12- to 35-year-old demographic seeks, but does not currently find on television in Asia. With in-depth daily shows on video gaming and the latest in pop culture, music, film and technology, plus original programming that we believe will pull young Asian men back to the TV screen, G4 is well positioned to satisfy this elusive demographic.”

And this mix has amounted to some strong sales for the company across the region, Fellowes points out. “2008 has been a terrific year for Comcast International Media Group in the Asia Pacific, with growth across our businesses, including syndication, linear channels, ad sales, digital and online. For programming sales, key markets have been the Philippines, South Korea, Australia and India.” CIMG recently sold more than 700 hours of content across the Asia Pacific, including a branded The Style Network block in Australia on FOXTEL. Other series scoring pickups in the region include E! News, The Soup, Pam: Girl on the Loose, Dress My Nest, Style Her Famous, Instant Beauty Pageant, Married Away and Modern Girl’s Guide to Life.

FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) is another company that has secured strong ties in Asia. It recently struck a deal with the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) that sees an investment in multimedia TV projects. The agreement is set to generate $12 million over the next two years. Ganesh Rajaram, FME’s VP of sales for Asia, explains, “Based on the success of Kylie Kwong: My China, we’ve cemented [our] relationship with the MDA in Singapore. At MIPTV, we announced a three-year development partnership with the MDA, and at MIPCOM we [announced] the first [three] pro?jects that have arisen out of this new collaboration. We are funding and doing more co-productions to bring content from Asia into the international marketplace.”

For ATF, drama, reality and lifestyle are key genres that FME believes will be top takes. “One of the biggest shows is going to be the drama Merlin. It’s like Harry Potter meets Narnia on the small screen, that’s how good it looks,” says Rajaram. “The fact that it’s been presold to NBC and to TEN in Australia just gives people an indication of how big a show this is. It looks spectacular. There’s already been a fantastic appetite for this show from the clients in Asia.” Another drama on offer from FME is The Strip, a police series from Nine Network that is set on the Gold Coast in Australia. Among lifestyle series, Ministry of Food, which features chef Jamie Oliver going into a town in the U.K. and revamping the residents’ eating habits, is a highlight for the market.

AS A MATTER OF FACTUAL

FME is also touting a package of titles from Thom Beers’ Original Productions that focus on blue-collar heroism: Black Gold, Verminators and America’s Toughest Jobs. “It’s a really interesting genre. Reality has done very well in Asia with all our big brands, but this is a mixture of reality and factual,” Rajaram explains.

ITV Global Entertainment has notched up sales in the region on its factual fare, as well as entertainment programs and dramas. James Ross, ITV’s regional director for Asia, explains, “We have achieved success in Korea with great reality shows such as Hell’s Kitchen, Baby Ballroom and American Princess; in China with formats such as Saturday Night Takeaway; Malaysia with documentary series such as Perfect Disaster; and India with top dramas such as Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.”

Ross notes that what’s interesting about ITV’s business in the region is that its buyers are no longer just traditional broadcasters. Instead, the company is increasingly selling large volumes of content to telecom operators for VOD and to digital networks. “We’re pleased to say that our business has continued to grow over the past year. We’ve seen growth across all types of programming, but the emphasis has been on drama, formats and high-quality factual entertainment,” he says. And ITV is working with these strengths to push its new catalogue for ATF. “Once again we have a superb mix of entertainment and factual shows and Hollywood TV movies. The drama series Britannia High, which premiered on ITV1 in the U.K.’s prime-time hour as the number-one-rated show for young people, has a brilliant cast as well as great songs from Take That’s Gary Barlow. There are compelling documentaries from our Superhuman series, and a combination of physical challenge against a backdrop of amazing landscapes in The Crunch, which was filmed in China. Plus a slate of great new Hollywood TV movies, including the much-talked-about Storm Seekers and Toxic Skies.”

For Cineflix International Distribution, though, it’s factual all the way. The company’s catalogue currently has more than 1,000 hours of programming that spans the genre, with everything from factual entertainment to science, from history to docudramas. Cineflix has already made its entry into the region. “With new regional broadcasters such as the BBC, we have sold lifestyle series such as Colin and Justin’s Home Heist, and Border Security has sold to AETN,” says Kate Llewellyn-Jones, Cineflix’s sales manager for Asia, among other territories. “We have also seen sales for our docudrama series Trapped to Korea, China and Indonesia, as well as World’s Greenest Homes to India, Hong Kong and Discovery Asia.”

These previous sales bode well for Cineflix to shore up some new deals at the upcoming market, where it will be promoting titles like Animals at Work, a 26×30-minute series commissioned by the BBC. The company will also be offering new episodes of World’s Greenest Homes and Huge Moves as well as Animal Rescue and Border Security.

As for what sells best, Llewellyn-Jones says that there’s a solid appetite across the board. “We specialize in factual and we have seen sales across all genres in this area. Different countries have different programming priorities and it is not easy to generalize for the region as a whole. Lifestyle programming sells well, but high-end factual and documentary also have a place in the schedules across the region.”

LUXE LIVING

Looking to capitalize on the success of lifestyle content across the region is ALL3MEDIA International, which has already made progress in Asia with the sales of Around the World in 80 Gardens, the Rough Guide series and Bondi Rescue, among others. “Lifestyle programming has been in strong demand as usual, particularly long-running series in travel, food and fashion,” says Stephen Driscoll, the company’s VP of international sales. ALL3MEDIA International looks to continue its success in the genre with new titles on offer at ATF such as Miss Naked Beauty, Chinese Food Made Easy and Bondi Rescue: Bali. Driscoll believes that these shows have some key elements that will drive sales in the region. “All of these shows feature either Asian destinations, Asian culture or Asian presenters. All are proven ratings winners with continuing seasons.”

