FIC Unveils New Premium Movie Service, Online Player

HONG KONG: FOX International Channels is set to roll out FOX Movies Premium in Asia in January 2012 delivering blockbuster features, series and mini-series, documentaries and special events, with the linear service to be accompanied by an authenticated online player that was unveiled at a press conference in Hong Kong today.

FOX Movies Premium will replace the Star Movies brand in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, the initial target markets for the new service. The Star Movies brand will continue to operate in Taiwan and the Philippines.

Announcing the new channel today, Zubin Gandevia, COO for the Asia Pacific and the Middle East at FIC, noted, “Most markets [in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia] have in excess of 50, 60 channels at least, most have gone digital and therein lies the opportunity. Whilst there are some premium products, [for] sports or movies, we believe that’s an opportunity that has some ways to go in terms of being explored. We’re in the Hollywood movie space, that’s one of the key cornerstones of a premium offering. Today is the first of many strategic steps we’ll take over the coming months to develop that premium category for ourselves, our affiliates, and bring value to the consumer."

Discussing the programming lineup, Michael Dick, FIC Asia’s head of acquisitions, stressed that FOX Movies Premium will remain “at its core a movie channel.” The slate will however be broadened to include “cinematic” series and mini-series, among them The Walking Dead, Titanic, Neverland and Treasure Island. There will also be awards shows, such as the Oscars and the Independent Spirit Awards, airing live, special events like the Miss Universe pageant and concerts, as well as documentaries, among them Life, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and George Harrison Living in a Material World.

“We really believe this is a premium brand that will start here and be taken all around the world,” said Gandevia of the opportunities presented by the new channel.

Accompanying the service is FOX Movies Premium Play, an online offering that will be made available to subscribers of the linear channel for no extra charge. The online authenticated player is modeled on FIC sister company Moviecity’s online video player in Latin America.