Asian Playground

Kids’ content sellers are finding new opportunities in Asia in linear TV, online and off-screen.

While Asian animation continues to move from strength to strength, the proliferation of new channels and IPTV platforms has left the region ripe with opportunities for international kids’ distributors. The children’s programmers in the Asia Pacific have developed a penchant for high-quality animation, due in large part to the expertise found within their own countries, and animated imports are welcomed warmly.

With animated hits such as Milly, Molly and Get Squiggling! in its catalogue, Beyond Distribution’s children’s business in the Asia Pacific has been "very strong," according to Joanne Azzopardi, the company’s VP of international sales for Australasia. Beyond’s new series Iconicles is launching on ABC2 in Australia, while Wild Animal Baby Explorers is currently broadcast in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Indonesia.

"In Asia, animation is preferred over live action, [since it] is more relatable to children," notes Azzopardi. "However, that said, our most successful series (Backyard Science) is a live-action show."

Azzopardi says the foundation of learning through entertainment is what has made shows such as Backyard Science and Lab Rats Challenge particularly attractive in the region, along with the fact that the series are "very well-produced and kids can have fun while learning. Science is a big draw card."

SPELLING OUT SUCCESS
Another show with an educational angle, Super Why!, is among DHX Media’s best-selling titles in the region. The animated preschool series helps teach kids the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures. "English literacy remains a strong need in the territory," says Craig McGillivray, the territory manager for Asia at DHX.

Other top performers from the DHX catalogue include the preschool shows Animal Mechanicals and Franny’s Feet. "Preschool has traditionally done well in the territory, but there is a strong need for animation comedy as well," McGillivray says, pointing to the regional success of Kid vs Kat.

Comedy and animation have also been a winning combination for PGS Entertainment, which has landed deals in the region for shows such as Marsupilami: Hoobah Hoobah Hop!, Leon and The Gees. "Marsupilami: Hoobah Hoobah Hop! is a great family comedy with an ecological message which has terrific appeal and has worked very well for Asian buyers," says Guillaume Soutter, the company’s head of international sales. "As for Leon and The Gees, these short-form series have been working [amazingly well] for us within the region, as they can be easily exploited across all platforms and especially on TV, mobile or the Internet."

"Business has been really good for PGS within the region," Soutter reports. "We have hit some great sales with [pan-regional cable channels] and local stations and are eager to expand throughout more territories."

Carole Brin, the head of international TV sales and acquisitions at Cyber Group Studios, says, "Our business has been growing in this area since the beginning of [our] very first production, Ozie Boo!" The Ozie Boo! franchise has been succesful in a number of markets, including South Korea and Japan.

"Tales of Tatonka, which is still in production, is already following the same footsteps across the whole region," Brin adds. "Both of these programs are the perfect mix for the Asian market, as they are high-quality 3D animation, skewing for younger kids, and introducing them, through cute animals, to strong, evergreen values about life, friendship and family."

"The biggest growth [in the region] is definitely taking place in South Korea, with the multiplication of channels, due to the explosion of IPTV channels and VOD platforms," Brin says of Cyber Group’s key Asian territories. "We have recently seen quite a lot of activity in Australia and New Zealand, as well as in all the major Asian territories and the Indian subcontinent."

ASIAN ASPIRATIONS
Brin lists China as a market the company is keen to crack. "We are now specifically targeting China and looking to expand our activities in association with some of the major Chinese producers and broadcasters, on programs fit for China as well as the rest of the world," she says.

For PGS’s Soutter, "the territories that have been developing most in the past years are for sure Indonesia and Malaysia. Our aim for the medium term will be to expand growth in Thailand and Singapore."

Beyond’s Azzopardi also cites Malaysia as a key territory, noting that the market "has a very strong appetite for our type of children’s content."

Azzopardi says she’s taken note of the region’s growing appetite for digital, especially when it comes to extending kids’ content onto new platforms. "Broadcasters are increasingly looking at ways to make their channels and content more accessible to children and more interactive," she says. "Online extensions of the series are important. Asia is a very tech-savvy region, especially in markets like Korea and Japan."

PGS is also ready to ride the digital wave, says Soutter. "The main opportunity for the upcoming years will be the exploitation of our content on mobile and Internet platforms, as we have read the statistics that the Asian market will become the largest market in the world for all platforms 
by 2015."

The region also holds much potential for rolling out consumer products based on popular kids’ brands, says Cyber Group’s Brin. "Asia is a strong market as far as merchandising is concerned. We really believe in Zou being a hit in the whole region, and we have already been approached by several licensing and publishing companies to work on the property on a pan-Asian level."

BORDER PATROL
However, working on a pan-Asian level isn’t always the easiest route to take. The territories within the Asia-Pacific market can vary widely in terms of their sensibilities, tastes and preferences, making it more difficult for shows to cross borders. "A title can do very well in one part of Asia and struggle in another," says DHX’s McGillivray. "This poses a challenge, while at the same time it is what makes the region so dynamic."

The region poses a number of other challenges when it comes to importing shows from the international market as well. "Many Asian buyers are looking for strong action animation series for boys, and the level of violence that may be accepted by some of the broadcasters could never be shown in Europe," notes Cyber Group’s Brin. "This is an issue, as we are trying to sell programs globally and would not tailor to this target."

"In Asia, Japanese animation is still very popular and broadcasters do allocate a lot of their acquisitions budget to purchasing this style of children’s content," says Beyond’s Azzopardi of the hurdles she’s encountered. "We then also have to compete with locally produced content and with countries exporting their locally produced children’s content within the region."

Azzopardi continues, "For Beyond, besides our straight sales of canned children’s content, the opportunities lie in formats of our productions within the region." She says this would help build out already successful brands in the Asia Pacific, such as Backyard Science. "I would love to see a local version of this series on air in Asia," she adds.

"Selling programs into the Asia-Pacific region also means producing original content driven by the culture of the region," agrees Cyber Group’s Brin. "We are currently developing a couple of Asian culturally led concepts, which can in turn find their places in other regions. This is a very exciting challenge, as it takes us into uncharted territories and helps make us grow as a global provider of entertainment for children."