HBO Asia Preps New Channel

SINGAPORE/HONG KONG: HBO Asia is teaming with the Hong Kong-based Chinese-language content producer Mei Ah Entertainment Group for a new Asian movie channel set to roll out in 2010.

The new service will be HBO Asia’s first service exclusively featuring Asian content. It will feature titles from Mei Ah Entertainment, which owns a library of some 600 movies and operates a number of channels available in Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

“We are very excited to be working with Mei Ah to launch HBO Asia’s first Asian movie channel,” said Jonathan Spink, the CEO of HBO Asia. “The new channel will have a unique Asian feel, marrying HBO Asia’s renowned on-air presentation and extensive footprint in the region with exclusive access to Mei Ah’s rich library of Asian language movies and acquisition expertise.” 

“We believe this announcement signals benefits for not only Mei Ah Entertainment, but also the Hong Kong film industry, allowing it to cater to a still wider audience in Asia,” added Li Kuo Hsing, the founder and chairman of Mei Ah Entertainment. “The announcement is a milestone for Mei Ah Entertainment’s TV business because with access to HBO’s extensive network in Asia, we will be able to take our TV business across the Asia Pacific region. We will continue to produce more Chinese-language movies and TV dramas and other Asian programmes to meet local and regional demands.”

HBO Asia recently expanded its regional distribution portfolio with the addition of the general-entertainment service WarnerTV as well as BabyFirst TV. Its bouquet of movie channels is currently available in 22 countries across Asia.