A host of lifestyle fare is also on offer from Beyond Distribution, which has already established a successful track record in Asia. “Asia continues to be a very steady and strong region for us,” says Katie Johnson, Beyond’s VP of sales for Asia. “MIPCOM certainly saw a lot of buyer activity from Asia, with a lot of deals closed at the market as well as a lot of positive interest for new titles. ATF looks set to be a very vibrant market also.”

Johnson agrees that lifestyle programs are having something of a heyday in the region, and Beyond has some new titles to offer in the genre. “Cooking series such as Chuck’s Day Off, which we will launch at ATF, is already proving popular, and screeners are highly requested. Other titles such as From the Ground Up, an Apprentice-style series where a team of 20-somethings try to find the ultimate design career while learning from the best in the business along the way, has been popular both as a format and a finished series,” she says. “Lifestyle titles are perennial favorites in Asia, and Asian audiences can easily relate to titles such as Chuck’s Day Off and From the Ground Up.”

KIDDING AROUND

Another trend Johnson has noticed is a renewed interest in children’s programs. Beyond’s kids’ catalogue runs the gamut from preschool programs to tween comedies, covering the demands of a range of target age groups. “We have had an incredible amount of interest in our new science-based game show for kids, called Lab Rats Challenge. From the producers of the incredibly successful Backyard Science series, Lab Rats Challenge picks up where Backyard Science left off, continuing to make learning fun and showing kids science really is cool. Alongside this, live-action drama seems to have undergone a reinvigoration in recent months. Our comedy drama for tweens, Amazing Extraordinary Friends, continues to be very popular, with a mix of action and humor that appeals to children everywhere. Preschool series Numberjacks is a standout hit for us also, and buyers are already lining up with anticipation for the soon-to-be-released second season.”

Drama and kids’ programs also look to be a winning combination for Shaftesbury. “Our coverage in Asia has been excellent—both with our kids’ series Life with Derek and our drama series ReGenesis,” says Shane Kinnear, the VP of sales, marketing and digital media for Shaftesbury Films. “The appetite for kids’ programming is growing—it seems to be growing in sync with Shaftesbury’s increased production volume. I think it’s true that the more you have to sell, the more growth you experience. There is a certain familiarity with the kind and quality of production we create and deliver.”

Two new tween live-action series top Shaftesbury’s highlights for ATF: Overruled! and Connor Undercover. Co-produced by Shaftesbury Films and Heroic Film Company, Connor Undercover is a comedy that follows 15-year-old Connor Heath, a spy buff whose life changes the day Gisela Calicos, the first daughter of a small island nation, comes to live with his family. Overruled! looks at the trials of Jared “Coop” Cooper, a 15-year-old who becomes a lawyer in Banting High School’s Teen Court.

Telewizja Polska (TVP) has also found that kids’ fare does well in Asia, having closed deals on Teddy Drop-Ears in Japan and Fantasy the Bear in Lebanon. Other sales in the region include for the feature films Katyn, which went to Japan and Taiwan, and Tomorrow We Are Going to the Cinema, scoring a pickup in China. “Asia is one of our priority markets,” says Marcin Oginski, TVP’s head of film licensing and program sales. “Considering the Asian market, Japan so far has brought us the biggest revenue. Also, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and the Middle East countries are the territories where our productions have been successfully sold.” Oginski adds, “We believe that in today’s turbulent reality our strategy of shifting some of our business to Asian markets could prove well grounded.”

For ATF, TVP is presenting a variety of new titles. The feature film The Magic Tree and a three-episode mini-series written and directed by Andrzej Maleszka are among the projects the Polish outfit is looking to highlight. Having in mind the international interest that last year’s The Secret of the Cipher Tower gained, TVP is presenting Days of Honor, a 13-episode series inspired by the story of Polish saboteurs in World War II who had undergone military training in England in order to come back to occupied Poland on a suicidal mission to fight a conspiracy. Little Moscow is another postwar-themed feature film, looking at the complicated relations between the countries and the ordinary people in the communist block back in the ’60s. The company has also broadened its offerings by introducing eight additional formats, among which are children programs, educational shows and crime series. “The formats have been prepared as a response to numerous inquiries coming from the international market,” notes Oginski.

PLENTY OF PLACEMENT

TVP is not the only company that has noticed a strong demand for formats; Mediaset Distribution is also on board with the trend. “More and more local content is being produced, and that opens an opportunity to format rights-holders,” notes Patricio Teubal, the head of international sales for Mediaset Distribution. “We formally launched our scripted-formats operation at the latest MIPCOM, so at this upcoming ATF, Mediaset Distribution will be focusing on searching for production opportunities with local producers and/or broadcasters.”

Mediaset made its first foray into Asia with its drama fiction, closing sales in Vietnam and the Philippines. Since then, the company has started to enter the Japanese and Indian markets, describing its growth in the region as slow but consistent. “The stories contained in the fiction that Mediaset produces have universal flavor and values. We’re positive that our stories are highly adaptable to most Asian countries—we just need to find the right partners.”

And Teubal says that he is optimistic that those opportunities are to come. “With all the new platforms and [the transition to digital], there is a constant sprouting of new channels, which opens up opportunities for content distributors and producers.”

ITV’s Ross has similar feelings about the vitality of the region. “Asia continues to be the world’s most exciting landscape for the television business; there are large regions such as India, China and Southeast Asia which obviously still have great potential for growth on all platforms. Opportunities continue to be strong, too, for subscription channels, including our own Granada TV, a drama and entertainment channel for Asia and the Middle East.”

So with its growing number of outlets and healthy economies, it’s clear that Asia remains the market to watch.