Asahi to Rep Outdoor Channel in Korea

SINGAPORE: Multi Channel Asia (MCA) has awarded Asahi Investment Corporation (AIC) the exclusive multi-year distribution rights to Outdoor Channel in Korea.

Asahi takes on the master rights to distribute Outdoor Channel in Korea as well as the option to create a local joint venture to operate Outdoor Channel Korea in the future. The network will be available as a full HD service with Korean subtitles.

William Kelly, the managing director of Multi Channels Asia, said, “AIC has demonstrated a strong commitment to become the outdoor entertainment genre leader in the Korean market. By partnering with AIC, we are securing an effective entry strategy for Outdoor Channel in one of the most challenging pay-TV markets in Asia. While initially AIC will distribute the Outdoor Channel as a foreign retransmission channel (with Korean subtitles), we expect the carriage foundation will quickly be in place, so we can expand our relationship to become a fully localized joint-venture channel.”

Gwang-Jin, Rhee, the chairman of Asahi Investment Corporation, added, “Despite the numerous local and foreign retransmission channels available in Korea we believe Outdoor Channel’s unique and unduplicated programming proposition will resonate well with Korean audiences. More so given MCA’s commitment to Korean subtitles and the visual delights of offering the great outdoors in full HD.”